Coin Talk

Dear Friends of ancient mythology!

Here I want to tell something about Tyros.

The Coin:
Phoenicia, Tyre, Elagabal AD 218-22
AE 27, 11.71g
Obv.: IMP CAES M AN - TONINVS AVG
Bust, draped and cuirassed, laureate, r.
Rev.: TV - RI - O - RVM
Two baetylic stones (the so-called 'Ambrosial rocks'), each standing on a base, between them Holy Oil-tree
in ex: dog of Herakles, walking r., finding Murex Shell
Ref.: SNG Rughetti 2344; BMC Phoenicia, pl. XLIV, 7 and p.cxli, 2, citing a spec. from Berlin
rare, F

Mythology:
The rev. of this coin refers to the founder myth of Tyre. It is reported in the 'Dionysiaka' by Nonnos of Panopolis. Here the Tyrian Herakles Astrochiton appears, a Light God and fire master in a star cloak on whose altar the thousand year old Phoenix is burning himself and then regenerated resurges again. This god reports of the 'Ambrosial rocks', which are floating on the sea. Between them entwined by a snake a mighty oil-tree was...

Usually, in my limited experience, although the cataloguing of tiny variations isn't nearly as prevalent or obsessive as it is for U.S. coins -- and I think that would be impossible, given the large numbers of different dies for each coin and the fact that no two are ever exactly alike in terms of what the portraits on the coin look like -- any significant variation in the obverse portraits on a particular type of Roman coin results in a separate catalogue number (or at least a sub-number, like (a), (b), (c), etc.) in RIC, RSC, and other catalogues. Thus, there are separate catalogue numbers assigned for left-facing vs. right-facing, head vs. bust, bareheaded vs. laureate, draped vs. cuirassed vs. draped and cuirassed, "seen from front [or back]" vs. "seen from right [or left]" vs. " vs. "seen half from [front or back]," etc., and even for more minor variations like "draped on far shoulder" and so on.

So one would think that a bearded vs. a clean-shaven portrait on a coin that's...

Post your coins of Liber or Dionysus!

In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Liber Pater was a patron deity of Rome's plebeians, and the god of wine and wine-making, fertility and freedom. Liber was closely (often interchangeably) identified with Bacchus, Dionysus and their mythology but was not entirely subsumed by them. The Latin liber means "free," or the "free one": when coupled with "pater", it means "The Free Father," who personifies freedom. "The inventor of wine is called Liber," Seneca notes,[1] "not from the licence which he gives to our tongues, but because he liberates the mind from the bondage of cares, and emancipates it, animates it, and renders it more daring in all that it attempts."

Oddly, this god appears only infrequently on Roman coinage. On coins, Liber is typically shown crowned with vine or ivy leaves and holding a wine cup and thyrsus and accompanied by his attendant panther.

Septimius Severus inaugurated his reign and dynasty with games to honor...

I am happy to have acquired this Caracalla recently which now puts my sestertius count to three. I really wanted this one since it was minted in an important year for the Severan Dynasty - In 211 AD Septimius dies in early February, the brothers assume co-rule, and in late December Caracalla has Geta murdered. Definitely on my bucket list is a Geta with a long Septimius-like beard from the same year. For now I will likely just try to grow my collection by picking up the more common 2nd/3rd century emperors and empresses here and there as I like them. The very rare emperors I am likely to ignore for a while, those have to be on my long term bucket list.
Caracalla Æ Sestertius. Rome, 211 AD. M AVREL ANTONI-NVS PIVS AVG, laureate bust of Caracalla right, drapery on left shoulder / VICT BRIT TR P XIIII COS III, Victory standing right, foot on helmet, erecting trophy consisting of helmet, cuirass, spears, shields, and greaves; towered and draped woman...

Show your empress CONSECRATIO issues or anything you feel is relevant!

One important aspect of Roman religion, particularly for the imperial family, was the concept of consecration, the process by which a deceased person became a divine being and was transported to the divine realm to join the pantheon of gods. The eagle of Zeus or the peacock of Juno carried the departed to the heavens.

The inscription CONSECRATIO makes its first appearance in Roman numismatics on the coinage of Marciana, and thereafter became the standard employed for issues of the divae and divi for centuries. Interestingly, the earliest Roman consecration issues depict eagles, even for the women of the imperial family.

