My First Temple Coin

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by hotwheelsearl, Nov 27, 2020.

  1. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    I've been wanting a coin with a temple for the LONGEST time. I finally got one for less than $20, which is pretty solid IMO for a large, 27mm provincial with clear details.

    The reverse features a generic tetrastyle temple. I wish I knew which one it was, but even if we did, there's about a 0% chance it still survives. Extant tetrastyle temples are rather few and far between, which is sort of a bummer.

    IN any case, this coin hails from somewhere in Moesia Inferior. I couldn't find a match in Wildwinds, but I probably wasn't looking hard enough.

    The patina is rather nice. It is a yellowish brass-color, with a mottled layer of dark green. I could remove the green, but I think it adds to this coin.
    There is also some significant gray/black mineral encrustation which I WILL be removing, but only mechanically (no chemicals this time!)

    I would still like a coin where I can clearly see the cult statue within, but I suspect that's going to be out of my price range for a while.
    IMG_E8016.JPG
     
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  3. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    Nice new temple, @hotwheelsearl, and at 27mm, it is a good size. Congrats on your first! I'm sure it won't be your last. I have one, though smaller at 20mm, that also is a nice yellowish brass color with red "highlights". :woot: It also has two temples on one coin, and you can mostly make out the statues within--Poppaea in the obverse temple and it's believed to be Nero and Poppaea's daughter Claudia in the temple on the reverse, but she was only 4 months old when she died, so maybe they guessed as to what she would've looked like?

    [​IMG]
    Syria, Trachonitis. Caesarea Paneas
    AE20, Struck after 65 AD
    Diva Poppaea Sabina, with Diva Claudia,
    died 65 and 63 AD, this coin deified the two.
    Obverse: DIVA POP-PAEA AVG, statue of Diva Poppaea seated left within distyle temple set on high podium.
    Reverse: DIVA CLA-VD NER F, statue of Diva Claudia standing left on basis within hexastyle belvedere set on high podium.
    References: RPC I 4846, Hendin 1270
    Size: 20mm, 5.0g
     
  4. Limes

    Limes Well-Known Member

    Nice one! Coins with temples on the reverse are really neat, and I think quite popular too. I wish to add a coin with the temple of Vesta and the temple of Janus. Both are e.g. seen on the reverses of Nero's coinage. There are many other examples on Imperial coinage, not to mention provincial. Does anyone know if there's a list with all the temples shown on ancient coins?

    Here are my temple coins, showing 1) the temple of Jupiter Optimus and 2) the temple of deified Augustus and Livia.
    0.12.png
    0.5.png
    20.4.png
     
  5. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    @David Atherton recently had a thread that skewed a book on the subject... https://www.cointalk.com/threads/enough.368271/#post-4943247

    And I know that @Ancient Aussie is a big fan of architecture on coins. I wonder if he knows? And I hope he can share some of his more interesting temples here.
     
    Roman Collector and Limes like this.
  6. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    TEMPLES

    My eye seems more attracted to non-architectural objects, and generally towards animals on coins (hey, sorry @Curtisimo ! :) ). I only have two temples.

    upload_2020-11-28_9-20-11.png
    RR Volteius 78 BCE AR Den Jupiter Temple S 312 Cr 385-1


    upload_2020-11-28_9-21-8.png
    RI Philip II 244-249 Nisibis Mesopotamia-farthest EAST Temple Tyche river god Mygdonius - sinister left
     
  7. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    M. VOLTEIUS M.F. M. VOLTEIUS M.F.a2.jpg

    AUGUSTUS Æ Semis
    Augustus 18.jpg

    VOLUSIAN AE30
    Volusian 2.jpg

    SALONINA Antoninianus
    Salonina 5.jpg
     
  8. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    A temple coin I haven't shown in a while. But it's a Faustina II, so I can't help myself!

