Lord Marcovan's Top 9 Ancient & Medievals of 2020 (the ONLY nine, actually...)

So, with all these Top 10 lists, I wondered about what my own might look like.

Ancient and Medieval coins are but a relatively small subset of my larger "Eclectic Box" collection, so it turns out I could only find nine from 2020.

Here they are, in chronological order by coin date.


Egypt (Ptolemaic Kingdom): silver didrachm of Ptolemy VI ("Philometer"), second sole reign, ca. 163-145 BC; Cyprus mint

Obverse: Diademed head of Ptolemy I Soter right, wearing aegis around neck.
Reverse: Eagle standing left on thunderbolt with wings closed, P IZ (Z retrograde) in fields, E between legs.
Issuer: Ptolemy VI Philometor, Ptolemaic King of Egypt, second sole reign, 163-145 BC.
Specifications: Silver, 21 mm, 6.64 g.
Grade: NGC VF; Strike 5/5, Surface 3/5. Cert. #5770260-002. Purchased raw.
Reference: Svoronos 1228.
Provenance: ex-Ken Dorney, via VCoins store, 30 May 2020.* Prior provenance to Classical Numismatic Group eAuction 456, Lot 248, 13 November 2019.*
Notes: Struck at Cyprus. Ptolemy VI won a decisive victory against the Seleucid Kingdom at the Battle of Antioch (Oenoparus) in 145 BC, but died three days later from wounds received in the battle.
Comments: This was my first Ptolemaic coin. I liked the greyish toning and the portrait on it.


Roman Egypt (Alexandria): billon tetradrachm of Hadrian, ca. 117-138 AD; canopic jar of Osiris

Obverse: Laureate and draped bust of Hadrian right, crescent moon before.
Reverse: Canopus (canopic jar) of Osiris to right, L G across fields.
Issuer: Roman Egypt under Hadrian, Roman emperor, 117-138 AD.
Specifications: Billon, 26 mm, 13.50 g.
Grade: F-VF; presently uncertified.
Reference: RPC 5312, Emmett 827.6, Koln 825, Dattari 1321 (per Ken Dorney).
Provenance: Ex-Kenneth W. Dorney Ancient Coins & Antiquities, Redding, California, USA, 27 August 2020.*
Notes: In ancient Egypt, canopic jars were originally used during the process of mummification, to preserve and store the organs of a deceased individual for the afterlife. However, during and after the Third Intermediate Period (1069-664 BC), improved mummification techniques allowed the viscera to remain in the body. The jars remained a ceremonial feature in tombs after that, but were merely "dummy" jars that were no longer hollow and were no longer used for organ storage.
Comments: I found the theme of this coin fascinating, given how relatively late in Egyptian history it is, having been struck during the Roman occupation. This was centuries after the time of the pharaohs. Osiris was still part of contemporary religion for people in Egypt, which still encompassed the traditional deities. It is interesting to consider how much of Egyptian history was just as ancient to the Romans as they are to us.


Roman Empire: silver denarius of Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus, struck ca. 196-202 AD, Laodicea mint

Obverse: IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right of Julia Domna right.
Reverse: CONCORDIA, Concordia, seated left, holding patera and double cornucopiae.
Issuer: Septimius Severus, Roman emperor (193-211 AD)
Specifications: Silver, 3.04 g. Laodicea mint ca. 196-202.
Grade: NGC XF; Strike 5/5, Surface 3/5, "lt. scratches". Cert. #5770260-004. Purchased raw.
Reference: RIC 637, RSC 21, BMC 593.
Provenance: ex-Künker am Dom, Germany, via MA-Shops, 19 May 2020.*
Notes: Julia Domna was the wife of one Roman emperor, Septimius Severus, and the mother of two more: Caracalla and Geta.
Comments: It was that grey toning that did it for me, though perhaps not everyone might find that appealing. Personally, I think it is quite handsome, though in the matter of style, the face of Concordia on the reverse does have a rather space-alien-like appearance. It seems the Roman die engravers of this period were not always as skilled as their Greek predecessors.


Roman Empire: silver denarius of Julia Mamaea, mother of Severus Alexander, struck ca. 222-235 AD

Obverse: IVLIA MAMAEA AVG, Draped and diademed bust of Julia Mamaea right.
Reverse: FELICITAS PVBLICA, Felicitas standing facing, head turned to left, with legs crossed and holding caduceus and leaning on column.
Issuer: Severus Alexander, Roman emperor (222-235 AD).
Specifications: Silver, 20 mm, 2.24 g. Rome mint.
Grade: NGC Choice XF, Strike 5/5, Surface 3/5, "lt. scratches". Cert. #5770260-005.
Reference: RIC 335.
Provenance: ex-Ken Dorney, via VCoins store, 28 February 2020.*
Notes: Julia Mamaea was the mother of the emperor Severus Alexander and served as his regent from the time he was 14 years old. They were members of the powerful Severan dynasty.
Comments: The portrait, sharp details, and subtly colored toning were what attracted me to this coin.


Roman Empire: billon Æ3/4, VRBS ROMA city commemorative; Constantinian era, ca. 330-340 AD

Gift from Josh Z (@kazuma78). I haven't completed a writeup yet, but if you're interested enough, there's a thread about it if you click the photo (which is the case with the rest here).


