Coin Talk

Dear Friends of ancient mythology!

I often only use coins as a starting point for further investigations. So I did it here, too.

Pygmies rarely appear on Roman coins. I only know of a Denarius of L. Roscus Fabatus, Cr. 412/1, symbols 69. All the more I was pleased to be able to acquire this coin from Alexandria showing a dancing Pygmy on the rev:

The Coin:
Egypt, Alexandria, Diocletian, AD 284-305
Billon-Tetradrachm, 7.51g, 19mm, 210°
struck AD 291/2 (RY 8)
obv. ΔIOKΛHTI - ANOC CEB
Bust, draped, laureate, r.
rev. Horus (Harpokrates), stg. facing, wearing hemhem-crown, nude except chlamys
over shoulders, holding branch in lowered r. hand and pomegranate in raised l.
hand; at his l. side the small figur of a dancing Pygmy.
in l. and r. field L - H (year 8)
ref. Milne 5021; Emmett 4062; Curtis 2005
about VF, interesting rev. type
pedigree:
ex coll. Zach Beasley (Beast Coins) 2009
ex coll. Keith Emmett
ex Harlan Berk Oct. 1991


Name and...

Dear Friends of ancient mythology!

Most of us know the Phoenix from the FEL TEMP REPARATIO coins of the Late Roman empire. Here I want to share an article about the origin of the Phoenix from Egypt.

The coin:
Egypt, Alexandria, Antoninus Pius, AD 138-161
AE - tetradrachm, 11.44g, 22mm, 180°
struck AD 138/9 (RY 2)
obv. [AV]T [K T AIΛ AΔP] - [AN]TΩN[INOC EVCEB]
Bare head r.
rev. AI - ΩN
Phoenix, nimbate, stg. r.
in l. and r. field L - B (year 2)
ref. Milne 1603; Geissen 1291; Dattari 2430; Kampmann 35.2
Rare, F+, slightly porous
pedigree:
ex CNG electronic auction 219, lot 386
ex coll. Jörg Möller

Note:
AIΩN = eternity

Mythology:
The origin of the mythology of the wonder bird Phoenix can be found in Egypt. There the bird benu, a purple heron, played an important role. During the Nile flood this beautiful blue bird sat on a high place and collected the sunbeams over the water with its shining feathers. Therefore he...

I first saw this 1799 dollar in 1979. I had just joined a local club in the Boston area, and an older gentleman brought it to a meeting. I told him that if he ever wanted to sell it, that I would be interested.

About ten years later he approached me. He wanted AU money, but I told him that it was really an EF-45. We agreed to let ANACS determine the price. This was in the days when the ANA owned the company and the coins were slabbed in the little white holders.

The coin came back from ANACS in an EF-45 holder. I purchased the piece for strong EF money.

Jump ahead 12 years. I decided to get my collection graded. I cracked this piece out of the ANACS holder and set it to NGC via a dealer with whom I had done a lot of business as a dealer. The coin came back as an NCG AU-55. Here are photos of the piece.



The piece has a quite a bit of luster, and is easily an AU-55 by today's standards.

You can condemn me if you like, but...

Dear Friends of ancient mythology!

I'm sure many of you have already seen coins from Caesarea (Greek Kaisareia), where the back is called 'Mt. Argaios' or 'Mt. Argaeus'. Here are three of them:

1st Coin:
Cappadocia, Caesarea, Marcus Aurelius, AD 161-180
AR - Didrachm, 6.73g, 20.93mm, 225°
struck from AD 161 (COS III)
obv. AVTOKP ANTΩNEINOC CEB
Bare head with curly head r.
rev. VΠA - TOC Γ (= COS III)
Mount Argaios, surrounded by flames(?); in the middle a big round object, on
top 8-pointed star; on the lower left rock a stag, on the lower r. rock a tree
ref. Metcalf 130a; Sydenham 327; Sear GIC 1661 var. (drapery on l. shoulder)
Scarce, VF, slightly toned

Note:
Probably from the hoard found in 1983 in Caesarea (Metcalf)

2nd Coin:
Cappadocia, Caesarea, Lucius Verus, AD 161-169
AR - Didrachm, 6.71g, 21.53mm, 225°
struck from AD 161 (COS II)
obv. AVTOKP OVHPOC CEBACTOC
Bare head r.
rev. VΠA - TOC B (= COS II)
Mons Argaios,...

Just received this coin in the mail. Starting in 250 Herennius Etruscus was Caesar under his Father Trajan Decius before being elevated to Augustus in May of 251. The Goths under King Cniva invaded the Empire, Etruscus was sent by Decius with an advance force to crush the invaders, after which Decius resolved to meet the enemy with the rest of his legions.

