Group lot goodies: 83 x fun, plus a draw!

I think all of us enjoy going through a nice pile of unidentified ancient coins. (If you're like me, you even have occasional dreams of discovering a heap of coins hidden away in a drawer somewhere... very nice dreams, those!) I went after a big group lot recently in hopes of having this experience, and because the photo looked rather enticing:



Looked like a nice variety! My thoughts went something like this: "The tiny gold Islamic piece and the Larissa drachm are surely worth quite a bit, no? and I don't have either! Hmm, what is that intriguing yellowish piece near the bottom right? Oooh, I like that Diocletian in the middle too. Sweet Aurelian portrait there, and a sestertius right next to it? what's that triskeles right next to the Diocletian, is that Lycian? Look, an FH to show Randy! ooh, I've been wanting one of those Armenian silvers, also a bearded Constantine..." etc. etc. No this wasn't @zumbly's amazing lot which included an Antony and an Otho denarius (!!), but still... definitely not run-of-the-mill! On the other hand, what was underneath the pile of neat looking stuff? a bunch of duds?

The photo totally sucked me in, and I placed a bid at $16 U.S. per coin (including fees, exchange, & shipping)... and lo and behold, I won the lot! 83 coins in all. Awesome!!

Wait, 83 COINS!?!?... HOLY YIKES AND A HALF, WHAT DID I JUST DO?!?!

If you're curious to know how I made out (like a bandit? or sucked in, hook, line & sinker?), if you'd like to take a better look at some of the coins in the lot, see what invisible mysteries they hide underneath them, or just pretend you're digging through the pile yourself, this is the thread for it. I have now photographed almost all of the coins individually and will take requests. Describe where it is in the group photo and I'll show you the coin in all its glory, or all its shame. Meanwhile I'll also gradually post some of my favourites, plus some of the duds. (Yes, there WERE duds, but I won't yet say how many...) I'll do my best to keep up, but please forgive me if there are times when I'm incommunicado!

You're also invited to post anything related to what you see in the group photo, and also as the hidden stuff comes up. (Which I suppose probably means post anything at all...?)

ALSO... if you help me with one of the coins (ID, further info I didn't know, or any interesting tidbit) I'll put your name in a hat and do a draw. Winner gets one of the coins. (NOT a dud, I promise!)

I hope this thread captures and passes on some of the fun I had!

 

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A nice lot!

One is:
Constantius II
D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG, pearl diademed, draped & cuirassed right/ FEL TEMP R-EPARATIO, soldier standing left, spearing a fallen horseman wearing a Phrygian helmet, reaching back , Gamma left
CONSIA Star in ex
RIC 82
Rare legend split (R-E)

 

Unbelievable what a bargain, so happy for you. Congrats.

 

This one could be..

Constans, AE4, Trier. CONSTAN-S PF AVG, rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN, Two Victories facing each other, each holding palm and wreath. Ivy leaf in centre. Mintmark: TRS. RIC VIII Trier 185.


BTW Nice buy!Looking forward to seeing more..
Paul

 

This one could be...

Crispus AE follis.. IVL CRISPVS NOB C, laureate head right / CAESARVM NOSTRORVM around VOT X within wreath. Mintmark STR. RIC VII Trier 431;



Paul

 

That is a an awesome group of coins! Congratulations @Severus Alexander !

 

Exciting! I'm interested to see how this turns out.

Here's a related:

Thessaly, Larissa
AR Drachm, 6.0g, 20mm, 12h; c. 380-365 BC.
Obv.: Head of the nymph Larissa facing slightly right, wearing ampyx, earring, and necklace.
Rev.: [ΛAPI]-ΣAIΩN, horse grazing right.

Let's see the one fr the pile!

 

Nice lot. $16 per coin is a steal.

 

On obvious Tacitus front and centre. Nicely silvered too.



Probably like mine below.... but better than mine....

