My top 10 Ancients of 2021

As we head towards the end of the year and as all auctions and sales are over that I anticipate participating in, I would say that I can safely post my top 10 list. I had a decent year but I must admit that it was a much more frustrating year than 2020 was in terms of acquisitions. I put in many extremely competitive bids and several that I considered too high even, and still lost most of the lots I bid on. Ultimately, I bought almost as many coins fixed price this year as I did at auction. I am certainly thankful for the coins I was able to acquire but I am definitely hoping that the market cools off some in the next 12 months. The ridiculous prices have been taking some enjoyment out of the hobby for me and I am ready for that to be over. OK, now enough whining from me, here are my top 10 in chronological order of acquisition.

#1) Koson Stater


SKYTHIA, Geto-Dacians. Koson. Mid 1st century BC. AV Stater (8.37 g). Roman consul accompanied by two lictors advancing left; monogram to left; KOΣΩN in exergue / Eagle standing left on scepter, holding wreath. Hourmouziadis dies B/f; Iliescu 1; RPC I 1701A; HGC 3, 2049. NGC CH MS 5/5, 5/5

#2) Gold Daric


Persia, Achaemenid Empire AV Daric. Time of Xerxes II to Artaxerxes II. Sardes, circa 420-375 BC. Persian Great King or hero, wearing kidaris and kandys, in kneeling-running attitude on exergual line to right, holding spear and strung bow; quiver over shoulder / Rectangular incuse punch. Carradice Type IIIb, Group C (pl. XIV, 42); BMC Arabia pl. XXIV, 15; Sunrise 28. 8.32g. NGC MS* 5/5, 5/5

#3) Transitional Style Owl


Attica, Athens. Ca. 455-440 BC. AR tetradrachm (17.18 gm). Early transitional issue. Head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet ornamented with three laurel leaves and vine scroll, crescent moon in front / ΑΘΕ, owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig with berry and crescent moon behind, all within incuse square. NGC CH AU 5/5, 5/5.

#4) Arabian Imitation Alexander III Tetradrachm


Arabia, uncertain mint AR Tetradrachm. In the name of and imitating the types of Alexander III of Macedon. 3rd - 2nd century BC. Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress / Clean faced male deity with a ponytail hairstyle seated to left on backless throne, holding eagle and staff; ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ retrograde below, ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ behind; in left field, head and neck of an oryx with prolonged antlers and small horse head to left. Unpublished in the standard references, for similar issues cf. O. Callot, ‘A New Chronology for the Arabian Alexanders’, in Coinage of the Caravan Kingdoms: Ancient Arabian Coins from the Collection of Martin Huth. (Ancient Coins in North American Collections 10, 2010), pp. 383, 383-402; HGC 10, 686-704; for prototype, cf. Price 690 (horse-head left). 16.96g, 26mm. aEF. Extremely Rare.

#5) Philip II Lifetime Tetradrachm


Kingdom of Macedon, Philip II, 359-336 B.C. AR Tetradrachm (14.47 grams), Pella Mint, ca. 342/1-337/6. HGC-3.1, 864; SNG ANS-384-95. Lifetime issue. Obverse: Laureate head of Zeus right; Reverse: ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ, nude youth, holding palm frond and reins, riding horse right; thunderbolt below; N in exergue. Very well centered on the obverse and yielding great relief, this lightly toned and exceptionally wholesome piece offers tremendous eye appeal. NGC CH VF* 5/5, 5/5 Fine Style

#6) Metapontion Nomos


ITALY. Lucania. Metapontion. AR Stater (Nomos) (8.04 gms), ca. 510-470 B.C.
HGC-1, 1028; HN Italy-1482; Noe-184. Obverse: Barley ear; Reverse: Incuse barley ear. Quite deeply toned and pleasing, this charming specimen is nearly free from any problems, with the noted minor edge bend the only issue observed. Typically encountered with more distractions, this piece towers above most and presents a solid, well-centered strike. NGC Ch EF 5/5 4/5, Edge Bend.

#7) Magnesia ad Maeandrum Trihemiobol


IONIA, Magnesia ad Maeandrum. Circa 400-350 BC. AR Trihemiobol (9mm, 0.83 g, 6h). Helmeted head of Athena right / Trident within circular maeander pattern. SNG Kayhan 405–7; SNG von Aulock 2032. Attractive iridescent tone, a few marks. Good VF. Well centered and fine style.

