Saturday Night Free For All

It's almost Saturday night!



And that means it's a free-for-all!

Here's a new acquisition. The middle bronzes of Julia Mamaea appear less frequently than her sestertii and I'm always on the look out for them. The flan crack on this one doesn't bother me and it's nicer than the one in the British Museum. The photo makes it look like orichalcum, but the metal is copper-colored in reality.


Julia Mamaea, AD 222-235.
Roman Æ as, 12.14 g, 26.7 mm, 12 h.
Rome, issue 6, AD 226.
Obv: IVLIA MAMAEA AVGVSTA, bust of Julia Mamaea wearing stephane, draped, right.
Rev: VESTA S C, Vesta standing left, holding palladium on extended right hand and vertical scepter in left hand.
Refs: RIC 709; BMCRE 392; Cohen 84; RCV 8250.

 

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Two FEL TEMP issues, both unlisted in RIC:


Constans
AE25mm 5.60g billon bronze maiorina, minted at Rome, cca. 348-349.
DN CONSTAN - NS PF AVG; laurel and rosette-diademed draped cuirassed bust r.
FEL TEMP - REPARATIO; Emperor in military dress standing left on galley, holding Phoenix on globe and labarum, in the stern sits Victory steering the ship; ϵ in left field.
RP in exergue
cf RIC VIII Rome 130, R2.

Notes: A rare specimen, unlisted for officina from a scarce issue for Constans at Rome. Officina P seems to be missing from Nummus Bible also. Interesting patina, possibly from the Levant area, marking the circulation of Western-minted coinage across the Eastern part of the Empire as a result of the common type adopted by all mints.


And just the Phoenix on globe, as held by Constans, but this time by the Eastern brother:


Constantius II
AE18mm 2.86g, half centenionalis(?), minted at Cyzicus, cca. 348.
DN CONSTAN - TIVS PF AVG; pearl-diademed draped cuirassed bust r.
FEL TEMP - REPARATIO; Phoenix on globe to right, with nimbate head
SMKB in exergue
cf. RIC VIII Cyzicus 88, R

Notes: This is probably the first series of this small denomination in the FEL TEMP coinage at Cyzicus and Constantius II is not attested in this emission, although another specimen is known, with officina A, listed by Nummus Bible here. Being an early issue of this type, it was probably smaller than the later (main) one marked with * in right field.


Detail from the maiorna with the emperor holding Phoenix on globe:

 

Great stuff, @seth77. The oar-holes and oars on the galley are magnificent, all by themselves. But where's the other FEL.TEMP.REPARATIO ?

 

Just came across a couple of coins from cities that I don't believe have ever been shown in this forum:

1. Amazon Caria ; 2nd - 1st century BC, Ae (10mm, 1.2gms)
Obv: Head of Artemis right
Rev: AMAZONEΩN; Stag standing right

2. Syros Cyclades ; 3rd - 1st century BC, Ae (13mm, 2.5gms)
Obv: Wreathed head of Dionysos left
Rev: Kantharos

 

Some rupees I got. Other then 1, they are hammered

Some rupees I picked up.

 

...i have learned the ancient art of silvering coins...^^...my Ae Valerian, now silvered..i did it early this morning (after midnite)

 

Both are there in the post: the maiorina from Rome and the AE3 from Cyzicus. Does any of them not load?

 

Every so often as I am going through a box I stumble upon an old fave. As I recall I had purchased another coin and somehow that purchase fell through so I bought this one. Despite being something of a wall flower I still like it. L Iuli Ar Denarius 142 B.C. Obv Head of Roma with XVI behind the head. Rv. Dioscuri advancing right. This is one of the short lived coin issues ( the coin is not rare) that indicate the retarriffing of the denarius from ten asses to sixteen. This does not seem to have been received well. Crawford 224/1 3.89 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen

 

How many XVI types are there?

 

I think this is one of those XVI denarii? It is more of a monogram than spelt out. I attributed this a couple of years ago and I don't remember where I got my "notes" so maybe this is wrong?


Roman Republic Denarius
L. Antestius Gragulus
(136 B.C.) Rome Mint
Helmeted head of Roma right, monogram XVI below chin, GRAG behind / Jupiter in quadriga left with thunderbolt and sceptre; L·ANTES below; ROMA in exergue.
Antestia 9; Crawford 238/1
(3.86 grams / 21 x 18 mm)

Notes:
On this coin, a new mark of denomination is used for the first time. Previous denarii had an X. The star shape on this and subsequent coins probably represents the numeral XVI as a monogram.
Damage: Holed with engraved CS on obverse; c. 18th-19th C. "love token."

Here's another one with a monogram:


Roman Republic Denarius
M. Aburius M.f. Geminus
(132 B.C.)
Rome Mint
Helmeted head of Roma right; GEM behind; XVI monogram below chin / Sol in galloping quadriga right, holding reins and whip; M. ABVRI below; ROMA in exergue.
Aburia 6; Crawford 250/1.
(3.81 grams / 17 mm)

 

When I pulled this coin out of its box yesterday, it made me feel like a bad coin-parent. I bought it almost 2 years ago, but not only had I not photographed it, I had forgotten that I even had it. It's a common type, but a lovely example, especially in hand - my pics don't do it full justice. I like the reverse legend, VICTOR ANTONINI AVG, a proclamation of Elagabalus's victory over Macrinus, and especially appreciate the bosomy Victory spilling out of her stola, which almost seems like a nod towards the new young emperor's libidinous religiosity.

