JA's Top X of 2015

5. Number five is not a rare type, but it is quite scarce in higher grades. It seems the Seleucids got as much mileage out of their dies as possible, and perhaps the dies weren't of the hardest alloys, wearing quickly? Most of their bronze coins are found with considerably off-center strikes from worn dies, and not at all well-preserved. This is an iconic Seleucid type with Eros and Headdress of Isis, Antiochus VII (138-129 BC). I've been looking for "the" coin of this type to add to my collection for several years. Tom Wood came up with it at the last Baltimore show. It was one of those, "Oh, by the way, look at this..." moments.

Although Isis was originally an Egyptian goddess, she found enormous cult followings among the peoples of the Levant, over many centuries. My one complaint about this coin is that Eros' wing could be clearer, but the specimen is otherwise so excellent that the complaint is only a whisper...



A fascinating combination of Greek and Egyptian deities.

 

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4. A provincial issue of Septimius Severus, Petra. The most interesting facet of this coin is that Tyche holds a stele, or idol of the Nabataeans. Throughout their history as an independent culture, the Nabataeans maintained a proscription against graven images, akin to but less rigorous than that of their neighbors, the Judaeans. (The Nabataeans did in fact portray their kings and queens on coinage and statuary, and their idols occasionally have crudely anthopomorphic features.)

This coin type is a curious admixture of traditional Nabataean beliefs and Roman religion, the two of which sometimes enjoyed a certain harmony, and at other times were decidedly at war. Certain cults among the Nabataeans would adopt foreign religions and their iconography, only to be persecuted by traditionalists. (Many statues of foreign gods are found intentionally defaced on Nabataean sites.)

Septimius Severus' reign falls long after the assimilation of Nabataea as Provincia Arabia, but still finds the culture of Petra stubbornly adhering to their ancestral beliefs. In fact, their proscription against graven images would be taken up and magnified by Islam.

A very difficult coin to find in decent shape...



Although I bought no Bostran coins this year, I did acquire a copy of Arie Kindler's Coinage of Bostra, from the library of renowned numismatist Bruce Brace. Mr. Brace was a scholar and considered by many to be the dean of Roman Numismatics in Canada. Coins from his extensive collection were sold by CNG in 2011 and 2012. This book shares the number 4 spot with the Petran coin of S. Severus.

 

3. Number three coin is a tetradrachm of the Characene king Attambelos III (AD 37/38 - 44/45). Absolutely nothing is known of this king except his dates of rule, and that only because the Characenes were nice enough to date their coins according to Seleucid precedent. (Unfortunately the date on my example is too much off-flan to make it out.)

If you're not versed in the history of this Arabian/Persian neck of the woods, basically Antiochus IV installed a satrap in this region (Aspasine), and when the Seleucid Empire started dissolving, the satrap became the ruler of a new kingdom that was mostly independent, but under the hegemony of the Parthians. First-Century sources record that the Characenes were called Mesene, and lived mostly on the Arabian side of the Persian Gulf.



The earliest coins of this kingdom are billon tetradrachms, but they appear to the naked eye to contain quite a bit of silver. By the time of Attambelos III, however, they've been debased to bronze.

This is one of those coins where you take what you can get. The surfaces are rough, and it's a bit overcleaned, but the detail on this example is superior to any I've seen. You can do much, much worse as far as the reverses go - just look at the Wildwinds page. Also, it would seem that the reverse dies were considerably larger than the flans. Here is the king, with Hercules seated on reverse...

 

2. I'll keep #2 short and sweet - you've all seen it a few times. First year of rule AR sela of Aretas IV, queen Huldu on reverse, 9 BC. So far I'm keeping pace at buying one Nabataean drachm per year, not because I couldn't buy more if I wanted to, but I'm very picky, and they're very rare. I need the regnal dates to be present on the coins, and this one has a clear "Year 1" behind the queen's bust.

 

As always JA, I love your passion for the coins you collect and I always look forward to see what additions you were able to purchase and to learn more about them!!