#8) Thebes Stater


BOEOTIA, Federal Coinage. Circa 395-387 BC. Stater (Silver, 23 mm, 12.23 g). Boeotian shield. Rev. BO-IΩ Amphora; above, bow; all within shallow incuse. BCD Boiotia 8 (this coin). BMC 48 and pl. V, 14 (same reverse die) = Head, Boeotia, pl. V, 10. Traité III, 369 and pl. CCIV, 31. Rare. Beautifully toned and very well centered. Very fine.
From the collection of Regierungsrat Dr. iur. Hans Krähenbühl and from the BCD Collection, Triton IX, 10 January 2006, 8 (with original dealer's ticket).

#9) Velia Didrachm


Lucania, Velia AR Stater. Circa 300-280 BC. Philistion group. Helmeted head of Athena to right, helmet decorated with wing; AH monogram behind neck guard, Φ before neck / Lion standing to right; above, grain ear between Φ and I, Π beneath lion; YEΛHTΩN in exergue. Williams 478 (O238/R337); SNG Copenhagen 1578 (same dies); SNG ANS 1379 (same dies); HN Italy 1309. 7.46g. NGC XF* 5/5 5/5 Ex. Stacks 11/1946.

#10) Constantius I Argenteus


Constantius I AR Argenteus. AD 305-306 CONSTANTIVS CAESAR, laureate head right / VIRTVS MILITVM, the four Tetrarchs sacrificing over tripod before arched gateway to circuit of city walls with eight turrets. 2.85 grams. Absolutely stunningly toned and lustrous coin with an excellent strike. NGC CH AU* 5/5 5/5.


There were a few others that I might post as honorable mentions later in the thread, but these are my top 10. If you like, please feel free to vote for your top 3! Its always fun to see what is the most popular and how others tastes may differ from my own.

 

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Huge fan of the argenteus. Amazing on that. I would call that FDC for sure

 

WoWiE!!! Somebody's had an amazing year
When a STUNNING golden daric is your #2, you know you've had a dang fun rotation around the sun
I also purchased my first Philip II lifetime (?), and upgraded my Athenian tet
My Philip II has the same thunderbolt, but yours style is off the charts! Beautiful coin.

Philip II AR Tetradrachm. Pella, 342-336 BC. Lifetime issue. Laureate head of Zeus right / Youth on horseback right, holding palm and reins; thunderbolt below, [N in exergue]. Le Rider 222-306. 14.22g, 24mm, 7h. VF.




Attica - Athens - Owl Tetradrachm
450-405 BCE, Flament II
Obv: helmetted head of Athena right. Rev: owl standing right; olive branch and crescent behind, AΘE before, within incuse square. 17.11 grams. Good very fine.
Sear 2526.

 

great coins, my favorite is #1, it is well struck and centered, even the consul and lictors are in step.

 

Great selections, @kazuma78.

I enjoy seeing your 2021 coins. I especially like the Persian Daric, Transitional Athenian Owl, and the Arabian Alexander III tetradrachm.

I have a similar transitional owl design as yours. Need to look for my photo. Your Arabian version of Alexander tetradrachm is very cool-looking.

 

I protest mightily! How can I possibly narrow it down to three favorites? I ended up voting for the Koson stater, the Philip II tet, and the Constantius I argenteus. Superb. But I also very much wanted to vote for Nos. 2, 6, 7, and 8. Among others. I know that you feel you missed out on a lot of coins this year, but wow, you have to be pleased, to put it mildly, when you look at these.

 

Great selection! The daric and the portrait on the transitional owl are both showstoppers in my opinion, and it looks like you managed to have a pretty astounding haul overall despite the frustrating market. Congrats! Here's hoping that next year brings a repreive from 2021-level prices, and more great coins for everyone here!

 

Lovely selection! @kazuma78 ...2, 10, 4 for me but they're all sweet looking coins....
Congrats.

 

Pretty difficult to choose something that I don't like.
I chose #1, #2 (for obvious reasons) and #9 - I was not aware of this coin.

 

kazuma, You picked a great selection of diverse coinage ! My favorite is the gold daric from Sardes . Although these coins are plentiful, your coin is exceptional with perfect centering. My 2nd favorite is the Constantius I argentius with "rainbow" toning , & my 3rd favorite is the Thebes stater with the beautiful amphora . High grade Koson staters have been fetching shocking prices lately. I believe your stater is superior to the example pictured below, despite the grade on the slab, that was auctioned by Heritage last month for $6,600.00 ! Click the image on the coin & wear is evident on the high points; your coin shows no wear.

 

Some real stunners there, @kazuma78, and it's no wonder the votes are spread all around -- each of them is worthy of a number one spot on anybody's list. May 2022 be good to you and your collection!

 

Wow, what a year! The Phillip II tet is my favorite of the group, but all of these are excellent.

