Featured Follow the coin theme GAME - ancient edition - post ‘em if you got ‘em

My Corinthian helmet looks a bit phallic due to its strike and wear!

Next, does anyone here have genuine Spintria/prostitution token coins?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

LOL! You think so?

 

12hour rule, however we'll stay close to the theme above by posting Elagabalus...

Elagabalus, 218-222 A.D., Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria
AR Tetradrachm, struck 218-220 A.D., 25mm 12.02 grams

Obverse: Laureate head of Elagabalus right
AVT K M A ANTONEINOC CEB

Reverse: Eagle standing left, wreath in beak, star between legs, delta epsilon in field
DH MARC EX UPATOC TO B

Reference: Prieur 249A; McAlee 760




And a denarius...



Another depiction of the Baetyl

 

This is a coin I haven't even really written up yet -- it would be my Roman Republican No. 58 -- but since I have no idea when I'll get to that given my recent health issues, I might as well post it now. Perhaps not "the" Baetyl, but "a" baetyl.

Roman Republic, M. Nonius Sufenas, AR Denarius, 59 BCE (Harlan: 57 BCE), Rome Mint. Obv. Bearded head of Saturn right, with long hair; behind head, harpa with conical stone (baetyl or omphalos)* beneath it -- i.e., and S•C upwards above it; before, SVFENAS downwards / Rev. Roma seated left on pile of shields, holding scepter in right hand and sword in left hand; behind, Victory left, crowning Roma with wreath and holding palm-branch extending behind her over right shoulder; around to left from 4:00, PR•L• - V• - P•F; in exergue, SEX•NONI [Reverse legend = Sex. Noni[us] pr[aetor] L[udi] V[ictoriae] p[rimus] f[ecit]. Crawford 421/1; RSC Nonia1 (ill.); BMCRR 3820; Sear RCV I 377 (ill.); Sydenham 885; Harlan, RRM II Ch. 13 at pp. 104-111; RBW Collection 1517. 19 mm., 3.95 g.

* See Harlan RRM II at p. 107: "The head of Saturn clearly identified by the harpa and the conical stone beside his head is on the obverse of the coin. The harpa recalls the castration of his father Uranus that resulted in the birth of Venus and the conical stone recalls that Saturn swallowed a stone thinking it was his infant son Jupiter whom he was trying to keep from growing up to replace him.

Saturn, always identified by the harpa, appeared five times on Republican denarii."

Next: another coin showing Saturn [or his Greek original, Kronos].

 

Saturn!


Gallienus, AD 253-268.
Roman billon antoninianus, 4.26 g, 18.8 mm, 12 h.
Antioch, 15th emission, AD 266-268.
Obv: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
Rev: AETERNITAS AVG, Saturn standing right, holding harpa in left hand; PXV in exergue.
Refs: RIC 606; Göbl 1662i; Cohen 44; RCV 10170.

Next: Gallienus from the Antioch mint.

 

Gallienus, Billon Antoninianus, 264-265 AD, Antioch Mint, 11th emission (Göbl).* Obv. Radiate head left, GALLIENVS AVG / Rev. Lion walking left, bucranium [bull’s head] in front of paws, P M TRP XIII; in exergue, CVIPP [CVI = COS VI], palm branch left below. RIC V-1 602 var. obv. [bust draped & cuirassed] & rev. [lion radiate]; RSC IV 847 var. rev. [lion radiate]; Sear RCV III 10327 var. rev. [lion radiate]; Göbl MIR [Moneta Imperii Romani] Band 36, No. 1622 [see http://www258.pair.com/denarius/coinage.htm, Coinage of Gallienus and Family, with Göbl numbers, descriptions, & images for Gallienus coins]. 21 mm., 4.05 g., 12 h.**



*See Euston, Charles, Gallienus to Antioch ? A new PROFECTIO type of antoninianus from the mint at Antioch, A.D. 264, in Bulletin du cercle d’études numismatiques [BCEN] 52/2 (2015), at p. 2: “Göbl’s 11th emission begins with another lion reverse; lion (not radiate), left with a bull’s head between its paws (MIR 1622). This reverse is also dated, but to Gallienus’ 13th tribunician power (TRP XIII). Interestingly, this type straddles both the 12th and the 11th emissions as it exists both with and without the palm frond as exergual marker. This mark in the exergue is, in fact, the primary indicator of the 11th emission.”

