Acquired during my Mamaea bender three years ago. I have not posted it since. Let's see your coins you don't often post! It's better than looking at spam! Julia Mamaea, AD 222-235. Roman AR denarius, 3.36 g, 20.1 mm, 6 h. Rome, AD 223, third emission. Obv: IVLIA MAMAEA AVGVSTA, draped bust, right, wearing stephane. Rev: VENVS GENETRIX SC, Venus standing left, holding apple in extended right hand and vertical scepter in left hand; at feet, Cupid standing right, reaching upwards. Refs: RIC 355; BMCRE 152-3; Cohen 72; RCV 8215; CRE 509.
My collection of medieval coins minted by the military orders isn't seen often on this forum: Livonian Order, anonymous issue (under Cisso von Ruttenberg or Jan Freitag von Loringhofen?), AR artig, 14th/15th century, Reval mint. Obv: +MAGISTRI* LIVONIE, shield of the Order. Rev: +MONETA* REVALIE; cross with three pellets in each quadrant. 18.5mm, 1.2g. Ref: Neumann 204a; Haljak 6; Hutten-Czapski 4054. Teutonic Order, under Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode, AR schilling,1351–1382, Thorn or Danzig mint (?). Obv: + MAGST WVNRICS PRIMS; eagle shield of the Grand Master. Rev: + MONETA DNORVM PRUCI; shield of the Teutonic Order. 21mm, 1.64g. Ref: Neumann 4. Knights Hospitaller (Order of S. John) at Rhodes, under Raymond Bérenger, AR Gigliato, 1365-1374. Obv: + F RAIMUNDVS BERENGERII D GRA M; Grand Master, wearing cloak with Maltese cross on shoulder, kneeling l. in prayer before patriarchal cross set on steps; arms of Raymond Bérenger to r. Rev: + OSPITAL ♣ S • IOhS • IRLNI : QTS • RODI •; cross fleury with arms of the Knights Hospitaller at the end of each arm. 28 mm, 3.64g. Ref: Metcalf 1208–1210; CCS 22.
An entertaining idea for a post @Roman Collector, and an interesting Julia Mamaea. I sold off most of my late roman bronzes a long time ago...here's a coin I haven't looked at for a while. This coin perhaps appropriate, for its date. In AD 324 on July 3rd Constantine was picking a fight with Licinius at Adrianople (the Battle of Adrianople, aka Hadrianopolis, today Edirne in Turkey) Constantine I "The Great", 307/310-337, Follis (2.95g, 18.5mm, 12h) , Thessalonica, struck AD 324 Obv: CONSTANTINVS AVG, laureate head right. Rev: D N CONSTANTINI MAX AVG / TSEVI. VOT / XX in two lines within wreath. Ref: RIC VII Thessalonica 123 Checking Google Maps: it isn't too many days journey between Thessalonica and Adrianople. "When they had thus established their naval and military forces, Licinius encamped at Adrianople in Thrace, whilst Constantine sent for his navy from Piraeus, which was built and manned chiefly in Greece. Advancing with his infantry from Thessalonica, he encamped on the bank of the river Hebrus, which runs to the left of Adrianople." -Zosimus, New History, Book 2.22.3 Licinius didn't fare well in this battle: "...the rest of his [Constantine's] army crossed the river in security, and a great slaughter commenced. Nearly thirty thousand fell; and about sunset Constantine took their camp, while Licinius, with all the forces he could muster, hastened through Thrace to his ships." -Zosimus, New History, Book 2.22.7 In the end, being married to Constantine's half-sister (both were children of Constantius I "Chlorus") didn't help Licinius I or II much.
I have been on CT for a few years now and I do not have a large number of coins. However as far as I can see I have never posted this coin. Taras Ar Nomos 240-228 BC obv nude ephebe on cantering horse right holding filleted palm branch Rv. Taras riding dolphin left. Vlasto 947 HGC 902 6.34 grams 20 mm This coin belongs to the period after the First Punic War when Taras remained an ally of Rome. However in 212 BC the citizens threw off their alliance with Rome and joined Hannibal. This was a fatal error. On a more personal note; I question the dating of this coinage particularly the the date given for the terminus of the coinage in 228 BC. I wonder if it would have continued later. However I have no evidence of any kind to back up my query, so at present it remains just a thought.
