Sicily (Norman Kings): ca. 1154-1166 gold tari of Guglielmo I ("William the Bad")

Obverse: Kufic legend in two margins around pellet in circle.
Reverse: Cross-tipped scepter with IC XC NIKA around field.
Issuer: William I, King of Sicily (1154-1166).
Specifications: Gold, 13 mm, 1.56 g.
Grade: PCGS VF35, cert. #36461152. Purchased raw. Original earthen deposits retained.
Reference: PCGS-690703, Spahr-82 (per Nomos AG), Fr.634 Guglielmo I (per PCGS).
Provenance: ex-Nomos AG, Switzerland, Obolos 10 auction, Lot 603, 30 June 2018. *
Notes: this small medieval gold coin was struck between the Second and Third Crusades, a time of great strife between Christian and Islamic kingdoms. William I was Christian, but since gold Islamic coins were such an economic staple of Europe and the Near East in the Middle Ages, many Christian rulers imitated them. This king's historical nickname of "William the Bad" might be undeserved, and the product of bias by the chronicler Hugo Falcandus.
Comments: I find it interesting that this coin includes cross-cultural motifs: both Islamic (Kufic) script and the Eastern Christian christogram "IC XC NIKA", which is an abbreviation for "Jesus Christ conquers".

Fonte : https://www.cointalk.com/threads/sicily-...

Collezione : Ancient & Medieval Coins (to 1600 AD)