Coin Talk

When I was a coin dealer, collectors often asked me, “Are there any anti-slavery Civil War tokens?” The answer is yes, but the number of varieties is lower than you might think given that slavery was the primary cause of the Civil War.

I believe that the number of abolitionist Civil War tokens (CWT for short) was limited because many northerners were ambivalent about fighting the war to free the slaves. During the early years of the war, the primary goal was to re-unite the Union. Emancipation was an objective for some, but for most Northern politicians, military leaders, and rank and file soldiers, restoring the Union was the primary objective.

That changed when Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862. That presidential order, which was couched as a “military necessity,” stated that slaves who were living in any state that was still in rebellion as of January 1, 1863 would henceforth be forever free.

That announcement did not...

This is my second ancient Celtic purchase. Admittedly, I know very little about Celtic coins. There are a half dozen on my hit list though. Since I first saw this type posted by @Eduard on 10/26/13 ("I like Roman coins, but I think like these even better: Celtic") this Celtic was at the top of the list. "Little Dancing Man" quinarii don't come up with great frequency and tend to be pricey. Recently there were two at auction which I hoped would stay within reach. This one did


CELTIC, Central Europe (Rhineland). "Dancing Mannikin" type
65 BCE - CE 1
AR Quinarius, 13 mm, 1.62 gm
Obv: dancing mannikin right, head turned left, holding snake in right hand, torque in left hand.
Rev: horse standing right, head turned left; around, zig zag border.
Ref: SLM 1118. Dembski 73, 396....

Dear Friends of mythology!

Coins with the depiction of Io I have found only from Gaza. On this coin she is named EIΩ on the left side of the rev. Why just from Gaza can't be explained for sure. The connection between Io and Gaza really is very thin. A possible approach could be the connection of Io to Egyptian deities like Isis or Hathor. Perhaps in Gaza ws a temple of Hathor which is not found until today (CNG). If that is true then the Greeks can well have identified her with Io.

The coin:
Judaea, Gaza, Julia Domna, AD 193-211
AE 22, 6.18g, 0°
struck 206/7 (year 267 of the era of Gaza)
Obv.: IOVΛ[ I ]A - ΔOMNA
bust, draped, r.
Rev.: [EIΩ - Γ]AZA / ZΞC (year 267)
Io/Hathor, in long garment, stg. r., clasping hands with Tyche (City Goddess of
Gaza), stg. l, wearing long garment and mural crown and holding cornucopiae in
l. arm; between them Phoenician Mem, symbol of Marnas, the local god and Patron of Gaza
Ref.: BMC 128
about VF, flan damage at 10 o'clock....

I don’t consider myself to be a religious person, more “spiritual”. I know kind of hippie sounding but it’s as good a description as any. I grew up in a semi-religious family and had my share of exposure to stories from the bible.

Many coins from around the world have religious themes but my focus is on the coins of the German States. Coins minted before the German unification in 1871. A common image on these coins is the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist in Jordan. I honestly don’t know what drew me to these particular pieces aside from most of them being beautifully engraved.



...

3 KREUZER COIN - AUSTRIA - FERDINAND KARL - HABSBURG
Hall Mint
Date: A.D. 1655



Obverse: Portrait crowned head right - FERDIN CAROL D:G ARCHID: AV: / 1655

Reverse: Two coat of arms (Further Austria and Tyrol), rossetta above and denomination below - COM: TYROLIS DVX BVRGVND (3)

This coin was minted after the regency of Regency of his mother Claudia de Medici. It is a variant with the date displayed vertically in front of bust.

Austrian Silver 3 Kreuzer Depicting Ferdinand Charles (Karl) of the House of Habsburg, Archduke of Further Austria, Duke of Burgundy, and Count of Tyrol. Obverse: FERDIN [ANDUS] CAROL[VS] • D[EI] : G[RATIA] • ARCHID[VX] : AV[STRIAE] : - Ferdinand Charles by the Grace of God, Archduke of Austria / Reverse: DVX • BVRGVND[IAE] : COM[ES] : TYROLIS - Duke of Burgundy and Count of Tyrol.

