Coin Talk

At the auction of the Oriental Numismatic Society (yesterday), a new avenue opened up for me. I had my attention fixed on several nice and attractive coins (Sasanian and Arab-Sasanian, Artuqid, Mongol and such), but there was a section on old Chinese coins too, and attractive Chinese cash coins of 2000 years old were going for only $15 or $20. The very first, an impressive thick piece from 7-23 AD, I bought for 14$, the price of a few beers! In fact I don't know about prices. But the coins look so attractive for so little money...

I restrained myself in the past because I’m not at all knowledgeable, while there are many fakes around. But the O.N.S. (old-fashioned website) is a serious society counting many renowned experts under its members, several of whom looked at the coins with their own eyes, and on the website (Zeno). I've been a member for ages. So I think I’m as safe as may be hoped for in this. In all I bought seven...

Here is a new Caracalla tetradrachm from the Michel Prieur collection that I won at a recent CNG auction. I think it just might be my favorite coin of the year so far, I absolutely LOVE this portrait. They took Caracalla’s usual angry scowl, dialed it up a few notches, and ended up with this:



Caracalla, Phoenicia (Tyre), AR Tetradrachm (27mm, 15.23 g, 12h). Struck AD 213-215. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Eagle standing facing on club right, head and tail left, with wings spread, holding wreath in beak; murex shell between legs. Prieur 1550.
CNG E-Auction 453, From the Michel Prieur Collection.

In the portrait, he really looks like the archetype of a murderous tyrant (from “Central Casting”, as my mother would say). His angry mug takes up almost all of the 27mm flan, and his scowl is so intense that it looks like the letters in the legend tried to run away over the top of the coin (or maybe it’s just struck a little off center, I...

Recently, I acquired an intriguing lot of banknote engravings that may be of interest to collectors of stocks, checks, and obsolete notes from the 1830s to '80s. These aren't vignette proofs, they are ornaments and elements used to "build" a banknote product. As the more mundane components of a note, proofs like these usually get little attention, so I thought I'd give them their own spotlight for once. I'm also including examples of usage, to give a better understanding of their placement.

Underprint patterns. These patterns were printed repetitively across a note or security, usually in a second color, to create a fine-line undertint that was difficult to counterfeit. The patterns on this proof are a little too large for a banknote and were probably used on a stock or bond.




Revenue stamp fields. Around the time of the...

I like coins that present a mystery, and this one has yet to be solved. Some background will be needed as most are probably unaware of this issue of coinage.

The proposed date of the coin in question is generally around the third Syrian war between the Seleucids and Ptolemies, at least that is a good place to start. Prior during the 2nd Syrian war Antiochus II made peace with Ptolemy II after 8 years of war. The stipulation was that Antiochus marry Ptolemy's daughter Berenice Syra. This was advantageous to Prolemy as the child of this marriage and future ruler would be from the house of Ptolemy. There was one problem however, Antiochus was already married to his cousin Laodice I.

But to make peace, Antiochus divorced his wife and married Berenice. The happy marriage lasted a few years until Ptolemy died, at which point Antiochus decided to go back to his first wife. After the divorce Laodice moved into a palace in Anatolia. It has been said Antiochus preferred Laodice as...

Rather than keep this buried in an unrelated thread, I thought I would start a new one on how to locate the diagnostics to determine the Japanese Military Peso notes counterfeited by the Allies. The counterfeits are all from the first series of notes. In the images below, the genuine note is on the left and the counterfeit on the right.

50 centavos - the diagnostic is just below the upper right counter on the face. The curved line below the counter is solid on genuine notes but broken on the counterfeit.



1 peso - the diagnostic is in the scrollwork of the upper left counter. The fingers below the three circles are separate on the original but come together on the counterfeit.



5 peso - the diagnostic is below the upper right counter. The curved lines below the counter are separate on the original but come together on the counterfeit.



10 peso - the diagnostic is above the upper left...

