Coin Talk

My article on this piece appears in EAC's Penny-Wise journal this month, but for those who haven't seen it, I've pasted a version of it below. Enjoy, and feel free to add any thoughts or comments! (Beware: lots of text)


THE ENGRAVED PATTERN “MATURE HEAD” CENT DESIGN MODEL: A WINDOW INTO THE MIND OF CHRISTIAN GOBRECHT
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In the absence of contemporary documentation denoting the details of issuance of early proof Braided Hair cents (1839-1857), it has long been considered a possibility that several proof varieties of the type may have in fact been restrikes, perhaps created in the late 1850s alongside the backdated proof half cents of that era. For the years 1844 through 1849 in particular, all of the known proof-only cent die varieties (by “proof-only”, we mean that the dies used to strike them were not also used to strike coinage for use in circulation) display an identical irregularity upon the reverse rim, indicating that they were all struck using the same reverse die; from...

I've been wanting one of these odd Titus Caesar dupondii for quite some time. The story behind it is quite intriguing.



Titus as Caesar [Vespasian]
Æ Dupondius, 11.90g
Rome mint, 74 AD
Obv: T•CAESAR•IMP•PONT; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, l.
Rev: TR•POT•COS III•CENSOR•; Winged caduceus between crossed cornuacopiae
RIC 762 (R2). BMC -. BNC 909. RPC 1992 (1 spec.).
Acquired from Aegean Numismatics, July 2020.

A truly remarkable dupondius. Struck in Rome, but lacking the traditional radiate portrait on the obverse and the de rigueur S C on the reverse. The reverse with crossed cornucopiae echoes similar types from the East. Traditionally, the issue this rather strange coin is from has been attributed to various different mints over the years. Ted Buttrey writing in the RIC II.1 Addenda commented extensively on it. Because both the Addenda has yet to see the light of day and Buttrey's thoughts on the subject are important, I have largely...

Dear friends of ancient mythology!

I think it's time for a new article.

The Coin:
Thrace, Byzantion, Severus Alexander, AD 222-235
AE 26, 7.68g, 25.92mm, 30°
Obv.: AVT K M AVP CEV AΛEZA[NΔPOC] AVΓ
Bust, draped and cuirassed, laureate, r.
Rev.: BYZAΣ
Head of Byzas, bearded, helmeted, r
Ref.: unpublished in all greater works
rare, F+/about VF, dark-green Patina


The bearded, helmeted bust of the mythological founder Byzas so far was known only on the pseudo-autonomous coinage from Byzantium. Schönert-Geiss, Münzprägung von Byzantium, vol.II, p.20: "The Byzas-series, which contains 66 ex. with 23 obv. and 37 rev. dies, could be dated exactly, since the same magistrates are named on their reverses as on portrait coins of the emperors. They fall into 5 issues
AD 128-135
AD164-169
c. AD 175
c. AD 176
AD 202-205
On this coin the head of Byzas appears for the first time as a rev. type, on a coin of Sev. Alex. The obv. die of this coin was...

I have just received in the mail one of the great rarities of Milanese coinage, the testone of Bona di Savoia:

Duchy of Milan. Bona di Savoia regent with Gian Galeazzo Maria Sforza, 1476-1481 Testone, ND, AG 9.60 g. Ref : MIR 218/1 (R3), Cr. 2/A. Obv: (head of St. Ambrose) BONA·7·IO·GZ·M·DVCES·MELI·VI· Veiled bust of Bona to right. Rev: (head of St. Ambrose) SOLA·FACTA·SOLVM·DEVM·SEQVOR Phoenix, with spread wings, standing left amidst flames. From the collection of a "Gentleman of the Royal House [of Savoy]," ex. Gadoury November 2018

Besides its great rarity this coin is fascinating for a number of reasons. Chief among them is the fact that it has the first portrait of a woman on Italian coin since ancient Rome. According to some sources it is in fact the only portrait of a woman on an Italian Renaissance coin, although this is only possible with the discounting of the tallero...

• A Bastien Intermediate coin for discussion - not in RIC.
  
• In his introductory notes to RIC VI, Londinium, Sutherland states that "Bastien is to be followed in regarding the umarked coins of Class I as an issue prepared in advance for Constantius' invasion of Britain in 296".
• Coin obverses depict right facing busts with bare neck truncation and laureate heads with the long laurel wreath ribbon laying on the neck. The Genius of the Roman People reverse depiction and inscription is standard with no mint mark. The inscriptional lettering is relatively large with delicate letterforms.
• Reverse axis is 6 or 12 o'clock.
• Weight range is 10.5 to 8.75 gm.

This is a Bastien intermediate follis - bare, truncated bust with small, compact, London style lettering, long ribbon tie laying on neck.

