One of this sites favourite series, Dutch coin producer Numiscollect’s History of the Crusades is a hugely appealing historical series of antique sterling silver coins. It debuted back in 2009 and has stayed true to its roots ever since. The design of these coins has always been a highlight. A sculpt of the main character on the Christian side of each crusade sits in front of a beautifully detailed scene from the campaign. There hasn’t been a dip in quality throughout this series and this latest entrant isn’t going to be the first to do so.

The Ninth Crusade has the distinction of being the second 2016-dated coin, the first time there has ever been more than one per year. The Ninth Crusade is considered the last major campaign in the ongoing conflict, with the total number of Crusades open to much scholarly debate. They did continue into the 16th century in many forms, so where this series will end is open to speculation. We hope it continues. The Ninth Crusade coin depicts Edward I brandishing a sword and holding an armoured helmet. In the background is a full charge of knights on horseback, an impressive battle tactic of the time. The obverse, common to the whole series, carries the series name inscribed along the top, ‘HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES’ along with a clean silhouette of crusaders on battlements carrying a cross and a crusader flag.

This new coin will be available in September and pre-orders should commence shortly. It comes in a box with a Certificate of Authenticity, all packaged in a colour shipper. If you’d like to know more about this excellent range, we have a full coin series profile of it, detailing all the previous releases.

When the Eighth Crusade under French king Louis IX failed, Edward the son of English king Henry III, took up the reins and headed to Acre for the Ninth. The Crusade took place through 1271 and 1272 and Edward defeated Sultan Baibars in a series of victorious battles, but it ultimately fizzled out. Edward had pressing problems at home to deal with, and there were significant internal disputes in the Outremer territories that he felt unable, or was unwilling to deal with. He returned home in 1274 to be crowned Edward I after surviving an assassination attempt, likely ordered by Baibars.

Considered the last major Crusade, the popular desire to recapture Jerusalem for the Christians had waned after centuries of war and relative failure. It wasn’t long after the Ninth Crusade that the last major Christian footholds in the Middle East fell, including Acre. As Sultan, Baibars also engaged in a combination of diplomacy and military action, allowing the Mamluks of Egypt to greatly expand their empire.

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