Coin Talk

This story of the first diplomatic contact between Rome and Parthia, is illustrated with three coins. The story begins around 101 BC when the first coin, a Roman republican denarius, was minted in Rome by L Sentius. The obverse is one of several that declare that the coin is made from the state treasury: "argentum publicum" is abbreviated on the obverse as ARG PVB. Why some issues declare this is not known. Sentius was brother to C Sentius Cf, praetor urbanus in 94, the senior city magistrate and held the same position himself somewhere between 93 and 89 BC.

L. Sentius C.f., Denarius, Rome, 101 BC; AR
Obv: Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, ARG PVB
Rev: Jupiter in quadriga right, holding reins and thunderbolt in left hand, and scepter in left; above, control letter A; in ex. L SENTI C F
Ref: Crawford 325/1a; Sentia 1; Sydenham 600

While this coin was minted in Rome and circulating, 101-100 BC, Mithridates VI...

Dear Friends of ancient mythology!

Egypt, Alexandria, Claudius II Gothicus, AD 268-270
AE - Potin tetradrachm, 20.5mm, 10.97g
struck regnal year 2 (AD 269/70)
Obv.: AVT K KΛA - VΔIOC CEB
Bust, draped, laureate, r.
Rev.: Youthful bust of Hermanubis r., drapery over l. shoulder, wearing kalathos, lotos
blossom above forehead;
before combination of kerykeion and palmbranch
behind LB (year 2)
Ref.: Milne 4239; Curtis 1701; Köln 3037
VF+, matt darkbrown patina

About 5000 BC several tribes settled down in the valley of the river Nile: Libyans, Semites from Asia and Nubians. This mixture of people settled in two different seperated areas, the valley south of Assiat, later known as Upper-Egypt, and in the area of Fayum in Lower-Egypt. Different to the Sumerians the Egypts built no big cities in the first time. Around 3400 BC Menes unified both reigns and then began to built cities. This was Egypt's heyday, but ended at the end of the 12th century BC.

The...

lol... yes yes yes my one year anniversary quickly approaches. The affliction in collecting currency I’ll never spend and it still boggles my mind how easy it was to get sucked in. I’m probably not so much complaining mind you... anyways, on to my point although it might be more than one.

My biggest dilemma surrounding the shiny Preciouses, other than trying to open capsules and cases, is, sharing the collection in photo format. Pictures are not the easiest to process to get the truest representation of a coin in hand. Either I’ve gotten a little better at it or my patience for getting the best shot has increased. Either way it is still a choir and a headache. I’m beginning to feel that the absolute best way is posting video like some do on Instagram.

I am going to add three photos and I would like your opinion on which of the three looks most natural. When I look at these pics versus looking directly at the coin, all three photos look like the coin in hand at different angles...

While in Rome today I came across this super cool antiques shop. The lady who owns it has a husband who is into ancient coins, duh: this is Rome. She showed me this little collection of coins that were for sale and I knew I had to buy one. They were a bit overpriced, but I found a couple I liked. The one that really got my eye was a Septimus Severus sel. Denarius. This thing was mint state, like...no scratches, wear, anything! She was asking 120 euros for it though. And I mean, it's Septimus Severus. So I end up buying this amazing dupondius from Vespasian. Heres where I'm stumped, I have no clue what the reverse shows. I was told that it was Ceres, but I know it's not. I think it's pax or fecilitas. Heres the coin:
Heres Pax:


Heres Fecilitas:


But then what gets me is the alignment of the feet and hands. The varieties that are known show a constant Fecilitas, which might be what it is. But...

Have you ever overpaid for a coin you really wanted? I've fallen into that trap more than once . Several years ago I was determined to get my hands on a coin struck under Constantine I, with the reverse type of BEATA TRANQVILLITAS. The coin type had to depict Constantine I wearing the crested helmet. These coins are very common, almost as common as Lincoln wheat ear pennies (ironically they are about the same diameter and weight as these pennies) . The example I wanted had to be in mint state, an excellent strike with all lettering visible, as round as possible, and having an attractive uniform patina . The criteria I demanded greatly narrowed down the scores of these coins I had seen . Nice examples of these coins were available in the $30 - $50 range, but all fell short on at least one criterion . While browsing through a Heritage auction nearly two years ago I spotted a slabbed example of the coin that met all my criteria ,...

