A Sestertius and an As from Yesterday's Local Coin Show

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Eduard, Mar 25, 2019.

  1. Eduard

    Eduard Supporter**

    Finally, a coin show in my area!

    And I was able to meet two C.T friends (more on that later), and a couple of dealer acquaintances of mine with a nice selection of ancients. It has been a while (for me) since I last added to my collection of Roman bronzes, and the dealers had on display some interesting 1st. and 2nd. century pieces, both silver and bronze, the latter being also my primary focus.
    After looking for some time I finally chose these two which seemed quite interesting.

    The first one is an as of Marcus Aurelius with a Galley on reverse. This is a type which I did not yet have, and it complements nicely the three Hadrian Galley asse in my collection. It shows surface roughness, specially on reverse, but it has nice detail and is overall a nice example.
    I believe I have the attribution right, except that on my example Neptune is standing right on the deck, not left. If anybody has a more correct attribution, much appreciated!

    Marcus Aurelius. AD 161-180. Æ As. Rome mint. Struck AD 177. M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARM TRP XXXI, laureate head right / FELICITATI/AVG P P in two lines in field, IMP VIII to left, [COS III] to right, S C in exergue, galley rowed left by four oarsmen: Neptune standing left on bow, foot on rock, holding dolphin or aplustre and trident, in the stern is a hortator and an arched cabin under a curved aplustre. RIC III 1192.


    The second example which attracted my attention was this sestertius of Antoninus Pius
    showing Britannia seated on a Rock. The coin is in quite low grade, with worn legends and assorted surface defects. However, an unmistakable, interesting and historical type which I am glad to have in my collection.

    Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Sestertius, 24,14g, Rome mint. Struck AD 143-144. Laureate head right / Britannia seated left on heap of rocks, holding military standard in right hand and cradling spear in left arm, leaning on round shield set on helmet.
    RIC III 742.

    "One of Pius' first actions as emperor was to send Q. Lollius Urbicus, a previous governor of Germania Inferior, to Britain to quell a number of revolts. While most of the sources note the Brigantes (located in Northumbria) as the primary focus of these events, circa AD 143-144, most of his campaigning was against the lowland tribes of Scotland, the Votadini, Selgovae, Damnonii, and Novantae. His campaigns were successfully completed by 144, after which Urbicus and the Legio II Augusta built the Antonine Wall".


    It was overall a nice show, much more so because I was to meet with two C.T'ers, @micbraun, and @Seattlite86, Michael and Brandon. Michael and I did not have long to drive. However, for Brandon it was quite a distance to go, but I hope the show, even though only a small one, and the coins on display and animated discussion compensated for it.
    The three of us had a great time talking about coins, about C.T, and showing each other coins from our collections. I hope you guys got home alright:)!





    Marcus Aurelius As - GALLEY - OBV1 N - 1.jpg Marcus Aurelius As - GALLEY - REV1 N - 1.jpg Antoninus Pius Sestertius BRITANNIA OBV1 N - 1.jpg Antoninus Pius Sestertius BRITANNIA REV1 N - 1.jpg
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2019
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. Seattlite86

    Seattlite86 Outspoken Member

    It was a pleasure meeting up with you and seeing these awesome coins in person. I love hearing the stories behind them that bring the images to life. I specifically appreciated the connection with Antoninus Pius and the Brittania symbol. I recognized the reverse right away as it looks like a lot of the older British pennies in my collection. :) Honestly, the show and tell and sharing of numismatics is my favorite part about the show; I'm very glad we all made it.

    I enjoyed the show and personally like the smaller ones. Dealers will spend more time talking with you, they will generally have decent costs because they're not trying to make up for the travel and table expenses, and the wares are often varied and interesting. I did see a nice Regensburg Taler that was maybe lightly cleaned, but I'm still on coin probation, so I didn't look too hard at it. I was surprised to see so much US stuff, but being that it was near Wiesbaden, I know a lot of Soldiers frequented the areas.

