Coin Talk

A year ago this month I was elated to have acquired one of my 'dream coins' - a well provenanced Vespasian dynastic sestertius from Rome.




Unfortunately, despite the 100 year old provenance, it turned out to be a 19th Century cast.


Happily, a couple of weeks later I acquired an example struck at Lugdunum.


Vespasian
Æ Sestertius, 24.45g
Lyon mint, 71 AD
Obv: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r.; globe at point of bust
Rev: CAESAR AVG F DES IMP AVG F COS DES II; S C in exergue; Titus and Domitian stg. front, each with spear and parazonium
RIC 1132 (R). BMC 799. BNC -.
Acquired from Romae Aeternae, June 2019.


But I still continued to pine away for the Rome mint version of this special type ... until now. Finally, I have redeemed myself and added the Rome mint variant!


Vespasian
Æ Sestertius, 27.31g
Rome mint, 71 AD
Obv: IMP CAES...

Alexandria, Egypt was the 2nd most important city in the Roman Empire for a variety of reasons. Most of us are well aware of the long tradition of Alexandrian coinage going back to Ptolemy I, but how many of us are aware of the long tradition of glass making from that city that goes back nearly 4,000 years ? Where was the 1st crystal clear glass made? That mystery was finally put to rest by careful chemical analysis, it was Alexandria, Egypt , as described in an article by the New York times, see link below.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/science/alexandrian-glass-rome.html

In 1987 I hosted a class I was teaching at the Rochester Museum & Science Center to see a special exhibition at the Corning Museum of Glass, GLASS of the CAESARS, the most important exhibition of Roman glass ever assembled. The examples of Roman glass were breathtaking to say the least . The two most important pieces are pictured below.

...

AR Penny of Edward the Confessor
(Ēadƿeard Andettere)
Born: 1003 (est)
King: A.D. 1042-1066



Obverse: Portrait crowned head left with scepter - EDPER D'REX' (Edward King)

Reverse: Cross with quatrefoil and pellets in angles - PVLFPINE ON LVN (Wulfwine, London)

Although the art the coin had seen a significant decline over the centuries by this time, coins like these are still quite fascinating. What they lack in sophistication they make up for in their adaptation to the more rudimentary technology and their adaptive techniques to create interesting works. Coin of this time are reminiscent of cubism and other modern art movements in the way, out of necessity, they created the figurative from through the arrangement of geometric shapes and lines.

To create this portrait of the king, and the letter forms, on this coin they used punches, combined with rather crude etching, to hammer,...

All persons and situations depicted in this story are purely fictitious and any resemblance to existing persons and situation are totally coincidental.

June 276, Lugdunum mint, Gaul.

Discussion between the scalptores in chief of the workshop and his subordinates:

We just had fresh news from a messenger: our Augustus Tacitus just died , strucked down by a terrible fever.
How old was he ?
He was a venerable 76 years old
Did the Senate chose a new emperor?
Well, we heard that Florianus, his Praetorian Prefect, claimed the title, and is recognize by the Senate. We had received new instructions: we're gonna have to increase the production in our workshop. The new Augustus wants to secure the support of all his troops.
And what about Commander Probus in the East ?
That may be a problem.Rumor has it that he does not...

I'd been waiting soooo long for a coin of Quintus Crepereius Rocus.
I fell head over heels for one that I stumbled upon in my collecting infancy. Yeah, once I saw her I knew I would move Olympus and Gaia until I held her in my hands.



The art on the coin is certainly more Greek in appearance than Roman. It is rare to find such a lovely portrait on a Roman Republic coin. Yep, she's a beauty. And then you flip her over and get treated to one of the most fun reverses you will see on a Roman Republic coin. At a glance it is just another one of the mind numbingly boring rider on a biga...but wait! That's not any rider and those aint horses. It's our old pal Neptune,



god of the sea, wielding his trident whilst riding hippocamps (a sea horse created by...you guessed it, the Greeks)! Hellllllooooo new avatar
Well, she paid me a visit (and not just in my dreams this time) and I am pleased to share her......

