Khusru II & the True Cross

Apollo mint

SASANIAN.

Khusru II, 590-628AD

Silver Drachm.

Regnal year: 4

Mint: APL

29 x 31 mm, 4.09 grams

1500 yr old large silver coin (about the size of a half dollar) minted in Ancient Persia during the time of the Sasanian Empire, circa 550-650 A.D.

The period of Sasanian rule was a high point in Iranian civilization characterized by a complex and centralized government bureaucracy, and revitalized Zoroastrianism. The Sasanians were contemporaries of the late roman empire and early byzantine empire. Their civilization played a large role in geopolitics during the time of Justinian the Great. Their silver drachms were unique in their design because they were struck on unusually large and thin flans. Sources have suggested that at least some of these coins were manufactured by hammering older Greek and roman coins flat and then restriking their design. These coins are sometimes called "viking coins" in parts of Europe because large numbers of them have been found in buried in Scandinavia, a testament to their importance in Viking trade with the Middle East.

The York hallmark is a mark used on silver and gold items to indicate that they were assayed in York, England. The hallmark system in the UK has a long history, with specific marks assigned to different assay offices to certify the metal's purity. Origins of official hallmarking on silver at York date to the Act of 1423 whereby York was appointed one of the seven provincial assay towns of England, however there is some evidence of local control going as far back as the year 1190. The York assay office carried on until the early eighteenth century when a serious decline in the local silver trade caused the office to be closed in 1716. During the sixty year closure, sterling silver was still manufactured in York and the remaining silversmiths were granted admittance to the

Goldsmiths Company at Newcastle and had their work hallmarked there. In the latter eighteenth century there was an upturn in the fortunes of York silversmithing, the assay office reopened in 1776 and remained active until its final closure in 1858. The first town mark for York was a circular device, the left side a halved Fleur-de-Lys and the right side a halved Leopard's Head. In 1701, the town mark was changed to a cross device containing five lions passant. York hallmarks contain a few anomalies; the Town mark is seldom seen on smaller items and, in the early years of the nineteenth century, the

Lion Passant is sometimes to be found facing to the right, the reverse of its usual position.

Like Exeter, Chester and Newcastle, York also opted to use the Crowned Leopard's Head mark. This, in conjunction with the frequent non-use of the town mark, has York sterling

often mistaken for London made.

There were only a small number silversmiths that worked in York and those are found in varying combinations of partnerships. Silversmiths not illustrated below include: Ambrose

Beckwith, Richard Clark, William Astley, John Bell, & Charles Union.

Christopher Columbus is often credited with discovering America in 1492, but

indigenous people had lived in the Americas for thousands of years before he arrived.

There is also evidence that Norse explorers reached North America centuries before Columbus, with Leif Erikson establishing a settlement in Newfoundland around 1000.

Phoenician sailors discovered the New World c. 350 BC. 131 Carthage minted gold staters in 350 BC bearing a pattern in the reverse exergue of the coins, which McMenamin interpreted as a map of the Mediterranean with the Americas shown to the west across the Atlantic. 1131/141 McMenamin still holds (2024) to his hypothesis that these gold staters represent images of the New World, as a second specimen of the critical Jenkins-Lewis JL#11 stater has surfaced with an exergue map pattern identical to that seen in the British Museum specimen.

Later McMenamin demonstrated that the Farley coins found in America were modern forgeries but these Farley coins are not related to the gold staters with the world map

(Note: York hallmark with wish bone on coin)

Ivar the Boneless (Old Norse: Ívarr hinn Beinlausi [ˈiːˌwɑrː ˈhinː ˈbɛinˌlɔuse]; died c. 873), also known as Ivar Ragnarsson, was a Viking leader who invaded England and Ireland. According to the Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok, he was the son of Aslaug and her husband Ragnar Loðbrok, and was the brother of Björn Ironside, Halvdan Hvitserk, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye and Ragnvald. However, this is not sure to be historically accurate. Ivar is sometimes regarded as the same person as Ímar, a Viking king of Dublin between 870 and 873. He might have been born in Uppsala, Sweden in about 787. The origin of the nickname is not certain. "Ívarr beinlausi" could be translated to "Ivar legless", but "beinlausi" could also be translated as "boneless", since "bone" and "leg" are translations of the same word, "bein", in Old Norse. Several of the sagas[example needed] describe him as lacking legs/bones or having a skeletal condition such as osteogenesis imperfecta, while a passage in Ragnarssona þáttr (also known as the tale of Ragnar's sons) suggest it refers to male impotence.

The earliest accounts of silver can be traced to 3,000 BC in modern-day Turkey, where its mining spurred trade in the ancient Aegean and Mediterranean seas. Traders and merchants would use hacksilver—

rough-cut pieces of silver-as a medium of exchange for goods and services.

Around 1,200 BC, the Ancient Greeks began refining and minting silver coins from the rich deposits found in the mines of Laurion just outside

Athens. By 100 BC, modern-day Spain became the center of silver mining for the Roman Empire while silver bullion traveled along the Asian spice trade routes. By the late 1400s, Spain brought its affinity for silver

Walt Disney meet Leopold

Stokowski? A chance meeting with Walt Disney at Chasen's resulted in the two men agreeing to have dinner together. Disney outlined his plans to do "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and other projects combining classical music with animation. A chance meeting with Walt Disney at Chasen's resulted in the two men agreeing to have dinner together. Disney outlined his plans to do "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and other projects combining classical music with animation.

The Phoenicians were a Semitic maritime trading culture that existed from around 1550 to 300 BCE. They were located on the coast of modern-day Lebanon and Syria, and were a league of independent city-states that were well-suited for trade with the rest of the ancient world. The Phoenicians were skilled sailors and shipbuilders who used man-powered sailing vessels called galleys, and are credited with inventing the bireme. They were also known as "traders in purple" in Greece and Rome because they had a monopoly on a valuable purple dye made from murex snail shells.

The Phoenicians' civilization ended around

300 BCE when the Persians and later the Greeks conquered Tyre, the core of their territory.

According to Greek mythology, the islands were reserved for those who

had chosen to be reincarnated three times, and managed to be judged as especially pure enough to gain entrance to the Elysian Fields all three times. 61 The Theban poet Pindar reduced the number of the islands to

one, describing it as having shady parklands with residents indulging in athletic and musical pastimes, activities that were thought to be the ideal life for ancient Greek aristocracy.

The most famous garment of early medieval Scandinavia is the so-called Apron Dress (also called a trägerrock, hängerock, or smokkr).

This may have evolved from the peoples of the early Germanic Iron Age. The garment is often interpreted as a tube shape (either fitted or loose) that is worn with straps over the shoulder and large brooches (sometimes called "turtle brooches") at the upper chest. 13) Examples of appliqued silk bands used as decoration have been found in a number of graves 13] Not all graves identified as belonging to women contain the brooches that typify this type of garment, indicating that some women wore a different style of clothing. There is evidence from Dublin that at least some Norse women wore caps or other head-coverings, it is unclear however how pervasive this practice was.

Own a piece of ancient history with this unique coin from the Elysian Field era. This silver Drachma is believed to date back to 600AD and features a beautiful design that may remind you of Disney's Fantasia. The coin has been cleaned and is ungraded, making it a perfect addition to any collection. The provenance of this coin is not available, adding to the mystery and allure of owning such a rare piece. Don't miss out on the opportunity to add this one-of-a-kind coin to your collection.