Ptolemy II, A big one :D

JBeen keeping myself busy so sorry I havent been posting much. I just traded for this today. Its one I've wanted for a while

PTOLEMY II (not sure if its is II)285-246 B.C. AE42 about 46.5 g.

Its was pretty hard to get a good photo of and didn't come out to well. Also grabbed a sestertius of Faustina and a small provincial of Faustina II

 

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Sweet PTOLEMY II, I like it alot. Ive seen others posted on here and always forget I wouldnt mind a example. They dont come cheap for that size from when I did look. Cool Faustina's too. Been looking at sestertius of them both for some reason lately. I still prefer silver though :/

 

Thanks, wish i could show you a better shot of it. I'll have to mess around with it later.

I think I got the i.d. for the sestertius, though it might be Vesta on the rev.

Diva Faustina Senior Æ Sestertius. DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right / AVGVSTA S-C, Pietas standing left, sacrificing from raised hand over flaming altar at feet left, & holding box of incense.

The provincial was only a couple bucks and so I grabbed it even though its rough. edit: if I had to guess I'd its from Hadrianopolis but I really dont know.

 

46.5g is just crazy. The shot is good to me, better then a iphone like many of mine.

Cant help with Sestertius, still very newb with those :/

 

There some overall detail that didn't show up and even more so at 3 o'clock on the rev. and and 7 on the obv.

 

Attribution depends heavily on the control marks between the eagle's legs. From here it looks like Delta Iota. What do you see?

 

not sure (edit almost looks like gamma) If it were Delta Iota would it be Ptolemy IV ? Maybe I can get some better pics with angled lighting.

 

probably wont help but heres a few more

 

It kinda looks like the bottum half of n E

 

Ptolemy III Euergetes. Æ Hemidrachm - Triobol. Alexandreia mint. First phase, struck circa 246-242/1. Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right / Eagle standing left on thunderbolt, head right; cornucopia over shoulder; E between legs. Svoronos 974 var. (control mark).

 

Is Ptolemy II the biggest examples of these coins? I know they go up to about 49 or 50 MM, but anything over 40 is "large". I was thinking these were Ptolemy II.

Btw cool coin Randy. I am asking this question because like Mat I keep forgetting how much I would like to get one. If I am going to get one, I would rather get as big of one as I can find. I have quite a few later, smaller ones.

 

Thank you very much

 

Thanks, I know the can be twice as heavy as mine too.
www.ptolemybronze.com

edit: btw this one makes mine look like a LRB lol
http://www.vcoins.com/ancient/archaeologicalcenter/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=824

 

I have an AE 48 from Ptolemy II that I believe was one of my first ancient purchases years ago. It is a big heavy clunker of a piece, and an interesting story on how they were minted. The flans were cast, then struck with dies while still hot. The planed edges and the dots in the centre were a result of the coin then being put into a planing machine with the edges ground off to make a uniform weight. So they went through a fairly thorough minting process for the time.

 

I have seen quite a few of the big coins offered that don't seem to fit the size/weight tables too closely but we always have to allow for corrosion and cleaning. My 46mm 90.1g largest one is rough but clearly an E series and lacking the cornucopia so it should be the double denomination of whatever yours is. The listing says it should be 6g heavier but I suppose the corrosion it suffered accounts for part of that. My guess is that yours is also an E but the listing suggests that a coin that weight should only be 40mm so I really don't know.

 

Nice coins. If I have a chance I even want to try to cherry pick one of these with evidence of manufacture. I have seen them where you can still see flan adjustment marks circular cutter they used to prepare the flans, and the marks from the tool on the inside of the center dimple.

I know, I may be dreaming and unable to find another like that, but it sure was cool and interesting. I think HJB had it at CICF one year. That may explain why I didn't buy it, (they tend to really like their stuff sometimes, but it was very cool).

 

I wasn't sure of the attribution and also I weighed it, so don't know why I didn't measure it too lol

it is 40mm

 

Here are a few more shots. the 2nd has my smallest coin on top

 

Thats crazy. Should use my India Fanam, 9mm
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/26422/Indo11004aufanam.jpg

How many MM is the coin your using?

 

Ar 0.249g, 6.7mm

maybe Elea(Elia?), Aeolis, AR Hemiobol. Late 5th century BC. Head of Athena left, in crested helmet / E L A I, around olive wreath, all within incuse square. SNG Cop 164