Coin Talk

In another thread, @Limes gave me a good suggestion :"If you still have more time, how about writing a background story on each coin?" So with more time lately for my favorite hobby, I revisited some old friends. I found a similarity between a provincial coin of Caracalla from Alexandria Troas and an Imperial one from Antoninus Pius struck in Rome. At first look, it seems they don't have nothing in common. Can you find the "likeness" between the two specimen ???





They are both featuring the same ichonographic detail: a Cippus. But what is it exactly ?
It is a low column of stone, sometimes round but often of rectangular shape, and used as a mark of division of land, for indicating the distance of places or as a sepulchral monument. On many Cippi are found the letters TTL meaning "Sit tibi terra levis" (May the earth rest lightly on you) which is a latin funerary inscription. On...

Since there was recently a thread for Art Deco coins and medals, I thought I'd start one for coins and medals from a slightly earlier period -- covering Pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau and related styles -- and post some of my own from that period.

Great Britain, 1882, AE Commemorative Medal for the Corporation of the City of London (No. 17), The Dedication of Epping Forest, by Charles Wiener. Obv. Bust of Queen Victoria l., wearing the small diamond crown, sash and Orders/ Rev. Londinia standing facing the seated Queen within a forest setting, holding gate open to winding pathway, IT GIVES ME THE GREATEST SATISFACTION TO DEDICATE THIS BEAUTIFUL FOREST FOR THE USE AND ENJOYMENT OF MY PEOPLE FOR ALL TIME. EPPING FOREST, 6 MAY 1882. Eimer 1689, BHM 3128, Welch 17. 75 mm., 268 g.





Great Britain, 1837-1897, AR Official Royal Mint Medal to Commemorate 60th Anniversary of Victoria's Reign. Obv. Bust l., crowned, veiled and...

A Roman Republican as with a Janus obverse and a prow reverse has been on my want list for quite some time, and I have been waiting for the right coin to come up. Two weeks ago, I finally found a nice specimen for a price I was willing to pay, and it arrived this morning:


Roman Republic, As (uncial standard), 169–158 BC, moneyer: C. Cluvius Saxula, Rome mint. Obv: head of Janus, I above. Rev: prow right, C·SAX (ligated) above, ROMA below. 35 mm, 25.98 g. Ref: Crawford 173/1.

A couple of ancient writers discuss and explain these coins in detail, which is the main reason I wanted one. (EDIT: Just to clarify, what follows is a little account of the reception of this type of coin by some writers during the Roman Empire. For a historically more reliable origin story of the devices on the coin, see the informative post by @Carausius below.)

In his Saturnalia, the 5th century philosopher Macrobius tells us...

Hey all. I live in Virginia and yesterday the Governor issued an Executive Order to "Stay at Home." I'm retired Navy so I've been trying to do that anyway.

I hope most are also heeding that warning as much as possible.

Figured I'd share some history to take our minds off of current events for now.





Above courtesy of the Maryland Manual.

“MARYLAND TERCENTENARY COMMISSION

Act 1929, Chapter 470

To consider plans for the appropriate observance by the State of the Tercentenary of the founding of Maryland and to submit a full report with its recommendations to the General Assembly of 1931. Members of the Commission include:

Name and address

Dr. Joseph S. Ames, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.

Mathew Page Andrews, 849 Park Avenue, Baltimore’.

Rev. Joseph J. Ayd, S. J., Loyola College.

Arthur Barneveld Bibbins, 201 Park Avenue, Baltimore.

Van Lear Black, Fidelity...

Denier - OTTO V (Brandenburg-Salzwedel)
Mint - Spandau



Born: 1246 (est)
Margrave: A.D. 1267-1298

Obverse: Seated Figure - OTTO V

Reverse: Plumed Helmet - OTTO

This is a silver coin, a denier, of Otto V the Margrave (Margraf) of Brandenburg-Salzwedel who, with his brothers and cousins shared the rule of a partitioned Margraviate of Brandenburg in modern north eastern Germany and western Poland. Brandenburg formed from what was known as the Northern March, established in 936 by King Heinrich der Vogler (Henry the Fowler) and Emperor Otto I, which eventually became a major principality (electorate) within the Holy Roman Empire. It was originally establish to serve as a north eastern border during the Ostsiedlung, a movement of Germanic-speaking peoples into neighboring areas, in this case Slavic eastern Europe.