Roman empire: silver siliqua of Julian II, ca. 360-363 AD; found in 1887 in the East Harptree Hoard

Obverse: DN FL CL IVLI-ANVS PF AVG; draped, cuirassed. and pearl-diademed bust right.
Reverse: VOTIS/X/MVLT/XX in wreath with medallion in center containing eagle; TCONST mintmark in exergue.
Issuer: Julian II ("the Apostate"), Roman emperor (361-363 AD).
Specifications: Silver siliqua, 17 mm, 1.98 g. Struck at Arelate (now Arles, France- which was named Constantina at the time, hence the "TCONST" mintmark).
Grade: Very Fine, toned.
Reference: Arles RIC-309, T.
Provenance: ex-Gert Boersema Ancient Coins, Hasselt, Netherlands, via VCoins store, 12 July 2020.*
Notes: This coin was found in 1887 with a hoard of 1,496 pieces in the village of East Harptree, Somerset, England. A laborer named William Currell was digging to find the source of a spring when his pick struck the vessel containing the coins. Subsequent research indicates the hoard was deposited sometime around 375 AD. It included 718 coins of Julian II. This emperor earned his nickname "The Apostate" because he attempted to reverse the Roman conversion to Christianity, and to revert to the traditional pagan religious practices. In the long term he was unsuccessful, however, and was destined to be the last non-Christian emperor. He died in the Battle of Samarra against the Sasanian Persians in 363 AD.
Comments: I was already interested in acquiring a coin of Julian II, since I had been reading about the transition from paganism to Christianity. I also had never owned a siliqua before. Roman bronze coins of this era tend to be common, but these silver siliquae are generally rather scarce. The coin was appealing enough on its own merits, but with the addition of a well-documented hoard pedigree from over 130 years ago, I found it pretty much irresistible.


German States (Brunswick-Lüneburg): silver bracteate of William Longsword, ca. 1195-1213

*This coin just returned from PCGS with an AU55 grade.
Obverse: lion passant, left.
Reverse: incuse mirrored image of obverse.
Issuer: William of Winchester, Lord of Lüneburg (aka "William Longsword").
Specifications: silver, 21.5 mm, 0.54 g.
Grade: "Fast Vorzüglich" (Choice XF), per Münzenhandlung Brom.
Reference: Numista-106982 (other references cited there).
Provenance: ex-Münzenhandlung Brom, Berlin, Germany, 8 July 2020.*
Notes: a bracteate was a uniface coin hammered with a single die upon a thin sheet of metal, which reproduced the same design on both sides; raised on one side and reversed and incuse on the opposite side. Bracteates (hohlpfennige, or "hollow pennies") were a regional medieval coin that circulated in many German-speaking lands from the 12th to 14th centuries.
Comments: This was my first bracteate. Prior to its purchase, I had struck out at least three times in my attempts to win one at auction. I finally bought this one at retail instead. I like it for its simple yet suitably medieval-looking lion motif (William was the son of Henry the Lion), and its appealing old cabinet toning. I also like that it's from one of the German Brunswick (Braunschweig) regions, since I'm from Brunswick (Georgia, USA).


German States (Mecklenburg-Wismar): silver witten, struck after the Wendish Coinage Union of 1379
Obverse: Crowned bull's head facing, with protruding tongue.
Reverse: Lily cross or cross fleurée, star in center.
Issuer: Wismar, Hanseatic city in Mecklenburg, Germany.
Specifications: Silver witten, 1.36 g. Slightly double-struck on obverse.
Grade: PCGS XF40; cert. #39640148. Purchased raw.
Reference: Numista-108456, Jesse 365, Oertzen 257-264, Kunzel 2 A/i.*
Provenance: ex-Holger Siee, Germany, via MA-Shops, 11 June 2020.*
Notes: Struck after the recess of 1379, under the Wendischer Münzverein (Wendish Coinage Union). The same bull motif on this coin remains on the coat of arms of Mecklenburg to this day.
Comments: The whimsical, cartoonish bull with his tongue sticking out proved irresistible to me. He reminds me a bit of the gorgons on some ancient Greek coins. I affectionately call this my MCMC ("Mad Cow Medieval Coin").

Switzerland (Basel): gold guilder (goldgulden) of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, ca. 1452-1478

Obverse: ✠ FRIDORICVS ○ ROMANO' ○ IMPA', imperial orb within trefoil.
Reverse: ○ MONET ○ NO. / BASILIEN' , Madonna & Child.
Issuer: Imperial mint at Basel, Switzerland, as Prince-Bishopric under the authority of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (1452-1493).
Specifications: Gold, 22.6 mm, 3.33 g. Struck ca. 1452-1478.
Grade: PCGS XF45; cert. #39640149. Purchased raw.
Reference: Numista-134933, Friedberg-9, HMZ 2-49h, Winterstein (Goldgulden) 128-165.*
Provenance: ex-Sincona AG, Zürich, Switzerland, Auction 64, Lot 3075, 10 June 2020.*
Notes: The term guilder or gulden is often used interchangeably with florin to describe similarly sized medieval gold coins from many European polities of the era.
Comments: I found this lovely hammered gold piece attractive for its mellow gold toning and the Madonna & Child design. The "orb in trefoil" motif is also interesting. I was familiar with that from the 16th century Krauwinckel jetons, which have turned up in several bulk lots of World coins I've bought over the years (and at Jamestown, too).

 

Plus it has the unfair advantage of being gold. I reckon that never hurts.

 

It also happens to be the only known portrayal of an anteater or aardvark on a Roman coin.