Coin Talk

Lately, there has been a ramp up in the interest in the ornamentation of the Anonymous Class A2 and A3 follis, but very little has been done with regards to the Class B follis. Among the seminal work in this regards is Orestes H. Zervos' The Substantive Varieties of Anonymous Folles of Class B as published in Nomosmatika Khronika No. 22/2003. Zervos identifies 8 types of ornamental differences in the Class B folles while purposely ignoring two sub-types that are commonly found.

Zervos' classification is based on the total variations that were found during the excavation of Corinth. As such, some of the uncommon follis is assumed to be minted in provincial mints that might include Corinth itself.

Zervos Type B-1

Obv: IC-XC to right and left of bust of Christ facing, with cross nimbus having square in each arm, wearing tunic and himation; right hand raised in blessing in sling of cloak, left hand holds book, with...

Gate to the agora (assembly place) of ancient Kibyra

I think it is only fair to offer caution that this post wanders a bit far from the coin, from provincial Phrygia to ancient Rome, from the Roman republic to the Roman empire, from dies to governance, and over ~350 years. I don't attempt to excuse this - it's just the way the story happened.

A Gordian III from Kibyra
I've had a bit of writer's block recently, after a burst of effort to put my "Notes on Ancient Coins" site together. This coin has been sitting for a while waiting for a write-up - my latest coin of Asia Minor, a rare Roman Provincial both number of known specimens (11 in RPC, 5 in ACSearch) and condition...

Gordian III, Æ 22mm of Kibyra (a.k.a. Cibyra or Cibyra Magna), Phrygia, AD 238-244, 6.11g, 22mm
Obv:...

I don't make a lot of impulse purchases. It's no exaggeration at all for me to say that I often look at 500-1,000 ancient coins before I see one that interests me, and that when I do see one, I often let it sit in my watch list for weeks or even months before I make a decision to buy. Once in a while, though, I do see coins that for whatever reason -- usually just because I like the way they look -- I feel I simply have to have, and buy either immediately or after only a day or two. That happened recently with not one but two coins, both of them Roman Provincials. There's nothing special about either of them, and I certainly wasn't looking for either type. The appearance of both appealed to me a lot, for reasons I can't specifically explain, so I bought them. And thought I'd post them together.

The first is a Hadrian didrachm from Caesarea in Cappadocia, purchased from a dealer in Spain; the coin arrived less than 48 hours after I ordered it. I assure you that I'm not a violent...

Mostly Julio-Claudian Sestertii. I believe this is going to be my final sub-collection of these coins. I have always favored this denomination from this time period - their large size and heft is impressive and the generous flans permit very detailed depictions and elegant inscriptional lettering. I also greatly admire the coloration and appearance of patinated orichalcum (the alloyed brass used to cast the planchets). I say “mostly Julio-Claudian Sestertii” because I couldn’t resist including one Dupondius.

The condition of the coins is what I describe as “exhibiting typical wear and blemishes due to long time circulation and use”. - that is the way I like them.


RIC Vol. I, CAIUS (CALIGULA), SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 51, 40-41AD,(35mm, 26.2gm)

Obverse depiction: Personification of Pietas, seated left.
Obverse Inscription: C CAESAR DIVI AVG PRON AVG PM TRP IIII PP In exergue: PIETAS

Reverse...

Dear Friends of ancient mythology!

Today I want to tell something about Griffins, which obviously seem to be related closely to Sphinxes. The myths about the fabolous peoples of the Arimasps and the Hyperboreans belong to their ambit.

1st Coin:
Thrace, Abdera, 352-323 (VIII Period)
AR - Triobol, 1.5g, 12.98mm, 0°
Obv.: Griffin, jumping up l., peaked feathered wing directed diagonal upward, beak
slightly opened, his feet on club, laying with grip l.
above eight-pointed star
beneath MHNO
Rev.: square of lines, within head of Apollo(?), with short hair, laureate, r., field
barely deepened
around the square ABΔ / HPI / TE / ΩN
Ref.: AMNG II, 206 (3 ex., Copenhagen, London, Ratto)
rare, VF

Note:
(1) The club was added to the coin depiction as a symbol of the sovereignty of the Heraklids after Abdera came under the rule of Philipp II from Makedonia 352 BC. Abdera, a Ionian foundation, probably of Teos, was a provincial city of the province of...

