Your website is excellent - thank you! I was certainly enthralled by your coin and the write up you provided. I had been looking at this type for some time. But I think you may know how it is.. targets come and go, priorities change.. But your coin inspired me to have another look on VCoins... and this beauty is on the way! Ionia, Smyrna, c. 75-50 BC. Æ (22mm, 6.94g, 12h). Pasikrates, magistrate. Laureate head of Apollo r. R/ Homer seated l., holding scroll; two monograms to l. SNG Copenhagen 1142. VF - Good VF
Great coin. Now I want one! AEOLIS, KYME AR Hemiobol OBVERSE: Eagle's head left, KY to left (M beneath the head, nearly off flan) REVERSE: Quadrapartite incuse square of mill-sail pattern Struck at Aeolis, 450BC .46g, 7mm SNG Cop 32
I know how that works - I suppose that is a good definition of an "ancient coin collector" = "doesn't have one, yet". Here's one that I like (and have), brought to mind by @Bing's coin. The "sea eagle head" is much less eagle-like on this archaic coin. Paphlagonia, Sinope, AR Drachm, circa 490-425 BC, 6.05g, max 16.5mm Obv: Stylized head of sea-eagle left Rev: Quadripartite incuse square with two opposing quarters filled, the others stippled.
Quite a difference in art interpretation and both your coin and mine were struck close enough to be contemporaries.
Hey all, haven't been around as much but still here and appreciating everyone's coins. Anyway, life has been hard lately and buying coins hasn't been the priority. However... here and there I'll pick up a snack when I can. This coin isn't amazing and Valentinian II isn't the most compelling figure but... I found this one as a Buy It Now for $0.99 and $10 shipping. Anyway, it's a scarce variation of the earlier galley types and not the same type as the more common GLORIA ROMANORVM types of a similar period. According to RIC IX, this type was "to have been Valentinian’s earliest issue after his flight from Italy" running from Mangnus Maximus, sheltering in Thessalonica. Valentinian II. AE4. Thessalonica. DN VALENTINI-ANVS PF AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right VIRTVS AVGGG, emperor on galley left, holding phoenix on globe, right foot on captive, Victory at helm. A in left field. Mintmark TES. RIC IX Thessalonica 61a.
It's quiet here these days... but I'd like to keep "Saturday Night Free For All" a thing. I made a post a few years ago about late 3rd century SILVERED tetradrachms from Alexandria. I have a few coins from Aurelian and Probus that show silvering... this one being the most obvious. Anyone else have silvered 3rd century tetradrachms from Alexandria?
Hey it is Saturday. I have just made contact with a collector of the coins of Trajan This is always a fun topic so here goes. Trajan Ae Sestertius Obv, Heaf right laureate Rv Arabia standing left holding branch and cradling bundle of cinnamon sticks Camel standing before.RIC 466 Woytek 363a 24.14 grms 32 mm Photo by W. Hansen I picked this coin up last January at the NYINC, The venue was new and before the howling mob was allowed into the show we all had to stand on a set of stairs. The CNG table was less than six feet away, You can guess the result. Let it be said for a while breathing was only an option.
Happy Saturday!!! I think I've only purchased 5 or 6 coins this year... but this happened .. so I'm pretty happy.
That coin is very beautiful. I have a soft spot for Sestertii since they are so big, heavy, and have the best detail in the designs. How much were you able to get this one for? I like these issues that show Trajan's conquest of Parthia showing that he is trying to make peace within the region and incorporate it into the empire with his coinage.
