Ready for another scream fest of ancients been laid to rest?! To talk season of the dead instead of percentages of your coins led? Well then, come, celebrate the gory. Maybe, read and then tell some stories. As one thing's for certain. When you finish reading this it's curtains. And in the morning we'll all be quite DEAD!!! If this is your first time hearing of "Coins that go bump in the night", are you in for some meat...I mean, a treat! I'll start off with the coin that has given me the heebeejeebees for longer than, well, heads have rolled A.P. surely stands for Already Passed in this portrait of the living dead emperor: Antoninus Pius Antoninus Pius (138-161 AD). AR Denarius (18 mm, 3.39 g), Roma (Rome), 153-154 AD. Obv. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XVII, laureate head right. Rev. COS IIII, Vesta standing holding simpulum and Palladium. RIC III, 229b. Nicely toned Though, of course, the bizarre imagery of a severed head on a curule with some propagandistic purposes that still defy our understanding does conjure a stabable feeling of foreboding and dread... Rhoemetalkes I with Augustus (Circa 11 BC-12 AD). Ae. Obv: ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΥ. Fasces and capricorn right. Rev: ΡΟΙΜΕΤΑΛΚΟΥ. Male head right above curule chair, decorated with monogram. RPC I 1705; Jurukova 168. Rare Condition: Near very fine. Weight: 2.86 g. Diameter: 16 mm. Ex Savoca Foreboding and dread with propagandistic purposes in the realm of whatever this is: Or one of my favourite recent acquisitions. A Greek drachm of Demetrius Poliorcetes, translates, besieger of cities (337-283), ruled 294-288. Certainly has a stunning resemblance to a winged sword, wielding, demon! (At least to my warped and twisted mind) KINGS OF MACEDON. Demetrios I Poliorketes (306-283 BC). Drachm. Tarsos (?). Obv: Nike standing left on prow, blowing trumpet. Rev: BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟY. Poseidon standing left, hurling trident. Controls: Monogram to left and right. From Numismatik Naumann Newell 44; SNG Alpha Bank -; SNG Lockett 957; HGC 3.1, 1016a. Condition: Fine. Weight: 4.10 g. Diameter: 18 mm. Didn't think I was gonna leave you hanging... from the noose and not post a theoretical shield coin, did yas?? "Ryro, you space cowboy, what in the devil's name is that?" You may say. It's these coins of Lesbos (bite your tongues frat boys) that spook me almost as much as they defy us. Described as either eyes or grain ears. (Which means these are guesses) Makes one ponder. Now, when I look at coinage from this time around Lesbos I don't see much to carry weight for these guesses. I sure see two oval shields in battle LESBOS. Uncertain. BI 1/36 Stater (Circa 500-450 BC). Obv: Two eyes or grain ears (shields??) Rev: Quadripartite incuse square (swastika-shaped). SNG Copenhagen 292; HGC 6, 1074. Condition: very fine. Weight: 0.26 g. Diameter: 3 mm. And even if my theories incorrect it's a pretty creepy set of eyes looking at us across the millenias: Since you LOVED this (or screamed out in terror) please enjoy the last 2 years previous CTGBITNs on me: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/coins-that-go-bump-in-the-night.324528/ https://www.cointalk.com/threads/co...night-part-ii-the-vampire-strikes-bat.348366/ And, of course, there was our skin off...I mean spin off: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/if-youre-into-evil-youre-a-friend-of-mine.366524/ So please scare us, share with us, just give us the chills with metal that used to pay bills. Aaand whatever else makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end
Fuuuuuun! Looks kinda like my metal head from years past (here Galba is with better pictures this year):
