Denarius A. Scaurus - I can't part with it!!

This is the other one that arrived today. Whereas Scaurus' denarius is a bit of bluster, the coin of Trajan actually commemorates the acquisition of Nabataea as Provincia Arabia in AD 106. Arabia standing with cinnamon sticks, camel at her feet.

 

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That's almost as terrific as your first---A wonderful reverse!!

 

What do you mean, JB? I prefer your coin. I'm with medoraman on what makes a good one except I want REX on flan, too. Come to think of it, I want PREIVE, too.

 

This has to be one of my favorite Imperial issues. My example:

 

John, I can certainly see why you decided not to part with it! I have 'settled' for coins not nearly as nice.

 

Very nice indeed. I am also looking for the large bronze versions, and I wouldn't mind paying good money for them, but they don't come around very often, and when they do, they are typically rife with problems. After that the aureus.

 

Both are great coins, JA ... congrats, coin-bro

Ummm, well I may as well post my baby too, eh?

 

And mine, which is OK on the camel but clearly Aretas "challenged"


M. Aemilius Scaurus and P. Plautius Hypsaeus. Denarius Rome mint, 58 BC
M SCAVR AED CVR In two lines above camel, EX | SC, in exergue REX ARETAS, King Aretas of Nabataea, kneeling right beside a camel, holding an olive branch
P HVPSAEVS AED CVR in two lines, CAPTVM in the right field, C HVPSAE COS PREIVER in two lines, Jupiter driving a quadriga left, holding a thunderbolt
Ref : RCV #379

That Trajan is terrific too !
Q

 

JA must have found a nicer one of the A. Scaurus denarii, because this one is headed for my collection.

 

Ho ho, nice snag Sallent!

 

The new one isn't nicer per se, just the obverse is off-center vertically upward enough to give me more of the inscription ARETAS, which is more of what I personally want from the coin. I'll post it when it arrives.

 

Like many of Trajan's coins, the camel comes in varieties. Here we have with and without the ARAB legend. I strongly ARAB just like I prefer REX ARETAS even if the other is more scarce.

The best, I believe, are drachms of Bostra including some with big camels.
http://www.acsearch.info/search.htm...s=1&currency=usd&thesaurus=1&order=0&company=

 

Sounds good Anthony. Maybe one day I'll add one with the full inscription too. However, right now I'm just happy to add this wonderful coin to my collection. There is enough of the story in that coin to make it really interesting and worth owning for me.

 

It was wildly popular in its day, and remains so, with good reason. You always sacrifice something with these coins, as the dies were simply too large for the flans. If you get the full ARETAS at the bottom of the obverse, Scaurus' name gets clipped at the top. C'est la vie!