First real Ancient purchase

HADRIANUS:
Nope...no travel series... But a variety...


RI Hadrian 117-138 AR Denarius Salus stdg feeding Snake


RI Hadrian AR Quinarius 1.3g, 14mm Rome, AD 119-122 cuirassed laureate COS III Victory seated wreath palm RIC 108a


RI Hadrian 117-138 AR Quinarius Victory holding palm


RI Hadrian, AD 117-138 Æ Limes Denarius 18mm 3.5mm after AD 125 Genius stndg sacrificing altar cornucopia RIC II 173
(From the Great Finger-man @John Anthony )

 

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This is good stuff - thanks everyone for piling on....and. @TIF, I like the argument of not nit-picking over grade.

And one of the Trajan's we almost bought had the three standards on the reverse.

 

Congrats on aa great first purchase of an ancient coin! I hope there will be many more to come.

 

Way to go...she might say it was the reverse, but I think she saw that handsome Iberian face of Emperor Trajan and fell in love.

Here are my Trajans.



Trajan Melqart Tetradrachm of Tyre



Trajan Mars denarius

 

GREAT first ancient! I love the "FORTRED", high on my to get list!

I'm woefully under Trajaned.

 

I was away watching TV and missed the call for travel coins. Alexandria is ordinary but scarce.

The series comes in gold and larger bronze sestertii (like the Aegyptos below).


If by chance the wife has been travelling herself, she might like a Trajan with the road he built Via Traiana. If you get the idea there are a thousand of them, we are failing. There are many, many more.

 

Fantastic Trajan Mars! Congrats!

 

This is not mine (it's from a friend), but was completely inspired in the Via Traiana denarius (Pontifical State - testone - Pope Clemens XII - 1736):

 

Great first ancient @GerardV.

Trajan was a fascinating emperor. Here is my Trajan sestertius.

 

Very nice!

 

Thank you for the credit, GerardV but everything that I know about knowledgable and reputable dealers in ancients, I learned from the other forum members. I'm glad you took the plunge and it's great that you included your wife in the selction process. She sounds like an awesome person!

 

Thanks again to everyone for the kind words, and even though he deflected, thanks again to Deacon Ray...he gave me the little push I needed to finally take the plunge.

Seems like the Ancient coins are like almost all interesting topics. Once you learn a little, you realize you have to learn A LOT.

I'm in though. This was the first purchase, of many, many more.

 

Welcome to the dark side:



Although, they're pretty bright over here.

Dude, ancients are the Lays chips of coins. You can't have just one.

Good job!

Erin

 

That is a wonderful first ancient coin! Talk about jumping in feet first. Well done!

 

Yes, welcome to the darkside @GerardV
And it's very nice to share our passion for ancient with our wife/husband/partner instead of hidding from them

My only travel series' Hadrian is pretty worn, but what the heck, it's a sestertius, and... it was a gift


Hadrian, Sestertius
HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P , laureate and draped bust right
RESTITVTORI HISPANIAE, Hadrian raising kneeling figure of Hipania
24.3 gr
Ref : RCV # 3633, scarce


And to keep this post legit, here is my Trajan dupondius :


Trajan, Dupondius - struck in 114 AD
IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC PM TRP COS VI PP, Radiate bust of Trajan right
SENATUS POPULUS QUE ROMANUS, Fortuna standing left holding cornucopiae and caduceus. SC in field
12.43 gr
Ref : RCV -, Cohen # 353

Q

 

That Trajan/Via Traiana is calling my name...well and the Trajan/mars, and the Trajan/w standards...and, and, and.....I'm hooked.

Then the Hadrians - I don't stand a chance.

 

You're done

Now, find the best place to sell out your modern crap

Q

 

The Trajan has landed and is spectacular-I'm already looking for another Ancient too keep it from being lonely. Maybe something with Minerva who is a symbol of my fraternity, or maybe something with Hadrian.

You all have ruined me!

And I can't thank you enough for doing it

 

Great first ancient.

 

@GerardV, welcome to ancient-coin collecting. I bought my first ancient over 45 years ago and I still find them fascinating. Every coin type has a story and the stories are all complex enough to take substantial enjoyable research to uncover.

This is in contrast to some areas of coin collecting where you figure out the grade and check off the acquisition from a list and move on. In those areas there is little to learn, except how to grade, and little to study and learn that is not well-known. You buy the coin and you are done. (How sad!)

Not with ancient coins! I just wrote up a 5x8 card of information (with photo) on a 24 mm coin of Hadrian from Chalcis:

You'd have to be pretty deep into ancient coins to even know where Chalcis is (It's in Syria). I expect a beginner would not even care--it is too obscure. I point this out merely to emphasize that even a long-time collector has things to learn and enjoy. I bought this coin without a "MS" grade; I liked it. That was enough. For those of us who collect ancients, and you are now among us, there is total freedom to collect what you like--whatever interests you. I will spare you the details of why this coin is very interesting (to me). The ID is
Hadrian, 117-138, this coin probably struck in 117.
Sear Greek Imperial Coins 1236. Butcher, Coinage in Roman Syria, Chalcis 15.

By the way, I am far from done studying this coin. A saw a note that said King Herod had some association with Chalcis. I'll look into that. Where is Chalcis located in the war now going on over there? I'll look into that. See that Delta as the last letter in the wreath? I'll look into that. I know enough Greek that I recognize the "X" in the first line as a Greek "chi" which begins the name of the city, XALambdaK... [Chalc...], but what is the Phi-Lambda which begins the reverse legend? I'll look into that.

@GerardV, I don't expect you to be interested in my coin of Chalcis. I expect few CoinTalk ancient-forum members would be interested. The series of Roman provincial coins like that one is not easy to understand and everyone begins with simpler series, like Roman imperial or Greek coins. But, we can all agree that ancient coins are interesting and, if you are inclined to learn, ancient-coin collecting is not a subject where you check the coin off a list and you are done--there is no end to the learning and enjoyment.