Coin Talk

Mn. Fonteius
Obverse: MN FONTEI C•F, laureate head of Apollo (?) right
Reverse: Cupid (?) on goat right; above, piles; in exurgue, thyrsus; surrounded by laurel wreath and dots
Crawford 353/1c, 20mm, 3.85g, minted at Rome in 85 BC

I’d had my eye on one of these for a while, and when I finally saw one in good condition at the right price, I pulled the trigger. Feel free to share your own examples of this coin or other goat coins, as well as your thoughts on their symbolism.

When I actually started researching the coin, always one of my favorite things about buying a new coin, I discovered that there was quite a bit of debate over what it actually depicts, and what the significance of it might be. The discussion below is more to organize my research than anything else, but I thought I’d go ahead and share it as well.
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The winged child atop a goat on the reverse is identified as everything from a symbol of Vejovis, young...

About time I shared a little more history:




The centennial of the enunciation of the Monroe Doctrine was celebrated on July 2 thru August 5, 1923, at Los Angeles, California. The motion-picture industry was the force behind the celebration as an historical revue and motion-picture exposition commemorating events in our national history were shown, and the proceeds from the sale of half-dollars contributed toward financing this project.

enunciation: To state or set forth precisely or systematically: enunciate a doctrine.

“To Produce Historical Exposition

One Hundredth Anniversary of Monroe Doctrine to be Commemorated

Plans for the First Annual American Revue and Motion-Picture Industrial Exposition, under the auspices of the Motion-Picture Producers’ Association of Los Angeles, are rapidly nearing perfection.

In brief, it is the intention of the...

It's been nearly two days since I last posted a Parthian coin, so enjoy this:


Parthian Kingdom. Mithradatkart mint. Mithradates III (Sellwood, Shore) aka Mithradates IV (Assar) (c. 57-54 BC). AE tetrachalkous (3.20 g, 17 mm). Obverse: Diademed bust of king left. Reverse: Pegasos flying right, 8-line Greek legend around, Mithradatkart mintmark under front of Pegasos. Sellwood 41.18-19v. (different mintmark). This coin: Pars Coins Auction 4 (December 23, 2019), lot 85.

(Note: Historical background section below contains reused text from a previous post. What do you expect from a sequel?)

Mithradates III (renumbered Mithradates IV in recent work) and Orodes II were two sons of the Parthian king Phraates III. In 57 BC, they teamed up to assassinate their father and take over the throne. The assassination part worked, but unsurprisingly the two brothers soon quarreled, and Mithradates was forced to flee to Roman Syria. (Mithradates was said to...

Hey guys, I've been on these forums (mostly in the periphery) since late 2018 and I just need to share some gratitude to all members (especially @Valentinian - see more below). Full stop, four years ago I was in an American prison due to a substance abuse crime that I committed trying to get one more. I served 14 months at age 32 and I just celebrated my 4 years clean on 2/8/20. Part of my recovery has been learning about coins/history, while buying and selling some (to make my collection bigger). I have learned a lot in the past few years and I just want to thank you guys for helping me in my recovery and helping me with a hobby that keeps me grounded and out of trouble.

Also, something happened this week that I am really taken aback about and I just wanted to share it with you all. I want to give a huge shout out to CT member @Valentinian. About a week ago I got a message asking me for my postal address as he wanted to send me a...

In 1784, after the Americans and the British signed the Treaty of Paris, which won our independence, Augustin Dupré designed and executed a medal in honor of Benjamin Franklin. Next to George Washington, Franklin was the most important player in the American Revolution. He was able to convince the French to aid us which made a great deal of the difference.

The most important military action the French contributed to our cause was the blockade by the French Navy which kept the British Navy from relieving Cornwallis. Cornwallis had not choice to surrender, and that marked the last major engagement of the war.

Here is the medal that Dupré designed for Franklin in 1784.



The obverse features a portrait of Franklin based upon the bust made by Houdon in 1778. It is surrounded by the words, Benj. Franklin Natus Boston, XVII Jan. MDCCVI. (Benjamin Franklin born in Boston January 17, 1706.

The reverse features a winged genius...

Finishing up posts on Series-E Japanese banknotes, including the 1000 Yen Banknote, the 2000 Yen Banknote (actually in Series-D) and the 5000 Yen Banknote, here is the largest current circulating banknote in Japan, the 10000 Yen note. Worth $91.07 US at this very moment, this bill has all of the security features of the 5000 Yen note.



日本銀行券 (Nipponginkōken) - Bank of Japan banknote
壱万円 (ichi man'en) - 10000 Yen (using the fancier "壱" Kanji instead of "一万円")
日本銀行 (Nipponginkō) - Bank of Japan...

Not all of the recent fakes and slabs are as easy as these to spot. It does make one wonder what they are thinking when they chose a TPG cert to duplicate.




I advise folks when considering a purchase of a "certified" example to always check the on-line cert as a point of reference. Many of the fakes use a correct and active cert number, but that is the 1st check, does the number actually exist?


From there it is helpful if there is an image of the coin, preferably in the slab for better comparison. If no image on the cert look-up itself there are at times a link to a recent auction where images can be found.


Also, the noted latest auction appearances in this cert are an indicator something is terribly wrong!


And then there are the slabs themselves- several of the top TPGs have good images of genuine...

The city
Nicomedia was founded in 284 BC as the capital of the Hellenistic Kingdom of Bithynia; the King Nicomedes I gave his name to the place. Its strategic location made the city a significant trading, military and artistic centre throughout the ages and it was once one of the four largest cities of the Roman world. It is now in Turkey and is called Izmit.


The city is destroyed, in 111 AD by a big fire, which made many victims, because of the absence of firemen. Nicomedia reached its peak in late Antiquity, as the imperial capital of Diocletian and frequent residence of Constantine the great who was baptized there on his deathbed. The emperor Diocletian made it the eastern capital city of the Roman Empire in 286 AD when he introduced the Tetrarchy system. Galerius Maximian and Licinius also chose it as the capital of the eastern half of the Empire....

We all know that coins in better condition cost more--sometimes a lot more. Not long ago we had a thread in which a US nickel in MS68+ was $25,000 when the same type in MS66 was listed at $85. That seems crazy to me.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/which-coin-is-a-better-investment.347257/

But, we in ancient coins are not immune to condition-fever. I bought this coin recently at a well-publicized public auction for under $25, shipping included:


It is a large Byzantine follis of Anastasius. At 34 mm (a US half dollar is under 31 mm) and 18.08 grams it is pretty impressive in hand. It has lots of wear and an uneven strike, but a bold obverse legend and a very good patina. It is Sear Byzantine Coins 19.

If the type were in better condition it would cost more--maybe a lot more. Take a look at this example from the recent Triton auction of CNG:
https://auctions.cngcoins.com/lots/view/4-7O8FQ/

...

This recently acquired coin, gives me a reason to return to the story of Sulla and the War with Mithridates VI of Pontus. After hastily wrapping up with Mithridates, Sulla began his return to Rome (related post here). During his absence from Rome, Sulla had been exiled as an enemy of the state by Marius, however he still had allies and supporters.

Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius joined Sulla with troops in 83 BC. He was cousin to Sulla's wife Caecilia Metella - their fathers were brothers. Political lines between the elder Metellus and Marius had been drawn by events surrounding war with Numidia.