BenSi Top 5 for 2021

It has been a good year for my coin collection, I did acquire about twenty new coins and several group lots, I could not decide on what coins that would be included in a top 10, so instead of making a longer list I went the other way, I came up with my top 5 coins of 2021.

These bests of the year threads are my favorite on CT, I really enjoy them, I look forward to seeing more from my fellow collectors as the year is closing.


#5, A nice acquisition from CNG and a coin I needed to help complete my goal of finishing the Romaion/Byzantine collection of the 12th century.

It is on top of the food chain for the available denominations, a Hyperpyron of Manuel I, I had tried several times to acquire a nice example, this year I got it.


Manuel I Comnenus. 1143-1180. AV Hyperpyron (29mm, 4.34 g, 6h). Variety V. Constantinople mint. Struck circa 1167-1183. Facing bust of beardless Christ, beardless, holding scroll and raising hand in benediction; nimbus with five pellets between double-lined cross arms / Manuel standing facing, holding labarum and patriarchal cross on globe, being crowned by manus Dei; nine pellets on collar; on chlamys, square below right arm. DOC 1(for type); SB 1956. Lightly toned, minor scratches. Good VF.

From the Peter J. Merani Collection, purchased from Glenn W. Woods



#4 John II trikephalon aka Electrum Aspron Trachy

This is a replacement coin, in fact it is my third example, but the others had annoying faults, I finally won a better but not perfect example. The obverse is excellent.



John II Comnenus EL Aspron Trachy. Constantinople, AD 1118-1143. Christ Pantokrator enthroned facing, holding Gospels and raising right hand; IC-XC across fields / John on left, and St. George on right, both standing facing and holding patriarchal cross on three steps between them; IѠ/ΔЄC/ΠO/TH to left; Θ/Ɔ[Γ]/P[Ѡ]/I[Γ] to right. DOC 8c; Sear 1942. 3.18g, 31mm, 6h.

Extremely Fine.



#3 The trachea the 12th century issues were created with two strikes and that almost guaranteed a mess. The later Latin trachea and Bulgarian issues seem to be made with one strike. In this case a very common coin 12th century coin but nicely struck.




Alexius III Angelus-Comnenus, 1195-1203. Trachy (Bronze, 27 mm, 2.88 g, 6 h), Constantinople, 1195-1197. Bust of Christ Pantocrator facing, raising right hand in benediction and holding scroll in left. Rev. Alexius and St. Constantine standing facing, holding between them globus cruciger, and each holding a labarum. DOC 3. SB 2011. Dark patina. Extremely fine.



#2 I started a new collection because of a thread here on coin talk, this coin was one of my earlier acquisitions for that collection and it is a beautiful example. I find this series to be greatly undervalued.



Islamic Dynasties, Zengids of Mosul: Nasir al-Din Mahmud AE dirhem, 616-631 AH (1219 - 1234 AD), 8.05gm, struck 627 AH (1229-1230 AD) in Mosul, 26.0mm. Obv: Crowned female figure personifying the moon seated facing with legs crossed, holding crescent; date in fields. Rev: Shahada and name and titles of Abbasid Caliph al-Mustansir in five lines across fields; name and titles of Nasir al-Din Mahmud in outer margin. Mitchiner WOI 1129; SS 67. EF


#1 This coin is my favorite piece for the year, I actually wrote another thread on the history of this coin Andronicus I Comnenus , The Final Coin? | Coin Talk

To summarize it came from the collection of Simon Bendall, If properly attributed by Michael Hendy this would be a coin only minted during the month of August 1185 during the siege of Thessalonica by the Normans, Andronicus died in mid-September the same year. I bought this coin from a dealer who had won it at the CNG auction the year before.




Andronicus I Comnenus. 1183-1185. Æ Tetarteron (20mm, 2.57 g, 6h). Thessalonica mint. Struck July/August 1185. Half-length bust of St. George facing, holding spear over shoulder and shield decorated with lis / Andronicus standing facing, holding labarum and globus surmounted by patriarchal cross; manus Dei to upper right. DOC 7; SB 1988. Brown patina, roughness on the reverse. VF.

From the collection of Simon Bendall.



I also want to Thank all of my fellow CT members on the fantastic threads created throughout the year, I have learned so much and have added the occasional piece from outside my collection because of them.


I wish you all Happy Holidays and a terrific new year.

BenSi (Simon)

 

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The kind of selection that would have me considering collecting byzantine...

Wow !

And the obverse on the dirhem is gorgeous

Q

 

Congratulations on the good year, @BenSi! I like your #1 for the accompanying story. The trachy is stupendous. Not sure I've ever seen one as well struck! LOVE that Zengid .

 

Great year for you @BenSi !
That dirhem is beautiful. I've never seen anything like it.
@Cucumbor stay away from Byzantines! They will suck you in...also, I don't need any more competition than I already have haha. Really though, Byzantines are great and you should definitely branch out

 

You have a great coin collecting year, @BenSi.

I like your Byzantine gold coins. Shiny and in large flan. Your Nasir al-Din Mahmud AE dirhem has a very cool obverse design. Thanks for sharing!

 

#5 & # 2 are just fantastic!!!

 

Same

 

Five beautiful coins, but your Zengid is oozing eye appeal, congrats on a great year of collecting.

 

#2 is so cool looking.

 

great year, a Simon Bendal coin is a great find, the portrait on #2 is super, it looks like Jesus is giving a peace sign, appropriate for the season

 

Beautifull additions Simon

I agree its really hard to get perfect examples from Romanus III/ IV Nomisma Histamenons
Manuel I Hyperpyrons
Alexius I ""

Lots of John II Hyperpyrons are coming to auctions now.

 

Not my collecting area but can "really" see the appeal!...Some lovely detailed coins.
Particularly like #5 with the beardless portrait of Christ...And that beautiful looking Dirhem!....Congrats on a nice collection.

 

All beautiful, even though I don't collect Byzantines myself. My favorite is #5. I like shiny gold things, superficial as I am!

 

#5 is the winner for me. Congratulations !

 

The dirhem is stunning and I enjoyed the writeup and second chance story of your #1 - extra points for the focus of a Top 5! Congrats and best wishes for 2022.

 

I really like that Dirhem from Zengids of Mosul, I've never one crisp as yours!

 

Great coins, I like #3 and #5.

 

I absolutely agree with @furryfrog02 . Byzantine coins are nothing more than degenerate great-great - grand offspring of once beautiful Greek coins. Too much exposure to them will destroy one's brain cells and render one unfit for polite society. This specially applies to 7th c. hexagrams and 15th stavrata and their fractions. I will sacrifice myself in keeping them at bay from the rest of you, much as the eastern Romans kept the Hagarines away from western Europe. I am already disreputable and have nothing left to lose.

 

All are sooo beautiful, congrats! my favorites are the impressive #3 Alexius III Angelus-Comnenus Trachy and #4 John II Comnenus Trachy.

 

#3 and #2 are my favorite coins. All of them are outstanding!