 

Congratulations on a great year, @kazuma78, all beautiful and interesting coins. It is impossible to ignore the #1 - no surprise that it takes the top spot. Amongst the gems, I chose #4 which grabs my interest, with #7 & #9 next. Best wishes for a great 2022!

 

That's glorious !
I've chosen #2, #6 and #8. The Metapontion and the beotian shield are among my prefered designs in ancients, both are dream coins of mine, and I bet I will dream of them quite a long time...

The daric, well, it's a gold daric, you know....there's nothing to explain

Q

 

That top 10 for a year could be a top 10 of a lifetime.

I thought I might be a bit of an outlier for voting for the Metapontion coin. But there’s something so pleasing about that beautiful, simple, balanced design combined with the toning of that lovely coin.

 

I agree but the fact is I seem to be attracted to all of the cities that used this incuse reverse design. I would specialize in them if they were not so expensive. While nowhere near as spectacular, I also like the small fractions including this obol sized version with a single grain on the reverse.

 

What a selection! I voted for the Argenteus, which is breathtaking.

 

WOW absolutely terrific coins all of them, but your Owl is a stand out in my book, congrats.

 

Thanks for all of the responses everyone! I am surprised and happy to see a pretty even distribution of votes for all of the coins. As a type collector, I like to try to collect based on quality and appeal of lots of different types and it shows I am accomplishing that based on how the voting is going.

Thanks! It is EXTREMELY difficult to photograph this coin based on the luster and toning. I wish I had better images for it and may have to remove it from the holder before I can get more acceptable images. Its seriously a luster and toning bomb.

Both of those are nice pickups! Your Philip is a nice style also. I didn't order them in terms of favorite, but instead in order of when I acquired them. Personally I would make that Daric my #1 choice for the year followed by the Philip II and Metapontum most likely. The Metapontum is stunning in hand and the pictures truly don't do it justice.

I was fortunate to purchase that Koson Stater for about 1/3 of the HA price early 2021 from private sale. It was really one of the first indications that fixed price and private sale have been the way to go lately. FAR different than 2020 for me where most of my coins came from auctions. The HA example is quite nice also but someone definitely paid crazy money for that little word "Gem".

I would love to see your owl! I got lucky on the Arabian Alexander Tetradrachm. I originally thought it was from lower Danube region which is when I initially made an offer on it. Later, I found this at Roma:
Arabia, uncertain mint AR Tetradrachm. | Lot 412 | No cat (romanumismatics.com)

Thanks Donna! I am just being salty over my losses- though I do stand by that I hope prices cool down somewhat this coming year. I always enjoy seeing your acquisitions as well.

Thanks! I certainly hope so. I guess while prices are crazy I just have to be more patient, creative and selective on when and what I buy. I would say it was still a successful year, just somewhat more frustrating along the way. I have to remind myself to have patience and not get too annoyed.

 

Thanks!

The Velia didrachms are cool coins. I love the lion on the reverse. I would eventually like to get one with a griffin or some other thing on the helmet and not just a wing. I do love the provenance of this coin. It's the oldest known ancient provenance I have in my collection at this point.

Thanks! I have been pleased with the distribution of votes. It's really fun to see what strikes everyone else fancy.

I love the style and the way the toning accents the coin makes up for the wear. I was gladd to add one of these as I had been after the type for awhile.

I was only listing in chronological order of when I bought them. Personally I would put the Daric up there at the top spot in terms of my favorite of the year. Those suckers are HARD to find with good centering and a strong strike without die shift. For the style its not perfect but its certainly up there. Its one I paid well for but don't regret it since it is such an unusually nice coin.

Thanks! I really was drawn to the fluting on the Amphora for the Thebes Stater. I've wanted the type for a long time and this one seemed particularly nice. I also like that it was Ex. BCD collection. The photo doesn't show the toning well but its actually quite nice.

Thanks! I loved the essentially complete border on the obverse. It doesn't seem like these come complete like that very often. The relief on both sides of the coin are pretty extreme on both sides. Honestly, had I not seen this coin in hand first in Chicago before the auction, I probably would not have bid because of the edge bend notation, but its really not noticeable in hand and doesn't detract from the coin at all in my opinion.

I agree Doug. The incuse coins are super cool. I would eventually like to add some of the other types. That obol is really neat, I don't think I have seen one of those before like that.

Thanks! I feel fortunate to have been able to pick that one up.

Thanks! The transitional owl pairs well with my mass emission issue owl. I was glad to be able to get it and as a bonus it was for sale alongside a bunch of common mass emission owls and went unnoticed, to my luck. I was excited to pick it up.