**See Manders, Erika (2012), Coining Images of Power: Patterns in the Representation of Roman Emperors on Imperial Coinage, A.D. 193–284. Impact of Empire (Roman Empire, c. 200 B.C.–A.D. 476), at pp. 296-297 [portions available on Google Books], stating that “[f]our coin types [of Gallienus] [NB: in fact, there were more than four] bear a legend consisting of standard imperial titalature and show a lion with a bull’s head between his paws or a radiate lion (sometimes with a bull’s head between his paws. . . . These types might refer to the victories of Odaenathus [of Palmyra], Rome’s ally, gained over the Persians, probably in 262-263 and 267. This hypothesis is strengthened by the thirteenth Sybilline Oracle’s description of the Persians as ‘venom spitting beasts’ who have been destroyed by Odaenathus, the ‘sun-sent, dreadful, fearful lion, breathing much fire.’” Other authorities have expressed skepticism regarding this interpretation. See, e.g., Woods, David (2018). "From Caracalla to Carausius: The Radiate Lion with Thunderbolt in its Jaws". British Numismatic Journal. British Numismatic Society.

Next: another Gallienus from Antioch.

 

Gallienus - Antioch


Ant - Sole Reign - Antioch Mint - VIRTVS AVGVSTI, Hercules

Next: Juno BCE

 

Rome mint, 80 BC
Head of Juno Sospita right, clad in goat’s skin, S . C behind
Juno Sospita in biga right holding spear and shield. A snake below biga. [L. PROCILI. F] at exergue
19,5 mm - 3.89 gr
Ref : RCV # 307, RSC, Procilia # 2

Next : another serrate

Q

 

This is an odd issue from Carthage, as they did not produce serrated bottle-cap coins until their demise. This one is kinda hard to obtain.


Carthage Third Punic War Serrate Double Shekel 149-146 BCE 12.8g 26mm Wreathd Tanit-Horse pellet raised leg SNG COP 404

Next: Tanit

 

next: horse head

 

A 'Romano' issue:


Next: Roman before 211 BC.

 

next: RR Uncia

 

OK - here's an uncia.

Obv.: Helmeted head of Roma left; pellet behind
Rev.: Prow of galley right; pellet below
Mint: Rome (ca 225-217 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 19.69g / 25.5mm / 12h
References:

• Crawford 35/6
• ICC 83
• HN Italy 342
• RBW 90

Provenances:

• Ex. Andrew McCabe Collection
• Ex. Aes Rude Titano 63 (26 Nov 1995), lot 126

Acquisition: CNG Online Auction ESale 436 #397 23-Jan-2019




Next - a cast coin

 

Next up: Olbia

 

edit- missed by seconds!
Celtic coin from the Gaul of the Senones tribe.
'Native-American' type and a horned horse (I'd say a unicorn lol).
3 grams. 52 BC.


Next- Olbia

 

AV Stater ND struck circa 42BC
Olbia Mint
Geto-Thracian origin
Koson (Kotison)? NEXT UP: Another coin from Spartacus homeland (Thrace)

 

THRACE, Abdera

Tetrobol (311-280 BC).
Obv: Griffin crouching left on club.
Rev: ΑΒΔΗΡΙΤΕΩΝ.
Laureate head of Apollo right within linear square.
SNG Copenhagen 366.
Ex European auction as VF, I call it a nice AVF, well centered, good metal with lt tone Ex: Frank Robinson

Next up: mythical creature

 

BANAS of MADURAI: Samarakolakalan Copper jital, running Garuda (half-human/half-eagle), the name in Tamil on the obverse. 14th century.

Next, post a coin from South Asia

 

RR denarius of Plautus with mythical Medusa . As extra though in - not a coin, but mythical Griffin on first century Roman oil lamp...next, another mythical creature...