As always, another newbie question...I have to ask, on these coins I get with some green material and others with some red material...is it ok to pick that material off or a no-no? What exactly is it? It doesnt seem like it came from the ground or a buried jar like that. The dealers always say in the ad's "found like this" yeah right...looks cleaned to me.
Nice coin. Leave the encrustations unless you know what you're doing lest you leave a big pit in the flan. Here's one of my favorite Caracalla denarii. He looks like a real thug. Caracalla AD 198-217. Roman AR Denarius 3.37 g, 19.7 mm. Rome mint, AD 211. Obv: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head, right. Rev: INDVLG FECVNDAE, Julia Domna as Indulgentia, wearing polos, seated left on cerule chair, extending right hand and holding scepter. Refs: RIC 214; BMCRE 73; RCV 6805.
Wow, that Julia on the reverse, its like 2 coins in 1. Best thing about acients is all the reverses, makes for twice as much history, fun....
I couldn't agree more, except that for me, often the reverses are the attraction rather than the obverses. That said, the range of portraits we have for Caracalla - from innocent cherub all the way to murderous thug - makes a good argument to collect his coins by obverses as well. Nice coin, btw! A few of my favorites: CARACALLA AR Denarius. 3.17g, 18.5mm. Rome mint, AD 201-202. RIC IV 120. O: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate and draped bust right. R: ADVENT AVGG, galley sailing left over waves, aquila at prow, two signa at stern; three oarsman on deck, officer in the middle saluting three seated imperial figures (Septimius Severus, Caracalla and Geta?). Ex @stevex6 Collection, CNG E-Sale 352 (3 June 2015), lot 449; ex Dr. George Spradling Collection CARACALLA AR Antoninianus. 5.18g, 23.6mm. Rome mint, AD 217. RIC IV 284a corr. (draped and cuirassed; see plate); RSC 396a. O: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind. R: P M TR P XX COS IIII P P, Luna Lucifera wearing crescent on head, fold of drapery in circle round head, holding reins and driving galloping biga of bulls left. Ex Michael Kelly Collection CARACALLA AE32. 17.31g, 32.3mm. PONTUS, Amasia, dated CY 208 (AD 208/9). SNG Cop 112; Dalaison 385. O: AV KAI M AVΡ ANTΩNINOC, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. R: AΔΡ CEV ANT AMACEIAC MH NE ΠΡ ΠO, High altar (of Zeus Stratios) surmounted by smaller flaming altar; tree to left, ET CH (date) in exergue. CARACALLA [with GETA] AE38. 28.75g, 38mm. CARIA, STRATONICAEA, circa AD 209-211. Epitynchanontos, prytanis. SNG von Aulock –; SNG Copenhagen –; SNG München –; SNG Tübingen –; cf. CNG 100, lot 1728; for c/m: Howgego 84. O: [AV K M AVP] ANTΩ[NINOC C Λ CЄ ΓЄTA]C K, Confronted busts of [Geta – erased as result of damnatio memoriae] right and Caracalla left, both laureate, draped, and cuirassed; c/m: Bust of Caracalla right within incuse circle. R: ЄΠI ΠPV ЄΠITVNKANONTOC Γ ΦΙΛΩNOC CTPAT[ONIKЄΩN], Hecate standing facing, head left, sacrificing from patera [over altar] and holding torch.
That's one good looking coin. I would not touch it; it looks attractive to me. Here's a sestertius of this infamous guy... (an interesting aside - he was murdered while relieving himself in a ditch).
Caracalla. MACEDON, Thessalonica Caracalla. 198-217 A.D. AE 26, 14.9 grams, 7h Obverse: Laureate and cuirassed bust right, in scale armor Reverse: Nike advancing left, holding a small Cabeirus and palm Reference: Touratsoglou Em, II:a ex: JAZ Numismatics
