My Labrador retriever has the attitude that every toy is her favorite. I'm the same way about my coins -- fickle as a black Lab. This one's my favorite for today. I like it because of the Athena on the reverse. Despite the circulation wear (or weak strike?), she has a detailed and lovely face. I also like how some of the textured pattern of her aegis still remains. And how tiny and cute is her owl? The coin was struck with a variety of obverse and reverse dies and it's quite common. But it's a pleasant coin and I'm glad I picked it up at auction over the weekend. Post your coins of Mac and Di, of Athena, or anything you feel is relevant! Macrinus and Diadumenian, AD 217-218. Roman provincial Æ Pentassarion, 12.06 g, 26.5 mm, 6 h. Moesia Inferior, Marcianopolis, Legate Pontius Furius Pontianus, June/Aug 217-Nov/Dec 217. Obv: ΑΝΤ Κ ΟΠΕΛ CΕV ΜΑΚΡΕΙΝΟC Κ Μ ΟΠΕ ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝΟC, Confronted heads of Macrinus right, laureate, and Diadumenian left, bare. Rev: VΠ ΠΟΝΤΙΑΝΟV ΜΑΡΚΙΑΝΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ, Athena wearing helmet and aegis, standing left, holding owl and inverted spear; E in right field. Refs: AMNG I 734v.; Hristova & Jekov 6.24.4.7; Varbanov 1170a; BMC 30v.; Moushmov 537; Wiczay 2148v.
Attica, Athens AR tetradrachm Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right Rev: Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig to left, crescent behind, AΘE to right, all within incuse square Date: 454-404 BC Ref: SNG Copenhagen 31 Size: 17.19g, 24mm
Here's a little owl...sadly it's not all on the flan: Thessalian League, 2nd-1st BC AE, trichalkon, 20mm, 5.3g; 12h Obv.: Laureate head of Apollo right Rev.: ΘΕΣΣ / ΛΩΝ; Athena Itonia striding right, hurling spear held in her right hand, shield on her left arm; ΘΡΑ in right field above, owl in left
Here's an attractive Athena I haven't shown in a while. RC's Athena has an attractive face. Mine's, ahem... attributes... are further south . KINGS OF MACEDON, Antigonos II Gonatas 277/6-239 BCE, struck after 270 BCE, Amphipolis mint AR tetradrachm, 31mm, 17.06 g Obv: head of Pan in center of Macedonian shield, lagobolon over shoulder; shield decorated with stars within crescents Rev: BASILEWS ANTIGONOU, Athena Alkidemos walking left, brandishing thunderbolt and shield; helmet left, EMP monogram right Ref: SNGCop 1200v, EMP (maybe); R. Martin, "A Third-Century B.C. Hoard from Thessaly at the ANS," ANSMN 26, 536 (same obv. die). ex Demetrios Armounta Collection
Nice job @Roman Collector ... Here is an Athena: Elaea-Aeolis AE10 1.4g 3rd C BCE Athena-Barley And, an Owl: Calabria Tarentum AR Drachm 18mm 3.1g 3rd C BCE Athena Corinthian Scylla OWL olive TAP ZOP HN Italy 975 Vlasto 1052
I regret to announce that my Mac-Di Marcianopolis Athena is defective. She dropped her owl and opted to sacrifice from a patera over a lighted altar. I remember buying the coin because I liked the triple line legend under the busts. My favorite little owl coins (shown here too often) feature Minerva by Septimius Severus and Pescennius Niger. Both date to the time of their civil war which Severus won making his coins cheaper. Both of these denarii are equally rare unless I have missed some. Neither made RIC. Pescennius Niger Antioch Septimius Severus 'Emesa' mint The most common tiny owl coins I know are those of Domitian. I am surprised none have made this thread yet.
Interesting coins, @dougsmit . I'm sure that @David Atherton and other Flavian fanatics will post theirs soon.
You asked for it. LOL I choose these eight to sort of showcase how the type changed (or not) over the reign. The quality control varied in the later issues.
She's also got that weird M.C. Escher thing going on with her arms. Sometimes it looks like she's throwing the thunderbolt with her right hand and sometimes the left.
Syracuse 12 Litrai 214-212 B.C. HGC 1412 Obv Head of Athena Rv. Artemis stg. Of course there is the one everyone sees all the time Stater in the name and types of Alexander III 323-318 B.C. Babylon Price 3691
Randy, that first one looks like a Macrinus / Diadumenian coin from Antioch... https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=606038 I love your Pegasus!!
Thanks. Macrinus, 11 April 217 - 8 June 218 A.D., Antioch, Syria Bronze provincial as, McAlee 736; Hunter III, 243 - 244; BMC Galatia p. 200, 403 ff. var (busts); SNG Cop 234 var (same), aF, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, weight 2.175g, maximum diameter 17.8mm, die axis 180o, obverse AYT KAI M O CE MAKPINOC CE, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Macrinus, from the front; reverse KAI M O ∆IA ANTΩNEINOC, bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust of Diadumenian, seen from the front, S - C flanking across field; from the Butte College Foundation, ex Lindgren; very rare bust variant;
Well, since you mentioned black Labs, here is old Max. (All pix from circa 2011.) Here is a coin I had sold, which was on the desk awaiting shipment. At some point during the night, Max had snouted the partially-unlatched front door open (you know "snouted" is a verb if you own a Labrador retriever). He crept in, snatched the package off the desk, and took it out to the front yard. My daughter found the shredded remnants on the front lawn when she went out to catch the school bus. Max had unconventional and rather inconvenient taste in chewy toys. Brand new slab, not so brand new anymore. I'm sure you will all applaud Max for his idea of what to do with a slab, but I had some 'splainin' to do. It all worked out in the end, though. Except for poor Max. He decided to chase a log truck one day. He caught it.
The OP came with this old German-language collector's tag hand-written on cream-colored card stock. Does it look familiar to anyone? Anyone know whose collection this may have come from?