Coin Talk

It's time for another long-winded post by TheRed.

With the death of Alexander III the Great in 323 BC, the contest to control the Macedonian Empire saw the rise of some fascinating men and women. While my favorite of the Diadochi is Seleukos I Nikator, one of the most colorful, charismatic, and ultimately tragic people of the period was Demetrius I Poliorketes.

His father was one of Alexander's generals and satraps, Antigonus I Monophthalmus. Demetrius served under his father as a general on both land and sea. Upon capturing Athens, Demetrius had himself declared a divine liberator and reputedly installed his harem in the Acropolis. One of the most famous incidents from his life was the siege he conducted against the city of Rhodes. For a year Demetrius tried to take the city, devising incredible siege engines. One such engine was a massive iron plated siege tower called Helepolis that stood 130 feet tall and mounted numerous catapults. Despite his ingenuity, the city of...

SILVER COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL: MARRIAGE OF PRINCESS MARY OF GREAT BRITAIN TO FRIEDRICH II OF HESSEN-KASSEL


Obv: The couple join hands over a flaming altar / FELICITAS POPULORUM - C.S.

Rev: Linked shields of arms, legend around / DIU EXOPATA CONIUNCTIO, and 8 lines of text below - EK

CHRISTIAN SCHIRMER and JOHAN ENGELHARD KRULL

Depicted on the obverse of this medal is Princess Mary of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of the House of Hanover and Friedrich II, Landgraf of Hessen-Kassel of the House of Hesse. The two are standing facing each other with joined hands over a burning alter. Around the top reads FELICITAS POPULORUM (The Happiness of the People.) Below are the initials C.S. which stand for Christian Schirmer who was warden at Königsberg Prussia and mint master from 1742-1743.

The reverse of the medal depicts the coat of arms of the two royal houses, Great Britain on the left and...

We have finally hit the last day of April, and it's pouring rain rain here in Florida. This has been the longest month of my life. I'm sure that I had known anything about what was going on, my first month of life as an infant would have seemed longer. There is something to the theory that time goes faster as you grow older, but this month ... Don't let the door hit it on the butt as it's leaving.

At any rate, here is another article from the archives.

At the beginning of the American Civil War, each of the southern states as they seceded from the Union seized the properties of the Federal Government that was within their borders. On February 28, 1861 the State of Louisiana took the New Orleans mint "into trust," and began to operate the facility under its authority. In April the Confederate Government took control of the mint from Louisiana and operated it until Confederate authorities decided to close the facility on April 30. During that time the Rebels produced...

“We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” Benjamin Franklin made this candid observation to John Hancock on July 4, 1776 as the signers of the Declaration of Independence committed their reputations, their property and their lives to the cause of American independence. Had the British succeeded in putting down the American rebellion, the signers of that most famous of American documents would have been tried and convicted of treason. Yet three months before, the Continental Congress passed another resolution which was almost as daring and risky as the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

It began on April 19, 1775 when a force of 1,400 British regulars crossed the Charles River from Boston and set out for the towns of Lexington and Concord. Their mission was to capture arms held by the rebellious colonial militias and perhaps bag two local leaders, John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Paul Revere was the most famous of the local horsemen who...

These coins, from the smallest silver on through to the 5 Pounds Gold, suffer from the mint preparation and very hard to find WITHOUT hairlines. Rarely do they make it past TPG graded 63, and when they do the grade numbers IMO quite controversial.

It is said that workers at the Royal Mint were unaccustomed to the matte finish first used on a wider scale on the proofs of 1902, and so took a swipe of the apron or two on the surfaces. Rightfully on a technical basis it does limit the TPG grading generally to the 63 level but occasionally the Crown or larger gold 2 and 5 pounds are seen with higher grades 64 and above.

These absolutely must be seen in hand because the odd coin may have gotten past the perusal and treatment of the mint workers and their aprons, generally those that I have seen have just as many "micro" wipe stigmata of the lesser graded 62 and 63 (and even 61) pieces. Unfortunately when the higher graded pieces appear at a venue like Heritage they fetch prices better...

This type is rare and still rather controversial. Having been at first assigned to the regency of Anna of Savoy for Ioannes V Palaeologos (1351-1354) in Dochev 1983 and 1992 (apud Georganteli p. 73) and A Palaiologan Trachion from the Dioikitirion Square Excavation by E.S. Georganteli (Numismatika Hronika 20, 2001, p.82), Bendall reconsiders it as a feudal issue of the Asen brothers (Alexios and Ioan) in Thrace. It was minted very likely in small quantity and for a short period, as indicated both by the small number of known specimens and by the many die matches among these specimens (Georganteli remarks the small number of dies used and the consistent die duplication encountered).