    Anyway, I had a lot of fun and hope we can do it again sometime soon. I shot you an email with the article I'm working on. :)
     
  4. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Those are great coins, @Eduard ! That galley type of Marcus Aurelius comes in a number of variations. Yours is BMCRE4 1626:

    Capture.JPG


    Which looks like this:

    Capture 1.JPG

    The British Museum considers it a variety of RIC 1195:

    Capture 5.JPG
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2019
  5. micbraun

    micbraun coindiccted

    This must be my first post in the ancients section :) Eduard, it was so great meeting you again. It's a pleasure learning from a history buff like you. I felt a bit clueless when you taught me about German states and their history. I was born here and should know better... anyway thanks for tagging me, I'll follow this thread closely.

    PS: I bought a coin at the show yesterday, but you guys will most likely draw and quarter me if I post pictures (that's what they did 2000 years ago, right?) It's a 2012 2€ Guimaraes/Portugal commemorative. Yes, 2012 AD :)

    port2e2012guima.jpg

    Do I get banned now for posting this?
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2019
  6. Nicholas Molinari

    Nicholas Molinari Well-Known Member

    Well done.
     
    Eduard likes this.
  7. TypeCoin971793

    TypeCoin971793 Just a random guy on the internet

    Very neat reverses!
     
  8. Eduard

    Eduard Supporter**

    Roman Collector, thank you very much for your kind help!
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
  9. ominus1

    ominus1 Well-Known Member

    kool Eduard.. great coins and story!:)
     
    Eduard likes this.
  10. Eduard

    Eduard Supporter**

    Michael, we'll make an ancient coin lover out of you, yet:).

    I may know a little about history, but I don't know how to use my own mobile phone (thank you for helping me out with that).

    And, no you will not get banned, unless you show us some coins in plastic!:).
     
  11. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    Sweet coins, Eduard. I really like both of them. Neither you see very often.
     
  12. micbraun

    micbraun coindiccted

    No way. Chances are better that you’ll get a like from Doug :)
     
    Seattlite86 and Eduard like this.
  13. ominus1

    ominus1 Well-Known Member

    ><..special occasions and a blue moon :)
     
  14. Okidoki

    Okidoki Well-Known Member

    Very nice,
    any nice Hadrian's seen?
     
    Eduard likes this.
  15. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    Very nice coins @Eduard ! Congrats. That galley is a cool piece.
     
    Eduard likes this.
  16. Eduard

    Eduard Supporter**

    Yes, there were some Hadrian bronzes, and also, something better: an Antinous.
    A large coin, larger than a sestertius, with a beautiful green smooth patina. ex Kuenker. It had lots of wear but Antinous's bust was clearly visible, as well as the reverse (forget now what it was).
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2019
    Okidoki and arizonarobin like this.
  17. TypeCoin971793

    TypeCoin971793 Just a random guy on the internet

    I guess you still have me on ingore. Oh well...
     
  18. Eduard

    Eduard Supporter**

    To be honest, Brandon, I was secretly very pleased that you were able to recognise Britannia, almost at a glance, on my worn down sestertius. (It tells me it is not as worn/crappy as I initially thought!)

    The beauty of ancients is the story they tell, in this case the conquest of the province of Britannia by the Roman Legions during the reign of Antoninus Pius.

    I sincerely hope we shall be able to repeat the experience in the near future and exchange again coin stories - you are absolutely correct: it is a lot more fun when you can share with coin enthusiasts, like yourself and Michael:).

    The Regensburg Taler was in fact very nice. Hopefully there will be others when your 'probation' period ends:).
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2019
    arizonarobin and Seattlite86 like this.
  19. Okidoki

    Okidoki Well-Known Member

    Hmm missed the show did not know, were was it in Germany?
     
    Seattlite86 likes this.
  20. Seattlite86

    Seattlite86 Outspoken Member

    Okidoki likes this.
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page