Andreae Alciati v.c. Emblemata 1492-1550 This coin is quite rare (5 examples known in RPC - none in ACSearch) - an equally rare coin with similar reverse was discovered 2 years ago by @galba68 and identified in a CT post with contributions from @dadams and @Volodya. When I first stumbled on it I was sure I knew the emperor featured on the obverse....I will leave room for a guess. (click the spoiler button to see the answer) Spoiler: What coin is this? Achaea, Corinthia, Corinth, during the reign of Hadrian, AD 128/38, AE 21mm 7.15g Obv: Ηead of Aphrodite (?) Lais(?), with earring and necklace, right, hair brought back and tied behind, leaving loose ends Rev: COL L IVL COR, lioness standing, left, over prostrate ram, on capital of Doric column; very little of the fluted shaft is shown Ref: RPC Vol. III 247 same dies as the example in RPC, very rare with 5 specimens known in RPC For meandering notes on this coin: Lais of Corinth - click the link to my notes pages on sullacoins.com. At first glance I mistook this for a coin of Augustus and the image on the back an odd portrayal of a she-wolf standing on a crocodile - some reference to Mark Antony? I suppose Augustus would not want to know that I confused him with Aphrodite or a coin honoring a Corinthian courtesan. The Greek verb "korinthiazesthai" to play the part of a Corinthian - refers to the role of courtesan (female or heterein) or pimp (male or mastropeuein). The reverse of this coin shows the tomb of Lais of Corinth (late 5th-early 4th century BC), a famous hetaira (courtesan). A hetaira was a well educated, entertainer, courtesan or mistress. The CT post referred to in the opening paragraph can be found here. Here's galba68's coin: As always: coins, comments, corrections, insights on history or numismatics and references are appreciated. Post coins of Corinth, provincial AEs, or anything else you find interesting or entertaining.
Very interesting coin @Sulla80! Maybe you should think of it as less of a diversion and more of calling to provincials.
You may be onto something there - here's another provincial AE that called me: a great coin in hand (8.5g and smooth dark brown/black patina). From ~600km east of Corinth in Lydia on the western edge of modern Turkey. Lydia, Sardes, AE ( 8.46 gr. 17-20mm), circa 133 BC-14 AD Obv: Veiled, turreted and draped bust of Tyche right. Rev: ΣΑΡΔΙΑΝΩΝ.Zeus standing left, holding sceptre and eagle; monogram to left (GRPCL #226) Ref: Greek & Roman Provincial Coins Lydia (Sardes) #236
That's a neat one! I have a soft spot for early provincials. Phrygia, Laodicea ad Lycum. Augustus Æ14. Sosthenes, magistrate. Obv: ΣEBAΣTOΣ, bare head right. Rev: ΛAOΔIKEΩN ΣΩΣΘENHΣ, Zeus Laodikeios standing left, holding eagle and staff; wreath to left enclosing Z. RPC 2896; SNG Copenhagen 553; BMC 147.
Stay away from Provencial coins...nothing to see here...move on..say, look over there. Byzantine coins. You'll like those!
Yeah, Ryan, you're right, nothing to see. Here's an interesting coinweek article on Ancient Roman Coins from Republic to Empire. An aside: The OP coin came with a cryptic 2x2 card that suggests some provenance that included Peter Flensborg, Otto Madsen 87 and J.C. Holm and a reference to Syl D. XV 294......
My main interests were for many many years late Roman Empire and feudal coinage. In the last couple of years I have discovered how similar the idea of Greek provincial coinage was to the feudal coinage that appeared after the decentralization of Charlemagne's empire in the late 9th to the 10th century. Here is L. Servenius Capito and his wife Iulia Severa, Capito was archon of Akmoneia in 65AD during the reign of Nero and he minted for Nero and 'civic issues' for 'Roma at Akmoneia': Coin is clear yellow brass (or orichalcum).
An interesting coin, a relic of Roman aristocrats in Asia Minor - I find it especially interesting that Iulia Severa would be included on the coin.
I believe I have only one Provincial coin of Corinth, a Marcus Aurelius (BCD Corinth 721). Not my prettiest coin, but it holds a fair amount of interest value for me: One of my favorite coins is my lone Corinth Stater. It was one of my very first coins, purchased at my local coin shop in Tucson, AZ circa 1991 (when I was maybe 12, after saving up for most of a year). I don't think I'd ever heard the phrase "feudal coinage" before (my familiarity with non-Byzantine coins after the 4th century is minimal), but I started Googling around after reading that... It does sound very interesting!
