Coin Talk

As usual, my annual ANA pickups of freebies given out, not complete by any means.
The Sample slabs given out by ANACS, P & D mints, and PCGS.
NGC did not have any, and if you asked they were kind of nasty.


Fun Show give aways.


US Mint had a survey, and on completion you got this $1 coin in the snap tite holder



First a pin supporting legislation for the 100 anniversary coin for the last Morgan & first year peace $'s.

eBay give away, good for $10 on eBay, free $10.
Then CONECA tokens, and the mint/BEP give away of $25 of shredded money.

I've been having a blast collecting these Macedonian shield coins. Though I probably haven't taken enough time to stop and post about some of the really interesting types.
Here is one such type that I just received in the mail today!
It is a half unit (Fiddy Cents). Of the Macedonian shield coins we only know of half and quarter units by weight. Liampi believes there may have been full units. Though, none have come to light.
With a unique looking helmet on the reverse, the boss (center of shield) on the obverese is so very basic, so primitive and so phallic!
You can just hear the ancient soldiers on the March, "This is my weapon. This is my club. This one's for fighting. This one's for love."


Alexander III the Great
336-323 B.C. AE half unit (15 mm, 4.45 g, 5 h). Amphipolis mint, ca. 325-310 B.C. Macedonian shield ornamented with central club / B-A, Macedonian helmet. Price 419. Near VF, green patina.

The club:


A quick...

Introduction

I was looking over my first year denarii for Domitian as Augustus, and was surprised to find that I had collected 10 of these coins. While there are some common coins in this first year, my examples are either R or R2. (R3 is the highest level of rarity and means one example was known to the authors of RIC at the time of publication).

This may be old news for many of you, but I just discovered a new grading system used by Italian dealer Moruzzi which incorporates not only "grade" (with a maximum of 70), but also rarity, metal and patina, style, "coinage", and provenance (with a maxium of 100 each)

Here is, for example, a Sestertius of Marcus Aurelius from their inventory:



And here is the coin:


That one literally jumped at me because i have one from the same obverse die:



The "grade" of 45/70 is translated as "good very fine" by the seller.
Mine is only "very fine" (reverse "good fine"), so would that be a 35 or 40/100?

The "rarity" of 30/100 can only be in terms of ancient coins (if it were a modern american coin, it would certainly be extermely rare, but with Banti listing 10 specimens of RIC 795 and 65 of similar types, it is not hard to find for a Sestertius, so I can agree with that).

The "metal and patina" seems...

After graduating high school at the age of 18, that age when you know everything , I got a job working for a meat packing company on Rochester's west side. It was an awful job but the pay of $3.25 an hour (1966) was great. I used what money I could save to buy ancient coins . There were two coin dealers in downtown Rochester at that time but only one sold ancient coins. I bought about a half dozen Roman coins from him until I got a draft notice in December of that year . One of the coins I bought from him is pictured below, it's a denarius of Geta as Caesar, circa AD 200-202, bare headed facing right, with an inscription: P SEPT GETA CAES PONT. The reverse has an image of Nobilitas, standing half right holding a long scepter and palladium, with an inscription: NOBILITAS. The coin measures 18.5 mm and weighs 4.00 gm. The coin was priced at $25.00 and the dealer wouldn't budge on the price, exclaiming that choice denarii of Geta were scarce...

As a lover of ancients I'm always trying to see things from top to bottoms. Butt sometimes there are certain asspects that I'd like to expose where experts seem far behind. A true study of the coins with an eye popping reverse. And I am not talking about the backside of a coin.
So bare with me while we undress the issue of ancients (and moderns) fascination with the Maximus posterior
To quote the preeminent womanologist and below the collar scholar, the Duke of badunkadonk, Sir Mixalot, "My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns hun!"