ELAGABALUS
AR Antoninianus. 4.21g, 22.8mm. Rome mint, AD 219. RIC 152; RSC 294. O: IMP CAES ANTONINVS AVG, radiate and draped bust right, seen from behind. R: VICTOR ANTONINI AVG, Victory advancing right with palm branch and wreath.
Ex Michael Kelly Collection

 

She seems to have wardrobe malfunctions from time to time:


Trebonianus Gallus, AD 251-253.
Roman AR antoninianus, 3.49 g, 20.3 mm, 7 h.
Antioch, unmarked officina, 1st or 2nd issue, AD 251-252.
Obv: IMP C C VIB TREB GALLVS P F AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust (viewed from back) of Trebonianus Gallus, right.
Rev: VICTORIA AVG, Victory standing right, on globe, holding a wreath and a palm.
Refs: RIC 94; Cohen --; RSC 127b; RCV 9654; Hunter p. cvi.
Notes: Scarce. Only six examples are to be found among the 949 coins representing 11 hoards summarized by Metcalf (p. 87).

 

It looks like she's wearing an ice-skating costume for the Olympics.

 

I can’t tell if you’re serious. If so, how do you do it?

 

...
by reading ancient text written in Latin hidden away from prying eyes and guarded by master alchemist for milennia who have sworn me to secrecy by the promise of death and eternal damnation...and experimenting ..i'll do another and take a pic before i silver it later. ..

 

I've been collecting the large (28mm +) folles of the Tetrarchy this year and made some nice progress.
As you know the more you read posts here the more ideas you get... @dougsmit suggested that the smaller ants would also be a nice collecting aspiration.
After a bit of research I now tend to agree - my first step is below:


Constantius as Caesar, 293-305
Struck before the coin reform of c. 294, so only struck 293-294 for about one year.
22 mm. 3.90 grams.
IOV ET HERCVLI CONS CAES
Jupiter and Hercules, protectors of the Caesars

 

That's a beauty! I'm glad it's getting some attention. Although I have many denari of Caracalla and Elagabalus, I haven't yet been able to find an antoninianus with the right balance of quality and price.

That's a very nice depiction of victory there! I love that she's standing on the globe and the detail in her wings. A great coin! I have an ugly but interesting Valerian with this reverse. Similar coins with the same date are of the sliver-ish composition. Mine is 100% (by eyeball) bronze. These are said to be minted by a traveling field mint on the way to the east... where Valerian eventually became a footstool, so some say. I'll see if I can get a pic soon.

 

Did a little bit of coin stuff this weekend. First, I tried to re-photograph this quinarius. It is heavily and, at least in my eyes, pleasingly toned. The old picture is much too dark and misrepresents the color of the coin. The new one is a bit better but somewhat too bright and shiny. An example of what different lighting and camera settings can do:




Roman Republic, moneyer: M. Cato, AR quinarius, 89 BC, Rome mint. Obv: M CATO; head of Liber r., wearing ivy-wreath; below, control mark (torch?). Rev: VICTRIX; Victory seated r., holding patera in r. hand and palm-branch over l. shoulder. 14mm, 2.12g. Ref: RRC 343/2b.

Secondly, I took pictures of this Spanish copper coin. It's not ancient but early modern. Since this thread is free for all, I'm going to show it nonetheless. My coin bears witness to the massive inflation that hit Spain around 1600: originally worth 4 maravedis in 1602, it was countermarked as 8 maravedis soon after. The mint couldn't strike new coins at the speed at which they lost value, so they just countermarked old ones:

Spanish Monarchy, under Philip III, CU 4 maravedis (countermarked as 8 maravedis), 1602 AD, Segovia mint. Obv: +PHILIPPVS·III·D·G·OMNIVM; castle in octolobe; in field, C. Rev: ·HISPAN·REGNORVM·REX· 1602; crowned lion in octolobe; countermark: crowned VIII with B below. 27mm, 6.22g. Ref: Calíco 750.

Here is a close-up of the countermark:

 

I know what you mean... it was the same for me. Thankfully, they're not at all uncommon, so I'm sure one will come along eventually that'll fit the bill for you.

Great stylish reverse on that one!

 

These two that are not in RIC V Temp:


Claudius II Gothicus AE21mm 3.47g antoninian from Cyzicus late 269 to early 270, unrecorded for third officina (nor second) for this type in the SPQR series



Tacitus AE22 4.05g antoninian/aurelian from Antioch, cf RIC V 210, cf Temp #4104 but unrecorded with retrograde Z in middle field, January-June 276.

And a PROBVS PIVS AVG:


AE24mm 3.85g antoninian/aurelian from Serdica, cf RIC V 880 unlisted for officina A, early 277.