Coin Talk

A legionary denarius of Mark Antony is one of the many ancient coins I would love to have. But examples in really nice condition are too expensive for me, and the one time I bought what I thought was a decent example, from a reputable dealer, it turned out to be a fake -- one of many fake legionary denarii that flood the market. (Fortunately, the dealer gave me a refund.)

So at least for the time being, I'm settling for this "restored" Mark Antony legionary denarius, issued by Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus two centuries after the original. It's certainly not in what I'd call excellent condition (the galley oars can no longer be individually distinguished), but it otherwise shows a lot of detail, and the price was probably considerably less than half of what an original in equivalent condition would have cost me. Plus, there isn't the same concern about purchasing a fake!

Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, AR Denarius [Restored Issue of Mark Antony Legionary Denarius Leg. VI,...

One of these Elagabalus with “horn” coins has been on my want list for years. I was very happy to pick up a wonderful example from AMCC 3. This coin has great centering, toning, detail and a very respectable provenance that is made all the nicer by its connection to a fellow CTer (@Shea19).

But what really makes this coin interesting is a question:

What is Elagabalus wearing on his head?


Roman Empire
Elagalabus (218-222)
AR Denarius, Rome mint, struck AD 221.
Dia.: 19 mm
Wt.: 2.84 g
Obv.: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG; draped and “horned” bust right
Rev.: PM TR P IIII COS III PP; Emperor standing left, sacrificing over altar, standard on either side
Ref.: RIC IVB 51
Ex Shea19 collection, Ex CNG E-Auction 465, Lot 722 (part of), Ex Mike Vosper FPL 112 (11 March 2000), no. 35a


Answer #1: It’s a horn.
This...

TGIFF! And I got ...



Martin Beckmann's die-linkage study of the aurei of Faustina the Younger[1] has provided us with substantial clarity regarding the relative – and in this case the absolute – chronology of many coins issued for this popular empress. The sequence of die links documenting Faustina's earliest coinage ends with several examples of the VENVS reverse type depicting the goddess holding an apple and rudder, as on this denarius below.



This reverse type links...

Visited the Durham Western Heritage museum in Omaha today. The big traveling exhibit was a James Cameron deep sea exhibit about the Titanic exploration. But my main interest was a permanent display of the Byron Reed coin collection featuring the King of American coins a 1804 silver dollar. Also many ancient coins and pattern pieces. Just a few pictures for now.
If your ever in the area this museum is a pleasant way to pass a few hours It is housed in the old Union Train station and also features many train/rail exhibits that would interest a few of the members here ( @dwhiz ).

Travels through time (sorry, never enough room in the title)

Pretty geeked to win a coin that I didn't know about, that tied into something I've long been intrigued by aaaand...


In @dougsmit 's thread: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-monsterous-little-coin.274896/
, on the subject of some of the coins with the KETOS MONSTER!


@zumbly points out a recent retribution of this very popular, and wonderful coin!
Of the earliest types, it WAS believed, they derived from Kindya... but now, not so much. Due to a different type then I'm building up to showing
You can read my latter version on the subject here:
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-a-kinda-scary-monster-from-kindya.245487/

from when I was attacked by this BEAST:

CARIA, Halikarnassos (reassigned...

I think I have officially hit the point where I can no longer justify the expense of new additions. There have been some stellar coins offered for sale already this year, but more often than not, these pieces realize prices that are just a bit out of my comfort zone. Consequently, I have only added four new noteworthy pieces to my collection, which pales compared to last year. On any note, I am delighted with my latest purchase which brings back memories of a much simpler time. A time before COVID, before insane auctions prices, and before I was thoroughly infected with the bug of collecting Soho pieces.



We can probably all think back to the first piece that eventually became the foundation of a new collecting pursuit. For me, this took the form of a 1788 Great Britain pattern Halfpenny (P-945) struck at the Soho Mint (pictured above). I remember being sucked into the history and immense conflict between Jean Pierre Droz (the engraver of this coin)...

It's taken me a while to do the proper research to put this post together. You see, I found and purchased what I believed to be Ron Landis' Brasher Doubloon and Half Doubloon reproduction strikes.

The difficult part was attributing these pieces to him. Most photos I could find were of some other Brasher copy, and not Ron's. The other part was the sellers photos, as typical sellers photos go, weren't large enough or clear enough to verify. I had to wait until I had these in hand to begin.

The second hurdle was finding example photos of Ron's work. To me, the die engraving style was a dead giveaway, but unfortunately, that just wasn't enough. An opinion of style is just that . . . . .

Pouring through the old Gallery Mint and Vern Walfren's GMMNut websites were helpful with information, but not so much with images. Here is Ron's original article introducing the Brasher strikes, and a snippet from his sales catalog. It seems that Ron made these on "special order" so I suppose...

Although countermarked Byzantine coins are not usually something I seek out, I couldn't resist this one. It was described in the auction listing, described as "a glorious mess". It started out as a coin of Heraclius and his eldest son, Heraclius Constantine. Heraclius Constantine holds the Byzantine record for shortest reign (3 months). The underlying coin is clear, including date (X/X/I - year 21 == AD 630/1) , mint (CON - Constantinople) and officina (Γ). The countermark is nicely placed and nearly uncirculated.

A coin of Heraclius reauthorized by Heraclius
View attachment 1347439
Undertype: Heraclius, with Heraclius Constantine, AD 610-641, Æ Follis (26.5mm, 6.42g, 7h). Constantinople mint, 3rd (Γ) officina, Dated RY 21 (AD 630/1)
Obv: Heraclius, on left, wearing crown and military dress, holding long cross, and Heraclius Constantine, on right, wearing crown and chlamys, holding globus-cruciger; cross above, [monogram] to left, K to...

Theodosius, with Maurice Tiberius and Constantia. 590-602. AR Half Siliqua
Light weight issue. Carthage mint. Struck 597-602. Helmeted, draped, and cuirassed bust of Theodosius facing DN TEODOSIVS PP A (Our lord Theodosius, eternal Augustus)/ Crowned and draped busts of Maurice and Constantia facing; long cross potent between; small cross to left and right; AGTI (Emperors) in exergue

Theodosius' reign was rather tragic. Although being the first heir born to a reigning emperor in almost 200 years, his sole reign never came to be. Theodosius was elevated to the status of coemperor in the year 590 at the age of 5 or 7. One theory for the dating of these siliqua is that during this coronation period, these siliqua were minted in carthage to celebrate the occasion. Theodosius is shown as emperor on the obverse with his father and mother on the reverse.

In 602, the general Phocas lead a revolt against the imperial...

You know what that means!! Another installment of "Faustina Friday"!!

This coin is neither new nor rare. Its reverse design appears unremarkable, even boring. It's one of those "just standing there" issues that would get a 1/5 on the @dougsmit scale.



But, as is often the case with ancient coins, there's more here than meets the eye.

The figure on the reverse has long been...