My first top-anything list on CT, and it's my top five of the year. Getting ahead of the game for this one, because over the past year, I have taken a step back from collecting to focus on getting into college, and then doing college work, which takes some of that leisure time and the funds for it away. All this to say, no new coins this year that'll breach this list. No particular order for these coins, because each one of them is wonderful in its own special way. I. Laureate bust of Hadrian right "HADRIANVS AVG COS III PP" Roma seated left, holding a branch and spear. "ROMA FELIX" This one was going to go to my Antoninus Pius Denarius before I realized I bought it last year- time sure flies. I think this deserves the #1 spot, despite the fact that this list is unordered because this is the one I spent the most time staring at. Despite the amount of wear, it is quite even and everything is perfectly legible. Hadrian's beard isn't exactly easy to see, but spend enough time looking and you can imagine it's there. Overall, very happy with this coin! II. Laureate head of Lucius Verus right "L VERVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX" Pax standing left, holding a branch and cornucopia "TR P VI IMP IIII COS II", "PAX" in exergue While the reverse is quite mushy, the obverse is quite beautiful. I actually brought this one down to Arizona with me because I love how it looks. I'm quite lucky to have this one, with Lucius Verus being a bit difficult to find compared to other emperors of the time, only beaten out by his ever-elusive co-emperor, Marcus Aurelius, and Aelius. III. 1914-A, German States 1 Mark Purchased this bad boy at the NWCC spring show, up in the Cities. The picture could be much better, just haven't gotten around to taking it out of the 2x2 and photographing with my state-of-the-art system (my phone), so the photo glare on the plastic smudged some of the periphery. This one I just bought because I liked how it looked. The German eagle is pretty cool, and the fact that it was minted during the First World War is just so fascinating to me. Who doesn't like eagles and imperialism? Both are features of this coin, earning it a spot on my list. IV. 1911 Canadian Large Cent Beautiful blue toning on the obverse, King George V in full regalia, and a large, old, copper, coin. What isn't to like? Truly, I'm a fanboy of large old copper, these Canadian large cents in particular, since they're more affordable and generally in better condition than their American counterparts (not that I don't love them either). I believe I bought this around January. So I've had it a while, and it's still as perfect as the day it showed up in the mail. In fact, my very first (new) coin album that I bought was for these coins. I think I'll put a hold on my Antonines to buy more of these coins in the coming year due to my restrictive budget. Aurelius will, however, shortly (sometime next year) be in my collection (so that it makes my 2024 list). V. Morocco 5 Francs Truth be told, I don't know a whole lot about this coin, I can't read the Arabic script, and I haven't the slightest as to where this coin fits into the larger picture of world history. Despite this, or because of this, I love this coin. The mystique really is intriguing, and I am a big fan of the intricacy of the design. I wonder what it means in a cultural context, maybe I'll go down another rabbit hole... VI. Bonus coin! I couldn't choose only five! To be honest, I could even do seven, but where's the fun in adding categories to suit my needs? There's no challenge in listing every coin I acquired over the past year. I also bought this very early in the year, around March going off memory. It's an 1893 Columbian half-dollar. This represents a lesson, I paid 30 when I should have only paid 15, thanks to an unscrupulous dealer whom I had trusted was selling for fair prices. Now I am older, and while not exactly wiser I won't make the same mistake again. Despite that, I do like the coin, it's in pretty nice shape (as most Columbian Exposition halves are) and of course, this list would be incomplete without an American half dollar, the quintessential collectible coin. VII. Final words There would be some of the ancient coins I'd cleaned on this list, making it a top ten, but many of them are still unclean and the ones that are are not photographed. Those that are photographed, are not photographed well. These coins do a good job of representing my past year, not only numismatically, but my life as a whole. They tell a story, though not a very interesting one because it's mine. Higher-budget coins in the beginning when I was raking in the dough working more than 40 hours a week, and living at home as a high-school senior, life was good (when I was at home). Not to say life isn't good now, but I never thought I could be nostalgic for something less than a year behind me. College work is tough, not being away from home so much, but the whole self-management thing is a lot of work. That, and the coursework is more difficult. Despite missing the past year, I'm looking ahead to the next year and the struggles it carries with it, and becoming a stronger person because of it. In these past three months, I've become much stronger, just navigating the world on my own. The fact that many of them were purchased earlier in the year shows that I've had put off coin collecting for a bit for some more pressing matters, and to make room for some other time-consuming hobbies I'd picked up: powerlifting and shooting sports. With that, a little bit of surplus collecting, too. In any case, there's my year in review, and I suppose a bit of a life update as well. Happy collecting, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year everyone! I appreciate everyone who's read the whole post, especially my rambling at the end.
Hadrian's my favorite. Lucius Verus is always fun, too- I've only had one of him. The German is sharp!
Thanks! I've nearly completed my Antonine emperors this year, so I'm hoping to complete the set next year. The Hadrian denarius is quite nice, despite his being beardless.