 

1. No need for a drum roll. I warned you all that this would be a letdown. When I first started collecting Nabataean coinage and acquired Meshorer's analysis/catalog Qedem 3, I resigned myself to never owning certain rare issues. For instance, there is only one known Damascene tetradrachm issued by Aretas III (in the BMC). The following coin is an issue I also never expected to own. This is the small denomination bronze of Damascus. (You can read the history of these coins on my website here, and on the following two pages.)

Meshorer, in all his collection hopping, could only hunt down two examples, one in the Cabinet de Médailles (his plate coin), and another in the Glasgow Museum. My colleague Arados, at FORVM, managed to hunt down a pic of the example in the Glasgow Museum. That accounts for the two previously known coins. My coin is the third published example of the type. No doubt there are others out there, but they have yet to surface.

This coin is so nondescript, that likely other specimens are mis-attributed as Seleucid issues, the only difference between this coin and others of its type being the name APETOY (Aretas) on the reverse.



Nabataean Kingdom: Aretas III, 83-62 BC
AE18, 3.56g, 12h; Damascus Mint, 83/82-71 BC
Obv.: Diademed head of Aretas III right.
Rev.: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ/ΑΡΕΤΟΥ; Nike in guise of Tyche, turreted, standing left, winged, holding scepter in left hand and waving wreath to her front with right; monogram AP in right field.
Reference: Meshorer 8
Ex-Jacquier, Kehl, lot 8, spring 1988, no. 130

 

JA, when you get the chance check out Kevin Butcher's Coinage in Roman Syria. It's not so much of a catalogue as it's more about history and numismatic discussion of the coin types. The book is really quite an eye opener!

Your Trajan tet is my favourite, but all of them are interesting. You had a good year!

 

Thanks David! Butcher is definitely on my list - hopefully he'll get into my library this year.

 

I like #2 best, as lovely a Nabataean as one could hope to get. #3 is an excellent Characene example I'd love to own myself and #1 is fascinating as well. Great year you've had!

 

The only good Nabatean is one begging on his knees in front of his camel for the mercy of Rome.

Well, thats the only Nabatean I have anyway, on my Scaurus denarius, so I'm a little biased towards Rome.

Beautiful Nabateans JA. Congrats!

 

Heh - yeah. The "nicest" Nabataean coins aren't Nabataean. BTW, that is the same Aretas on the Scaurus denarius as the one named on my #1 coin, Aretas III. He hung around in Damascus for a bit, then headed south for Petra, where eventually the Scaurus incident takes place.

 

wow => amazing coins, JA ... I hope somebody buys em' all in 2016

cheers, brother

 

They're not for sale!

 

*whatev*

 

Good year for you JA. I hope next year is even better for you.

 

Well done grasshopper. i ready like all the different types of coins you collect.all great info you take the time to produce!!!

 

That number 1 sounds very deserving of the spot! An interesting top ten. I think my favorites and numbers 5 & 4.

 

Hello John,

I like number one very interesting coin, I have to look if I can find one, this is also a small one from Damascus I have, I love it.

DAMASCUS CIRCA 1ST CENTURY BC - 1ST CENTURY AD Æ 19MM
OBVERSE: Diademed head of king right

REVERSE: Turreted and diademed head of Tyche right; N behind, all within wreath.
19mm - 6.2 grams
Lindgren III 1633, cf.Lindgren I A2138A.
Attribution to Damascus is conjectural (see Lindgren). Although Lindgren refers to the obverse as portraying Zeus wearing a taenia, it is more likely this is a depiction of an eastern king wearing a royal diadem

 

I never seem to be able to list favorites of my own let alone those of anyone else....but my 'prejudice' for 'Roman' types naturally tend to make the top five.

Case in point---My recently purchased AE-19 of Trajan from Antioch, with the Tyche reverse...

You have such an interesting variety of styles of that 'geographical' area that I find something interesting and desirable about each one---and who doesn't want to own a scarce, rare or unpublished coin.

Congrats JA!!!

 

an awesome top X list!

man, i don't remember that himyarite score, but great deal at 40 bucks.

nabatean silver is aweosme, but i love that little antiochos vii eros/isis...one of the better looking ones i've seen.