My top 10 Ancients of 2021

What a great selection. I really liked the Attic Tetradrachm for the portrait and clean strike, the Philip II tetradrachm coz I've been looking for a nice one and know they aren't easy to find and the Constantius I Argenteus because I could look at that coin all day.

Thanks for sharing

 

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Thanks! Lifetime Philip II have been hot lately and difficult to find without auctioning off a kidney lol

 

Wonderfull coins. I like owl, Philip II tetradrachm and argenteus.

 

How do you expect someone to choose only three coins from this superb presentation? They're all great!

Looks like you had a great year, inflated prices or not.

 

Thanks! I overpaid for a few and underpaid for a few so it all worked out to be acceptable. Just took a lot more work and patience to get there this year.

 

Sorry, I am late to answer/ been busy with Sincona Auctions.
I think they are all magnificent/ but would pick 1/2/10 as real stunners. The KOSON Stater is a real mystery coin/ no one os 100 percent sure on its true origin. Some attribute it to a Scthyian King "Kotison" who was allied to Brutus in his war with Octavian/ Marcus Antonius. Other think it was struck by Brutus to pay his soldiers. The Argenteus is supberb Here is my Koson Stater....

 

Thats a beautiful example! What a great coin.

 

A superb group in a particularly challenging year for buying!

My favorites are your Argentus (for strike and overall eye appeal), Magnesia trihemiobol (for the wonderful meander pattern and overall artistically compelling type and the fact that it likely has a hidden pedigree somewhere), and the Daric (for the atypical and interesting portrait).

Well done on a great set of additions to your collection!

 

Impressive all of them.

Voted for Philip II, Velia didrachm and the argenteus

 

Thanks Joe! You certainly helped me a lot this year and I appreciate it, as always. Definitely looking forward to your list this year!

 

The whole group is wonderful, but I call the attention of readers to the

A trihemiobol is a very small coin and to have it look great in a photo that large is amazing. Good style, well-struck with good centering, good metal, interesting design, and overall--Wonderful! If you didn't notice how small that coin is, go back and look at it again and gaze in awe!

Congratulations, @kazuma78 !

 

Thanks for the comments! Here is that coin in comparison to a dime and another trihemiobol I bought this year that didn't make it into the top 10, though I do very much like that piece also.



I've been wanting something under a gram for awhile and the quality of this coin fit the bill. I was very happy to be able to pick it up.

 

Stunning selection! The Metapontion coin just wins the race for me, a simple, elegant and wonderfully clean example.

 

A phenomenal set of coins, and your photography is excellent.

My #1 is the Arabian tet, for its rarity and distinctive style. I have a special place in my heart for imitative issues rendered with unusual style, and that Roma write-up is worth reading for the historical context. Thanks for linking it.

#2 is the transitional owl because you can see Athena's snout becoming shorter and more lifelike but it isn't quite there yet. I haven't seen a better example of the type.

#3 is the argenteus. Everyone has commented on its toning, which is beautiful to be sure. But toning is only skin deep. The real virtue of that coin is the strike and preservation. The coin obviously came from brand new dies, it never circulated, and it was lovingly preserved by collectors through the centuries. (Perhaps it was a presentation piece?) Also, if the flans on these issues were any thinner, it wouldn't be possible to get a reverse design at all - they're almost bracteate-thin. To have so much fully struck-up detail on that example alone puts it into fleur de coin territory. The toning is icing on the cake.

Now that's if I were forced to pick three coins. I could go on and on about the virtues of the others as well, and tomorrow I could just as easily pick three different ones.

 

Wow, @kazuma78-- what a terrific array! The Magnesia ad Maeandrum trihemiobol gets my top vote. There's just something about it that is so charming.

Love the transitional owl tet as well, and the third choice is a tie: Philip II tet and Achaemenid daric.

 

Thanks! I much enjoyed the Roma writeup also, their comments and insight were very interesting.

For the Argenteus, you are spot on about what drew me in. The super sharp strike was what I noticed first and then the toning was what made the final decision for me. It is a pretty thin coin. Overall a pretty cool type.

 

Thanks! I had never seen that Magnesia ad Maeandrum type before and it really struck me as interesting and a unique design with great style. I'm glad I was able to add such a nice small coin.

I hope you have time to do a top 10 list this year, you have great tastes and a good eye for your own acquisitions!

 

Great coins! I voted for 1, 6 &7, but all great.
ATB,
Aidan.

 

Amazing year. I love all 10 so I didn’t vote.

 

Very nice coins !! , I voted for 5 , 3 , and 9.