Coin Talk

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...

Here I am again ... "locked down" (Not officially, but actual none the less) in Florida. It's going on five months now, and there is no end in sight. So, let's pull another article out of the archives. I have not bothered to revise it from its 2014 origins, but I have purchased a lot of coins. I will add them in where it seems appropriate. I hope you enjoy it.


Last fall I had the pleasure of visiting England for the first time. One thing that really struck me was the age of the buildings that are still standing there, and the length of English history. Americans think of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, which opened in 1753, as "old." Paul Revere's House in Boston, which was built in the 1680s and is oldest structure still standing in a major American city, almost seems "ancient." Yet buildings of that age in England are almost "modern" given that there are structures like the White Tower of London, which was built prior to 1100.

My trip to England...

Not even a horse!

I know nothing about boats -- it's probably been 15 years since I've even set foot on one (a whale watching trip off Cape Cod) -- but I found this coin so appealing, and so detailed, that I couldn't resist buying it:

Roman Republic, C. Fonteius, AR Denarius, 114-113 BCE. Obv. Laureate, Janiform head of the Dioscuri, control mark N under left chin [mark of value * (= 16) under right chin is worn off] / Rev. Galley left with three rowers, gubernator (pilot) at stern, anchor beneath galley, C • FONT above, ROMA below. Crawford 290/1, RSC I Fonteia 1 (ill.), Sear RCV I 167 (ill.), Sydenham 555. 20 mm., 3.90 g. Ex: CNG Auction May 2012 Lot 293, Ex: Bruce R. Brace Collection.*




* According to H.A. Seaby in RSC I (at p. 48), the Janiform head on the obverse relates to the origins of the Fonteia gens -- which claimed as its founder Fons or Fontus, supposedly the son of Janus -- and the galley on the reverse...

BRONZE 10 CENT COIN - FRENCH COLONIAL - LOUIS PHILIPPE I KING OF THE FRENCH
Paris Mint
Date: A.D. 1843



Obverse: Portrait Laureate head left - LOUIS PHILIPPE I ROI DES FRANÇAIS (TIOLIER ET BARRE)

Reverse: Denomination 10 CENT within wreath with date 1843 below (A) and inscription COLONIES FRANÇAISES above

Engraver: Jean-Jacques Barre

This is a bronze 10 cent coin of France minted in 1843 to be used in the French colonies depicting Louis Philippe d'Orléans known as King Louis Philippe I of the House of Orléans The obverse depicts a portrait of King Louis Philippe I laureated head left with the inscription LOUIS PHILIPPE I ROI DES FRANÇAISES (Louis Philippe I King of the French) with the inscription TIOLIER ET BARRE below the portrait denoting the engravers Nicolas-Pierre Tiolier and Jacques-Jean Barre. The reverse shows the denomination of 10 CENT.(Centemes) encircled by a laurel wreath with the date 1843 below. At the...