Coin Talk

Recently there has been some talk about the Continental Dollar, which now appears not be a dollar at all, but a small medal that commemorated the end of the American Revolutionary War. I mentioned the Libertas Americana medal as a less expensive (but it’s not cheap) alternative to the Continental Dollar. Here is an example that I have owned for many years.




The Libertas Americana medal was Benjamin Franklin’s private project that commemorated the Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the Revolutionary War. Since the medal was struck at the time and in the city where the treaty was signed it would have been a popular collectors’ item in any case. The piece gained added significance for coin collectors because it was the inspiration for the Liberty Cap design that appeared on some early United States cents and half-cents.

The obverse features a goddess of liberty, facing left. A Phrygian cap, symbolic of...

I have admired examples of this coin ever since I began collecting ancient coins, but until now, never found one in good enough condition that I could afford. One of the dealers I have purchased from in the past had this coin on the market. But because of the small edge chip, it was just collecting dust. I was more than surprised when I made him a offer which he accepted. I suppose he needed to cut his losses. And since I was purchasing this coin at an exceptional price, I asked for opinions from several of the CT family before consummating the purchase.

Caesar's Comet was known to ancient writers as the Sidus Iulium ("Julian Star") or Caesaris astrum ("Star of Julius Caesar). The bright, daylight-visible comet appeared during the festival known as the Ludi Victoriae Caesaris – for which the 44 BC iteration was held in the month of July in the same year, some four months after the assassination of Julius Caesar, as well as Caesar's own birth month. According to Suetonius, as...

You see, I was missing the "Skully" token that I had sold back in March.

Belgium (Liège, Chapter of St. Lambert): copper communion token; memento mori, ca. 1680s


So I was casually browsing around for a replacement. While I don't think these are especially rare, they're not always easy to find, either. They first came to my attention when CNG was auctioning several of them. I ended up paying around $115-ish for the example above when I won it in a Heritage auction.

There are a few different varieties. Another type has a slightly different skull-and-bones memento mori motif and is dated, with the year 1686. I like the skull on this particular design a bit more, but kind of thought I might go for one of the dated ones next time.

But I never could...

This counterfeit Pillar Dollar was offered at my local club's auction a year or so. The consigner gave it to me for educational purposes after I saw that it was not good. I am posting it here for the membership to see.



The issues are with the surfaces and the rim design, which is not sharp.

Here are photos of a genuine piece.



This one has been dipped, but it is in a SEGS holder.

CALABRIA, Tarentum
circa 344-340 BCE per CNG's cataloger; 380-345 BCE per Cote/Ratto;
AR nomos (didrachm); 21 mm, 7.72 gm, 9h
Obv: Warrior, holding small shield in left hand, dismounting from horse galloping left; horizontal T below
Rev: Phalanthos (Taras?), holding helmet in right hand, riding dolphin left; TAPAΣ to upper right, I and waves below
Ref: Fischer-Bossert group 47, 657 (V252/R509); Vlasto 437 (same dies); HN Italy 876; Côte 152
Ex Dr. Spencer Paterson Collection of Ancient Coins, Sept 2019
Slabbed prior to its most recent sale to me and quickly de-slabbed upon arrival; NGC XF, 5/5, 4/5, Fine Style.
Prior sales: CNG's Coin shop (date unknown); Roma Auction 6 lot 327 (Sept 2013)

I love the whole Tarentum "dolphin rider" series but have never managed to make a decision until now. There are just so many types... which one should I buy? Early, middle, or...

Most numismatists believe that the 1907 High Relief $20 gold piece is the most beautiful U.S. coin. This piece was the “pet baby” of President Theodore Roosevelt who started the “Renaissance of American Coinage” which extended from 1907 to 1921.

In 1905 President Roosevelt met with Augustus St. Gaudens who was viewed as the greatest American artist of his era. Roosevelt was very dissatisfied with the designs of the coins which were then in circulation and wanted to introduce a series of U.S. coinage designs that would be on a par with America’s emerging greatness. The president asked St. Gaudens to redesign every U.S. coin from the cent to the double eagle. St. Gaudens had more assignments than he could complete, and he was also becoming progressively ill with terminal cancer. Therefore he drew up the designs and assigned an artist, Henry Herring, who worked in the St. Gaudens studio, to execute the models.

St. Gaudens...

One of the greatest generals in Roman history, many say greatest general until Caesar came along (though Marius will always be my fav) Pompey the great, killed on the orders of a boy Pharaoh, in front of his family, while seeking asylum in Egypt.

Of course everyone knows the story of Julius crying looking at his ex son in law/rival/triumvir's head. After the hard fought battles between Pompey and Caesar could Julius have let "the great one" live?
With Caesar's history of forgiveness I believe he was planning on keeping the wanna be Alexander the great around.
But how different would Roman history be if Pompey had lived and gone back to Rome with JC?

(Caesar contemplating the head of Pompey)

My other question is around the "indecisiveness" Pompey exhibited in his war with Caesar. This wasn't Pompey's first rodeo. He had been leading armies to spectacular victories for years. And what, due to him growing long in the tooth...

On a recent trip to Scotland, my family and I were able to visit the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. It's a great museum with something for everyone. Admission is not too steep ... free for all. Of course, I had to look at some of the numismatic displays, especially those of Scottish coins.

Scotland has had a number of mints over the centuries. The earliest known were at Carlisle and Edinburgh, which opened in the 1130's. Once coining got going, it spread rapidly until under the reign of Alexander III (1249–1286), there were 16 mints in operation! The other mints closed one by one until the reign of James IV (1488–1513), only the Edinburgh mint remained. Much later, a mint was re-opened at Stirling. Both the Edinburgh and Stirling mints closed for good in 1709.

Scottish coins were minted in denominations that paralleled those of England ... crowns, pounds, shillings, groats and pence. However, in the museum, I encountered a Scottish denomination I didn't...

One of the interesting things about trying to research Indo-Greek history to gain some context for the coinage is that you can’t simply go to Wikipedia and expect to find a satisfactory outline. The information there is often garbled, contradictory and outdated. Few experts seem to agree on many key points of Indo-Greek history and references become quickly outdated with even the slightest new bit of information. In fact, most of the information we have is based on a careful study of the coins themselves. As such this coin has been a fun one to study.


Indo-Greek Kingdoms
Apollodotus I
AE Hemiobol, mint in northwest India, struck ca. 180-160 BC
Dim.: 22x22 mm
Wt.: 9.27 g
Obv.: BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΠOΛΛOΔOTOY ΣΩTHPOΣ; Apollo standing facing holding arrow in right hand and bow in left.
Rev.: Karoshthi legend; tripod and monogram surrounded by square of dots.
Ref.: BMC 17, SG 7594
Ex @Deacon Ray , Ex Agean...