Unknown coin of unknown age and unknown culture...help please :)

[casata137ec]

Evening all...yeah...I was at the junk box again. Among my other finds, this one has stared at me the last few times I sorted through this particular box and I finally had to get it. I have no idea what it is, but here is what I can see: on what I ahve as the obverse there looks to be a shield of sorts and although it is hard to see in the pic (I am still learning a new camera, sorry) there looks to be a M (somthing indiscriminate) C over the "shield". There looks to be a legend, but I cannot make it out. The rev features a right facing eagle with wings spread, again, with a legend I cannot make heads or tales of. The coin also appears to be copper.

Any additional info would be fantastic.

Chris

15mm max dim .49g (paper thin)

 

[solon]

There seems to be a cross on top of the eagle and the letters remind me of medieval coins! It could be a crusader coin.

[PeterD]

Your coin looks like this one, which is of Jaime II of Aragon, Spain (1291 - 1327). It is a billon denaro minted in Messina (Sicily).

[casata137ec]

Thank you both. Peter, I think you have it (now I have to reverse the pic!). I really appreciate! Thanks!

Chris

[Paleologo]

It definitely look like an Aragonese coin from Sicily struck after 1282. On the obverse is the striped shield from Aragon and on the reverse the Staufers' imperial eagle. This is because Peter of Aragon was husband to Costanza, daughter of Manfred and grand-daughter of Frederick II. Costanza was recalled by the Sicilians after the Anjous had been overthrown and Peter also became King of Sicily.

[casata137ec]

Thank you Paleologo. I do appreciate the extra info as I am totally out of my league with medieval coinage.

I hate to be a pain, but would one of you all have a reference that I could tag this with? I have searched, but am obviously looking in the wrong spots and cannot find anything.

Thanks again.

Chris

[Paleologo]

No pain, just pleasure 

IMHO the coin is: John II of Aragon, King of Sicily (1458-79), billon denaro, Messina mint. Biaggi 1354

(Biaggi = ELIO BIAGGI, MONETE E ZECCHE MEDIEVALI ITALIANE, DAL SEC. VIII AL SEC. XV. Montenegro Editore, Torino 1992)

Confirmation would be needed, as well as a reference to Spahr (Rodolfo Spahr, La monete Siciliane dagli Aragonesi ai Borboni (1282 - 1836), Graz 1982)

[casata137ec]

Many thanks, again, Paleologo! Until I here otherwise, I am sticking by your references. 

Chris

[hannibal2]

Hello,

You may find some exemplars here

http://medievalcoins.ancients.info/cgi-bin/webdata_coinbase.pl?Dynasty=Aragon&Ruler=John+II&Reign+Date=1458&cgifunction=Search

cr

[casata137ec]

Hello,

You may find some exemplars here

http://medievalcoins.ancients.info/cgi-bin/webdata_coinbase.pl?Dynasty=Aragon&Ruler=John+II&Reign+Date=1458&cgifunction=Search

cr

Excellent! Thanks brother.

Chris

[hannibal2]

Hello,

here's another member from the house of Aragon. No aristocrat, just a pitiable pauper.

The armorial shield of Aragon if evident on the obverse but nothing else is legible. On the reverse appears what seems to be a bird looking left. The odd shaped flan was clipped from a copper alloy sheet not more than a millimetre thick. Its a wonder how it survived.

Background is 1 mm squares.