Coin Talk

Recently @Eduard posted pictures of a very nice group of early U.S. dimes. I mentioned that the 1797, 16 star dime had hash marks under the stars. The die maker etched these small marks into the die face so that he could position the stars on the coin properly.

In the early days of the U.S. mint, an additional star was added to the obverse of the silver and gold coins each time a new state was added to the Union. When Tennessee joined the Union on June 1, 1796, the number of states reached 16. At that point, Chief Mint Engraver, Robert Scot, came to the conclusion that there was not enough room on the coin to add more. He cut back the number to 13 in honor of the 13 original states on the last half dime die he made in 1797. The 1797 half dime is the only coin that had 15, 16 and 13 star varieties on the obverse in a single year. Here are examples of the three coins in the order in which they were issued:

The 15 star coin was issued first...

So I got a job at a new store in early March (Better pay/hours/yada yada who cares) and I've been eagerly going through the rolls in this 'New Territory' scoping out the rolls, looking through the bills people bring in and seeing if this step up in the job market translated to a step up in my hobby as well...

I gotta say, for the first three months I'm not disappointed...

5+ War Nickels (I find those a lot regardless of the store)
50+ Wheats (I don't know what bank we use, but I love it)
1 Silver Dime (They pop up from time to time)

But the finds of the job so far...



The elusive Buffalo Nickel... I got two Shield Nickels at my last job and between the two about $1.00 face of War Nickels but I could never find that Buffalo... Until about two weeks ago...


Is that... No... Not out of a roll of BU 2020's...

...

For those readers familiar with Plutarch you may know that in his Parallel Lives the author compared Julius Caesar with Alexander the Great, an obvious parallel comparison, but I think he might have done just as well, or better, comparing him to another Greek military commander and author. Far fewer folks are as familiar with this runner-up as with Alexander but bear me out and see what you think.

The person in Ancient Greece I think whose life most parallels that of the famous Caesar, was an Athenian commander, office holder and author, whose long life spanned the end of the Peloponnesian War to the emergence of Phillip of Macedonia. Some readers will recognize his name, Xenophon of Athens, (born ca. 430 BC) and if you do, it will probably be in connection with the event known from his major literary achievement, the book known as The Anabasis ( Moving Upcountry). But to compare him to Julius Caesar, Xenophon has got to account for more than his autobiographical account of a...

Philip II of Macedon would hire Celtic mercenaries to aid in his military campaigns, and would often pay these warriors with gold staters struck at a variety of different mints. These staters had a laureate head of Apollo on the obverse, and a charioteer driving a biga while holding a kentron on the reverse. The coins contained on average 8.60 gm of pure gold and circulated throughout Celtic Europe; they were also imported into Britain. Celtic craftsmen soon began making their own staters, half, and quarter staters using the Macedonian staters as a template. The Celtic coins soon devolved in style becoming very abstract and truly Celtic in appearance. Different tribes developed their own styles creating some beautiful coins. Many numismatists believe the oldest form of abstract art are the Gallo-Belgic coins of Celtic Europe and Britain. Modern artists like Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro admired and were influenced by Celtic coins.

There is something magical or mystical about these...

I am a big fan of Matthew Boulton and the Soho Mint. I might even go as far as to say that he and, to a slightly lesser extent James Watt are my numismatic heroes. I am enamored with the scientific ingenuity, ambition, and artistic ability so boldly on display by the products of the Soho mint. In my opinion, Boulton’s application of steam-powered presses paved the path for an era of artistic expansion and increased quality of the numerous tokens, medals, and coins he produced. Take, for instance, his regal English copper. These high-quality coins were mass-produced with a standard weight, diameter, and thickness. Boulton’s copper coinage was far superior in terms of both strike and design than the contemporary copper products of the Royal Mint. At the time, the Royal Mint rarely produced copper coinage, which in part was due to the slow production rate using hand-operated presses. When they did manage to produce copper coinage, they were of considerably lesser quality, often poorly...

I've recently added two coins to my collection depicting desultors. These new acquisitions join a third desultor coin that I've owned for some time. I'd like to share some background information on desultors, followed by the coins!

Desultors were equestrian acrobats who thrilled crowds by controlling two horses and leaping from one horse to another at full gallop. This acrobatic riding was not necessarily the work of professionals, as Suetonius reported that young men “of the highest rank” engaged in the practice during the games of Julius Caesar’s triumphal celebrations (Suet. Deified Julius XXXIX). The practice, with four horses, is referenced in the Illiad (II.15.680), so likely dates to Homeric times or earlier, and may have evolved from Minoan bull leaping and similar acrobatics with animals. Livy references that Numidian cavalry took two horses apiece and, like circus performers, jumped fully armed from a weary mount to a fresh one (Liv xxiii 29).

A Roman desultor, as...

Whenever amateur and professional historians think of the really bad Roman emperors, Caligula and Nero immediately come to mind with a possible dishonorable mention for Caracalla. There is another bad boy who does not get that much press, Elagabalus. Some historians believe that he may have been the worst emperor of all.



Denarius of Caracalla: Obverse: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG (Antoninus pius (name he used) Augustus) Reverse: INDVLGENTIA AVGG IN CARTH (indulgence to the emperors of Carthage) Dea Caelestis holding a thunderbolt and scepter, seated riding a lion leaping over water with water rushing from a rock. Sear 6806, Ric 130a

This design shows some sort of favor from the emperors to Carthage, which was the capital of Severus’ native province. It might be related to the city’s water supply, perhaps a new aqueduct, but the details are not known. The female deity riding the lion, known to the Romans as Dea Caelesits, the...

Today got a splendid newly released book in the mail, Portraits: 400 years of Hellenistic Portraits, by Andreas Pangerl. A few years ago I got his corresponding book on Roman coin portraits and loved it--fabulous coins, fabulous pictures, and great color, plus some articles. So, when I heard about the Hellenistic book I tried to order it immediately, but shipping from Europe was expensive and problematic. However, I found that David Fanning of Kolbe & Fanning ( https://www.numislit.com/ ) had a shipment coming, so I ordered it from him.

This new book is massive, 10" x 11 3/4, with the first 194 pages wonderful greatly enlarged portraits on coins, one or four to a page. (The reverses, also enlarged but not so much, are on page plates near the end.) Pages 199-367 are well-illustrated "Studies" by various authors, most in German but three in English. One in English is "From symbol to likeness: The development of Coin portraits in the Graeco-Persian world," with a...

Charles de Solier

By Christoph Weiditz, c. 1530-31.


Silver, 58.7 mm Ø, 87.7 g

Obverse: Bust of Charles de Solier facing slightly left, bearded, wearing a decorated hat and gown with fur collar. Around, ✿ CAROLVS • DE • SOLARIO • DNS • MORETY • ANNV • AGENS • L (Charles de Solier, Lord of Morette, Aged 50).

Reverse: On the left, a rearing horse with saddle facing right on a rocky shoreline. On the right, a dolphin in the water holding the reins of the horse in its mouth. In the background, a cloud. Around, ✿ VIRTVS • ET • FORTVA • VIROS • EXERCET • ET • ORNAT (Virtue and Fortune Drive and Adorn Men).

Charles de Solier (1480-1552) was a French diplomat, serving as French ambassador under Francis I to the English Court of Henry VIII from 1534 to 1535. There is also a painting of de Solier by Hans Holbein the Younger, with the sitter dressed the same and in a slightly differing...