SECRET SATURNALIA 2021!!!!!

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Saturnalia is so close I can smell the wine on my breath...oh, that's also cause I have wine on my breath

 

While the roles of slaves and masters reverse on this day, let's take a moment to realize that the slaves would have to walk on eggshells to not do anything 'extra', after all they're still at the mercy of their owners at the end of the day.

 

When I was in ROTC in college, there was one day a quarter where the underclassmen pinned on officer ranks and were in charge.

Despite me being the #2 "in charge" that day, I was still yelled at for allowing my sleeves to billow out, which was a privilege afforded only to the upperclassmen. Despite the on-paper rank, in practice it wasn't any different.

 

TOMORROW IS THE BIG DAY!!!!

 

3 hrs to go for me!!

 

IO SATVRNALIA

Finally I opened my gift that came all the way from the UK! It only came through a couple of days ago so I didn't have to wait long enough.
I really love the IO SATURNALIA greeting card,
Included were 4 lovely coins.
As a Trajan fanboy, I'm thrilled to get a couple of denarii from him as well, both types I did not have before, especially I was looking for an Arabian issue of Trajan.
A nice campgate follis of Constantius II.
and a medieval penny of Edward I, from what I assume is Durham mint.



This is my first year of Secret Saturnalia and I am pleased with my gifts, I really don't know who sent me this (also I don't want to mention their real name here), If you see this post, I really appreciate your gift.

 

IO Saturnalia!!

many thanks to Saturn this year, who, in a shocking twist, was the same unlucky soul who had me last year! Saturn brought a lovely Gros Tournois from the reign of Philip IV (a necessary part of any medievalists collection, and one I had yet to acquire), and a beautiful Follis of Leo VI:



Many thanks to my secret Saturn again!

 

Those are both great!

 

Opened mine this morning..WOW!....Thank you my Secret Saturnalia...
My first, and what a wonderful example, Tetradrachm from Antioch.
It sits beautifully in my new glass cabinet......Lovely detail!

SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch. Gordian III, AD 238-244.
AR Tetradrachm, 28mm, 13.7g, 6h, struck AD 238-240.
Obv..Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev..Eagle standing facing with spread wings, head turned to left, holding wreath in beak. //SC
McAlee 862.....Prieur 279.

 

IO Saturnalia!!

A big thank you goes to @JayAg47 for my Saturnalia. A variety of ancient, world, and even some Australian gold.

Thank you again, Jay

 

Io Saturnalia!

No idea who my Secret Saturn is, but thanks for this ant of Aurelian! The patina is lovely, it's well-centered, and it's a good type to represent Aurelian-- "restorer of the world"


Aurelian
antoninianus, 22 mm, 3.44 gm
Antioch mint, 275 CE
Obv: IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG; radiate cuirassed bust right
Rev: RESTITVT OR BIS; female figure standing to right, presenting a wreath to Emperor standing to left and holding sceptre; B in exergue
Ref: RIC 386

 

Good stuff everyone! Just a quick reminder concerning etiquette:

Please acknowledge your gift, whether the giver is anonymous or known.

 

I received mine yesterday in the mail. I am deer hunting today and tomorrow and will post up some pictures Sunday when I get home and open it up. ☺

 

Yet again I am just humbled and blown away by the kindness of my Saturness.

Actual footage of me opening my gift!

OK, OK. More like this:

(An actual Saturnalia holiday card!)


(NOPE. You don't get to see the letter... coins)


(Either I've just been given the world's longest ancient coin or I was sent 4!)



Any long term Coin Talker knows that monogram and that I was a lucky ducky to have @TIF as my Saturness!!! I can't thank you enough for the generous and very well thought out Saturnalia you have treated me to. Simply overwhelmed.
She and I have been messaging and she offered to send me pictures of the coins shot with her first class photography skills.
So don't for a second think that these BeauuuuuTIFul coin pics are indicative of what to expect my coin pics to look like going forward.

First, a coin of the Thessalian League minted somewhere between 196BCE and the beginning of Augustus reign, that has the greatest pedigree of any coin of mine...by a LOT! Sold by Joseph J Copeland (anyone recognize the name?) In 1993(!), when I was twelve, ex BCD, ex @zumbly (my first from his collection) who sold it at AMCC 1, meaning technically I get to call it ex @Severus Alexander where @TIF picked it up and then gifted it to my greedy little grubbers

Thessaly, Thessalian League
circa 196-27 BCE
AE 16 mm, 6.3 gm
Obv: Helmeted head of Athena Itonia right, magistrate name above
Rev: Horse trotting right
Ref: SNG Cop 324-328
Ex half of coin talk!

