Featured Follow the coin theme GAME - ancient edition - post ‘em if you got ‘em

I am fond of the series of anonymous quatrantes showing a god portrait and an appropriate animal reverse. These are usually attributed to the Domitian to Antoninus Pius period but I do not know on what basis that is made. This is the version with Minerva and her owl.


Next: another coin where the obverse and reverse are related in an obvious way

 

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Mythological relations (mother and child) shown on obverse and reverse.


ROMAN REPUBLIC
AR Denarius. 3.95g, 18mm. Rome mint, 72 BC. Crawford 395/1; Sydenham 790; Cossutia 1. O: Head of Medusa left, winged and entwined with serpents; SABVLA upwards behind. R: Bellerophon riding Pegasus right, hurling spear; control mark X behind, L COSSVTI C F below.
Ex Eucharius Collection

Next: same theme...

 

The meaning of "Tauropolos," one of Artemis' many epithets, is not entirely clear, but among the possibilities are "pulled by a yoke of bulls" or "hunting bull-goddess." So this coin features the bull-goddess on one side and a bull on the other.



Macedonia, Amphipolis, ca. 187-131 BCE.
AE 21.4 mm 7.57 gm.
Obv: Head of Artemis Tauropolos, r.
Rev: ΑΜΦΙΠΟ-ΛΙΤΩΝ, bull bounding r.
SNG ANS-113; Lindgren Europe-933; BMC-35; SNG Cop-72.

Next: A different Artemis Tauropolos.

 

next: Diana

 

Quadrans RR C. 270 BCE.
obv head of Herakles.

next, a sextans

 

Sorry, way too slow...


den. of Augustus with Diana on reverse...

next, another Diana.

 

Roman Republic, A. Postumius A.f. Sp.n. Albinus (Aulus Postumius Albinus, son of Aulus [mint magistrate ca. 96 BCE], and grandson of Spurius [Consul 110 BCE]), AR Serrate Denarius, 81 BCE. Obv. Draped bust of Diana right, with bow and quiver over shoulder, bucranium above [off flan] / Rev. Roman priest standing facing on rocky ground (on Aventine Hill), head left, with right arm extended holding aspergillum, sprinkling heifer [Harlan, RRM I*], bull [Crawford & Sear], or ox [RSC] which he is about to sacrifice, a lighted altar between them, A POST - AF - SN • ALBIN [AL in monogram] around. RSC I Postumia 7, Crawford 372/1, Sydenham 745, Sear RCV I 296 (ill.), Harlan, RRM I Ch. 1 at pp. 1-7, BMCRR 2836. 18.54 mm., 3.85 g. Ex. Spink & Sons Ltd. (before 2000 because of address on Spink coin tag; probably before 1974 given citation to Sydenham but not Crawford).



* See Michael Harlan, Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins, 81 BCE-64 BCE (2012) (“RRM I”) (using this coin-type as the cover illustration for his book). At pp. 3-4, Harlan argues that in the legend which, as Crawford acknowledges, is the basis for the reverse of this coin -- namely, the sacrifice to Diana on the Aventine Hill founding her temple there ca. 500 BCE, establishing Rome as the caput rerum for all of Italy [and symbolizing the victory of Sulla over the rebel Italians in 82 BCE] -- the sacrificed animal was a heifer with wondrous horns, not a bull or an ox. (Citing Livy, The History of Rome, Book 1, ch. 45 [available at http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0145:book=1:chapter=45].)

Next: Artemis. Here's one of mine:

Diadumenian Caesar, AE Tetrassarion (4 Assaria), 218 AD (May-8 June), Nicopolis ad Istrum [Nikyup, Bulgaria] Mint, Moesia Inferior, Statius Longinus, Consular Legate. Obv. Bareheaded bust of Diadumenian right, draped and armored, seen from behind, M OPEL DIADOV-MENIANOC K (OV ligate) [ = Marcus Opellius Diadumenianus, Caesar] / Rev. Artemis, wearing short chiton, walking right, holding bow in left hand and drawing arrow from quiver in right hand, hound jumping behind her left foot, VΠ CTA ΛONΓINOV NIKOΠOΛITΩN ΠPOC I / CTPΩ in exergue [ = Consular legate Longinus, (Governor) of the residents of Nikopolis on the (river) Istros]. AMNG I/I 1843 [Pick, Behrendt, Die antiken Münzen von Dacien und Moesien, Die antiken Münzen Nord-Griechenlands Vol. I/I (Berlin, 1898) at p. 467]; Varbanov I 3743 [Varbanov, Ivan, Greek Imperial Coins And Their Values, Volume I: Dacia, Moesia Superior & Moesia Inferior (English Edition) (Bourgas, Bulgaria, 2005) at p. 308]; Hristova-Hoeft-Jekov 8.25.13.3 [Hristova, H., H.-J. Hoeft, & G. Jekov. The Coins of Moesia Inferior 1st - 3rd c. AD: Nicopolis ad Istrum (Blagoevgrad, 2015)].

