STOP Cracking your KNUCKLES!

Very nice, gorgeous Aes Grave!

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

For those interested in knuckle-bones, also check out the thread Knuckle-bones anyone? started by @rrdenarius last month.

 

In 1910, Ernst Haeberlin wrote Aes Grave, Das Schwergeld Roms und Mittelitaliens einschließlich der ihm vorausgehenden Rohbronzewährung, which is still considered one of the best resources for those interested in aes grave. While the text is in French, he illustrates the book with 2953 aes grave coins including both Roman and native Italian issues.

Both volumes are available for free online on the Bibliothèque Nationale de France's website Gallica.
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k8803718.r=haeberlin.langFR
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k880368k.r=haeberlin.langFR

 

Thank you!

 

Nice coin, and post, Alegandron! There are several cast or struck coins with astragalus. I like the pre-money bronze items. Steve, I like your fly (keep your mind out of the gutter) As.

My favorite knucklebone / astragalus - can be seen in my profile pic - or here -
https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/p8171270-jpg.463823/

The vendor's description:
Roman Republican. Aes formatum. AE/AG knucklebone. Etruria or Latium, 6th-9th century BC. AE/AG?. g. 59.80 RRR. About EF. Silver alloy? Silvered? Partial green patina. Apparently unpublished.

I saw one silver knucklebone offered by Gorny & Mosch and several bronze ones. I picked up several bone ones and a lead one in an auction late last year.

You can buy modern replicas here:
http://www.hr-replikate.de/katalog/indep/detail.php?lang=de&image=0211

No. 552
added on 07.01.2002, as amended on 17.03.2011 Astragali bronze. The Astragalus is in mammals, the central bone in the ankle of the hind legs; since prehistoric times it was used for divination and to play. Particularly the bones of sheep, goats and cattle were often used, since they have four fairly flat surfaces. Nobler variations were also made of clay, glass, lead, bronze, silver and even gold. In Europe, the games were known far with these bones until our last century. The figures were as follows (from top left to bottom right): 6, 1, 3 and 4. As with a sechsseitigem dice give the opposite totals always 7. For most games, 4 to 5 Astragali were used. A Short Guide for 4 games lies in the supply case. Length of Astragalus 2.8 cm.
Bronze 12.00 EUR for one.

 

Thank you @rrdenarius ! I have really enjoyed your posts as you have delved deeply into an area that I (as well as a few other CT Friends), share a LOT of interest in! I have loved Roman Republic history since a wee lad, and in the last several years have been collecting Ancients with a focus on the Republic. Your posts have been very helpful and informative. Best to you! Brian

 

Great info @rrdenarius, thanks!! And I love your aes formatum. Vecchi dates your knucklebone 7th-3rd century BC, while your vendor gave a date of 6th-9th century BC. I wonder which is correct? Regardless, it was a wonderful find, and very old RR currency.

 

I think we have enough for a knuckle-bone sandwich, right?

 

I love the knuckle bone, much prefer it to those things that look like rocks.

 

I got some rocks too. I think it was @rrdenarius that posted a link that explained how some of the Aes Rude "rocks" were made... Pouring the molten bronze into a vat of water. Their easy way to create "change for the huge Aes Signatum plates.

Oh, and thank you for loving the knuckle-bone. I was happy to finally capture it.

 

I don't know, @ancientcoinguru , I think I have RRden beat on this one. Just got this knucklebone in...


120 lb (55kg) Chihuahua / Jack Russell mix for scale...

 

cute lil' pooch

 

120 lbs?! Did you mean 12??

 

LOL, you got my joke... I needed to follow up with " Gosh, i missed a decimal point!" I WONDERED who was going to catch it!

And, yes, we went to the Vet today and she is 11.4 lbs. But a 120 lb Mastiff Mix would had been more fun for scale...

 

Ale-G => curious, does your good ol' avatar-hound rule the roost, or does the lil' guy have mental game?

 

LOL! EXCELLENT Question! Blue (my avatar), is my buddy! Sally, the Chi/Jack is a little biatch (she has not been neutered!), and herds the other two dogs! (Tink, the third is a white ger shepherd mix). She physically bites their ankles and ears as well as uses a mental game to herd them!

 

I just caught this thread...and I LOVE the posts!!


Congrats 'Al' and everyone else who posted some of these wonderful early R. R. coins!