    Faustina Jr Antiochia ad Cragum Tyche in temple.jpg
    Faustina II, AD 147-175.
    Roman Provincial Æ 20.2 mm, 6.93 g, 7 h.
    Cilicia Trachea, Antiochia ad Cragum, AD 147-161.
    Obv: ΦΑΥϹΤЄΙ-Ν-ΑN ϹЄΒΑ, bare-headed and draped bust right; early coiffure.
    Rev: AΝΤ-ΙΟ-ΧЄ-ΩΝ Τ-ΗϹ ΠΑΡ, temple with four columns and rounded pediment enclosing statue of turreted Tyche seated, left, holding rudder and cornucopia.
    Refs: RPC IV.3, 9909 (temporary); Levante, Antiocheia 10-12; SNG Cop 67.
     
  9. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    There is a book (affordable) which I refer to often called Price and Trell Coins and their Cities, which shows the reverse only of most temples and other architecture than other books also has an index at back listing the ancient cities coinage types like type of temple and how many on a coin. 106727q00 - Copy (2).jpg
    MOESIA INFERIOR, Nicopolis. Septimius Severus. 193-211 AD. Æ 26mm (10.18 gm: h 8). Aurelius Gallus, magistrate. AVT L CEPT CEVHP PER, laureate head right / UP AUP GALLOU NIKOPOLEITWN PROC ICTP, city gate, small temple seen through doorway, ornate large colonnaded building above. AMNG I 1331; BMC Thrace pg. 42, 7; SNG Copenhagen -; Price & Trell 45 (fig. 26). Sear GIC 2124. H&J 8.14.46.1 (R7); Varbanov 2733 (R6)
    Very rare, dark green patina, near extremely fine.
    Ex Gorny & Mosch 186, 8 March 2010, lot 1524.
     
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  10. ominus1

    ominus1 Well-Known Member

    ..not bad :)...i think ive only one temple coin meself..(but not from the lack of bidding on others) a T Bone provincial..and there's really a lot goin' on on this reverse..i call these types a 'hey diddle diddle' reverse:D Trebonus Gallus  Romans  Christmas 2018 002.JPG Trebonus Gallus  Romans  Christmas 2018 004.JPG
     
  11. jdmKY

    jdmKY Well-Known Member

    EA106B26-450D-4847-B911-74852F19D9DA.jpeg 2BBA9181-A48A-417B-BCD4-FC3E0FEE69FB.jpeg Octavian/Temple of Divus Julius Caesar
     
  12. Broucheion

    Broucheion Well-Known Member

    Gorgeous coin @jdmKY !

    Here is the Temple of Mars Ultor, as seen on an Alexandrian Diobol of Agustus. You can see the reclaimed standards through the doorway.

    Emmett-3.ud; Geissen-5 to G-6; Dattari/Savio-14, pl 1; RPC I-5003 : Milne-5; BMC-7.

    upload_2020-11-28_14-46-32.png

    - Broucheion
     
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2020
  13. OutsiderSubtype

    OutsiderSubtype Well-Known Member

    coin-outsider-collection-Va8Cwb-stitched-basic-large.jpg
    If you like temple architecture, this series of Maxentius has a ton of variations across different mints. Different acroteria, different decorations in the pediment, etc.

    Maxentius. 306-312 CE. AE Follis. 23mm, 5.87g. Rome mint. Obverse: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG. Laureate head of Maxentius right. Reverse: CONSERV VRB SVAE. Cult image of Roma in a hexastyle temple, wreath in pediment. Mint mark in exergue weak but likely RBP. Van Meter 18; RIV VI Rome 210.
     
  14. curtislclay

    curtislclay Well-Known Member

    Hotwheelsearl,

    The closest match I find in the 2012 edition of Hristova/Hoeft/Jekov, Coins of
    Nicopolis ad Tstrum, p. 129, first coin on page: Septimius Severus at that mint, rev. Asklepios standing in four-columned temple, under governor Aurelius Gallus.
     
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