I bought one of these large provincials of Amasia featuring the Altar of Zeus on the reverse some months back when @chrsmat71 posted his ex stevex6 example, but when I saw this one in a recent auction - with a different variety of altar depiction - I put in an impulse bid and won it at its opening price. It probably didn't have any other takers because the auction pics really accentuated the rough surfaces and made the obverse look especially horrible, but in hand it's not so bad and the details are really excellent. I especially love the handsome youthful bust of Caracalla and the sacred tree on the reverse with its distinctive entwined trunks clearly shown (not as apparent on some examples). The coin is very dark in hand, more so than in my pics below, which I lit to show the details better. On another note, my Severus Alexander example, issued about 25 years after this Caracalla, is a few millimetres larger and quite a bit heavier (25.69g, 34.7mm vs 17.31g, 32.3mm). Different denomination? No clue here. Do please feel free to pile on with your altar coins! CARACALLA AE32. 17.31g, 32.3mm. PONTUS, Amasia, dated CY 208 (AD 206/7). SNG Cop 112; Dalaison 385. O: AV KAI M AVΡ ANTΩNINOC, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. R: AΔΡ CEV ANT AMACEIAC MH NE ΠΡ ΠO, High altar (of Zeus Stratios) surmounted by smaller flaming altar; tree to left, ET CH (date) in exergue.
Great coin, Z! I remember when Steve and others posted the type and it has been on my radar since. You nabbed a fun example-- Caracalla looks like a delicate Greek beauty and the reverse is a Towering Inferno! None of my altars are as exciting. EGYPT, Alexandria. Carus undated, but struck apparently struck posthumously by his son Carinus in CE 283/4 tetradrachm, 19 mm, 7.7 gm, 12h Obv: ΘEωKAPωCEB; Laureate head right. Rev: AΦIEPωCIC; lit altar decorated with crossed palms, star in upper left field. Ref: Emmett 3995.2, R2 ex JBGood ex Keith Emmett Collection ex Empire Coins, July 1982 KINGDOM OF PERSIS, Vadfradad (Autophradates) II Mid-2nd century BC AR hemidrachm, 2.06 gm Obv: head of Vadfradad right with short beard, wearing diadem and kyrbasia adorned with eagle Rev: fire temple, Ahura-Mazda above; to left, Vadfradad standing right; to right, vexillum standard surmounted by eagle Ref: Sunrise 578 Nezak Huns, Anonymous Napki Malik coinage AR Drachm, 25 mm, 2.45 gm Sixth Century AD Obv: Bust right wearing headdress surmounted by bull's skull Rev: Crude fire-altar with attendants Ref: Göbl Hunnen Em 198.12. EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius AE drachm, regnal year 17 Obv: head left Rev: Altar of Agathodaemon (there is debate about the identity of this structure) Ref: Emmett 1448.17 Ex Robert L. Grover Collection of Roman-Egyptian Coinage, previously held by the Art Institute of Chicago This reverse type, which had previous seemed hard to find, was represented in abundance in that large lot Zumbly and I split! Unfortunately they were all low grade. I'll refrain from flooding the thread with coins which have altars as a tiny part of the reverse scene.
This coin is one of my mistakes. I saw it cheap at a show this year. I had never seen anything like it before and figured it must be extremely rare. I could have afforded a better one. Augustus, AE quadrans. C. Naevius Capella, moneyer. Struck 4 BC. 14.5mm, 2.98g. Lugdunum mint. Obv: III VIR•A•A•A•F•F•; garlanded altar with bowl-shaped top Rev: C RVBELLIVS BLANDVS legend around large SC Ref: RIC I 467
Here's a Severan provincial featuring an altar -- a little assarion from Nicaea: Julia Domna, AD 193-217. Roman provincial Æ assarion, 1.80 g, 14.3 mm, 11 h. Bithynia, Nicaea, AD 193-211. Obv: ΙVΛΙΑ CЄBACTH, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ, flaming altar. Refs: Rec. Gen. 392; SNG Copenhagen --; BMC --; SNG von Aulock --; Mionnet suppl. 5 --; Wiczay --.
I bought my example (somewhat different from yours) probably 30 years ago for little compared to today's prices:
My share of them was just four examples. And here's the one I already had before that lot. ANTONINUS PIUS AE Drachm. 23.06g, 31.87mm. Alexandria mint, AD 151-152. Dattari (Savio) pl. 157, 8853 (same dies); Emmett 1449. O: AVT K T AIΛ AΔP ANTWNINOC CEBEVC, laureate head left. R: Facade of the Altar of the Caesareum with four garlanded columns enclosing statue of a veiled figure standing facing and dropping incense on an altar; on top, a stony burning pyre between two aplustres, L-IE (year 15) in field. Notes: My description says "Altar of the Caesareum", but "unidentified monumental altar" is probably the most accurate for now.
I have to state clearly This is NOT my Coin. It showed up some years ago on a web site for sale and I was among the many "second" buyers. Still love it though. Looks like the BBQ is doing well
I believe I have shown my Caracalla AE39 here before. My Septimius AE32 replaces the fire with an eagle and shows flan casting voids much too severe to be erased in striking. This is perfectly normal for these but what makes it possible for me to afford a coin like this. My Caracalla was just dumb luck. It belonged to a seller who was more into high grade slabables than interesting coins in decent 'for these' condition.
Heck yeah @zumbly , killer flaming altar! Looks like that tree is about to go up in flames!! That is a very cool portrait of a young Caracalla as well! Here mine! Pontus, Amasia. Severus Alexander. 228-229 AD O : Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, AYT K M AYP CЄOYHPOC AΛEΞANΔPOC. R: Altar above which eagle stands facing, head left; behind, Sol in facing quadriga, holding whip; left of altar, tree. AΔP CЄY AΛЄΞ AMACIA MHT NЄ ΠP ΠON / ЄT CKH (date, CY 228). Dalaison 56. 26.4 g, 35 mm. Ex. stevex6 collection. This thing is still on my desk, have't wanted to put it away in a box yet...to sweet in hand.
