There is Ugly Xmas sweater, how about ugly strike roman coin day? For a bit I have been looking for some examples to buy of really bad ugly strike Roman coins, Greek also but Roman coins I think have a better chance at having ugly strikes with some of the periods of civil war and the like.
This Faustina has a curious double strike reverse. Faustina II AE Sestertius. 19,80g, 33mm. DIVA FAV-STINA PIA, draped bust right / SIDERIBVS RECEPTA S-C, Faustina as Diana, standing right, holding long torch across body with both hands, crescent behind neck. RIC 1715, Cohen 215. SEAR 1988 # 1530 Commemorative issue struck under Aurelius, circa 175/6 AD. Reverse struck twice with clear images of two torches and two S of SC. Bizarrely, it circulated for a long time in this condition.
Nero (54 - 68 A.D.) Egypt, Alexandria Billon Tetradrachm O: NE KΛAY KAIΣ ΣEB ΓEΡ AYTO, laureate head right. R: AΓPIΠΠINA, draped bust of Agrippina Junior right. LE . Dated RY 5 (AD 58/9) 11.84g 26mm RPC I 5231; Köln -; Milne 167; Emmett 107 Ex. CNG Electronic Auction #76, Lot 33 Ex. CNG Electronic Auction #157, Lot 108 Ex T. R. McIntosh Collection Published on Wildwinds! Mark Antony and Octavian (41 B.C.) AR Denarius M. Barbatius Pollio, quaestor pro praetore O: Bare head of Mark Antony right. R: Bare head of Octavian right, wearing slight beard. Ephesus mint, Spring-early summer 41 B.C. 3.5g 20mm Crawford 517/2; CRI 243; Sydenham 1181
here is an unofficial overstrike that is pure ugly and delightful at the same time. Constantine II GLORIA EXERCITVS maybe Lyon mint (17mm 2.2g) overstruck by an unofficial FEL TEMP REPARATIO fallen horseman maybe copying a Constantinople issue.
This coin is why Eunice Kennedy Shriver is known as "America's Julius Caesar" -- the first living person portrayed on the obverse of a coin. https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-explor...982-date/19705/1995-p-special-olympics-s1-pf/ (Okay, actually Alabama's Governor T.E. Kilby might have been first in 1921, though not a solo portrait.)
Not counting coins that became ugly from damage, etc., there are a lot of Iberian and Celtic coins that might qualify. Of course, they have their own artistic standards (think of Cubism), independent of Greco-Roman realism. As with Victor's imitative above, I'd put many of these in the "so-ugly-they're-beautiful" category. At least "so-ugly-they're-fascinating"! Spain, Carisa AE Semis (9.94g, 23mm), 1st cent. BCE. Obv: Male head right. Rev: CARIS-A. Warrior on horse galloping left, holding large round shield. Ref/Prov: Colección Cores (v.1) 3365 (this coin) = Moneta Iberica [MIB] 194/13. Ex Jesús Vico 156 (Cores IX, 5 Mar 2020), Lot 35. Personally, I love the coin below. But if I'd been Ariarathes V (or VIII), I would've been pretty angry about the ugly portrait. This coin is pretty obviously imitative, as Otto Morkholm pointed out, but Bono Simonetta just couldn't accept it (he said it was struck during the troubles with Orophernes, c. 161-159 BCE, but no one else seems to believe it): Kings of Cappadocia (Imitative) AR Drachm (3.70g, 19mm, 12h), mid/late 2nd cent. BCE. Obv: Diademed head right. Rev: Athena Nikephoros standing l., resting hand on shield, spear behind; monogram left, nonsense character in exergue. (Nonsense legend transcribed by B. Simonetta as "VI[AOAI V]AVII VVN˩AV".) Ref/Prov: This coin = B. Simonetta 1958, RIN, p.17 (Ar. V, No. 12), ex. 3 = B. Simonetta 1961, NC, p. 33 (Ar V, No. 14b), ex. 3 = B. Simonetta 1974 (RIN), Pl. III, No. 10 = B. Simonetta 1977, 15b, Pl. III, 4 = A.M. Simonetta 2007 (Parthica), Ar. VIII?, p. 77, 3b / pl. XV.3a. But, for coins in my collection that I actually find dreadfully unattractive -- and were that way from the start -- the Palaeologans take the prize. Believe it or not, the type below really doesn't get much better than this: Andronicus II & Michael IX Æ Trachy (25mm, 2.11 g [2.05g per CNG], 6h), Class XXIV, Thessalonica mint, c. 1294-1320. Obv: Two concentric circles bisected by three vertical lines. Rev: Andronicus and Michael standing facing, holding between them a staff surmounted by cross within ring. Ref: DOC Class XXIV, 778-9; LPC p. 232, 6; PCPC 235 (type noted, but no specimen cataloged from his coll. in 1979); LBC 814; SB 2458; Ratto – ; Bendall, "Hoard of Thessalonican Trachea": 12 specimens recorded (this coin possibly from the "US portion" of the hoard, examined in the stock of HJB, 2000, but not tabulated in 2001 NC article). Prov: Ex Simon Bendall (1937-2019) Collection (with hand-written collector tag), cataloged for CNG by Peter J. Donald.
Few coins can beat a Late 3rd century "barbarous radiate" in the ugly department. My example imitates an Antoninianus of the Gallic emperor Tetricus: Barbarous Radiates, 3rd Century AD AE 'Antoninianus', Mint in Britain or Gaul, 16mm, 1.64 grams Obverse: Radiate head of emperor right, blundered legend around. Reverse: Annona (?) standing left holding grain ears.
Howabout ugly designs on coins. I may win this contest/ 4 of mine are unique/ thus I sacrificed myself for the hobby/ taking on so many ugly coins.
I spotted this coin on eBay only identified as a Roman Republic quinarius and fairly cheap. A nicer example of this extremely rare type would have cost me probably $5k minimum in the current market so I was happy to grab this terrible example. For those not aware, the Rome mint silver fractions(quinarii and sestertii) from this time period are all rare as hens teeth and lately have seen a massive surge in hammer prices even compared to other RR issues. Roman Imperatorial period AR Quinarius(1.74g), A. Licinius Nerva, 47 B.C., Rome mint. Helmeted head of Minerva right; behind, NERVA downwards. Border of dots/Victory walking right, holding wreath in right hand and palm-branch over left shoulder with left hand; before, A•LICINI downwards. Border of dots. Crawford 454/3
