Trasisvlania 1628

[redwine]

1.70g
21mm ish
Not sure what it's made of?
I spotted http://postzegels-munten.marktplaats.nl/munten-nederland/532210296-duit-overijssel-1628-trasisvlania-omega-bodemvondst.html?return=eJwtzdtqxCAQgOF3WUjujNFVmjVI2aUvItE21iNqusuWvntH2qv55mdglCDi24p5rYIyJk7VqLLt695aFhi7lE2cgiquZa9Uq1P0OKfanubD%2BIpMROGIzUT8N1A02hSvosbZFJu0QV8pFeRStNEV%2B%2BnwdqFs2lvwrw8vyairbGk4X8lwvnnS8bKwbgqG084GfNoMrO%2B6wgLKPc6AAP0ajwDvtt6P%2F56qBdEx50POY5ZsVPeB3%2BiF84G%2FgWYYkjOyLKf15xeZMFI5&df=1&fta=eNpVksFunDAQhl9l5cOebWPAHsShVS%2BR2qhSq1yiaGWwSemyYIFJaFf71HmB2owTqSc%2Bj%2F9hfv5BQwnXBSSQdR5OL3pYSLWAyoFsQ82OZqn9BKwaGLBSimrgoHh4ePjbu2rpzAKV80Cri4Nxvdi5byu3hvO09MCPzq01PbpaHPXrI1d5%2FvRIn%2BpcMCnjGAHE6WdLqh5EOGZAerPP54UCwrpGZYVutwDSlq3YoWwtj6CsoRJBaraDKVSzYRdNIKxMQLEry8oOgb9fcdEisMYiUFsm4Byn58oiCJ4j8HJvl6YrGUJjd03RZdhVtHm72yiEpUUEYUzRJaAZQqtkAiYQGpXEDU8VnduYCgsB%2Bclps5wGOz77XzE4GtcF5KK3U8wyxGeA5zFDIPqVVBoYXMMuQviB92WHm7svKf9YjxgW%2FlU3dohcAvkeNjkZnMqAfNbt2Y7mXl%2F2EhcfisO3dfR2PNxbY%2BdBj%2Bbd6Cfv575Zvf35x%2BF7wkYJmv0xzf5uNHYj6DOjEQogD3pY4yck0xSNpf%2Flhl52ze71fyELyoe3t%2FlwnsZ%2BPM%2F973Poud0wiZeopXC93f4BDc3m5A%3D%3D&fta_ind=18&fs=1

And yes I can see the reverse is out by 90 degrees.

Some more info please.. Many thanks

[chrisild]

Cannot really comment on that particular piece, but "Trasisulania" is a Latin(ized) version of the province name "Overijssel" (lit. "on the other side of the IJssel river". Another version would be "Trans-Isulania" or, as on this map, "Trans-Isula" ...

Christian

[redwine]

Many thanks Christian 
When I first read the obverse, I was thinking Transylvania 

[Figleaf]

The litte omega above the first line was actually meant to replace the N. Numismatic legend has it that this was common usage, but I have not seen this usage elsewhere.

Peter

[redwine]

Many thanks, I've found it in Krause now KM# 22 DUIT Copper

[natko]

Indeed, it's Dutch province Overyssel.

That is 1 duit piece, made of copper, KM#22, minted between '19 and '35 and catalog lists 1628 as the most common year.

edit://well, I guess my post is useless now

[redwine]

Still, much appreciated 

[FosseWay]

The litte omega above the first line was actually meant to replace the N. Numismatic legend has it that this was common usage, but I have not seen this usage elsewhere.

Peter

It was common usage in the pre-printing era, when books were copied longhand, to use a line similar to a macron or a tilde to denote a missing letter or some missing letters. This symbol was placed above where the missing letter(s) should have been, but I agree an omega-shaped symbol is far from normal. Typical usages for this shorthand were:
• to shorten grammatical endings in Latin where it was clear from the context what they should be
• to shorten whole words that feature frequently in the text in question (e.g. DÑS for DOMINUS = the Lord in Christian texts), rather like how we create acronyms in similar situations
• to replace M or N within words (as on this coin).

