Do you have a rare ancient coin?

... I have never seen another coin-example quite like this baby

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

okay fine, I'll try ...

Sadly, I'm not really too sure which of the following (if any) would actually fall into the category of "rare"? ... I have merely noticed that I seldom/never see any other similar types (so perhaps you folks can make comments on my choices?)

Antoninus Pius Alexandria (Taurus)


Antoninus Pius Alexandria (Serapis & Dioscuri)


Khusro II, Sassanian occupation of Egypt


Macedon Mende


Mysia Kisthene


Rhodes Rose (early example)


Lucius Axius Lf Naso

 

Got several, too lazy to post them all. Start of the thread below.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/your-coins-on-wildwinds-thread.238785/

Sorry but I do get tired of posting the same stuff every few months.

 

I am sorry for my English being bad. I just wanted to know the weight of this 15 shekel coin.

 

Oh.

95 grams. It's a whopper!

 

=> that's the spirit, Mat!! ... and I see that you have a new avatar (well done)

Oh yeah => I forgot to add-in my Wildwind coins (oh well ... too late now)

 

I collect Sogdian, so just that statemen tells you I prize rarity over condition. I find a lot of ancient collector prize rarity and coin subject matter over condition. Two of my favorite ancients, an Ostrogoths bronze and pharos alexandrian drachm, are only vg but I love them for what they are, not grade.

I left US numismatics over the whole "it's a ms66, so therefor MUCH rarer than just a 65" bs. There are collectors of true rarity in us and modern wold collecting, but far too many are only worried about "condition rarity" for my tastes. I like it here much more, where we appreciate a pretty coin, but all of our coins have a cool story to tell, especially the rare ones.

 

Julia Domna - Unlisted?
IVLIA DOMNA AVG, Draped bust right; FORTVN REDVC, Fortuna standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia
Unlisted Syrian mint.

 

Snap...

 

My rarest is the only known proto-Nabataean struck over a Seleucid bronze. I'm the first to publish it, on my website, here. Prior to the discovery of this coin, the only attested proto-Nabataeans were struck over Ptolemaic bronzes.

Proto-Nabataean Overstrike
AE17, 3.79g, 12h; Unknown mint: second century BCE.
Obv.: Head of Athena right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet.
Rev.: Nike standing left, holding wreath; crescent / Λ in left field.

 

My avatar coin was described by NAC as "Of the highest rarity, only the second specimen known of this issue and an extremely rare type." It's not even listed in the second edition of RIC, which instead lists a denarius of similar type (RIC 19).



GAIUS (CALIGULA)
AV Aureus (7.66 g.) Lugdunum ca. 37 - 38 A.D.
C CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR POT Laureate head r. Rev. S P Q R / P P / OB C S within oak wreath.
From the Biaggi collection.

However, the rarity is due to the obverse legend being rare, as there are other Caligula aurei of this obverse portrait and reverse legend, but with a different obverse legend (e.g., RIC 27). So from my perspective, this makes the putative rarity seem a bit artificial.

Still a nice coin, though.

 

My second rarest is also Nabataean, possibly the third known example. Meshorer cataloged two examples of this type. I have found no record of any sales. A small bronze of Obodas II with an exceptional reverse. Compare it to Meshorer's plate coins...


Meshorer compared the two coins available to him and since they were die matches, reconstructed the full legend as dating to RY7, or 24/23 BC. A preliminary comparison between my coin and Me27 suggests it is also a die match. Perhaps this extremely limited issue was struck entirely from one pair of dies...

 

Not so easy to get really rare roman coins for us regular folks.
Still, I have a few

First of all, a Caracalla tetradrachm that Michel Prieur himself helped IDing (and would have liked to buy for himself) :


Caracalla, Tetradrachm
struck in Antioch, c.209-212 AD
AVT KAI ANTWNEIN C CEB, Laureate bust of Caracalla right
DHMARX.....PATO.TO.TOG, Eagle facing with wreath in beak
13.65 gr
Ref : Sear #2649 var, Prieur # 214A_001 (unique to date with this reverse legend lacking C : "should" be TOC.TOG. Thanks to Michel Prieur for the additionnal informations)


Also this Constantine the Great follis, which reverse is listed for Licinius and Maximinus only in the major reference books :


Constantine the Great, Follis
Nicomedia mint, 2nd officina, c. AD 311
IMP C FL VAL CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; Laureate head right
VIRTVTIE-XERCITVS Mars/Virtus advancing right in military dress, holding transverse spear and shield ; trophy over shoulder. B in right field. SMN in exergue.
4.88 gr, 22 mm
RIC-, C-, Roman coins -
RIC lists this type only for Licinius and Maximinus . "Iovi Conservatori and Virtuti Exercitus both appear for Licinius and Maximinus, emissions for the former being the more scarce: coinage for Constantine is extremely rare. Date, c. 311". Coin should be listed after NICOMEDIA 70c.
Please see Victor Clarks website for further information at :http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/unlisted/

Them being in very good condition adds a lot to the pleasure of their rarity

 

That said, as I also collect coins from the principality of Dombes (see here : http://monnaiesdeladombes.blogspot.fr/) I come across a really rare one from time to time. The rarest of all being a gold pistole of an unknown, unpupblished (before I did...) and unlisted year (1579) :


Pistole, or - 1579 (inédite)
Atelier de Trévoux
+ LVDO . P . DOMBARVM . D . MONTISP Ecu de Bourbon couronné
+ DNS . ADIVTOR . ET . REDEM . MEVS . 1579 Croix feuillue
6.54 gr - 25-26 mm
Ref : Date inédite : Divo Dombes -, PA -, Mantellier -, Boudeau -, Sirand -

Q

 

Rarity is an interesting topic. Here are three of my favorite coins:

1) A half shekel of Tyre, a very common coin but unique with this date and monogram.

BMC Phoenicia page 250 #213 lists one Year 1 half shekel with M monogram. DCA lists this date as R3, the highest rarity rating and unique with with FP monogram.

2) Another very common coin, but extremely rare (maybe one of three known?) Obverse with KAI CAP (Rather than "IOY ΛIA") within wreath.


3) Just plain rare. One of the rarest coin types of Herod Agrippa I (26 listed?).

 

So many nice coins all... man, you all just blow each other out of the water with your examples.

 

I wouldn't try going swimming with a pocketful of those...

That is one sweet coin... I am a sucker for "thick" coins.

 

Is this thread limited to rare types? Or can rulers who are rare be included as well?

 

another very rare coin of my collection. It is a Probus quinarius and
the type was unpublished until 2002. A few examples appeared on
the market since then.