I’m hungry… show me your snacks!

…coin snacks that is. Well, I suppose delicious food stuffs are always welcome in my threads as well but that’s beside the point

How many of you hit a slow-down in coin purchases and decide it’s time to go bargain bin diving for neat coins that you didn’t even know you wanted? Sometimes I just need a new coin to look at and study to hold me over till another, more carefully planned, purchase. I call this snacking While taking stock of my 2017 purchases and deciding on my favorites it struck me how many coins I acquired on a whim like this that won’t make any of my top lists and have yet to even be properly photographed (much less shared with my CT friends! ). I thought I would start a thread to fix that while seeing what you all manage to snag when you get a little hungry and decide to go bottom feeding


Roman Empire
Philip I, AD 244-249
AE30, Viminacium mint, MOESIA SUPERIOR
Dia.: 30 mm
Wt.: 17.4 g
Obv.: IMP M IVL PHILIPVS AVG
Rev.: PMS COL VIM
Ref.: Martin 2.10.1, Varbanov 132

This is one of my most satisfying snacks this year. It’s a big hefty bronze coin from Viminacium in modern day Serbia with some nice coloration. This one was part of a recent group lot purchase that I got for under $11 delivered (per coin). Below is a photo from Wikipedia that shows the remains of the Roman public bathroom at Viminacium complete with a painting showing how you use it… you know, in case you forgot how that sort of thing is done and needed a visual


Below is another recent snack from the same lot. I thought this was a rather sharp coin for the price!


Roman Empire
Canstantius II (AD 337-361)
AE16, Siscia mint
Obv.: CONSTANTIVS P F AVG
Rev.: VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN
Ref.: RIC VIII 182

I will post more of my snacks to this thread as I go through and get more of them photographed. In the meantime PLEASE POST YOUR SNACKS!!!

 

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If I understand the concept here correctly, my most recent snacks were these two bronzes of the Bosporos showing their king and the then current Roman emperor. This general type coin was issued during the days of Augustus and passed through periods with popular gold issues but by the time of this pair the series had degenerated in step with the Roman coins of that same period. The show dealer had two coins at $15 each so I bought both. I have no idea what they are worth on the normal market and suspect the (lack of) demand explained why the dealer was not asking more. Studying up a bit on them, I discover some disagreement even on who is shown.

First we have an AE stater of king Thothorses dated ΓQΦ or 593 which works out to about 297 AD. Some will say the Roman emperor shown could be any of the Tetrarchs while others say the portrait shows Diocletian who was, after all, the senior ruler in the East and would be known best in the Bosporos. What I see is a finely chiseled face of a noble Roman who I can accept as Diocletian on a very well centered flan. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I be holdin' this one at the moment. You can imagine most letters of ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΘΟΘΩΡΣΟΥ and the entire tamgha is clear on the reverse. What more could you ask? Let's call it a proof.


Less perfect and more mysterious is an AE stater of Rhadamsades. The obverse is not well centered and shows ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ at the right rather than the king's name. The date is very bold (and probably why I bought the coin) AIX or 611 (~315 AD) allowing the face to represent Constantine or Licinius. I choose Licinius. What is represented in front of his face?

 

Exactly what I had in mind Doug! Great post as always. I was hoping people would show the coins, usually of low value, that weren't on their radar, they knew little to nothing about and they picked it up anyway just because they were coin hungry

Hahaha proof indeed. Great pics of these though.

Also that is some kind of nose on that Rhadamsades! Talk about abstract portraiture...

 

My most recent (non ftr) snack

 

Nice snacks, fellas. I think my whole collection is made up of "snacks." Here are a couple of things I picked up, sometimes by accident, in eBay lots. Things outside my usual interests, but that I found surprisingly compelling:

I learned a lot about the Gallic Empire this year, and Aureolus, a guy I'd never heard of:




Gallic Empire - Aureolus
(usurper struck for Postumus)
(267 A.D.)
Milan Mint - Antoninianus
IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right / FIDES EQVIT, Fides seated left holding patera and standard; P in exergue. RIC 377, Cohen 59; Sear 10938. (1.91 grams / 18 mm) eBay Nov. 2017 Lot @ $2.10

My ignorance of medieval coinage is vast. I had a hard time attributing this little French obol, but it was an enjoyable search. It was from the same batch as the Aureolus above. Mine seems to have a blundered legend (RVX for REX):




France - Obol Tournois
King Philip IV the Fair
(c. 1290-1295 A.D.)
Tours Mint
+ PhILIPPVS R(V)X, cross pattée / TVRONVS CIVIS, Châtel Tournois surmounted
by a cross. Duplessy 226 - C.227 - L.231 (0.40 grams / 15 mm). eBay Nov. 2017 Lot @ $2.10

Finally, here is one that has started the process of attracting me to Late Roman Bronze, an area I've never found especially appealing. A lot of interesting posts here on Coin Talk have also dismantled my prejudices - there is some dazzling stuff out there. This one came by accident in a batch of sestertii - it wound up being about my second favorite from the lot, rather to my surprise (I only had a clear photo of the obverse):



Maximinus II Æ Follis
(311-313 A.D.)
Alexandria Mint
IMP CGALVAL MAXIMINVS PF AVG, laureate head right w. parallel wreath ties, round ends / GENIO IMP-ERATORIS, Genius standing left, modius on
head, with patera & cornucopia crescent / K / A / P /ALE ex.
RIC Alexandria 139b. (7.71 g)
eBay Oct. 2017 Lot @ $12.50

 

When I read the subject line I actually felt a pang of hunger since I was just about to sit down for lunch. Appetizers count as snacks right?...


