ITALY, Salerno. Roberto il Guiscardo. Prince,

ITALY, Salerno. Roberto il Guiscardo. Prince, 1077-1085. Æ Follaro (27mm, 5.08 g, 10h). Crowned facing bust, holding cross-tipped scepter and covered urn / City view with towers and arcade; VICTOR[I/A] in two lines in exergue. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe 164; CNI XVIII 1-4; Travaini, Monetazione type 32; MEC 14, 71-3. Dark green patina. VF. Good strike for this typically poorly struck issue. Rare.


From the Richard A. Jourdan Collection of Medieval European Coins. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 96 (14 May 2014), lot 1312.

The follaro was continued by Roberto il Guiscardo, the effective founder of Norman power in Italy. He captured Salerno in 1077. This issue takes its obverse design from the gold Byzantine histamenon of Nicephorus III and presents 'on the reverse and original view of the cathedral at Salerno'.