Last week, Spink held the much-delayed auction of The Tony Abramson Collection of Dark Age Coins. Dr Abramson is a well-known expert on early Saxon coins, published by Spink, including his well-illustrated Sceatta List. He was selling his collection because his “rate of acquisition dropped” and he’d reached a plateau. He said he’d become detached from his coins on account of them being in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge – a problem I wouldn’t mind having!

He was going to leave them at the museum, but museums are less interested in physical coins now images can be studied online, and their budgets don’t stretch far in any case. Instead, he thought selling them might generate interest in a neglected period. That it did.

Secondary Series Type 70 Saltire Cross Sceat, 710-760

Silver, 0.79g. Obverse: Linear saltire with pellet ends, in beaded standard, tufa above, chevrons at other sides. Reverse: Beaded standard containing...

I was forced to abstain form Coin-Talk for the past 4 days. The first 3 were courtesy of my internet provider who decided to do network maintenance work in my area. As if that wasn't enough, when I finally got my net access back yesterday morning, I discovered to my horror that Coin-Talk was down. It took less than a week of abstinence to remind me that I am addicted to this hobby. Luckily, the postman made sure that I was right back on track by delivering something nice this morning. It is the latest addition to my collection, a gold hyperpyron of the runaway Byzantine empire of Nicaea. One of my collecting goals is to get all Byzantine gold types, so I am nearly there as I have solidi, histamena and now a hyperpyron. A tetarteron is next, however that is going to be a bit trickier both availability and budget wise.



Collectors familiar with these coins will instantly notice that this specimen is far from being a prime example of the type. The main...

For all the previous talk about Chapman and Zerbe proofs, I thought it might be appropriate to post really fine examples of both, and provide a bit of information about two unique 1921 Morgan Dollar issues. Both are extremely rare, and at this moment, there are one of each for sale, by a very reliable source. These coins do not normally appear on the market often, and any Morgan collector should be familiar with them.

The Chapman Proof was struck by the US Mint, as a special issue. It was not a regular issue of the mint, but intended for noted Philadelphia coin dealer, Henry Chapman. An invoice exists, showing a private sale to Chapman, for 10 proofs, although actual mintage is probably closer to 20 coins. It is a fully struck coin, with extremely bright proof surfaces, 16 berries on the wreath, and distinctive striations by the letters “UN AM” on the obverse. The obverse has die striations by the letters “RICA.” Here is the current example for sale:...

We can survive a month without eating, but only about a week without drinking water. It is vital substance for all known forms of life, even though it provides no calories or organic nutrients. That's why March 12th is the WORLD WATER DAY. So let's talk about the relation between water and the Romans, and also with coinage.


Roman people, many centuries ago, depended on the Tiber River, local springs, and shallow wells for their need of drinking water; but water obtained from these sources grew polluted and became inadequate for the city's growing population. It was this necessity that brought the invention of aqueduct technology. The date of the first aqueduct is assigned around the year 312 BC. The water in the aqueducts descended gently through concrete channels. Multi-tiered viaducts were used to cross low areas. Inverted siphons were employed when valleys were particularly deep....

Exactly a year ago (according to a previous version of the personal coin catalog I keep), I owned 16 Roman Republican denarii. I remember vaguely thinking around that time that perhaps someday I would reach 50, but I certainly never thought I would get there this quickly. Will I stop at 50, or keep going? We shall see.

One of my first few Roman Republican coins was this denarius of L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi, minted in 90 BCE, from one of the largest coin issues (if not the largest) of the Republic, and undoubtedly one of the better-known types. The coin is nothing spectacular, but I still find it very appealing:

Roman Republic, L. [Lucius] Calpurnius Piso Frugi, AR Denarius, 90 BCE. Obv. Head of Apollo right (control marks H behind and F below) / Rev. Horseman galloping right w/palm frond (control marks G above and H below), L• PISO FRUGI beneath. Crawford 340/1, RSC I Calpurnia 11, Sear RCV I 235/1, BMCRR 1938-2129 [this combination of two-letter control marks is not...