Esterlin with lions - Wenceslaus I Montmédy ND

Reverse

Crossed, leafy cross, triple-veined surrounded by legend between two girdles

Script: Latin (uncial)

Lettering: + MOnETA⦂ MOVSADIES'

Lettering (regular font): + MONETA⦂ MOVSADIES'

Comment

Very rare esterlin (or Brabantinus), no date, struck around 1364-1383 in Montmédy.
This esterlin is the only Luxembourg piece that was struck in the workshop of
Montmédy. The obverse is identical to the struck in Luxembourg.

Weiller lists 15 pieces of this type, most of which are kept in the medal cabinets of Brussels, Luxembourg and Trier. A single copy offered for sale in recent years (starting price well above the odds, remained unsold). Probst mentions another sale in 2002.

The average weight of 15 pieces was 0.95 g. and the extreme weights of 0.73 and 1.04 g. (Weiller, p. 76)
The copy of Bernays & Vannerus weighed 1 g. and that of Probst 1.1 g.

Variants: No variant identified by Probst or Weiller. Only one variant of the legend listed by B&V:

• Reverse:
  

+ MOnETA⦂ MOVƧADIES'
+ MOnETA⦂ MOVZADVS'

Four such examples were found in the vicinity of Wiltz during the discovery of the treasure A.26. This treasure, in total 152 pieces, found in 1962 was split in two and quickly dispersed in the trade. Some of these coins could nonetheless be analyzed and identified beforehand, of which the present type in n ° 63-66:

Hubert Frère & Marcel Thirion,
RBM vol.109, 1963, pp. 189-197

Some sales:

• Heidelberger M. Auc. 53 l.779
  

• Aurea Auc. 50 l.540
  

• Veilinghuis Eeckhout Auc. 6 l.693
  

• Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH Auc. 170 l.2878
  

Interesting fact