 

Aeolis, Kyme, c. 165-90 BC. Æ (16mm, 3.84g, 12h). Zoilos, magistrate.
Obverse...Draped bust of Artemis right, hair in sphendone, quiver and bow over shoulder.
Reverse...Single-handled oenoechoe (Kyme's cup) with KY above (Kyme), flanked either side by laurel branches.
Magistrates name left to right across central field Z-Ω / I-Λ / O-Σ..Zoilos.
SNG München 507-9; SNG Copenhagen 108; SNG von Aulock 1642.

Next....A long beard.

 

This beard's pretty long. Not as long as @dougsmit's but let's not set the bar too high.



Macrinus, AD 217-218.
Roman AR denarius, 2.94 g, 19.5 mm, 6 h.
Rome, AD 217.
Obv: IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust, right.
Rev: PONTIF MAX TR P COS P P, Fides Militum standing facing, head right, right foot on helmet and holding a military standard in each hand.
Refs: RIC 22A; BMCRE 38; Cohen 60; RCV 7345; ERIC II 69.

Next: Another Macrinus

 

next: Nemesis

 

CLAUDIUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG P M TR P VI IMP XI, laureate head right
REVERSE: PACI AVGVSTAE, Pax-Nemesis advancing right, drawing out fold of robe at neck, holding caduceus above serpent preceding her
Struck at Rome, 46/7AD
3.6g, 19mm
RIC39, BMC40

Next: Serpent as main device either obverse or reverse

 

Phrygia. Apameia, circa 166-133 BC. AR Cistophorus Tetradrachm (30mm, 12.82 g, 12h). Struck circa 150-140 BC. Obv: Cista mystica with serpent; all within ivy wreath. Rev: Two snakes coiled around bow in bow case decorated with aphlaston; AΠ monogram to left, head of elephant right to right. Ref: Kleiner & Noe Series 23; Pinder 69. Ex Heritage.



Next: Lysimachos

 

LYSIMACHOS


Thrace - Lysimachos 305-281 BCE AE20 Sysimachia mint 4.64g 19.5mm Athena - Lion Spearhead below SNG Cop 1153 Muller 76

Next: Spearhead device

 

PHILIP II
AE19
OBVERSE: Apollo facing right with tania binding hair
REVERSE: Youth naked on horseback - Filippos (in Greek) above, symbol - spearhead (facing down) - underneath
Struck at Macedonia 359-336 BC
5.6g, 19mm
SNG ANS #850-851; Sear 6698v; Bellinger 23

Next: Philip II

 

Philip II, billon Tetradrachm, 248-249 AD, Syria, Seleucis and Pieria, Antioch Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind, AYTOK K M IOΥΛI ΦIΛIΠΠOC CEB / Rev. Eagle standing facing, head right, wings spread, holding wreath in its beak, ΔHMAΡX EΞ OYCIAC YΠATO Δ [4th consulship]; ANTIOXIA / S C in two lines below eagle. Prieur 474 [Michel and Karin Prieur, Syro-Phoenician Tetradrachms (London, 2000)]; BMC 20 Syria 560 [Warwick Wroth, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 20, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Syria (London, 1899) at p. 218]; McAlee 1042 [Richard McAlee, The Coins of Roman Antioch (2007)]; RPC VIII No. 29020 (https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/29020). 27.15 mm., 14.00 g. Ex. CNG Electronic Auction 466, April 22, 2020, part of Lot 728.



Next: another Roman Provincial coin minted in Antioch.

 

Otho, AR tetradrachm, Antioch, year one of course

Next: another year one Provincial (must be marked as such)

 

Hi All,

If not provincial, it is from the Ptolemaic provinces. Ptolemy III, year 1 from Tyre.




This is the CPE 830 plate coin. Ex HJ Berk 105, 17 November 1998, lot 301, & Berk 83, 26 October 1994, lot 285 (unsold). Also, EH 96 The Iraq Al-Amir Hoard, 1993 (CH 9.497, 10.268), #464C.

NEXT: ANOTHER YEAR ONE COIN (must be marked as such).

- Broucheion

 

GORDIAN I
Potin Tetradrachm. 11.87g, 22.9mm. EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 1 (AD 238). Emmett 3340; Dattari 12387. O: A K M AN ΓOPΔIANOC CЄM AΦP ЄVCЄB, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: L-A, Athena standing facing, head left, holding spear and Nike, one hand resting on shield.

Next: Another emperor who didn't last a full year on the throne (apart from Gordian II, did any Roman emperor come close to Gordian I's 21 days?)

 

Quintillus reigned for two or three months until he committed suicide.


Quintillus, AD 270.
Roman billon antoninianus, 2.95 g, 20 mm.
Rome, 11th officina, issue 1, end AD 270.
Obv: IMP C M AVR CL QVINTILLVS AVG, bust right, radiate, cuirassed and draped with paludamentum, seen from the front.
Rev: SECVRIT AVG, Securitas standing left, legs crossed, holding short scepter in right hand, leaning on column with left elbow; officina mark XI in right field.
Refs: RIC 31; MER/RIC temp 1194; Cohen 63; RCV 11451; Normanby 1197; Hunter 17.

Next: Coin with an officina mark.

 

Carausius ant. PAX type. Officina mark B


Next one: A triumphal arch