Brief History of the Habsburgs in Austria: it is hard to be brief when giving account of the House of Habsburg but...

As I have mentioned in a previous thread, many numismatists believe that this coin was issued in AD 160 to commemorate the birth of Marcus Aurelius' and Faustina II's daughter Annia Cornificia Faustina Minor, known simply as Cornificia.[1]


Faustina Junior, Augusta AD 147-176
Roman AR denarius, 3.41 g, 18.1 mm, 12:00
Rome, December, AD 160.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: FECVND AVGVSTAE, Faustina (as Fecunditas) facing, head left, between two children (thought to represent Faustina III and Lucilla), holding two more in hand (thought to represent Fadilla and Cornificia).
Refs: RIC 676; BMCRE 89; Cohen 95; Strack 520e; RCV 5251; CRE 178; Dinsdale 005120.

She was either the ninth child[2] born to the imperial couple or, more...

Let's talk about this 23rd day of August :
In Roman religion, Vulcan is a very ancient god, of uncertain origin: for some, coming from Ostia, he would be the ancient god of the Tiber; for others, it would be a Mediterranean god who entered the Roman religion through Etruria (cf. the Etruscan god Velchans). It appears in the oldest Roman calendars (known as "of Numa") and would have been introduced in Rome by Titus Tatius. Another tradition attributes to Romulus the consecration of the Volcano.


Jupiter Column in Arlon

Its oldest place of worship was the Volcanal or Area Volcani, leaning against the Capitol, above the Comitium, containing a sacred tree, which was considered to be contemporary with the birth of Rome, as well as the statues of Romulus and Horatius Cocles. In addition, Vulcan had a temple of more recent construction, outside the Pomerium, on the field of Mars, where the god stood...

"Whenever you desire to cheer yourself, think upon the merits of those who are alive with you; the energy of one, for instance, the modesty of another, the generosity of a third, of another some other gift. For nothing is so cheering as the images of the virtues shining in the character of contemporaries, and meeting so far as possible in a group. Therefore you should keep them ready to your hand."
-Marcus Aurelius Meditations, VI.48

In my last post on one of the earliest coins of Hadrian, I mentioned that the featured coin inappropriately carried over the titles of Trajan on the coin of Hadrian. This was perhaps a result of poor succession planning and the hurried efforts during the transition from Trajan. The...

King Edward VI was the son that Henry VIII had always wanted. To produce this heir, Henry changed the history of England itself. Henry died in 1547, likely feeling that he had fulfilled his sacred duty to carry on the Royal succession, but he had done so far more than he could possibly imagine, just not with his only son. Of course Henry never knew that Edward died at the age of 15 and so never fully ruled the kingdom left to him. Edward and his regents apparently had plans to build a strict Protestant state, but of course those never materialized.

Sadly, his father had debased the coinage to such an extent that the economy had faltered to a startling degree. Rather than addressing the issue, Edward's protectors instead sought further profit by continuing this practice. As Edward wrote in his diary on August 18, 1551: "The shilling fell from nine pence to six pence, the groat from three pence to two pence, the twopence to a penny, the penny to a halfpenny, the halfpenny to a...

Antoninianus - IMP TRAJAN DECIUS
Rome Mint
Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius



Born: A.D. 201
Emperor: A.D. 249-251

Obverse: Portrait radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right - IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG

Reverse: Decius on horseback with right hand raised in salute and holding scepter - ADVENTVS AVG

Inscriptions: IMP(erator) C(aesar) M(essius) Q(uintus) TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG(ustus) / ADVENTVS AVG(ustus)

Emperor Caesar Messius Quintus Trajianus Decius Augustus / Arrival of Augustus (Commemorates the arrival of the Emperor to Rome)


Early Career and Ascension: Decius is thought to have been born in Lower Pannonia, possibly in the town of Budalia near the city of Sirmium (modern Serbia). There is uncertainty as to the origins of his family as the name of his father is not known. He is the first in a line of emperors who would...