Not to take away from the other thread that consists of eagles, lets have a thread that shares our fireworks *toned* ancients! Thrace, Chersonesos (386 - 338 B.C.) AR Hemidrachm O:Forepart of lion right, head reverted. R: Quadripartite incuse square with alternating raised and sunken quarters; pellet to left of VE monogram and pentagram above pellet in opposite sunken quarters. 13mm 2.4g BMC 43; McClean –; Weber 2422; SNG Copenhagen –; SNG Dreer 115. L. Valerius Flaccus, (108 - 107 B.C.) AR Denarius O: Winged and draped bust of Victory right, X below chin. R: LVALERI / FLACCI (downwards on left), Mars walking left, spear in right, trophy in left over shoulder, apex left, head of grain behind. Rome 20.0mm 3.89g SRCV I 183, Sydenham 565, Crawford 306/1, RSC I Valeria 11 Titus (79 - 81 A.D.) AR Denarius O: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M•, laureate head right. R: TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P, facing empty throne of a deity (pulvinar) with a triangular back, back ornamented with uncertain objects and a cross at the peak, seat draped with a fringed cover. Rome Mint, 80 A.D. 3.34g 17.8mm RIC II, part 1, 124; RSC II 313a; BMCRE II 61; BnF III 50; SRCV I 2515 FAUSTINA Sr. (138-141 AD) AR Denarius Lifetime Issue O: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, Draped bust right. R: IVNONI REGINAE, Peacock seated on throne and scepter behind. 18mm 3.5g RIC-340, RSC-221 BMC (Antoninus Pius) 145 (same reverse die) Ex Robert Kutcher Collection (Triton X, 8 January 2007), lot 1606 (part of)
Antoninus Pius (138 - 161 A.D.) Struck Under Marcus Aurelius O: DIVVS ANTONINVS, bare draped bust right. R: CONSECRATIO, funeral pyre of four tiers with quadriga on top. Rome Mint, 161 - 180 A.D. 18mm 3.2g RIC III M. Aurelius 438 Lucilla (162 - 182 A.D.) AR Denarius O: LVCILLAE AVG ANTONINI AVG F, Draped bust right. R: CONCORDIA, Concordia standing facing, head left, holding patera and double cornucopiae. Rome Mint 19mm 3.27g RIC III 760. Ex. Cabinet Numismatique, Genève.
Mmmm yes, lets! You know I love colorfully toned coins SICILY, Selinos Circa 410 BCE AR litra, 11mm, 0.76 g, 1h Obv: nymph seated left on rock, right hand raised above her head, extending her left hand to touch coiled serpent before her; selinon leaf above Rev: man-faced bull standing right; ΣEΛINONTIOΣ above; in exergue, fish right Ref: HGC 2, 1229; SNG ANS 711–2 var. (ethnic); SNG Ashmolean 1904–5; SNG Lloyd 1270 var. (same); Basel –; Dewing –; Rizzo pl. XXXIII, 6. Good VF, dark iridescent tone, some porosity. Rare. ex MoneyMuseum, Zurich; ex Leu 79 (31 October 2000), lot 404; ex Athos Moretti collection, #482, unpublished manuscript KINGS OF MACEDON, Alexander III AR tetradrachm, 17.14 gm late lifetime issue, struck in Aradus c. 324/3 BCE Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress. Rev: BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ; Zeus seated left, holding eagle and scepter; I in left field; AP monogram below throne Ref: Price 3325 ex Colosseo Collection (images by Colosseo Collection) KINGS OF MACEDON, Philip II. 356-336 BCE AR tetradrachm. 24mm, 14.20 gm, 12h Pella, 342-336 BCE Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right Rev: ΦIΛIΠ-ΠOY, youth, holding palm and reins, on horseback right, thunderbolt below, N in exergue Ref: Le Rider 222-306. SNG ANS 385-95 ex Colosseo Collection CORINTHIA, Corinth circa 375-300 BCE AR stater, 22 mm, 8.55 g, 1h Obv: Pegasus flying left; qoppa below Rev: helmeted head of Athena left; A-P flanking neck truncation; to right, chimaera standing left Ref: Ravel 1010; Pegasi 428; BCD Corinth 102; HGC 4, 1848 ex CNG Inventory 828126 (November, 2008) ex Gorny & Mosch 170 (13 October 2008), lot 1381 ex Giessener Münzhandlung 21 (22 March 1982), lot 37 Roman Republic moneyer L. Julius L. f. Caesar, 103 BC AR denarius, 17mm, 3.9 gm Obv: Helmeted head of Mars left; CAESAR; ・J above Rev: Venus Genetrix in chariot left, drawn by two Cupids; lyre to left; ・J above Ref: Crawford 320/1 Jencek E-auction 26, lot 58, 14 October 2014. Ex CNG XXXI lot 699, September 1994; ex RBW Collection Roman Republic fourrée mule denarius L. Antestius Gragulus, 136 BCE, and C. Renius, 138 BCE ancient forgery, 3.18 gm Obv: Roma helmeted head right, * below chin, GRAG behind Rev: Juno Caprotina in a biga of