She 1000% could have stopped here and I would've been one pleased peach... but she didn't

Next up, an artistically beautiful coin with a sad story attached to it: Hermias was a young Greek boy whose mom didn't want to let go swimming. She finally relented and when he went swimming with all his friends at the end of the day they came back and he didn't
A long while later a fisherman sees a boy on a dolphin. When the two washed upon shore they were dead. The myth goes, the two became friends and when playing together Hermias fell on the dolphins fin and was impaled. The dolphin do distraught he carried the boy to shore before dying of grief.
Here the two are playing together before the accident. With an Apollo obverse that reminds me of myself at that age, right down to the rebelliously long hair (though my nose is just a little straighter ) :

Caria, Iasos
250-190 BCE
AE 17 mm, 5.78 gm
Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right (looking remarkably like the remarkable Ryro)
Rev: Hermias swimming with dolphin
Ref: SNG Tubingen 3397; Klein 520

Followed by a mystery coin. TIF knows how much I love trying to identify coins (it is one of my favorite parts of the hobby and I've grown immensely at it thanks to her and this board's tutelage).
I think I've got it, but for my enjoyment she has the label hidden in a taped up card with the words "Attribution label for the BCD incerta coin"
So, we know it's ex BCD. But I won't spoil the surprise. If anyone wants to take a swing have fun. I've let TIF know my guess but am waiting to hear back before opening the taped card


Talk about a group of coins that are ALL right up my collecting alley Gosh, This Is Fun
And you haven't even seen my favorite coin (see folks, this is why you do NOT post year end until the year ends!)
Most old school CTers are aware of the coins of Tiffily, a small now submerged island located off the coast of Anatolia. You can learn more here in @TIF 's stirringly factual write up:
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/hear-no-evil-see-no-evil.269689/page-2#post-2255494
Upon opening this wondrous gift I began to study and quickly I found a Roman connection not previously noted in our own TIF's ground breaking research.
Around the time of the Republic and before Tiffily was submerged there was a Roman colony named Thisisfunerea. Thisisfunerea was known to also have been an island off the coast of Anatolia. And even, not amazingly, the immensley real ancient historian Tushyass in his history makes mention of them worshiping a flying lizard creature! Now, I don't conjecture that it IS an iguana, but if it WAS then the history of western civilization may need to be rewritten by somebody who speaks iguanaease! Keeping in mind Thisisfunerea existed near half a millennia after the sources grow silent on Tiffily's population. Meaning we may never know the truth.
Now that we have the TRUE history out of the way, onto the coin!

TIFFILY, Tiphonia
c. 5th century BCE
AR 17, 7.4 gm
Obv: Forepart of winged iguana left
Rev: Monogram within dotted square, incuse
Ref: SNG 2,
Note: Metallurgic analysis shows this unusual coin to be 99.9% pure silver yet oddly porous.
Ex @TIF collection

I'll do my best to get all of the IDs on here when time allows.
Thanks again @TIF for a truly special and happy Saturnalia

 

Hmm, looks like I'm going to be bribing Curtissimo next year to assign me to TIF.

 

I had such a good time picking out coins for you-- I knew you'd make it sound extravagant and fun .

You could also summarize the gift in a "Explain a Movie Plot Badly" way:

• A coin so unremarkable that it was sold as part of a group lot in its last three appearances
• A coin with active bronze disease
• A coin BCD didn't even bother to attribute
• A modern fake

Io Saturalia, ScoobyDoo!

 

@Ryro what a haul!
I was so confused when I saw the pictures at first. I couldn't figure out where Tiffily, Tiphonia was. I had never heard of it. Now I get it Very cool to have your own "ancient", @TIF

 

I have finished (poorly) photographing the coins that came from my Secret Saturnalia, @Orielensis . So here goes!



The package has been sitting on the front table for better part of a week testing my and the tadpoles' patience. Finally, today was the day! The two older ones had barely walked in the door before we started opening the package.

Blown away is one way to describe it...Orliensis did an amazing job! He even generously included coins for the tadpoles!

My present was a great historical piece that is way out of my collecting realm but not my historical interest. It couldn't have come at a better time either, since I just finished listening about the Peloponnesian War on the "History of Ancient Greece" podcast! Not only is it super cool from a historical perspective, it also has some beautiful blues and golds on the reverse.



There were also two folles from the Tetrarchy and 2 Greek coins for the tadpoles. The two older kids picked out their favorites and the youngest got to choose his as well. Since tadpole #4 isn't due for another month and half, he will just have to wait to lay claim to his coin

Here are the 2 oldest with their coins. Couldn't get the little one to stand still for a picture.


And here are the pictures:


Now we get to spend the weekend working on identifying them. They have labels but we love working on identifications together!

Thank you again, @Orielensis, for such an awesome Secret Saturnalia gift!

Io Saturnalia!