Thus, a preliminary identification of the type should look something like "Despotate of Anaktoropolis, Christopolis and Thassos, under Alexios and Ioannes Asen as Despotes, cca. 1356-1366."


AE20x18mm, 1.77g, copper trachy/stamenon minted perhaps at a mint on the...

The Decemviri Sacris Faciundis - later the Quindecimviri Sacris Faciundis - were one of four major collegia of religous matters in ancient Rome. The three other collegia were the Pontifices, Augures and Epulones.The duty of the Quindecimviri Sacris Faciundis was to take care of the Sibylline Books and consult the books at the request of the Senate and interpret its texts. Cults introduced on their interpretation of the texts - such as the cult of Ceres after the famine of 496 BC - also fell under their supervision. The quindecemviri were known for organizing exquisite banquets.

About the college
During the time of the kings of Rome, two duumviri - men coming from the highest of ranks - were appointed to safeguard the Sibylline Books and interpret the texts. After the last king of Rome was ousted, the task was given to men of Patrician status. Around 367 BC, as one of the measures to break down the absolute power of the aristocracy on...

Post your coins of the Bosporan Kingdom or anything you feel is relevant!

Tiberius Julius Mithridates Philogermanicus Philopatris, sometimes known as Mithridates III of the Bosporus (flourished 1st century, died AD 68) was a Roman client king of the Bosporan Kingdom.


In the first century AD, the Bosphoran Kingdom comprised most of the southern and eastern rims of the Sea of Azov.[1]

Mithridates III was the first son of Roman client monarchs Aspurgus and Gepaepyris (she is depicted on the reverse of this coin). His younger brother was the future King Cotys I.


Tiberius Julius Mithradates, King of the Bosporus AD 41-45, and his mother, Gepaepyris, Wife of Aspurgus.
Bosporus Kingdom, probably prior to AD 41.
Æ 12 nummia, 7.92 gm, 23.5 mm.
Obv: ΒΑCΙΛΕΩC ΜΙΘΡΑΔΑΤΟΥ, laureate head of Mithradates, right.
Rev: ΒΑCΙΛΛΙCCΗC ΓΗΠΑΠΥΡΕΩC, laureate, draped bust of Queen Gepaepyris, right.
Refs:...

Hello all. I have been following the thread "Another Fake from Lanz" and since I have a coin from Lanz I sent images to Robert Kokotailo asking if he thought my coin was a fake. He responded that he felt the coin was good and gave the reasons why which included his thoughts on a different kind of fouree. He said I could share his thoughts with CoinTalk so here it is. I found it very interesting. First my coin and then his response.




Otho (Augustus)
Coin: Silver Denarius
IMP OTHO CAESAR AVG TR P - Bare head right.
PONT MAX - Ceres standing left, holding grain ears and long cornucopia.
Mint: Rome (69 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 2.51g / 19mm / 6h
Rarity: Very Rare
References:
RIC I 20 (an aureus)
BMC 9
C. 11
RSC 11
BN 25
Provenances:
numismatic lance
Numismatik Lanz Munchen
Acquisition/Sale: numismatic lance eBay $0.00 11/19
Notes: Nov 21, 19 - The Gary R. Wilson Collection

Struck 9 March-mid April 69 AD-note; Muona Group 3, Type 12B

From Robert Kokotailo:...

This "Greek" coin from Pergamon was the research puzzle that FedEx brought this week:

Mysia, Pergamon, 159-133 BC, Æ (20mm,7.25g, 12h)
Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right
Rev: Military trophy facing

What is a tropaion?
The reverse of this coin as what drew my attention to this coin, a large "tropaion" or trophy which can be found over many years on ancient coins like this Roman Republican denarius from L. Aemilius Lepidus Paullus, 62 BC:


and this Roman Imperial denarius from Septimius Severus struck around AD 194:


A tropaion is an archaic Greek style, battle trophy (from trophe which translates to “turning point”). It is a branched tree decorated with the shields, armor and weapons of the defeated enemy that would be set up at the location where the battle had taken a turn toward victory.

Where is Pergamon?
The...