Your sS actually delivered a fabulous coin to you for Christmas. (assuming you open the bottle while bidding in the Triton XIX auction).
I hope you look on this coin as favorably as I do. The reverse is still double struck but the perforations show just how hard it was to strike these properly and why they had to do the double striking to get a good obverse. This is a great obverse for these. I believe the problem was that they had trouble making dies with the same curvature for both sides and never realized the need for cup shaped blanks to do a good job. Soft gold worked OK with the format but bronzes were really pushing the technology. You hi too softly and don't get details; too hard and you tear holes in the coins. Neat coin.
Well, I broke down and opened my gift, rationalizing Saturnalia, just days away from my birthday and an early Christmas (and yes, I always felt a bit 'rooked' as a child because my birthday was only 3 days before X-mas LOL). My 'Secret Santa' is unknown to me except his (or her) return address, which most of you exclude from your CT profiles, unlike me and a few others. The gift was VERY generous and thoughtful, unlike mine to my 'giftee' and I do apologize to him for that. My poor photos do not do justice to this Roman Republic denarius---remarkably, it is also a type I was missing so I LOVE IT!!! The moneyer is Hostilius, circa 48 BC with a laureate head of Pietas on the obverse and Victory on the reverse---such a COOL coin! THANK YOU SANTA!!!!
Since my gift was clearly labeled from Secret 'Santa,' rather than 'Saturnalia,' I made the decision to warp it up and place it under the tree. My thanks to whoever Santa may be - I am rather excited to find out what may be inside!
=> I find that it's actually the handful of drinks that follow the first glass or two that usually get ya into trouble!!
Well, as I'm going away for the Xmas eatathon and drinkathon at inlaws', it probably won't be easy to take pictures of my Secret Santa gift, and I wouldn't want to be late to thanking him (her)....so I went through the Rubicon, Alea jacta est ! What I found in the enveloppe is simply amazing LARISSA, THESSALY, OBOL CIRCA 460 BC Facing bull head being restrained by a man to the left Horse head right within an incuse square 0,75 gr Also, there was an olympics commem coins set from Canada Of course I'm wondering who on earth Santa might be : someone related to Canada and liking animals on coins, Hmmmmm Anyway, whoever you are Santa, you rock my friend Q
I got mine today, i really like all the gifts that our Ancient folks have sent, i'm going to open mine Wednesday night, the Eve before Christmas Eve, going to be very busy both Days.