Sponsianus. Sponsi what ? The name of a new virus ? A brand of toilet paper ? Not at all. He is an usurper who revolted during the rule of Philip the Arab around 248 AD. The main problem with him is that there are no written records of his name ; nor of his existence. But strangely his coinage is included in the RIC catalogue ( RIC IV, III p.67). So let me tell you the 300 years old story full of mysteries about this almost unknown " Emperor".
It all started in 1713 in Transylvania (Romania), birthplace of Count Dracula the vampire. Many aurei of Gordian, Phillip and from a certain Sponsianus are discovered in unknown circumstances. They seemed to have a barbarian minting origin by their non-usual style. The description of these coins are : IMP SPONSIANI / C AVG Radiate head of Sponsianus to the right, two togate figures, r. and l. of column, one on r. holding lituus, one on r. holding an uncertain...

After visiting Uruguay some years ago, I started buying examples of the country's coins and currency. I found the 20 Pesos note below somewhere online a long time ago and I just recently came across it again. I like the actual signature with ink bleeding through the back. Also, the curved edge on the left apparently attached to a "receipt" that included the note's serial number and denomination. Supposedly it was detached and put away for later validation by rejoining the two pieces, if necessary. "2 Doblones" refers to the equivalent worth of "2 Gold Doubloons," on which the national currency standard was based (10 pesos = 1 doubloon). March, 1871 is the issue date, with the May, 1870 date above it referring to the passage of a monetary law. "El Banco Maua & Compania" refers to the bank founded by the very wealthy Barón de Mauá in the 1850s. The bill makes extensive and interesting use of microprinting and early latent images using optical illusions with color....

Sample slabs, what are they, how did they start and are they collectible?

Sample slab collecting is not a new hobby. Slabs change all the time, just not as fast as the labels change. There are those that prefer the older designs while others prefer the newer ones.

Each slab has a place in Numismatic history and evolution. Prices are all over the place but as time goes by the values settle and collectors discover which samples are rare, and which samples are common.

There are many types of sample slabs just as there are many types of collectors. World coins are but one example. U.S. coin collectors often overlook World coins, and world samples are no exception. I am not a world coin collector so I'll deal with the sample slabs of US coins.

For any given coin I have no idea how many were produced. In my opinion production numbers are quite low, based on what I have experienced searching for additions to my own collection.

As you can see, the above...

Hostilian was the youngest son of Emperor Trajan Decius, AD 249-251, and Herennia Etruscilla. The eldest son of Decius, Herennius Etruscus was raised to the rank of Caesar in AD 250, and Hostilian was given the title of Caesar at the same time or shortly there after. Herennius Etruscus was given the title of Augustus in AD 251. Decius and his eldest son were both killed fighting the Gothic invaders at the battle of Abrittus, in the summer of AD 251. The leading general of Decius, Trebonianus Gallus, was immediately proclaimed emperor. It had been rumored at the time that Gallus was intentionally slow getting to the battle of Abrittus, knowing that Decius & his troops would be massacred and he would be chosen as emperor. Decius and his family were held in high esteem by the Romans, so to placate the growing foment Gallus gave Hostilian the title of Augustus and made him co-emperor. To strengthen the bond even more Hostilian's sister was married to Volusian, the son of Gallus. Later...

Hi all,
Felt like sharing a little history this week.


Image courtesy of Pinnacle Rarities. A coin I used to own.


Mintage numbers are in the body of the text. Designed by Augustus Lukeman and distributed by C. Frank Dunn. In 1935 the exploitation of collectors began.

Authorized by Congress on May 26, 1934 and issued in commemoration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Daniel Boone.

Design:

Obverse: Depicts Daniel Boone. Around the rim is UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – HALF DOLLAR.

Reverse: Depicts Daniel Boone with Shawnee Chief Blackfish. Boone is holding a scroll and rifle. Chief Blackfish is holding a tomahawk. To the left of Boone is Boonesboro blockhouse. To the right of Chief Blackfish is a setting sun. To the left it states DANIEL BOONE BICENTENNIAL. To the right it states PIONEER YEAR. In 1934 there is no date on the reverse above PIONEER YEAR. On coins minted from November of 1935 through 1938 a...