Coin Talk

In the land of the blind the man with one eye is king. And in the land of the bald the man with a hat is king... especially if it's a funny looking hat!

Bought a fun little cap last Artemide and it got me thinking about all the silly hats the ancients wore:

Anonymous. Period of Domitian to Antoninus Pius. AE Quadrans, late 1st-mid 2nd Century AD. Winged petasus. / Winged caduceus; S C across field. RIC II 32; C. 36. AE. 2.24 g. 15.00 mm. Good VF.

Flying hats

Roman Republic, after 211 BCE Ae-20mm (Sextans) Rome mint.
Av. laur. head of Mercurius right
Rv. prow right
quality is fine to very fine with a dark brown patina, weight is 5,75gr
Former: cichosgladiator11

Limp hats

Elagabalus
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
Denarius,222 CE,Mint Rome 19mm, 12h2.76,gr.
RCV.7518 - RIC.88 var. - Th.258 - RSC.61 b - RCV.7518
Obverse: IMP ANTONINVS - PIVS AVG. Bearded bust,...

Post your coins depicting someone wearing the stephane, comments, or anything you feel is relevant!

Though often referred to in the numismatic literature as a diadem, the a stephane is considered to be a specific subtype of diadem in the form of an upright, tiara-like headdress, standing free from the head.

In Greek art, and in Roman copies of Greek works, goddesses are frequently depicted wearing the stephane, such as on such famous works as the Diana of Versailles, Ceres Ludovisi and Venus of Capua.


Musée du Louvre Database Online reference number Ma 589.


http://ancientrome.ru/art/artworken/img.htm?id=3523 Palazzo Altemps reference number 8596.


http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/S10.19.html Museo Archeologico Nazionale di...

Like old Elvis (not that he ever got to be old. He was dead just three years older than I am now. I'm trying not to say, "fat" Elvis as body shaming is lame... but that's what most folks call him during the late stages) the subject of the portrait on my latest acquisition, from CNG, may be chubby. But man O man does he have one helluva head of hair!

GAUL, Northwest. Coriosolites. Circa 100-50 BC. BI Stater (19mm, 6.28 g, 6h). Celticized head right, hair in large spiral curls, S-like ear / Devolved charioteer-in-biga right; quadrilateral banner hanging from lash to right, [boar below]. Depeyrot, NC VIII, 186; D&T 2340. Brown surfaces, hard green encrustation. VF.



(Not too bad for a "hefty old" guy. Also, proof that El invented the world's first "sexual mixed martial arts move???)

However, unlike Elvis, we know next to nothing about the folks that made such beautiful and...

The Restoration/Restitution coinage of Titus

Background notes (13 March 2021):

1. Although both Restoration and Restitution are employed by modern day authors to describe this coinage, I employ Restoration here because that is the nomenclature used by Harold Mattingly in his seminal reference: THE "RESTORED" COINS OF OF TITUS, DOMITIAN AND NERVA - The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society Fourth Series, Vol. 20 (1920), pp. 177-207 (31 pages) and on which much of the information presented here is based.
2. Upon assuming the purple, Vespasian adopted a policy of honoring illustrious members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty by issuing several commemorative coin types in their memory. Commemoration of the illustrious dead on coins originated during the later Republic and became an integral part of the legacy of deified Emperors.
3. Titus perpetuated his father's policy of honoring the illustrious dead by issuing commemorative coinage in a like manner....

Hey folks. I own a hardware store, and while not a coin roll hunter, I occasionally see things come in the I buy out of the cash drawer for myself (I collect ancients). Today I opened a roll and found a roll of silver Roosevelt dimes. Then I opened another and found a mixed roll of Roosevelt and mercury dimes. Apparently some of the old stuff is hitting the streets.
See pics

The last large cent was produced in 1857 with small and large dates. The total mintage was 333,546. The changes were brought about because the cost of making and distributing copper coins had risen. James Snowden, the Mint Director, reported that they "barely paid expenses."

At the same time, both half cents and large cents had become unpopular in circulation. The 1857 Half Cent only had a mintage of 35,180 coins. Cents and half cents were the first coins struck for circulation by the United States. Production started in 1793. That law specified that the Cent should weigh exactly twice as much as the Half Cent. Circulation outside of large cities of these two coins was almost unheard of.

The practice of issuing silver coinage, which began in 1853 brought about the change of copper coinage. The law of 1857 brought important benefits to the citizens of the US. The half cent and the large cent we're both abandoned in 1857. The law also took Spanish coins and redeemed them, melting...

I've talked about Claudius II's final emission from Antioch and how I'm trying to complete it many times, and I often said that I would make a dedicated thread for it. Due to their rarity, however, I think it will probably take a few years to obtain even only a set of the eight different reverse types, not even taking into consideration the various bust types. So, I've decided to make that thread now, instead, when I already own four of these reverses, to which I will add the others as soon as I obtain them. In particular, however, the reason why I created this thread today is that I've just received this coin:

Claudius II (268-270), Antoninianus, Antioch mint, 4th emission.
Obverse: radiate head right, with traces of drapery to front and rear of truncation;
Reverse: Proserpina standing right, holding long-handled torch in right hand, facing Ceres standing left, holding corn-ears in right hand and long-handled torch in left hand. RIC 200 (unlisted...

Let's see your coins of Faustina you consider to be of "fine style"!

I have a handful of denarii in my collection whose portraits are quite likely to have been carved by the same die-engraver. This die engraver was clearly a master and his portraits are of a particularly fine style. I have identified the following characteristics of his work:

His portraits clearly portray Faustina wearing a stola fastened at the shoulder with a looped-shaped fibula and a palla over her stola. Unlike the situation with Julia Domna, where the loop-shaped fibula is a characteristic of the "Laodicea mint," the presence of such a design element on the coins of Faustina is not a regular feature, nor is it indicative of a particular mint. Similarly, the stola is not usually so clearly distinguished from the palla on Faustina's coinage and her portraits typically show only the palla or just the barest hint of a stola underneath. If you...

Got a pretty interesting phenomenon to share today.

I recently picked up a box of 2021 Shield Cents to search for new errors and varieties. While searching the first roll, I came across a pretty nice strikethrough error, which was exciting! What I did not expect to find was the progression of this strikethrough on other shield cents within the same roll and next 2 rolls. I know that there are such things as early, mid, and late die states for many doubled dies, but I did not know a similar thing existed with strikethroughs as well. Below are the examples the best I could photograph them as well as a small description of each one. (Photos should be in the order as listed)

1. Early Progression: Very minor strikethough error on the back of Lincoln's neck as well as in front of his mouth and below the beard.
2. Early-Mid Progression: Strikethough becomes more pronounced in front of Lincoln's bust as well as on the spot on the back of his neck.
3. Mid Progression:...

Here's a broad thaler, struck with roller dies, from Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle, dated 1662, produced during the reign of Duke Christian Ludwig (1622-1665).



The Dutchy of Brunswick included rich deposits of silver in the Harz Mountains, located in central Germany.

From Wikipedia:

The Upper Harz was once one of the most important mining regions in Germany.[1] The major products of its mines were silver, copper, lead, iron and, from the 19th century, zinc as well. The main source of income, however, was silver. From the 16th to the middle of the 19th centuries about 40–50% of the entire German silver production originated in the Upper Harz.[2] The taxes raised from this contributed significantly to the revenue of the royal houses in Hanover and Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and...