Coin Talk

My AMCC 2 wins arrived earlier this week and I was excited to receive my first ever coin from the famed BCD collection. This coin has a lot of eye appeal to me and depicts an interesting subject.


Thessaly, Krannon
AE Chalkous, struck ca. 350-300 BC
Dia.: 15.4 mm
Wt.: 2.41 g
Obv.: Thessalian rider and horse, rearing right
Rev.: KPAN Bull butting right, trident above
Ref.: BCD Thessaly II 118.5; HGC 4, 391
Ex zumbly collection; Ex BCD collection with tag stating “V. Ex Thess., Apr. 94, DM 35”; Ex AMCC 2, Lot 5 (Nov. 9, 2019)

The Thessalian Taurokathapsia
In ancient mythology, the plain of Thessaly was once a giant lake surrounded on all sides by mountains. Poseidon, in his role as the god of earthquakes, split open an outlet through the mountains by which the lake was drained and the land of Thessaly was created.

In gratitude to Poseidon, the Thessalians held festivals in his...

When in Rome collectors will want to see the Coliseum and the Forum. Near, but not in, the Forum is the Capitoline museum with its hall of imperial busts, which I highly recommend. But that is something else. This post focuses on the Palatine Museum.
The ticket to the Coliseum and Forum includes entry to the Palatine, which is the hill where the emperors had their palaces. There is a great deal of beautiful space on the Palatine. I was there last week. (Yes, it was November and, as often happens, it rained a great deal in the afternoon, but we got lucky and saw these sites in the morning before the rain.) There were probably 20 tourists on the Forum for every one visiting the peaceful Palatine, with its wonderful overlook of the Forum.



When you get down to the level of the Forum, you can look back up and see where you were (way at the top):



It is easy to walk right past the Palatine Museum, which is well off the...

Elagabalus AD 218-222, 3.28 g, 18.2 mm, 6 h.
Fourrée Denarius, imitative issue, (after AD 250?).
Unknown (Sarmatian?) mint.
Obv: ΛNTONINVS PIVS FEL ΛVG; Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: CONCORDIΛ; Two standards between two aquilae; NILIT in exergue (sic, the N backwards and replacing the correct M, and the L looking like an upside-down T).
Refs: imitation of: RIC 187; BMC 275; C 15; Thirion-344.
Notes: See CNG E-Auction 281, June 20, 2012, lot 369 (same dies).


Julia Soaemias, AD 218-222.
Fourrée Denarius, imitative issue, (after AD 250?).
Unknown (Sarmatian?) mint, 3.12 g, 18.6 mm, 5 h.
Obv: IVLIA SOAEMIAS AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: ΛESIA (sic), Vesta seated left, holding simpulum and scepter.
Refs: cf. RIC 247-248; BMCRE p. 539, f (ancient forgery); RSC 22a.
Notes: See CNG E-Auction 281, June 20, 2012, lot 373 (same dies). Correctly identified in the BM catalogue as a hybrid with a...

This story of the first diplomatic contact between Rome and Parthia, is illustrated with three coins. The story begins around 101 BC when the first coin, a Roman republican denarius, was minted in Rome by L Sentius. The obverse is one of several that declare that the coin is made from the state treasury: "argentum publicum" is abbreviated on the obverse as ARG PVB. Why some issues declare this is not known. Sentius was brother to C Sentius Cf, praetor urbanus in 94, the senior city magistrate and held the same position himself somewhere between 93 and 89 BC.

L. Sentius C.f., Denarius, Rome, 101 BC; AR
Obv: Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, ARG PVB
Rev: Jupiter in quadriga right, holding reins and thunderbolt in left hand, and scepter in left; above, control letter A; in ex. L SENTI C F
Ref: Crawford 325/1a; Sentia 1; Sydenham 600

While this coin was minted in Rome and circulating, 101-100 BC, Mithridates VI...

Dear Friends of ancient mythology!

Egypt, Alexandria, Claudius II Gothicus, AD 268-270
AE - Potin tetradrachm, 20.5mm, 10.97g
struck regnal year 2 (AD 269/70)
Obv.: AVT K KΛA - VΔIOC CEB
Bust, draped, laureate, r.
Rev.: Youthful bust of Hermanubis r., drapery over l. shoulder, wearing kalathos, lotos
blossom above forehead;
before combination of kerykeion and palmbranch
behind LB (year 2)
Ref.: Milne 4239; Curtis 1701; Köln 3037
VF+, matt darkbrown patina

About 5000 BC several tribes settled down in the valley of the river Nile: Libyans, Semites from Asia and Nubians. This mixture of people settled in two different seperated areas, the valley south of Assiat, later known as Upper-Egypt, and in the area of Fayum in Lower-Egypt. Different to the Sumerians the Egypts built no big cities in the first time. Around 3400 BC Menes unified both reigns and then began to built cities. This was Egypt's heyday, but ended at the end of the 12th century BC.