goats, C・RENI below, ROMA in exergue Ref: Obverse S.115, Cr.238/1, Syd.451, RSC Antestia 9; Reverse S.108, Cr.231/1, Syd.432, RSc Renia 1 SIKYONIA, Sikyon 335-330 BCE AR stater, 23 mm, 12.3 gm Obv: Chimera standing left; wreath above, ΣE below Rev: Dove flying left; A to left; all within wreath Ref: BCD Peloponnesos 220; Traité III 775, pl. CCXX, 11 CNG 342, from the "collection of a Southern Pathologist, purchased from C.H. Wolfe, 3 May 1989" Septimius Severus Rome, CE 206 AR denarius, 3.41 gm, 20 mm, 12h Obv: SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right Rev: LAETITIA TEMPORVM, the spina of the Circus Maximus decorated as a ship facing left, with the turning posts at its prow and stern, a sail mounted on the central obelisk, and the spina's other monuments visible in between; above the ship, four quadrigas racing left; below, seven animals: an ostrich at left and a bear at right; between them a lion and a lioness chasing a wild ass and a panther attacking a bison Ref: RIC 274; BMC 343. ex Colosseo Collection EUBOIA, Eretria 357-267 BCE AR drachm, 18 mm, 3.1 gm Obv: head of nymph Eretria left Rev: head of bull facing, fillets from horns, EY above, satyr's head facing in right field [hmm, I can't really make much out of that blob] Ref: Wallace pl. XI, cf 126. ex Frank James Collection ex BCD Collection
man, i don't really have any super cool toned coins. i have this 50 cent piece that sits on my desk. it was my mom's, she kept it in a little box in a dresser. i'm not sure why. anytime i go somewhere in a suit (funeral, wedding) i bring this along as my pocket piece.
Actual July fireworks. I'm setting these babies off tonight. I wanted to get a second pack, but I decided not to overdo it. That's about 1 hour's worth of entertainment there. And the best thing is that the neighbors to the right side of the lake always get the illegal fireworks, and hundreds of them, so they put up a gigantic fireworks display that I get to watch for free from my backyard....and the city fireworks are just across the lake from where my house sits, so instead of having to go hang out in a massive crowd, I can catch that show too from my backyard.
Off the top of my head, I think this is the best example I have with 'fireworks' toning. Domitian AR Denarius Rome mint, 88 AD RIC 596 (C2), BMC 131, RSC 76/77 Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r. Rev: COS XIIII LVD SAEC FEC; Herald adv. l., with wand and shield With all my coins currently being stored in paper envelopes, I hope in a few years to have more examples!
Growing up, my Uncle owned a rather successful moving van company. He used to have his trucks carry the fireworks to our town's park for the night's festivities. After the fireworks show, somehow a box of the super grade fireworks would mysteriously be left on the truck. Twas always fun having REAL fireworks to blow off late that night! Perhaps this was some of the contributions to my pyromaniac tendencies of my childhood...
As a kid, my father always seemed to 'mysteriously' have 'massive quantities' of fireworks too....but not too mysterious since he was a NYC cop and had easy access to them....LOL Gad, it's so quiet now, but in a short while it will sound like the Normandy invasion around here....must be a helluva lot of cop families in this neighborhood
Back in the 1970's as a kid, my dad had a Federal firearms license which meant he could buy fireworks across state lines, even though we lived in a state where they were illegal. We'd sit in our backyard, blowing holes in the grass and putting M80's in dog crap. A favorite was to put a lady finger in a .38 or .45 shell casing, and hold it while it shot off, like a little mini hand held cannon. We'd use them to blow cicadas off the branches. Roman candles that we'd shoot across our front yard... I never thought I'd get to the point in my life where I was lecturing anyone who would listen that "those were the days". The fireworks you get today aren't fireworks but I guess the kids don't now the difference.
LOL, we would have gotten along pretty well as kids. Used to stuff a couple firecrackers in apples when we had apple fights in our orchard. They worked well as a "proximity grenade". Carthage Occupation of Bruttium AR Half-Shekel 216-211 BCE Tanit Horse, Solar Disc above HN Italy 2016