Sounds like Danish provenance, and very likely this Peter Flensborg: Perhaps the Syl D number is related to the Copenhagen collection?
Thanks @svessien! I think you are likely right on both counts - maybe someone has SNG Copenhagen (43 volumes! aaak)? Edit: volume 15 matches Corinth SNG Cop Author Willy Schwabacher Title Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum: Royal Collection of Coins and Medals. Danish National Museum Volume Volume 15. Corinth
Regarding the provenance to Holm et al., this is indeed a Danish provenance... I've cut-and-pasted my provenance file notes about Holm below. He had an interesting relationship to Copenhagen Cabinet / SNG Cop. I have only one coin provenanced to Johann Christian Holm (1914-1987), which he had acquired as an SNG Copenhagen Duplicate from the Danish National Museum. (Not pretty! Previously shared in my post on "Museum Coins.") Johan Christian Holm (Copenhagen, 1914-1987). Danish professional numismatist, coin dealer. According to The Celator (Oct 1994, p. 28), Baldwin’s Auction 3 (5 Oct 1994) dispersed his personal “collection of Roman silver portrait coins, as well as aes grave and other ancient coins” (direct link to .pdf Vol 8, No 10; see also catalog listing from BFA). Holm produced 7 catalogs, the first six 1951-1955, and the seventh in 1976 (believed to be a complete set, all described as “lists” by Fitzwilliam Museum). A plurality of coins provenanced to him in ACSearch records are ancient (Greek and Roman), but also some Danish and German, among others. (Also was one of the world’s few specialists in coins of Greenland!) Twenty-five years after his death, BCD wrote of him: “Mr. Holm, a wonderfully warm and friendly person after one got to know him well, would never miss an opportunity to advise this writer not only of interesting ancient coins that would appear in the Copenhagen market but also of paintings that could be of potential interest.” [CNG Triton XV, “BCD Thessaly II” (3 Jan 2012), 278] According to the account given by BCD (“Lokris-Phokis,” 130.2), Holm acquired and dispersed a “large quantity of Copenhagen ‘duplicates’ [from the National Danish Museum] … excluded from the SNG publication” (enough for BCD to have “spent many hours sorting out the more desirable pieces”): “In the early 60’s, Mr. Holm exchanged a unique and extremely important early Danish coin for many boxes of the Copenhagen museum’s Greek duplicates that were not published in the SNG. The writer was shown some of these boxes and spent many hours sorting out the more desirable pieces for his collection. When the time came to pay, Mr. Holm said that the buyer would have to work out the prices as he himself was not up to date with the Greek coin market. This was quite unexpected and a very clever move from the part of the seller as it made the buyer quote very generous figures so that the seller would not for a moment think that the buyer was trying to take advantage of him. Needless to say, this was by no means the last visit to Mr. Holm’s shop. As there were no other interested parties for this material, the writer ended up buying practically everything that was within his collecting areas.” [CNG Triton XV, “BCD Thessaly II” (3 Jan 2012), Lot 760; see also, NAC 55, “BCD Lokris-Phokis” (8 Oct 2010), Lot 130.2, citing “Information given in the 70’s to this writer by the late J. - C. Holm.”] BCD acquired those coins from Holm in the 1960s and 1970s, many of whose provenances are likely now lost. At least a dozen of the SNG Copenhagen Duplicates were cataloged in BCD collection sales, including e-auctions (multiple coins each from BCD Akarnania-Aetolia and BCD Lokris-Phokis; at least one each from BCD Thessaly II and BCD Peloponnesos; and duplicates from the above sales).
Excellent, @Curtis This sounds like the platonic idea of a Danish coin dealer: Warm and friendly (when you get to know him), and 110% business 24/7. Then there are the odd exceptions, like Jørgen Sømod, who would gather his friends in his shop and glue a coin to the pavement, only to laugh at people trying to pick it up. A story has it that one of the «victims» was a wife of a blacksmith. She went home to tell her husband, and laughter seized. Although these guys are not with us anymore, I still think a trip to Copenhagen is a good thing for a coin collector. If only to visit the Royal Glyptothek and see this marvelous beauty: (Yes those are aureii) Now I’m going to go through my old Thomas Høiland catalogs, to see if I may have a Holm provenance too.