ANONYMOUS ROMAN REPUBLIC AR Denarius OBVERSE: Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, X REVERSE: The Dioscuri galloping right; in exergue, ROMΛ in raised letters within linear frame Struck at Rome 214-213 BC 19.8mm, 3.45g Crawford 46/1(b) APOLLONIA PONTICA AR Drachm OBVERSE: Gorgoneian facing with snakes for hair and a protruding tongue REVERSE: An anchor flanked by letter A and a crayfish, which represents the minting city of Apollonia, the major fifth century BC Greek colony on the west coast of the Black Sea, modern Sozopol in Bulgaria Struck at Apollonia 450-400 BC 3.13g, 14-15mm BMC IX, Black Sea 150-151
Hi All, “A School Story" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James, included in his collection More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary. It has a guest appearance by a Byzantine coin. Spoiler alert. Story summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_School_Story - Broucheion
@Ryro , LOL, great gif of Stephen King’s IT whacking Ronny McDonny’s head off! I said this before, but I like this simplistic explanation of this complex coin: In this version, Medusa WON, as she ripped Perseus' head off... (She is laying on the ground, doubled over, laughing.) Pontos Amisos Mithradates VI 109-89 BC AE 28 Athena Perseus Medusa Head Body
Portrait of a babies' blood-drinking zombie war goddess and her zombie war-steed... ZEUGITANA, Carthage Fourrée EL Tridrachm. 6.68g, 22.2mm. Copying Carthage mint, circa 264-241 BC. Cf. SNG Copenhagen 183 for prototype. O: Wreathed head of Tanit left in a dotted border. R: Horse standing right, sun-disk with uraei above; dotted border. For his wanton tyranny, moral degeneracy, and general grumpiness, they skewered Tiberius through the mouth and put a chain through the hole to make sure he'd never escape Unloved Roman Emperor Hell... TIBERIUS AE18. 5.35g, 17.5mm. PHRYGIA, Dionysopolis, circa AD 14-37. Charixenos Char tou Char, magistrate. RPC I 3120. O: ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ, Bare head right of Tiberius (?). R: ΔΙΟΝΥΣΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ - ΧΑΡΙΞΕΝΟΣ / ΧΑΡ ΤΟΥ ΧΑΡ, Dionysus standing left, holding bunch of grapes and thyrsus. In 1887, a labourer was searching in the Mendip Hills of Somerset for a new spring when he discovered the East Harptree Hoard of almost 1500 "largely mint-condition" late Roman silver coins. When he took one look at the ghoulish visage of the pagan apostate emperor Julian glaring at him from this coin, however, he almost threw it right back into the pit... JULIAN II AR Siliqua. 2.37g, 18.5mm. Arelate (Arles) mint, AD 362-363. RIC VIII 309. O: D N FL CL IVLIANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bearded bust right. R: VOTIS/ X/ MVLTIS/ XX in four lines within wreath, eagle in medallion at top of wreath; SCONST in exergue. Ex 1887 East Harptree, Somerset Hoard (IRBCH 1424)
Always loved that horrific fanged, so, clearly blood sucking, gorgon of yours And what a haunting RR... with a nasty gash on the face Here's a couple of mine: Faustus Cornelius L.f. L.n. Sulla 56 B.C.E. AR fourrée denarius (18.5 mm, 3.15 g, 7 h). Rome mint. Bust of Hercules right, in lions skin; SC behind / Globe between jeweled wreath and three triumphal wreaths. Cf. Crawford 426/4b; Cf. Sydenham 884; Cf. RSC Cornelia 62. aVF. Rare. Former LANZ coin And you should remember this beauty: C.Claudius Pulcher AR Denarius Cr300/1, Biga OBV: Head of Roma r., wearing helmet decorated with circular device REV: Victory in biga r., holding reins in both hands; in exergue, C. PVLCHER 3.5g, 18mm Struck at Rome, 110-109 BC AD ex @Bing coin talk homie
Love the revisionist history/mythology! I like rooting for the bad guys and gals... though, poor medusa was a victim. Once a beautiful virgin who spurned all advances. Unfortunately she also spurned Poseidon, who went ahead and raped her in Athena's temple. For the sacrilege that medusa had no control over, Athena turned her into the monster we know, love aaand root for today! This triple/stutter strike gives off a trippy surreal effect, man: This one's so worn that it looks like Perseus is holding his own severed head! I know you've got more spookies than that though! And this year it seems less folks are sharing. Though, maybe 2020 has just been scary enough for then.