My latest arrival is a pretty little semis which has a neat numismatic story behind it, not to mention a bit of a mystery.



Titus as Caesar
Æ Semis, 3.31g
Rome mint, 74 AD (Vespasian)
Obv: T•CAES•IMP•TR•POT; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, r.
Rev: ANTIOCHIA; Bust of city-goddess, r.
RIC 1574 (C). BMC -. BNC -. RPC 1997 (10 spec.).
Acquired from Forvm Ancient Coins, January 2020.

Traditionally, the issue this rather interesting semis is from has been attributed to various different mints over the years. Ted Buttrey writing in the RIC II.1 Addenda commented extensively on it. Because both the Addenda has yet to see the light of day and T. Buttrey's thoughts on the subject are important (and indeed likely correct), I have largely quoted it in full here with some minor editing.

'RIC 756-767 are irregular Dupondii, which should be taken together with Asses, semisses and quadrantes (RIC 1564-1581), forming together a single extraordinary issue in...

A short historical and numismatic overview


By 1285/6, Charles I d'Anjou was dead and his heir Charles II was held captive in Messina to the Aragonese, who had occupied the island as a result of the Vespri Siciliani. So the regency of Robert II d'Artois for the Angevin domains put Guillaume de la Roche -- the "Megaskyr" and Duke of Athens -- in charge of the Principality of Achaea as baillie. Guillaume was the most powerful vassal of the Angevins in Greece, as the Duke of Athens owed traditional allegiance to the Prince of Achaea and because after the Viterbo treaty of 1267, Charles I had become overlord of all Latin Greece.

The Frankish tower of Markopoulo in Attica, built under the de la Roche dynasty around the early 13th century. These defensive fortifications follow the typical keep shape that is well-known in Western Europe and were used primarily as local fortifications, points of surveillance and as a network of...

It all started last December. First it was @Roerbakmix, then @JulesUK , @Marsman and finally @Alegandron. All of them talking about the same type of coin. Is it a conspiracy or what ? I couldn’t stop hearing this little voice in my head whispering “BUY ONE,BUY ONE”. Nights and days without a break. Wasn’t able to sleep, wasn’t able to eat or think clearly. I tried to resist but it was to much to endure. I did it. I sinned. The best way to get rid of temptation is to yield it, don’t you think so ? So I present you my latest baby : my Nemausus Dupondius. I was a bit out of cash ‘cause of my recent surgery ( I had a brain transplant) so I could only afford this one; and it was 2 for the price of one.
Nemausus Dupondius
23 mm 6.20 g 2 h
COL NEM / IMP DIVI F
RPC 523


The city
Nîmes, a city in southern France, was a critical outpost of the Roman Empire. It’s known...

Hi CT friends

On that very day (21st of january) in 1793 CE was the King of France Louis XVI beheaded :



The execution of Louis XVI by means of the guillotine, a major event of the French Revolution, took place on 21 January 1793 at the Place de la Révolution ("Revolution Square", formerly Place Louis XV, and renamed Place de la Concorde in 1795) in Paris. The National Convention had convicted the king (17 January 1793) in a near-unanimous vote (while no one voted "not guilty", several deputies abstained) and condemned him to death by a simple majority.

Louis XVI awoke at 5 o'clock. After dressing with the aid of his valet Jean-Baptiste Cléry, he went to meet with the non-juring Irish priest Henry Essex Edgeworth to make his confession. He heard his last Mass, served by Cléry, and received Communion. The Mass requisites were provided by special direction of the authorities. On Father...

Headed home now after a nice show.

I have been coming to NYINC for about 7 years now. This was my longest trip. Usually go for 2 days. This year I stayed in Manhattan Wednesday to Sunday. Longest time I’ve ever been at a show. Have some coin fatigue at the end of the show but was a great experience and the longer stay was definitely good for my growth as a numismatist.

Wednesday was the Triton auction. Went to the auction but failed to get my lot of greatest interest. Prices were strong in the British material, which is my area of collecting. I was interested in a portrait penny of Edward the Elder but my bid was defeated. Oh well. Show hasn’t even began yet, so will have other opportunities to blow my budget. Went to dinner with a fellow English collector at a British pub, fitting for British coin enthusiasts.

Thursday was professional preview and early bird day. In the past I have resisted the $125 entry fee for the early bird day. This year, I buckled in and paid it. In the...