Owner Comments:
Messina mint, Fr-134, MEC XIV-515, MIC-59, Spahr-98. 5.26gm. (pellet) IMP ROM | • CESAR AVG, Laureate bust right / +FRIDE | RICVS, Eagle left, head right, wings raised. An extremely rare and charismatic pseudo-Ancient type, styled and produced in the manner of an imperial Roman issue. Important as a representative of a turning point in medieval coinage, the first major piece to exhibit the realistic, detailed side-facing portrait (since the Roman Empire). I find approximately 118 of these listed on acsearch.info, with this coin listed at least 4 times. Presumably other entries are re-auctions of the same coins also.
This is the coin that sort of kicked off the renaissance in gold coinage for Western Europe, starting in 1231 and until 1250 or even a little after Frederick II's death that year. Outside Muslim Spain and Sicily only the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world were striking circulating gold coinage regularly for most of the 700's through the close of the 1100's AD. It's a nice touch that Frederick II's Augustale looks like it picks up where the classic solidii of Honorius or Theodosius left off 900 years before in the 300's.
This is why the knights from Western Europe in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem struck their gold bezants to look like Fatimid dinars, complete with blundered kufic legends proclaiming that Mohammed is God's messenger. That's just what a gold coin was expected to look like.
Following on the issuance of these coins by Frederick II Florence issued its Florins starting in 1251, then Venice started striking ducats in the 1280's. Genoa was soon striking Genovinos, and Hungary its own ducats, by the 1300's. German states and France were striking their own versions of the Florin by then too. Gold coinage returned to Europe like an infection starting in Sicily and spreading up through the toe of Italy. Frederick II introduced this disease vector to Europe. What would you expect after how much time he spent messing around abroad.
Ex NAC 35 (Dec 2, 2006), LOT 107. Hammer $7,960
Ex Bertolami 12 (Oct 29, 2014), LOT 1080. Hammer $12,006