This is my humble collection of coins of the Ostrogoths. For the most part I have been content with the free online resources for most coins. I found the BMC Collection of coins available by .pdf, but I really wanted the old fashion book. Amazon had for just south of $30 a paperback 2002 reprint of the 1911 book, "Catalogue of the Coins of the Vandals, Ostrogoths and Lombards and of the Empires of Thessalonica, Nicaea and Trebizond in the British Museum Paperback – May 22, 2002" While doing my routine search of usual places for coins, I found something quite unusual and quite unexpected. A coin type quite high on the list. A coin that I have wanted since seeing in the collection of a fellow member. The coin is pretty darn rare and when I went to compare this specimen against the example of one of our Cointalk members, I realized that the coin was indeed the very same coin. I don't think I could have clicked " add to cart" fast enough. The price was right, the condition is more than what I wanted and the provenance is to die for. Italy, Rome Kingdom of the Ostrogoths Anonymous temp. Theodoric AE Follis (40 Nummis) 22 mm x 9.73 Grams Obverse: Helmeted and Cuirassed bust of Roma right. Latin Legend - INVICTA ROMA Reverse: Eagle standing left. [X over retrograde L] left field. Ref: COI 76b, MEC 1, 106, Wroth pl. XIII, no.3 Note: Rare. Prov. ex. HHC, ex. Valiantknight collection.
My limited experience with the recent reprints of old books is that they paid no attention to reproducing the plates. How are they in this one? I bought one on the Indian coins in the museum in Calcutta which lists thousands of coins and show many blank circles either grey or black with no detail. The book was reduced in size to the point that the text was hard to read. I will be seeing books before I buy them in the future.
I have absolutely no problem with the quality. I think they did a great job. Even the tiny Vandal Weenies are quite nice.
That's another area I'll pursue a bit....probably by the end of this coming year----so many choices, so little time (and money LOL).
Awesome Ancientnoob, I had no idea the barbarians were such prolific coinmakers. Those pictures in the book look amazing, specially for being a reproduction of an old catalog.
I'll just leave these here Municipal Coinage of Rome, Ostrogothic Kingdom AE half-follis Obv: IMVIC-TA ROMA, Roma helmeted, facing right Rev: She-wolf standing left, suckling Romulus and Remus, two stars above, XX in ex Mint: Rome (struck 498-526 AD) Ref: BMC 30 City of Ravenna, Ostrogothic Kingdom AE decanummium Obv: FELIX R-AVENNA, turreted head of Ravenna right Rev: Monogram of Ravenna within wreath, X below Mint: Rome (struck 494-526 AD) Ref:COI 78a
Almost forgot! Domitian, Roman Empire (revalued under the Ostrogothic Kingdom) AE as/42 nummi Obv: CAESAR AVG F DOMITIAN COS II, laureate head left, countermark XLII (42) in left field Rev: VICTORIA AVGVST, Victory advancing right, standing on prow, holding wreath and palm branch, S-C across fields Mint: Rome (struck 73-74 AD; revalued 498-526 AD) Ref: RIC 677