Don't think I posted this. Not something to brag about but it's always nice to get a coin from a culture I didn't know much about... also my only Persian so far.
Although my collection is small, I don't think I ever posted this one before. I bought it at the height of the pandemic-induced ancient craze. Fortunately, aes grave is a bit of a niche market, so prices for these remained relatively unaffected. (no bling!) So, I managed to lay my hands on a few. Love during times of pandemics. This triens is from an earlier series of aes grave, dated around 270 BC, the times of the Pyrrhic war. Like all early Roman coins, the horses have a definite Carthaginian feel about them. At the time Rome had entered into an (at least nominal) strategic alliance with Carthage to fight off the Pyrrhic danger. So, it's been suggested that it wasn't chance that this horse's head obv/rev should make its appearance just when it did. Though not the pinnacle of subtle imagery or refined workmanship, I love these coins for their sheer primitive beauty. Simple, straightforward, and extremely hefty. In a way, they remind me more of archaeological objects than of coins. Also, there's something oddly physically satisfying about them that no other coins have. If you ever see one, try and hold it in your hand. Others you can look at, admire, and study; with these, you literally feel the weight of history resting in the palm of your hand. Trust me, it feels great!
Nice thread! Here are some of mine that I don't think I've posted before. Aurelian antoninianus, fully silvered with some deposits. I actually think the deposits make the coin look nicer, especially reverse. Diocletian radiate. Fantastic bust, terrible reverse A Gordian III antoninianus with an older-looking portrait Maximianus antoninianus, almost fully silvered. This is part of his coded Hercules series, which I may have to make a post about in the future . In short though, the 3 officianas (A, B and Γ) minted coins which each had part of the word Hercules in. Workshop A had HP, workshop B had KOY and workshop Γ had ΛI, so HP/KOY/ΛI for Hercules, so this was from workshop B. This is also shown by the B in the right field Aaannnnnd finally a rare antoninianus of Tacitus, with INVICTVS in the obverse legend. Incidentally, all of these (apart from the Maximianus) were eBay buys, and they were generally £10 or £20 each
Yeah! Something other than spam! I'm aboard. So here are some new ones I got the past month - all random acts of eBay: Three Greeks - that Seleucid countermark got me pretty excited; the Lincoln penny is for scale and not another one of my attribution errors Julia Domna sestertius - I had one of these, but this was nicer. Julia Maesa sestertius - it has a bite out of it, but for $10.50 I couldn't pass it up. Antoninus Pius from Laodicea with yet another Antoninus head countermarked on it - Augustus Antioch SC and a Cappadocia for Antoninus Pius - a tiny one: Byzantine Justinian I from Antioch with the [ϴYΠ]OΛS mint name: I'm starting to get a real urge for coins from India...I need an intervention (and some Persian/Urdu, etc. lessons). A couple of chunky coppers - India, Delhi Sultanate Æ Paisa Mohd Adil Shah Suri A.H. 961 (1554 A.D.) Finally, non-coin, non-metal - the title page from a 1607 Paris edition of Seneca. I got this years ago in a batch of miscellaneous paper from eBay - nice frontispiece, I think: Whew. Glad to get that out of my system.
Here are three owls from Israel, purchased as a lot a couple of months ago. They all crude and show varying signs of corrosion from burial, but they are interesting nonetheless. They weigh, from left to right, 15.0 grams, 15.5 grams and 15.5 grams. Even taking the corrosion into account, these weights suggest local manufacture. The coin on the right has an obverse counterstamp that I am still working on.
Here is a Vespasian denarius that I picked up a few years ago in my first attended coin show. I believe I found it in a bargain bin. Since I was not into ancients back then, I stuffed it in a 2x2 and totally forgot about it. I am glad that the coin "reappeared" during my regular house cleanup a few months ago.