Otto V, called the Tall / Long (der...

On many coins of Roman Egypt you will find the personification of Alexandria. The history of the personification of Alexandria is somewhat obscure, though it originated after the accession of Ptolemy I Soter in the 330’s B.C.

Perhaps the first depiction of the nascent goddess is found in a mosaic in Thmuis (Mendes) created by the Hellenistic artist Sophilos, now in the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria.



The woman depicted is Queen Berenike II, who ruled jointly with her husband Ptolemy III Eurgetes, as the personification of Alexandria, with her crown showing a ship’s prow, while she has an anchor-shaped brooch for her robes, symbols of the Ptolemaic Kingdom’s naval prowess and success in the Mediterranean Sea. [1]

The first Roman emperor to portray Alexandria on his coinage was Nero, who struck so...

Since our "prison sentence" just got extened for another month, it's time to dust another old article. I hope you like it.


In 1933 President Franklin Roosevelt issued his Gold Surrender. The order required American citizens to sell all but a small portion of their gold to the Federal Reserve at a rate of $20.67 per troy ounce. Those who failed to comply with this executive order were subject to a fine of up to $10,000 or a prison term of up to 10 years. Exemptions were made for "customary usage for industry, profession or art," which covered artists, jewelers, dentists, and sign makers among others. There was also a provision for citizens to hold up to $100 in gold (about 5 ounces) and for "gold coins having recognized special value to collectors of rare and unusual coins."

Given the broad sweep of this executive order, which was supported by an act of Congress in 1934, you might assume that The United States mint did not produce any gold pieces for an...

The period leading up to the reigns of Valerian I and Gallienus is often referred to as the "four bad years," in which Rome was fraught with problems, both internal and external, characterized by a succession of short-lived soldier-emperors and usurpers. In the summer of AD 253, following the death of Trebonianus Gallus and the accession of Aemilian, whose reign lasted a mere three months, Valerian was raised to the rank of emperor by his troops. At 53 years of age and realizing he needed to formalize a successor, Valerian raised his grown son Gallienus to co-emperor shortly thereafter.

The joint reign of Valerian and Gallienus was characterized by conflict with the Sasanian Persians, and Valerian commissioned the mints of the east to strike coinage to pay his troops doing battle there. Antioch was one of the largest cities in the Roman empire and the most productive mint in the east during this time. We know from hoard data...

In the late 19th century and early 20th, once the germ theory of disease was accepted, hotels would wash your money for you.

When the incuse design for the $2.50 and $5 gold coins was released in 1908, there was fear that the recesses would harbor dirt and germs.
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This week's E-Sylum carried two stories about money in the present context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Bank in Midtown Is Cleaned Out of $100 Bills
This March 14, 2020 New York Times article showed the panic setting in as moneyed people stocked up on cash. -Editor

As the stock market was having its worst day in 30 years on Thursday, customers at a Bank of America branch in Midtown Manhattan, the financial heart of New York, were lining up to take cash out of their accounts — sometimes tens of thousands of dollars at a time.

So many people sought huge sums that the bank branch, at 52nd Street and Park Avenue, temporarily ran out of $100 bills to fulfill large withdrawals, according to three...

Over the years I have seen more than a few coins converted into prize medals. What follows is my write up of the most spectacular one I have ever seen:
The Milwaukee City Dragoons Schiessen Medal

The raising of Militia units in the United States dates back to British traditions in our colonial era. Able bodied young men were required to enroll in the local militias to defend their homes from the attacks of hostile Indians and their French allies. Early militia men had to provide their own weapons and clothing and attend regular training sessions. After American independence the states gradually started providing equipment and funding for militia units. Uniforms became fancier after the Napoleonic Wars. Militia membership became voluntary and in some cases socially important. In Wisconsin, militia organization began slowly in the late 1830’s (on paper) and was well established by the late 1840’s. By 1850 Milwaukee...