CRUSADERS, Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. temp. Sybelle. 1186-1190. BI Denier (17mm, 1.32 g, 11h). Struck during the siege of Jerusalem, 1187.

CNG Feature Auction 118
Lot: 1244. Estimated: $ 1 500

Early Medieval & Islamic, Billon, Coin-in-Hand Video

Sold For $ 6 000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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CRUSADERS, Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. temp. Sybelle. 1186-1190. BI Denier (17mm, 1.32 g, 11h). Struck during the siege of Jerusalem, 1187. (retrograde D)I(retrograde D)[...] (retrograde S)I(retrograde R)VT + (sic), Tower of David / [...]VC(retrograde P)V[...], view of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Metcalf, Crusades, p. 77; cf. C.J. Sabine, “Numismatic iconography of the Tower of David and the Holy Sepulchre,” NC 1979, pl. 17, 3; N. du Quesne Bird, “Two deniers from Jerusalem, Jordan,” NumCirc LXXIII.5 (May 1965), p. 109; Slocum 288; CCS 51. Toned, porosity, areas of weak strike. Near VF. Very rare and of great historical interest.

From the Dr. Jay M. Galst Collection Ex Numismatica Ars Classica E (4 April 1995), lot 3317.

‘Then Balian and the patriarch went and had the tomb edicule of the Sepulchre which was all covered in silver uncovered; and then they had it taken away to be struck into money to give to the knights and sergeants.’
– The Chronicle of Ernoul

C. J. Sabine has convincingly argued that these very rare anonymous deniers were an emergency issue struck during the siege of Jerusalem in September 1187. A small Christian force led by Balian of Ibelin mounted a heroic defence against the armies of Saladin, capitulating on October 2nd after the walls were breached. News of the loss of the Holy City sent shock waves through Western Europe and resulted in the Third Crusade.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 118 lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 13-14 September 2021. CNG Feature Auction 118 – Session Four – Roman Imperial Coinage Part 2 through Antiquities will be held Tuesday afternoon, 14 September 2021 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 22.50% for all others.

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