|
Huszár 717, Pohl 216-8, Unger 562h, Réthy II 235A, Frynas 34.35
|
Hungary. Matthias Corvinus/Mátyás Hunyadi (1458-1490).
AR denar (aver. fineness approx. .500 AR; ideal weight .59023 g.); .49 g., 15.51 mm. max., 90°
Obv: + m•ATh[IE]•[R•]Vn[G]ARIE, Four-part shield with Hungarian arms (Árpádian stripes, patriarchal cross, Dalmatian leopard heads, Bohemian lion), raven with prominent feet on branch within partial escutcheon.
Rev: PATROnA - VnGARIE, Veiled Madonna with infant Jesus to her right, K–K/shield in fields.
The type was struck 1468-1470 per Pohl and Unger, except that Pohl extends the type to 1484 re one scarce mintmark. Huszár and Gyöngyössy assign date ranges of 1468-1471 and 1468-1477, respectively, presumably in recognition of the later striking of coins bearing that one scarce mark. Frynas simply assigns a date of 1468 to this type.
This mark was struck in Kremnitz/Körmöcbánya, now Kremnica, Slovakia, by Johannes Constorfer, kammergraf, in 1468.
Huszár/Pohl rarity 3, Unger value 7 DM, Frynas rarity C. By my provisional estimate, roughly 10% of this type bears this mark. This is a highly variable type. Coins with this mark typically have the obverse legend + mOnETA • mAThIE • R • VnG (or a minor variation), whereas coins of this type with the mark K-shield (also struck in Kreminitz under Constorfer, but in 1469) have the obverse legend + m • mAThie • R • VnGARIE (or a minor variant). In either event, the raven is within a whole or partial escutcheon, stands on a twig and has prominent feet. This coin is unusual in that it bears the latter legend, but the obverse die was erroneously engraved to omit the second "m" (for Mathie). I have only seen one other example of this mark with the latter legend, and it was also erroneously engraved in this manner, although from a different die. In my article on this coinage, I classified coins bearing this mark and the former legend as Subtype D1 and D2 (depending on the presence or absence of the large clearly defined ring ). The variety with the latter legend, represented by this coin, was then unknown to me and not mentioned.
|
|