Tacitus Antoninianus
Obv:– IMP CL TACITVS AVG, Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev:– TEMPORVM FELICITAS, Felicitas standing left, holding caduceus and cornucopiae
Minted in Lugdunum (A in left field | A in right field), Emission 5, Officina 1, from March to April A.D. 286
References:– Cohen 144, RIC 65 Bust type C

 

The bearded Constantine is probably an IOVI CONSERVATORI from Thessalonica, similar to this one:

Thessalonica mint, A.D. 312-313
RIC 61b
Obv: IMP C CONSTANTINVS P F AVG
Rev: IVOI CONSERVATORI AVGG NN - Jupiter leaning on scepter and holding Victory; eagle at feet
[dot]TS[dot]B[dot] in exergue
23 mm, 2.8 g.

 

Looks like an interesting London Constantius DIVO



Constantius I

Obv:- DIVO CONSTANTIO PIO, Laureate and veiled bust of Constantius I.
Rev:- MEMORIA FELIX / Lighted and garlanded altar with eagle on each side.
Minted in London; Mint mark: PLN
RIC 110

 

Another Tacitus. Impossible to narrow down further without the bust type but most likely obverse described below.

Obv:- probably IMP C M CL TACITVS AVG, most likely to be radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev:- SPES PVBLICA, Victory with palm handing wreath to emperor holding sceptre. Minted in Cyzcius; //T

RIC 207

 

Right hand side, lower middle of the photo, peeking through under the Licinius follis and Valentinian II AE2, I catch a glimpse of a BEATA TRANQVILLITAS of Constantine I, like the one below, but not necessarily from the same mint or with the same obverse portrait:

Treveri (Trier) mint, A.D. 322-323
RIC 369
Obv: CONSTAN-TINVS AVG
Rev: BEATA TRAN-QVILLITAS - Globe on altar inscribed VO/TIS/XXX; 3 stars above
[dot]PTR[dot] in exergue
20 mm, 4.2 g.

You also have a Constantine I from the London mint near the top center of the photo, just left of that gorgeous Aurelian. I'm guessing that it has a Sol reverse, either SOLI INVICTO COMITI or COMITI AVGG NN:

London mint, A.D. 310-312
RIC 153
Obv: CONSTANTINVS P F AVG
Rev: COMITI AVGG NN - Sol, with whip and globe
PLN in exergue; star in right field
24 x 22 mm, 4.4 g.

 

This one is a bit of a stretch but I will stab at

Carinus

Obv:- M AVR CARINVS NOB CAES, Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev:- PRINCIPI IVVENTVT,Carinus standing left holding Globe in right hand, Secptre in left.
Rome Mint. //R S

1th. emission Nov. A.D. 282.
RIC 161 Bust Type C var (mintmark not in RIC)

 

I could spend all day doing this, but I have to get to work. Too bad, this is fun.

 

A Probus from the EQVITI series of Ticinum. The reverse will allow us to determine which part of the code it forms.

OBV:- IMP C PROBVS AVG, Bust of Probus left, radiate, wearing imperial mantle and holding eagle-tipped sceptre

 

A nice looking Aurelian.

I suspect it to be Rome mint from the style and probably an ORIENS AVG reverse...

Possibly Sol stg. facing, head l., with r. hand raised and holding globe in l. hand; at feet to l., a bound and std. captive in oriental dress

 

An AE3 ending NOBILISSIMVS CAES. I suspect it to be Crispus from Thessalonica.

Obv:- CRISPVS NOBILISSIMVS CAES, Laureate cuirassed bust right
Rev:- PRINCIPIO IVVENTVTIS, Crispus standing right in military dress, holding spear and leaning on shield

 

Carinus from Lugdunum.

Likely obverse such as

Obv:– IMP C M AVR CARINVS AVG, Radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right

 

WOW!!! At $16.00 per coin, I'd say you 'hit it out of the park'!! Congrats!!!