Did any CT members go to Numismata Frankfurt last week?

https://www.numismata.de/en/frankfurt-2/

This is the only Numismata within driving distance of my place (500km total). I was glad to cross it off the wish list, but disappointed on the findings. “Target” – byzantines, some LRBs, Julia Domna denari.

Inspired of what you guys write about the US fairs, I was expecting some decent pick bins, at least on the LRBs side. Well, there were (very) few junk bins instead, with just that – junk. After searching through all the garbage, got these, mostly not to leave empty-handed:


Gallienus – GALLIENVS AVG / SOLI CONS AVG – Pegasus springing left

Because I have always wanted a Pegasus coin, and Gallienus is one of the cheapest and closest solution for this, considering the “target”.




Constantius II - DN CONSTAN-TIVS PF AVG / FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO – Cyzicus mint (dot SMK epsilon) – Barbarian reaching, with Phrygian...

Rome always had a grudge against Macedonia. In hind sight it was probably an inferiority complex... A complex that was the size of Alexander the great's empire.


(Actual size of Rome's inferiority complex of the Macedonians)

The Romans’ relished their battles with Pyrrhus. As these were the closest engagements as they would have with Alexander. As much as I love Pyrrhus, we must remember that his campaigns were with fought mercenaries and not the grizzled veterans and generals that Alexander had inherited from his father, Philip II, the first unified ruler of Greece and King of Europe.
What if ATG had gone West instead of East?
I suppose first you would have to ask why would he head out to trample a bunch of illiterate farmers that had just gotten rid of their last King less then 175 years before Alexander exploded onto Persian soil with a symbolic javelins throw from his ship?
As well as lack of motive to go to Rome,...

I like early copper, and specially those of the years 1793 to 1814.

I cannot say that I particularly 'wildly' prefer any particular type out of the various types minted between these years, i.e 1793 Chains, 1793 Wreaths, 1793 to 1796 Liberty Caps, 1796 to 1807 Draped Busts, or the 1808 to 1814 Classic Heads. I like them all.

However, I have to admit that the cents of 1794 do have a 'special something' to them, something difficult to define. Perhaps the way the busts were cut, the aesthetics of the bust which have a special 'warmth' to it, or something else. So much so, that within the early American Copper collecting community a group of collectors collect nothing more than the cents of 1794.

I have managed to build a small group of 94's within my early copper collection, unfortunately too few, but firmly intend to continue with this endeavour. As I said, there is something special to them. Here are some of my examples:

Please post any '94's you may have!


1794, Head of...

Around the mid 1160s, the Holy Sepulchre complex, whose building began as early as the 1140s, during the reign of Queen Melisende of Jerusalem, is finished and then consecrated in 1167. The new building unifies the older basilicas and ancient structures, some of them dating back to 329/30, built by orders of Constantine at the pleas of his mother, who had been on pilgrimage there in the second half of the 320s. At its consecration, the new Crusader structure was as majestic and important as any European cathedral of the day, although arguably more complex, having to contend with all the history it tried to incorporate, and was the seat of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.



Remnants of the portico curtain of the Holy Sepulchre curia, embedded into later structures in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, dating to around 1160.


The importance of this structure cannot be overstated, and in the wake of its service, King...

The Greek goddess Nemesis appears on numerous ancient coins. On Roman imperial coins, she is typically depicted as winged, holding a caduceus or olive-branch and sometimes with a snake at her feet. On Roman provincial coins, she often appears without wings, wearing a chiton, holding a bridle, scales, or cubit-rule, and with a wheel at her feet.

Post your coins that portray her!

In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis was the goddess who enacted retribution against those who succumb to hubris. The best description of her role and attributes, in my opinion, is a hymn to the goddess written by Mesomedes.

Mesomedes of Crete was a Roman-era Greek kitharode and lyric poet. He was a freedman and favorite of Emperor Hadrian, who made him his chief musician; he also served under Hadrian's successor, Antoninus Pius.

Only 15 of his poems have come down to us, but four of them have survived along with musical notation! His "Hymn to Nemesis" is one of of these. As such, modern musicologists are...