In March, @Curtisimo , also known as the good soul of CoinTalk Ancients, organized another round of his popular forum game "Guess the CoinTalker" and provided some mystery prizes for those whose names were drawn in the final lottery. I participated, and though not every single of my guesses proved to be correct (sorry, @bcuda !), I somehow ended up winning a virtual bronze medal. Yesterday, a small but heavy parcel arrived on my doorstep. It apparently had already undergone quite an odyssee: some stickers showed that German customs had taken it into their custody for a while before fortunately deciding that they were not further interested in it. Upon opening it, I soon realized that Curtisimo's coins had arrived, and I am still struck by his thoughtful and generous gift. First, the package contained this denarius of Septimius Severus. It fits perfectly into my growing Severan subcollection. Maybe Annona, the deity of Rome's grain supply, has watched over the safe travels of these coins? Secondly, Curtis sent me this lovely sestertius of Antoninus Pius. This is exactly the type of large bronze that I like to carry with me as a pocket piece: I have a small velvet pouch that has a special place in my briefcase and always contains an attractively worn sestertius of an emperor that I particularly like (i.e. Hadrian or Antoninus Pius). This coin is going to accompany me on many occasions: Their tags also show that both coins were once in the possession of @zumbly. They made at least one complete trip around the world: from their place of origin in Rome to zumbly's home in Singapore, from Singapore to Curtisimo in the US, and from the US back to my place in the former Roman province of Germania superior. In my eyes, that illustrates nicely how a passion for ancient numismatics and history connects people everywhere around the globe. Knowing my interest in medieval coins, Curtisimo finally added this Armenian tram struck for Levon I (r. 1198/1199–1219). It is a fantastic little coin whose iconography attests to Cilician Armenia's intermediary role between east and west: Thank you a thousand times, @Curtisimo, both for your incredible generosity and for putting such an effort into making and keeping this board a wonderful place. I very much appreciate it. Please show your coins that in one way or the other speak of generosity!
Wow, impressive gifts ! This incredible one I got as a gift from the same CTG (aka @Curtisimo the Great(ish)) with an headless chicken or other volatile of some sort... Q
Not an ancient, but still incredibly generous. Are we guessing? I won second place in his contest, and he selflessly sent me these as a prize, which weren't the original prize! I offered him cash for the upgrade and he flat out refused money. Since then, I've been trying to emulate that generosity. Ok, I'll give you a hint, his name rhymes with @Randy Abercrombie. Thanks again, big fella. Love this Franklin And this walker, which set off my current blood lust for all things half dollar. My current favorite coin design. But we're not done with CT generosity. @lordmarcovan and i had a transaction recently, and his package came with a bunch of cool stuff, including what was on the envelope. Look at this guy! (I kept them all) Also threw this in. Very cool. But the coolest thing, and i was going to buy one, was the limited edition penny he sent. Only 200 in existence, and I'm the proud owner of one. Thank you @lordmarcovan for your generosity, and for running my contests, and selflessly guiding me on the purchase of my first graded coins. It is truly, by seeing the generosity here, that made me want to give back. What a site, what a great bunch of people. Sincerely, thank you.
You will not find a more generous soul than @lordmarcovan….. I only can hope that when I grow up that I possess half the generosity and giving heart that man has.
I would love to call him or her out by name but I cannot, primarily because I have no idea who it is. From one of our 2020 secret Santas . . . . Z
Glad they finally arrived! I was keeping an eye on the tracking and it took them over a month just to make it to German customs. I really thought the A-Pi Sestertius, despite its flaws, was really nice in hand. It will make an excellent travel companion for you my friend. The tram just seemed like a coin that you would enjoy. In hand I found the larger diameter really appealing as well. I’m glad that you like them all and I am glad that they finally made there way to their new home. Better late than never! Your photos are fantastic but in case you want backups you are welcome to use mine.