The...

lol... yes yes yes my one year anniversary quickly approaches. The affliction in collecting currency I’ll never spend and it still boggles my mind how easy it was to get sucked in. I’m probably not so much complaining mind you... anyways, on to my point although it might be more than one.

My biggest dilemma surrounding the shiny Preciouses, other than trying to open capsules and cases, is, sharing the collection in photo format. Pictures are not the easiest to process to get the truest representation of a coin in hand. Either I’ve gotten a little better at it or my patience for getting the best shot has increased. Either way it is still a choir and a headache. I’m beginning to feel that the absolute best way is posting video like some do on Instagram.

I am going to add three photos and I would like your opinion on which of the three looks most natural. When I look at these pics versus looking directly at the coin, all three photos look like the coin in hand at different angles...

While in Rome today I came across this super cool antiques shop. The lady who owns it has a husband who is into ancient coins, duh: this is Rome. She showed me this little collection of coins that were for sale and I knew I had to buy one. They were a bit overpriced, but I found a couple I liked. The one that really got my eye was a Septimus Severus sel. Denarius. This thing was mint state, like...no scratches, wear, anything! She was asking 120 euros for it though. And I mean, it's Septimus Severus. So I end up buying this amazing dupondius from Vespasian. Heres where I'm stumped, I have no clue what the reverse shows. I was told that it was Ceres, but I know it's not. I think it's pax or fecilitas. Heres the coin:
Heres Pax:


Heres Fecilitas:


But then what gets me is the alignment of the feet and hands. The varieties that are known show a constant Fecilitas, which might be what it is. But...

Have you ever overpaid for a coin you really wanted? I've fallen into that trap more than once . Several years ago I was determined to get my hands on a coin struck under Constantine I, with the reverse type of BEATA TRANQVILLITAS. The coin type had to depict Constantine I wearing the crested helmet. These coins are very common, almost as common as Lincoln wheat ear pennies (ironically they are about the same diameter and weight as these pennies) . The example I wanted had to be in mint state, an excellent strike with all lettering visible, as round as possible, and having an attractive uniform patina . The criteria I demanded greatly narrowed down the scores of these coins I had seen . Nice examples of these coins were available in the $30 - $50 range, but all fell short on at least one criterion . While browsing through a Heritage auction nearly two years ago I spotted a slabbed example of the coin that met all my criteria ,...

Did any CT members go to Numismata Frankfurt last week?

https://www.numismata.de/en/frankfurt-2/

This is the only Numismata within driving distance of my place (500km total). I was glad to cross it off the wish list, but disappointed on the findings. “Target” – byzantines, some LRBs, Julia Domna denari.

Inspired of what you guys write about the US fairs, I was expecting some decent pick bins, at least on the LRBs side. Well, there were (very) few junk bins instead, with just that – junk. After searching through all the garbage, got these, mostly not to leave empty-handed:


Gallienus – GALLIENVS AVG / SOLI CONS AVG – Pegasus springing left

Because I have always wanted a Pegasus coin, and Gallienus is one of the cheapest and closest solution for this, considering the “target”.




Constantius II - DN CONSTAN-TIVS PF AVG / FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO – Cyzicus mint (dot SMK epsilon) – Barbarian reaching, with Phrygian...

Rome always had a grudge against Macedonia. In hind sight it was probably an inferiority complex... A complex that was the size of Alexander the great's empire.


(Actual size of Rome's inferiority complex of the Macedonians)

The Romans’ relished their battles with Pyrrhus. As these were the closest engagements as they would have with Alexander. As much as I love Pyrrhus, we must remember that his campaigns were with fought mercenaries and not the grizzled veterans and generals that Alexander had inherited from his father, Philip II, the first unified ruler of Greece and King of Europe.
What if ATG had gone West instead of East?
I suppose first you would have to ask why would he head out to trample a bunch of illiterate farmers that had just gotten rid of their last King less then 175 years before Alexander exploded onto Persian soil with a symbolic javelins throw from his ship?
As well as lack of motive to go to Rome,...