The Denver ANA show today turned out great. I had a chance to meet @Valentinian as well as several dealers and of course got to see some great coins. My budget is a bit tighter than I'd like it to be as I'm saving up to make a downpayment on a vehicle soon and trying to siphon off a bit of money each month so I'll have a nice "war chest" for NYINC in January but I did manage to pick up two coins. I'm only sharing one at the moment because I still have some research to do on my other pickup. I picked up this semis from Michael Bezayiff. I have not purchased from this dealer before and as far as I can tell he doesn't have an online presence which is unfortunate but he had a nice selection of coins in my price range and this semis, his only RR bronze as I recall, immediately stood out to me. This type was not fully identified by Crawford but is related by style, most notably the wide, staring bug-eyed look, to the Crawford 106 "staff and club" issues minted at a Central Italian mint that was probably somewhere in Etruria. Unlike the "staff and club" issues however, the staff is not in the usual position directly below the "S" on the reverse but instead has either been omitted or the line to the left of the deckhouse(the box below the "S") may represent the missing staff. While it may represent the missing staff, many RR bronzes have this line to the left of the deckhouse so I am not convinced that it represents a staff, but it is a common interpretation. Roman Republic Æ Semis(20.63g, 29mm). Anonymous(Uninscribed "staff and club" series), 209-208 BC, Central Italian(Etrurian?) mint. Laureate head of Saturn right, S behind/Prow of galley right; above, S; below, ROMA. McCabe group E1; Cf. Crawford 106/5 By the way, this seller had some really cool looking tags which I'm always a fan of. Click the thumbnail if you want to take a look.
Great acquisition @red_spork. I have an Uncia, but no Semis ANONYMOUS ROMAN REPUBLIC Æ Uncia Obv.: Helmeted head of Roma left, pellet behind Rev.: Galley prow right, ROMA above, pellet below Rome mint, 217-215 BC 25mm, 8.8g, 3h Reference: Crawford 38/6, Sydenham 86 , BMC 88 Ex JAZ Numismatics
It is always nice to find a new dealer, especially one who sells you a coin that fits your interests! I like the tag too.
Michael Bezayiff is a nice guy. I always learn something from talking to him. Ask him about the recreation of how denarii were minted. I bought this from him at the Summer FUN show. John
1047. You can find a list of dealers and their specialties and table numbers here. Most of the tables with ancients are there in the ancients/world section but as I was browsing I found a few here and there with ancients outside of the area as well.
Nice coin pick-up, @red_spork . Smart to pay particular attention to non-internet sellers at coin shows. It's likely the only chance you'll have to review their material. Bezayiff's tags are works of art!
I picked up this Commodus sestertius from him at a recent Baltimore show. I believe he may have been involved with Tom Cederline's business, then struck out on his own.
Mike used to work for Tom Cederlind until he passed away. Those nice tags were something he usually did for coins he felt were interesting or rare. I have a number around here somewhere.
Cool Semis @red_spork ! Nice that it is not fully ascribed by Crawford... fun to find! I am weak in RR Semis, not having many... RR Prv Macedon Amphipolis AE Semis 187-131 BC Zeus Prow giraffe shape SNG Cop 69 RR Anon 211-207 BCE AE Semis Saturn S behind Prow S Roma Craw 56-3 Sear 766