I am always happy when there is art to go with coins in my collection and yesterday I was fortunate enough to have the three Graces grace my collection with their booty... I mean beauty:





MOESIA INFERIOR, Marcianopolis. Julia Domna. Augusta, AD 193-217. Æ (25mm, 8.05 g, 7h). IOYΛIA ΔOMNA CЄ-B, draped bust right / MAPKIANOΠOΛЄITΩN, the Three Graces standing...

Last year one of my favorite acquisitions was my follis of Maximinus Daia showing what is referred to as the “Farnese Hercules” type. This design was based on a Greek statue made by one of the most renowned ancient artists of all time. I recently re-photographed another Roman coin in my collection showing the same theme but with some subtle differences that I think are important and interesting to note. Additionally, last year I had the good fortune to see many of the sculptures I discuss below in person.

View attachment 980835
Roman Empire
Maximinus Daia (AD 308 - 313)
AE Follis, Antioch mint, struck ca. AD 313
Dia.: 19.3 mm
Wt.: 2.65 g
Obv.: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG; Laureate bust right
Rev.: HERCVLI VICTORI; Hercules standing right, leaning on lions skin and club
Ref.: RIC VI 170b, Scarce
Ex FSR, lot 370 (Jul. 2018)


Roman Empire
Gordian III (238-244)
AR Antoninianus, Rome mint
Dia.:...

Dear Friends of ancient mythology!

I want to start a series of Roman mythology. Here is the first coin:

Roman Republic, P. Accoleius Lariscolus, gens Accoleia
AR - Denarius, 3.90gm, 19.7mm.
Rome, 43 BC
Obv.: P. ACCOLEIVS - LARISCOLVS
Archaized bust of Diana Nemorensis, draped, r.
Rev.: Triple cult statue of Diana Nemorensis (Diana, Hecate, Selene) facing,
supporting with their hands and shoulders a bar; behind them a grove of five
cypresses; the figure on the left (Diana) holds a bow in her outer hand, the
figure on the right (Selene) a poppy.
Ref.: Crawford 486/1; Sydenham 1148; Accoleia 1
gVF, light toning, with a reasonably unobtrusive banker's mark.

Note:
(1) According to Andrew Alföldi this coin is a type from the later time of this issue recognizable by the hairdress of Diana Nemorensis on the obv.: The first type has a double row of knob-like curls bordering the flatly combed hair which clings closely to the skull. An intermediate...

Folles of the tetrarchy are large, common, and often in pleasing grade. Some collectors and scholars feel the portraits of the four tetrarchs of the first tetrarchy are too much alike to regard them as individualized. I must agree the stark realism seen on the early and mid third-century coins has been replaced with a different artistic convention. Also, after Diocletian's coin reform there are many mints, not all with the same style, so they cannot all have photo-realism. Long ago the acquisition of this coin made me think it would be interesting to try to find that style on that type for all four tetrarchs from that mint:



Maximian. Look at the small face on the massive, nearly circular (spherical), head which squeezes up against the legend.
27 mm. 9.82 grams.
SACRA MONET AVGG ET CAESS NOSTR
Moneta holding balance and cornucopia
V in right field
AQP in exergue.
RIC VI Aquileia 31b, "c. 301". Sear IV 13300.

The above coin was acquired in 1991 and...

It strikes me w have been seeing a larger than usual number of coins of the Lycian Dynasts lately. Two weeks ago, I had none but two coin shows and the Robinson auction changed that to three. All three have the typical triskles reverse. The first two show a lion scalp from above.

From the Richmond show was a tiny 9mm, 0.27g coin shown here before which I believe may be a 1/32 stater but have absolutely no understanding of the various weight standards at play here. The seller called it a hemiobol. It can be identified to Dynast Mithrapata c.400 BC by the first three Lycian letters of his name on the reverse. It retains the 'find' patina but would be dangerous to clean to match the other two below.


From Baltimore is a 17mm 2.72g 1/3 stater or tetrobol of the same types but bearing the Lycian letters of Dynast Perikle (380-360 BC). Many of these coins are struck off center on very ragged flans. This reverse is 'normal' but the obverse is...