The coin obverses and reverses in this series replicate those of the Constantius Invasion coinage except in some instances the obverse busts are cuirassed (including some...

In 192 BCE, the ancient world was split into two spheres of influence: Roman and Seleucid. Rome in 192, had just come off their exhausting 17 war with Carthage, yet still found the will power to engage in greek affairs. Meanwhile, the Seleucids under the able rule of Antiochus III, had reclaimed the mantle of strongest successor kingdom after their victory over Egypt in 200 BCE, and the reconquest of Parthia and Bactria. Antiochus no doubt fancied himself becoming the next Alexander the Great, and made plans to expand into Greece and Thrace. I am no historian, but even a lay person could see that a conflict was brewing between the two rising superpowers that occupy roughly the same geographical area. I personally see a conflict between the Romans and Seleucids as inevitable, as both had interests that were conflicting and neither had the sense enough to back down.

Here are some scenarios that I put forward:

A Seleucid victory

• At best I see the...

248 AD
Philip the Arab is emperor for almost 4 years. But the Danubian legions are tired of him; they rebelled and proclaimed their own emperor, a commander named Pacatian. He managed to control Upper Moesia for a very short period of time (a few weeks to a few months). Philip responded to the revolt by sending Decius to solve the problem. On the approach of Decius, Pacatian was killed by his own troops sometime between the spring of 248 AD and the first months of 249 AD. Later Decius was convinced by the legions in the region to claim the position of Emperor and march on Rome. He challenged Philip in Macedonia and defeated him becoming the first Balkan Emperor of Rome. For 300 years, this usurper was only known by his coinage. But at the beginning of the 20th century, research were made showing that Zosimus (460-520 AD) and Zonaras ( 1074-1130 AD) reported the revolt in their writings.

Zosimus New history 1, 20: Priscus, their governor,...

Last November we loss a neighbor, well Fred was more than a neighbor, he was family.....well to the wive and I.
Over the years my or his ride to the airport in the ealiy hours of the morning,we always gave the other a ride, followed by a hug , at the terminal.
So yeah it's been sort of a crazy year.....in so many ways!
Fred was the excuse to over buy at Costco.... cause we can give Fred this half of a huge apple pie.
And we knew he never refuse...well towards the end yeah he did...
So we now have over the months watched over his home, the family is out of state, we are across the street.
But now his car sold, the family cleaning out the house.
Fred's daughter in law asked to borrow the power washer, when she returned it ,..this small wooden pail sat next to the washer.
Picking it up I knew it has something in side. Lifting the lid ....the pail half full of Wheatie cents, most a nice chocolate in color...I haven't gone through them....I may never do so....as Deb left me a voice...

Here's an unexpected find at this month's local coin show. The picture could be better but it is a pretty good representation of what the coin looks like in hand.

Harold I is not nearly as well know as his father Cnut the Great. This is probably because of his short 5-year reign and the fact that he wasn't the obvious successor to his father.



ANGLO-SAXON, Kings of All England. Harold I Harefoot.
1035-1040.
AR Penny

Diameter: 17mm
Weight 0.87 gr

Jewel Cross type (BMC i, Hild. A). Suðgeweorc (Southwark) mint; moneyer, Leofric. Struck 1036-1038. +

Obverse: HAR OLD RE, diademed bust left
Reverse: + LEORIC O ((NN) SVÐG:, cross composed of four ovals united at base by two concentric circles enclosing a pellet.

SCBI 40 (Stockholm), 532 var. (Rev. Legend); Hild. 924 var. (Same); BMC -; North 802; SCBC 1163

A short history adapted from Wikipedia:

Harold I (1016–1040), also known as Harold Harefoot, was King of England from 1035 to 1040....

Since I posted a photo of this coin yesterday, I guess it's time for me to do a proper write-up:

Saffarids. Shiraz mint. AR dirham (3.25 g, 28 mm). Tahir ibn Muhammad (288-296 AH/901-908 AD), dated 289 AH (902 AD). Album 1402, Wilkes 1444. This coin: Stephen Album Auction 37, lot 2393 (June 2020).

The Saffarid dynasty was founded in 861 AD by Ya'qub ibn al-Layth as-Saffar (saffar means "coppersmith" in Persian) who originally practiced the trade for which he is named, before turning to warlordism in Sistan province of eastern Persia. He soon expanded out from his capital at Zaranj city to control most of what is now Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, plus some territory in Central Asia. His brother Amr ibn al-Layth succeeded him in 879. In 900, Amr ibn al-Layth was captured in battle by his enemies the Samanids to the north. Although Amr officially remained Emir of the Saffarids until the next year, the Saffarid army proclaimed its allegiance...