Ancients => Wait, I have a couple of last-minute additions!!

Yup, yup-yup-yup ... apparently I've bought myself a couple of Byzzy-Cup-Coins!!?

My awesome friend Batman has sold both of these sweet coins to me for a combined cost of $75 Canadian (delivered) ... that's kinda like minus 5 bucks to you Yankee dudes!!



Anyway ... I hadn't had any of these cool Byz-examples until now, so I thought that these two additions were an awesome buy!! (and a very cool place-holder in my stevex6 collection)

I hope that you like 'em (I know that Byzantine coins seem to be on everybody's short-list)

=> enjoy, my brothers (eat 'em up!!) ... feel the Byzy-ness!!!

Isaac II BI Trachy
Date: 1185-1195 AD
Diameter: 28.1 mm
Weight: 3.5 grams
Obverse: Mary, nimbate, seated, holding the nimbate head of infant Christ.
Reverse: Isaac holding cross-headed sceptre and akakia, crowned by hand of God in upper right field




Andronicus II BI Trachy
Date: 1282-1328 AD
Diameter: 24.2 mm.
Weight: 1.5 gr
Obverse: Six pointed star.
Reverse: Andronicus flanked by two large B

 

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Nice byzantines.

 

Those trachys are interesting--quite a presence in-hand--and nice details.

 

I don't have them "in-hand" yet, but yes, they're nice big-babies ...

=> 24-28 mm each (1.5-3.5 grams) ... I'm hoping that they're pretty cool

Wierd though, I don't know how I'm gonna store 'em? ... I think I'll keep them in those mini holder-capsule-jars of mine (I've kept my scarabs in these same lil' containers)



Curious? => I don't want to crush/flatten them in my albums, so I guess they'll have to be treated like Coin-Prima-Donnas? (how do you other Byzzy collectors store these precious cup-coins?)

 

Nice coins. I thought about getting some, but I'm a bit worried putting them in my binder, they might get squished flat.

 

You're correct ... hmmm, I wonder how I can store them safely?

=> well, I guess I'll store them with my scarabs? (in those sweet 40mm containers)

... here is one of my cool scarabs ... very cool




=> I store them in sweet little 40 mm (1.5 inch) aluminum containers with cute glass lids (they're awesome specimen jars)

 

Your cup coins are very nice, i'm a bit jealous, worry not you won't smash them.i have mine in flip and plastic binder. very nice my below zero friend.

 

For delicates, I use plastic gemstone cups which fit in a foam tray. They come in various sizes with 24 and 30 to the tray being common here. The ones I have come from a local antique shop but I suspect they would be found online. Each cup has a foam insert with flocked top that completely fills the cup. For very small coins you can use as is but thick things like Akragas teeth and your cups benefit from trimming part of the foam from the bottom to relieve pressure. These only allow seeing one side of the coin without opening but they are crushproof. I have seen trachy coins crushed but I'm not sure that it was not caused by someone trying to fix a 'damaged' coin with a vise.

 

Way to go little brother.

 

Nice!

 

nice, man that Andronicus ii is very awesome, haven't seen one like that. a star isn't the usual trachy obverse at all, neither are the flanking Bs on the reverse...very interesting coin.

 

I had no previous experience with Andronicus bronzes but a little research suggests to me that Steve's coin is better than most. There are many more gold coins of his offered but you never know if that is a sign that the bronzes are rare or if dealers avoid them because they look hard to sell.

The Isaac is an example of the problem with these coins. You generally have to choose between one nice side and one real mess or two lesser messes. You can get gold well struck on both sides but I felt lucky to have my 'balanced' mess with two flat faces but other detail present. Steve's Isaac face is about as good as I could imagine but Mary paid the price.

 

Very nice coins Steve, especially the Andronicus. It is in really good shape for the type and probably worth the $75 on its own. Congrats!

 

Thanks for the compliments, fellas ... oh, and thanks for posting your example, Doug (it looks quite a bit nicer than my humble example ... congrats)

For the record, the seller had initial price tags of $100 for the Andronicus and $15 for the Isaac, so you guys are on the money with your coin-critiques (the Andronicus II is definitely the show-pony of the two)

Oh, and I'm hoping a few more of you (eg. => Eng, chrsmat & A-Noob) have some additional examples to post?

... it's kinda funny, for the wonky ragged flan was the first thing that attracted me to the Andronicus (it acted a bit like a fishing-flasher, attracting my eye) ... the Isaac was merely too good of a deal to pass-up, so I chomped on the bait and super-sized the two coins!!

 

Those make nice little ashtrays, Steve. Just set them out on the coffee table for your guests.

 

2 more days left Steve, you sure you're done?

 

i don't have an isaac ii or andronicus trahcy...i could have sworn i had an isaac ii. had to pull out my box of scyphate and overly large coins (stuff that doesn't fit in my usual 2x2 flips) and look. here's what i do have in the byzantine departmnet....







manuel i






alexius iii





another alexius iii, this one has a "double headed" guy and a "cyclops jesus" effect compared to the first coin of the same type. has stronger fields however.





alexius i





and a manuel i








this is bela iii of hungary, not technically a byzantine...but pretty close.

 

awesome ... thanks for posting your Byz-wares (you some winners in here)

 

Any photography tips for these cup coins?

 

OK! I don't collect these, so when you guys have posted about them, I haven't paid attention. So, can someone tell me the reasoning behind "cup" coins?