At the Battle of Nikopolis ad Istrum the Romans were victorious, however the enemy was able to leave the field with some of their forces intact, and ambushed the Romans at the Battle of Beroe and again at the Battle of Abritus.

Early in this battle Etruscus was killed by a Gothic arrow. His father, seeing the panic of the troops, rallied them by saying that the loss of one soldier was of little significance to the Republic. The battle continued and Decius also was killed - the first time a Roman emperor had died in battle against barbarians. Following their deaths, the troops in Moesia acclaimed Trebonianus Gallus augustus, and he...

I only have a few Greek coins, and do not have much context for these coins beyond the names of the legendary kings they display. This coin of Philip II is a favorite for its hard to photograph, perfect, dark green patina, and sharp portrait and obverse. Philip II of Macedon reigned 359–336 BC.


AE18
Obv: Diademed head of Apollo right
Rev: ΦIΛIΠΠOY, Youth on horseback right; thunderbolt before.
Ref: SNG ANS 880
Size: 17.5 mm (7.41 gm)

A veteran of many battles, in 355-354 BC, while attacking the city of Methone, Phillip’s right eye was injured by an arrow and had to be removed using a Spoon of Diocles. This device was invented by Diocles, a Greek physician from Carystus a city on Euboea, and in the article below we can read: “Celsus says this instrument was developed to remove wide barbed missiles”. This survey of medical implements in ancient Rome – helps to illustrate the torment that medicine offered in...

Just wanted to share a little bit about the history behind coin:



During May (172,000) and June (102,000) 1923 was 274,077 coins that were minted at the San Francisco Mint. 77 coins were sent to the Assay Commission and nearly all went into circulation at face value (per U.S. Mint records). Chester Beach designed and modeled this issue. Distributed by W. L. Halberstadt, Director of Coin Distribution of The American Historical Revue and Motion Picture Industrial Exposition. Image courtesy of CRO, a coin in my collection.

Approved by Congress on January 24, 1923 and issued to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the enunciation1 of the Monroe Doctrine.

Design:

Obverse: Depicts James Monroe and John Quincy Adams with the names MONROE and ADAMS under the images. Around the rim it states UNITED STATES OF AMERICA –...

After giving a presentation about this piece some time ago, I thought I most post it here since the facts are still fresh on my mind.

I believe that this was the first U.S. coin that was issued for circulation. It is not a pattern as some have claimed over the years. I’ll defend that position momentarily, but first I’ll put a hole in a couple of myths.

First, these coins were not made from melting George Washington’s silverware, but the real story is almost as good. Thomas Jefferson provided the silver, and he distributed most of them.

Second, Martha Washington was not the model for the lady on the obverse. That story got started in the 1850s, more than 50 years after these coins were made.

On July 10, 1792 Thomas Jefferson withdrew $100 in silver from his personal account at the Bank of the United States in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The bank was located in Carpenters’ Hall at that time because it’s permanent home, which...

One game that professional and amateur historians like to play is rate the presidents. Abraham Lincoln gets the top spot in many polls, but the bottom spots have changed over the years. When I was junior high school, Warren G. Harding and Ulysses S. Grant got the bottom spots because of the scandals that marked their time in office. Today Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan get the lowest marks because of their inability to deal with the issues that lead to the Civil War.

Here is a rare campaign piece that was isued on behalf of candidate "General" Franklin Piece. This piece is made of white metal and there are very few original examples like this one. This variety is most often find as in bronze. Those pieces, which are scarce, were made for collectors in the 1860s



Franklin Pierce was a political "boy wonder" in his youth. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1833 when he was 28 years old. He moved up to Senate...

Show your coins depicting altars or altar enclosures -- real or imagined. Comments and anything you feel is relevant are most welcome.

~~~

Researching the supposed subject of this coin, an as of Faustina I depicting an altar enclosure, uncovered one of the great misconceptions in the history of classical art -- that the temple enclosure depicted on this coin actually existed as the Ara Pietatis Augustae (The Altar of Augustan Piety). I wish to share some of what I've learned. But first, here's the coin:

View attachment 900370
Faustina I, AD 138-141.
Roman Æ as, 9.21 g, 26.5 mm, 11 h.
Rome, AD 141-142.
Obv: DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA, bust of Faustina I, draped, right, hair elaborately waved and piled in bun on top of head; a band of pearls round hair in front.
Rev: PIET AVG S C, rectangular altar with door in front; no flame on top.
Refs: RIC 1191Aa; BMCRE4 1464-65; Cohen 259; RCV --; ERIC II 294.

A NUMISMATIC MYTH

Phillip Hill[1] fell prey to the...