On my way to Agrigento and the valley of temples, I stopped at this amazing Roman Villa, near Piazza Armerina called Villa Romana del Casale famous for it's well preserved floor and wall mosaics, one of which you may of heard of before the famous "Bikini Girls". This splendid hunting residence was thought to be owned by Maximianus Herculeus, built in the early part of the fourth century covering 3,500 square metres, they are one of the most important works of Roman art. The most impressive mosaics of the villa are the ones which decorate the floors in the atrium, baths, peristyles and above all in the Corridoio della Grande Cassia and in the Sala della Dieci Ragazze which depict hunting scenes of which it is thought the animals from all regions that were gathered and transported to amphitheatre's such as the Coliseum. What saved these wonderful mosaics was a mudslide which coverered the villa and protected it from most looting and the Vandal's.

LOOKS LIKE THEY HAD SOME MODESTY...

Nathaniel Greene

The Battle of Eutaw Springs

September 8, 1781

Nathanael Greene was George Washington’s most trusted subordinate. Whenever Washington was away from the Continental Army, he left Greene in charge.

After Horatio Gates suffered his humiliating defeat at Camden, Washington appointed Greene to take responsibility of the Continental Army’s southern operations. Greene faced a formidable challenge which went well beyond the military situation. Greene had to negotiate with the individual southern states to obtain horses, supplies and troops. He also had to deal with independent irregular units lead by Francis Marian (a.k.a. “The Swamp Fox”) and Thomas Sumter who would later have a famous fort named after him. Greene had to maneuver his forces over five states and keep the local Tories (British sympathizer irregular militias) in check. All of this required...

The word labyrs (also known as double headed axe or bipennis) comes from the word labyrinth (oh, how I WISH I had a labyrinth coin to share with you).



(Bronze Age axe from the tholos tombs of Messara in Crete.)

Wikipedia says, "Labrys (Greek: λάβρυς, lábrus) is, according to Plutarch (Quaestiones Graecae 2.302a), the Lydian word for the double-bitted axe called in Greek a πέλεκυς (pélekus). The relation with the...

Dear Friends of ancient mythology!

Recently (actually it was some years before!) I got this nice tetradrachm of Tigranes II. This should be the cause to write an article about the so-called Tyche of Antioch. I hope something will be new for you!

1st coin:
Kingdom of Armenia, Tigranes II, 95-56 BC
AR - tetradrachm, 16.68g, 27.18mm, 345°
struck in Antiochia ad Orontem
obv. Bust of Tigranes II, wearing Armenian tiara, r.; tiara ornamented with eight-pointed star between two eagles, decorated with 5 beaded pyramidal points
rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ - TIΓPANOV
Tyche of Antioch in long garment and with veil, wearing mural crown, std. r. on rock,
resting with r. ellbow on r. knee and holding in r. hand long Palm branch; stg. with r. foot on shoulder of rivergod Orontes, who swims below her r; beneath waves
in r. field and left below on rock a monogram
all within laurel-wreath
ref. Bedoukian 17

This is one of the first depictions of this famous statue.

2nd...

Benjamin Franklin

American Ambassador to France

The Franklin medal was Augustin Dupré’s personal tribute to his American friend, Benjamin Franklin. The piece honored Franklin’s contributions to science and his support of freedom against monarchal tyranny during the Revolutionary War. An example of the Franklin medal was included in the set of medals that Thomas Jefferson brought to America in 1790.

There are two versions of the Franklin medal. The 1784 medal features a bust of Franklin on the obverse surrounded by the legend, “BENJ. FRANKLIN BOSTON, XVII JAN. MDCCVI.” The translation is “Benjamin Franklin born in Boston January 12, 1706.” The reverse featured a winged genius, symbol of Franklin. The genius as a lighting bolt in his right hand. His left hand points to a crown and scepter dashed to the ground. There is a temple is in the background with a lighting rod on its roof....