Hey everybody, I am new to his forum, but I thought I'd show off a coin that I just bought and is on my way to me right now. It's a Sestertius of my favorite emperor Trajan depicting his conquest of Dacia with Trajan himself on horseback Spearing a Dacian laying on the ground. I like all the coins of Trajan that commemorate his military victories over the Dacians and Parthians, so I am happy to get this one to start off my collection. I hope you have a fun Saturday night! RIC 543 25.30 grms 35mm Photo by Monetarium
Well that is certainly an amazing dream coin! Congratulations! I cannot afford such a beautiful coin .. however I will honor your purchase with my bargain sestertius of Trajan (well I hope you see it as an honor and not an insult lol) - such an amazing Emperor. I still love this coin. TRAJAN AE orichalcum sestertius. OBV: IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC PM TRP COS V P P, Laureate head right, slight drapery on far shoulder. REV: SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI, SC in ex, Victory standing left, holding palm branch and erecting trophy; shields at base. RIC 523. 32mm, 23.6g Struck 104-107 CE
Your Sestertius has a great portrait for the condition and you can still make out the reverse style too. I could not afford the coin I just bought either, but I couldn't say no to it haha. Trajan's coinage is always a nice coin series to look at and collect. I hope to get more of Dacia and Parthia ones also others from emperors like Augustus, Vespasian (Judaea Capta), and Marcus Aurelius (DE GERM and DE SARM). I love collecting the military conquest commemoratives and this is my first one to start off my series. I have yet to get a single denarius, so I will probably get one next unless another beautiful Sestertius like this comes my way. Have a great night!
Great coins all and welcome @Trajanus . Great coin! This is one of mine Trajan AD 98-117. Rome As Æ 27mm., 10,97g.
Happy Saturday all. I recently purchased a nice for the type and rare variation of the FEL TEMP REPARATIO coins. According to Victor Failmezger’s book Roman Bronze Coins From Paganism to Christianity, “This is an unusual type of FEL TEMP REPARATIO struck (only) at Thessalonica after the mint was taken over by Constantius II from Vetranio in preparation for the war against Magnentius.” Anyway, a rarer type that I was happy to add to my collection. Constantius II Billon heavy maiorina Obverse: D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, rosette-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, from the front Reverse: FEL TEMP REPARATIO (happy times restored), emperor in military dress standing facing, head left, Victory on globe in his right hand crowning him with wreath, labarum (Christogram standard) in left hand, with right foot spurns captive seated on left, hands bound behind back, wearing Parthian cap, looking back and up at Constantius, Γ left, * right, *TS∆* in exergue. 4th officina, Thessalonica mint Dec 351 - 352 A.D.; RIC VIII Thessalonica 172, LRBC II 1671, Voetter 32, SRCV V 18198, Cohen VII 38
Oh, that is fantastic! I'm a collector of FEL TEMP REPARATIOs and captives/barbarian coins especially, but I don't think I ever knew of this type. Thanks for sharing -- now I have to find one!!! I posted some of my recent captives/barbarians coins over here the other day: https://www.cointalk.com/posts/8486328 Here are a couple I left out of that thread (but I've shown elsewhere): Constantius II. This is my Arelate (Arles) with ARL instead of TCON in the exergue (AE3s). A really nice Gordian III RIC 337a, with Victory balancing a shield on the head of a tiny captive. From the Adrian Lang collection (Leu 12), but they didn't note that it was previously in the George His collection (CNG 69) -- and illustrated on wildwinds, which is always fun! With probably the best patina in my collection (no coincidence that George His & Adrian Lang were both mineral collectors before coin collectors!): Also -- I just got a bunch of old books and auction catalogs from the Numismatik Lanz Library. Here are two that had illustrate coins in my collection. (I was really thrilled about getting Hubert Lanz's custom hardcover set of the Leo Benz collection catalogs, Lanz 88, 94, and 100. I've got another pair [94 & 100] that I'll use as my normal working copies, and keep Lanz's as my "collectible shelf copy.") Below is Hess 207 (1 Dec 1931), "Sammlung Kommerzienrat H. Otto, Stuttgart" [Heinrich Otto, Jr., 1856-1931], with Hermann Lanz's library stamp & no. 1567. The coin is a Messene Hemidrachm/Triobol (ex BCD Peloponnesos II 2327, which didn't note the prov. to Hess 207/Otto):
Now for something completely different. This one is a bit unusual. Back in 2002 I bought this coin Ae Aurelianus of Numerian Lugdunum 283-284 AD Obv Bust left radiate cuirassed holding spear and shield Rv Pax standing left holding branch and scepter RIC 395 2.79 grms 22 mm Photo by W. Hansen This is the photograph from CNG E Auction 53 Lot 120 November 20 2002 Recently I have been told that the obverse of my coin is the avatar image for Numerian on the Wikipedia site. This is a screen shot of that page As noted this is different.