Coin Talk

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...

SILVER PAPAL MEDAL - CANONIZATION OF THE TWENTY SIX JAPANESE MARTYRS AND MICHAEL DE SANCTIS
Year: 1862



This silver Papal State medal was minted under Pope Pius IX by the prolific and talented Bonfiglio Zaccagnini in 1862 for the canonization of Michael de Sanctis and the 26 martyrs of Nagasaki Japan.


Depicted on the Obverse is a Female Allegorical Figure of the church, seated on a throne, holding two palms and a martyr's crown in her right hand and a papal cross, tiara and a key in her left hand. She wears a cloak with a Chi Rho monogram (christogram), representing the first two letters of the name of Christ in Greek XP. The Holy Spirit is above her in the form of a dove. In the background are intricately detailed buildings in Rome such as St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Palace among others. B. Zaccagnini EQ. TORQ. F. just below the feet and above the inscription....

Well.....
I've been collecting ancient coins now for many years and had managed to keep myself focused and steadfast on a few areas, Roman Imperial , Asian and the odd Iberic coins, right to the end!
That 'end' came about 10 weeks ago and I remember it like it was yesterday!
Normally, whilst on the hunt, blinkers on, never once looking left or right at the forbidden 'G' letter, homing in on my Roman, Asian, or Spanish prey!.....Then......
It was a Saturday, late afternoon, strong winds and pouring with rain, lockdown and complete silence outside. There I was, sitting in front of my log burner, it was glowing and crackling in time to Debaussy's 'Clair de lune' and I was half way through a decent bottle of red 'Lagrimes'.....Flicking through a couple of my favourite sellers on vcoins with my defences low the inevitable happened, I purchased my first ever GREEK!....


So here's my first ever Greek coin!.....
This is the start of a 12 Olympian gods set in bronze that I'll be working...

After Margaret II d'Avesnes died in 1356, the County of Hainaut entered the sole domain of Wilhelm III, her eldest son from her marriage with Ludwig IV der Bayer, Holy Roman Emperor (1328-1347). With this inheritance, Hainaut changes hands from the House d'Avesnes to the Bavarian House von Wittelsbach.

County of Hainaut in relation to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany.

Wilhelm did not rule much, he succumbed to fits of insanity in 1357 and was consequently retired to Chateau Le Quesnoy, while the Bayern-Wittelsbach realms, including Hainaut, were put under the stewardship of his brother Albert (Albrecht I von Bayern-Wittelsbach). Not much is known about the life of duke Wilhelm after 1358, but his sudden fits of rage and insanity were deemed dangerous to himself and others and he had to be restrained. Apparently in between these episodes of mental illness, Wilhelm was aware of his condition and deeds, at...

Step 1: Have a friend such as @Spaniard PM you about the existence of a coin he thinks you'd be interested in.

Step 2: Look at the seller's photo and say to yourself, "I've never seen anything like that!"



Step 3: Have a healthy skepticism about the seller/previous collector's attribution, which attributes it to the city of Poroselene in Aeolis.



Step 4: Investigate possible matches to coins in Poroselene and find one with a youth riding dolphin reverse, RPC IV.2 10103, but notice that the dolphin is swimming right and the style is very different.



Moreover, the reverse inscription on that coin reads ΠΟΡΟϹƐΛΗΝƐΙΤΩΝ, which is incompatible with the few letters on the reverse of the unknown coin. Search for...

There was a post last year on this type of anchor and dolphin from Domitian by @Orfew that included a reference to an interesting blog (Hazelton Collection) on related, and more rare, coins of Domitian. While my coin is not a Flavian rarity (C2 in RIC II), is a type referenced by Domitian. It is from Titus in the year that the Colosseum opened, AD 80, that connects ancient Rome and the modern world.

The reverse of this coin is a visual reference to the adage and oxymoron, "festina lente" or "make haste slowly". For centuries, publishers have reused this symbol, which, apparently, is just as applicable to making good books as it is to a successful Roman military and government....

Rivalling Rome: Parthian Coins & Culture. Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis and Alexandra Magub. London: Spink and Son Ltd., 2020. ISBN 978-1-912667-44-4.

This slim volume (118 pages) is intended to accompany a special exhibit at the British Museum, which was scheduled to run from April 2nd to September 6th, 2020. For obvious reasons (note to posterity: the COVID-19 pandemic) the exhibit has been postponed (the British Museum website says only that it is "coming soon") but meanwhile we are able to enjoy this book. Firstly, I will summarize that I found this book very enjoyable to read, and a useful overview of Parthian coins, history, and civilization. While I have a few minor quibbles, the book as a whole is very worthwhile, and I would suggest anyone with an interest in Parthian coins and history should purchase it.

While the book does include many clear photos of Parthian and related coins, it is not a comprehensive catalogue or identification guide (and is certainly not intended...

So I acquired something that Attila the Hun (probably) never got, a solidus of Eastern Roman emperor Marcian. The thread title refers to what he allegedly said, in reference to his ending his predecessor Theodosius II's policy of appeasement towards Attila and his Huns. This had included annual gold payments to keep them away from the Eastern Empire (and offering iron AKA war instead).

Marcian, Eastern Roman Empire
AV solidus
Obv: D N MARCIA-NVS P F AVG, diademed, helmeted and cuirassed three-quarter facing bust, holding spear over shoulder and shield decorated with horseman
Rev: VICTORI-A AVGGG, Victory standing left, holding long jeweled cross, star in right field
Mint: Constantinople
Mintmark: CONOB
Date: 450-457 AD
Ref: RIC 510
Size: 4.46 gr., 21 mm wide
Provenance: Ex Roma Numismatics E-Sale 55, 23 April 2019, lot 1203 (the same auction I won my Athens tetradrachm from!)

...

The Bank of Korea and the South Korean Mint, KOMSCO, have announced a 2020 Proof Set of the nation's circulation coins to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Bank of Korea.

70,000 mint sets will be made and the sale price is set at 30,000-won a piece.

Each person will be allowed to register for five sets from Woori Bank and Nonghyeob Bank or at the KOMSCO site itself (https://www.komsco.com/kor). The registration begins at 9 am (South Korea time: GMT/UTC + 9h during Standard Time) on April 28th and runs to May 18th. An automatic random lottery will be triggered when the number of reservations placed exceed the number of sets for sale. The sets will be distributed in June.
More info here: https://www.bok.or.kr/portal/bbs/P0000559/view.do?nttId=10057606&menuNo=200690 Bring up the pdf. for info in Korean. Unfortunately, they aren't translating this issue announcement in English, and probably due to...