I love Greek food as much as I love Greek coins

I like those coins you posted from your group lot, especially the Constantius II. Hopefully you'll let us see some more of it. Coincidentally, I just started going through a group lot of snack-priced LRBs I bought a few months ago... it's a nice way to wind down the coin year. I'll try to post pics of a few of the coins later today.

 

The $3.50 a piece snack bag of LRBs I'm currently working on has a fair few that aren't worth anything beyond the time I'll spend squinting at their mintmarks and legend breaks, but so far I've found a couple of interesting ones...

I'm almost embarrassed to show yet another Licinius Jupiter-standing follis - if they're not roaches, they're at least some other unwelcome insect of early 4th century coinage - but apart from being quite nice, this one is a rather rare Rome mint example.


A Maxentius Roma-in-Temple with some silvering and a 180-degree rotated doublestrike on the reverse that neatly duplicated the CONSERV part of the legend from the left side onto the right as well.


Another Licinius (the last one for awhile at least, I promise!)... a scarce 'plain' Vota type from Arles with no wreath around the vows.


The last Licinius complements another snack that I purchased earlier in the year, from Warren's coin store - a Crispus from the same Arles 'plain' Vota issue.

 

Great coin for 11 bucks, and such a large coin as well. I love your holiday pics and public latrine pics never cease to amaze me compared to nowadays where we lock ourselves in a private cubicle. Here is another one I took at Ostia a couple of years ago.

 

I suppose this coin I bought sometime this year fits the bill for $17, Claudius II Altar.

 

Here's another Gothicus snack. I'm typing this while snacking on some Oreos and a glass of milk:

 

Those interested in Claudius II Gothicus should research the last several CNG Electronic sales where they offered a large collection of common and rare examples. Many were sold in large lots which might mean there will be dealers breaking them up of specialists selling off duplicates so it might be a good time to watch for ones you might want. The link below might be as good a reference on the series as you can find.
https://www.cngcoins.com/Search.asp...R_TYPE_ID_2=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_4=1

 

I must admit that I snack all the time. I don't mean to and it means that I often don't have the funds to buy other stuff but hey ho....

I have had two snacks this week so far (both were about $15 each).

Just because I can't resist a Mars reverse.

Constantine the Great - Ae3

Obv:– IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG, Laureate, cuirassed bust right
Rev:–. MARTI CON-SERVATORI. Mars helmeted, in military dress, spread cloak, standing, right, holding reversed spear, left hand leaning on shield
Minted in Trier (A | S / PTR). A.D. 315-316
Reference(s) – RIC VII Trier 80 (R2)



Just because I didn't have Licinius from London.....

Licinius I - Ae3

Obv:– IMP LICINIVS P F AVG, Laureate, cuirassed bust right
Rev:– GENIO POP ROM, Genius standing left, modius on head, naked but for chlamys round waist, left hand holding cornucopiae and right hand holding patera
Minted in London (S | F / MSL). A.D. 315
Reference(s) – RIC VII London 31 (R1).

 

Here was a snack from a coin fair a few months ago - a few bargain bin pre-decimal UK coins, three denarii (2x Julia Domna & a Faustina snr.) and a few slabbed (!) Irish coins - three 1928 proofs and some decimal issues. Mostly, I bought the latter for the novelty of having some slabbed coins - these are my first and only so far.

Given that I normally collect Roman Republican coins, occasionally swayed by a gorgeous Greek, this was something of a diversion, but I didn't see much of what I would normally collect, so the Bargain Bins beckoned.

ATB,
Aidan.

 

Here's a loo pic from a villa in Spain - I came across a sign for "Villa Romana" while travelling from Burgos to La Coruna and immediately made a detour - it turned out to be this place:

http://www.villaromanalaolmeda.com/

I did pick up a reproduction of a medallion found there and a book on the coin finds - they were mostly late Roman bronzes.

Anyway, the loos:



ATB,
Aidan.

 

They look a bit more comfortable than the concrete type we usually see, great pic.

 

They've even got a nice sponge and bucket

 

Not really into real old pieces. But you first picture was the first time for me wowing an antique coin. You last coin picture seems guite photogenic

 

P.S. what coin is your icon. Must be good but looks terrible

 

I need to limit my consumption, so I went for a half snack.

This one is not here yet, but I really want to see if this is a foree, or just has dirt on the broken piece.

 

Awesome snack, Mr. Z! I need to start eating more Mediterranean cuisine in the new year!