My theory for why this shortening was used specifically for those letters is twofold. Firstly, in medieval uncial script, m and n tended to run together with other similar looking letters (especially i and u), making the text difficult to read. If you could remove some of the uprights from a word containing lots of them (e.g. communionem, communitatem) it made it easier to read as well as less time- and space-consuming to write.

Secondly, many Ms and Ns that were written in Latin weren't pronounced in the successor languages spoken by many of the monks who were writing and reading these texts. Latin accusatives generally end in -m but were only weakly sounded if at all, which helped towards the complete erosion of the case system in Italian, French etc. N before S isn't pronounced in Italian, generally, so you get 'trasporto' for transport and so on. If you're going to omit a letter, you may as well choose one that seems to be redundant.

[Figleaf]

While the above variant is common and of a type shared by the other six united provinces of the Netherlands, here* is an interesting variant. At first sight, it looks like a duit of Friesland or Overijssel or Utrecht. Looking coser, it starts to look like a Frisian duit, as the legend starts with FRI, not TRA or TRAN (remember that many people couldn't read and remembered only a few etters on coins by their shape).

It's only when you can read and pay close attention and know that the Frisian pieces are inscribed FRI/SIA that you notice there's something wrong. The legend is FRI/CIA/R. The maker, Ernest D'Aspremont-Lynden, count of Reckheim (1603-1636) or Ferdinand D'Aspremont-Lynden (1636-1665) would have explained to you that this stands for Ferdinandus Romanorum Imperator Cometatus Imperialis Ad Reckheimensis - Ferdinand emperor of rome (German emperor) imperial county in Reckheim. The village of Reckheim had ancient minting rights and exercised them. That explains also why this coin is considerable lighter than a genuine duit: it is struck by German standards.

In reality, Reckheim and its brother in evil Gronsveld were waging economic war against the Republic. They imitated its copper money at a large scale, sold them to middlemen and lived off the profit. From time to time, a middleman was caught and hanged, but the makers remained safe under the protection of Habsburg (Spain, Austria) and Wittelsbach (Bavaria). Both houses were catholic while the Republic was protestant. The two rogue mints were just outside the territory of the Republic, enclaves in the Habsburg Southern Netherlands.

Peter

* Picture borrowed from this site.

[Figleaf]

Here is another one (picture from the same site.) It could be Utrecht (TRA/IEC/TVM) or Overijssel (TRANS/ISVLA/NIA), but noooo, it is TRAN/MOESA/A•R, Trans Moesa Ad Reckheim.

These are fantastically preserved specimen. The dies are hastily made, the coins are badly and weakly struck and most were thrown away in disgust, spending over three centuries in the ground.

Peter

[bart]

In reality, Reckheim and its brother in evil Gronsveld were waging economic war against the Republic. They imitated its copper money at a large scale, sold them to middlemen and lived off the profit. From time to time, a middleman was caught and hanged, but the makers remained safe under the protection of Habsburg (Spain, Austria) and Wittelsbach (Bavaria). Both houses were catholic while the Republic was protestant. The two rogue mints were just outside the territory of the Republic, enclaves in the Habsburg Southern Netherlands.

Reckheim didn't only imitate coins of the Republic. They made also imitations of coins of the Southern Netherlands and of the Prince-bishopry of Liege.
Especially imitations of coins of Ferdinand of Bavaria are frequently found, with the FB (Ferdinandus Dux Bavariae) replaced by FR (Ferdinandus Comes Rechem).
There were many complaints at the Imperial court against these underweight coinage, but the counts d'Aspremont-Lynden could proceed with this malfare because they were protected by the Holy Roman Emperor himself.
On the other hand, the Provinces of the Republic couldn't even make any complaints to the Imperial Court, as they were not part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Bart