Curtisimo’s Top 10 of 2023

Hello everyone! I hope you all have a great New Year and a wonderful 2024! Here are my favorite coins of 2023.

10 The Circus Maximus
This type has been on my want list for a long time. It commemorates an event written about by Cassius Dio that took place in AD 204 during the Secular Games. As part of the games, the spina of the Circus Maximus was constructed to look like a ship. This fake ship was designed to break apart on queue in order to release hundreds of animals at once. This spectacle was so memorable that Septimius Severus chose to commemorate I it on his coinage several years later.

As a great bonus, I was happy to discover that this coin has a great pre-1970 provenance that includes two notable collections.

Provenance

• Ex Paul Tinchant Collection (1893-1981†)(auctioned under the pseudonym “Robert J. Graham”), Jacques Schulman Auction 243, lot 1972 (June 8-10, 1966)
• Ex ROMA ÆTERNA Collection (a.k.a. chinamul Collection), Gut-Lynt Auction 13 Part II, lot 1638 (October 1, 2023)

Roman Empire
Septimius Severus
AR denarius, Rome mint, struck AD 206
(2.9 gm, 19.5 mm)
Obv.: SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right
Rev.: LAETITIA TEMPORVM, the spina of the Circus Maximus decorated as a ship facing left, with the turning posts at its prow and stern, a sail mounted on the central obelisk, and the spina's other monuments visible in between; above the ship, four quadrigas racing left; below, seven animals: an ostrich at left and a bear at right; between them a lion and a lioness chasing a wild ass and a panther attacking a bison

9 The Walls of Tarsus
Tarsus has some extremely interesting and influential coin designs. The seated Baal of Tarsus on the obverse of this coin became the prototype for the seated Zeus design used on the coinage of Alexander the Great. The reverse shows a lion and bull scene that was influenced by Royal Persian iconography. The double walls have been a source of speculation among scholars, including David Hendin (see here).

I am happy to have added another Stoecklin coin to my collection and I am hopeful that continued research will turn up additional provenance for this coin.

Provenance

• Ex Walter Mirko Stoecklin (1915-1981†), Winterthur, Switzerland, acquired prior to 1981, Ex Obolos 8, lot 318; Formerly slabbed by NGC graded Choice VF, strike 4/5, surface 3/5, NGC n. 6376589-009.

CILICIA, Tarsus
Issued under the Persian Satrap Mazaios
AR stater, Tarsus mint, struck ca. 361-334 BC
(23.00 mm, 10.39 g)
Obv.: (“Ba’altarz” written in Aramaic) Ba’altarz seated l., holding eagle-tipped scepter in extended r. hand; to l., grain ear and grape bunch above L; below throne, M.
Rev.: (“Mazaios who is over Beyond the River and Cilicia” written in Aramaic) Lion pouncing l., attacking a bull collapsing to r.; below, above crenellated walls.
Ref.: Hendin GBC6 6658; Casabonne Series 4, Group A. SNG France 360. SNG Levante 113.

8 Caesar and Aeneas
This coin is fascinating because it shows a mythological scene made famous by the Aenied (Aeneas carrying Ancises out of a burning Troy). All of the figures on the coin were claimed as ancestors by Julius Caesar, including Venus. This coin was struck by Caesar during his African campaign which you can read more about in my write up here.

This coin has the look and tone of a coin that has spent some time in a collection. It was consigned by the Austrian coin dealer Zeno Pop to a Roma auction earlier this year. I am hopeful of adding some to the provenance with further research.

Provenance

• From the inventory of Austrian coin dealer Zeno Pop (Z.P. (Austria)), Roma E-sale 107, lot 926 (March 16, 2023)

Julius Caesar
AR Denarius, African mint, 47-46 BC
(19 mm, 6h, 3.83 g)
Obv.: Diademed head of Venus to right
Rev.: Aeneas advancing to left, carrying palladium and Anchises on shoulder; CAESAR downwards to right.
Ref.: Crawford 458/1; CRI 55; BMCRR East 31; RSC 12

7 A Classic Style Thasos Stater
Thasos lost the right to strike its own coins in 463 BC after it failed in its attempt to leave the Delian League. Just before or around the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, Thasos began minting coins again under a new weight standard that aligned the Thassian stater with the Attic didrachm. At the same time, a major Athenian fleet was headquartered at Thasos. The historian Thucydides famously commanded this Athenian fleet for a time. These classic style staters were probably struck to pay the Athenian navy and the fine style may illustrate Athenian artistic influence as well. In my eyes, this coin is a truly fascinating piece of history.

Provenance

• Ex Münzen und Medaillen AG FPL 512, no. 21 (July 1988)
• Ex Künker 174, lot 179 (September 27, 2010)
• Ex Künker 236, lot 449 (October 7, 2013)
• Ex Kalevala Collection, CNG E-Auction 536, lot 38 (April 12, 2023)

ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasos
AR Stater, struck ca. 435-411 BC
(22mm, 8.73 g)
Obv.: Silenus holding nymph as part of the thiasos of Dionysus; & to upper right Σ
Rev.: Quadripartite incuse square.
Ref.: Le Rider, Thasiennes 6 var. (letter on obverse); HPM p. 99, 23; HGC 6, 334; McClean 4199 corr. (letter not noted in text).

6 Hera and the Owls of Amisos
It’s hard for me to keep this one out of my top 5 because it is such a wonderful coin. I bought it to represent Hera in my 12 Olympian Portraits collection. I targeted this coin because I am fascinated by the connection to Athens and the Peloponnesian War. During the war, Athens settled Athenians from the port city of Piraeus in Amisos. This explains the owl and ethnic (ΠΕΙΡΑ) on the reverse. This coin has one of the best portraits I have seen on this series. It is also unusual to have so much of the owl and ethnic on the flan.

Of course, the provenance is superb. I was able to discover a published provenance for this coin going back to 1909 and the H. M. Collection. H. M. is currently a mystery to me so that will hopefully be some fruitful research. I also intend to search for any additional provenance for this coin between 1909 and 2015.

Provenance

• Ex H. M. Collection, M. Etienne Bourgey Auction (December 15, 1909), lot 166
• Rudolf Künker Auction 262, lot 7158 (March 13, 2015)

PONTOS, Amisos (as Peiraieos)
AR Siglos – Drachm, struck late 5th-4th centuries BC, Diog– magistrate
(17 mm, 5.59 g, 3h)
Obv.: Head of Hera left, wearing ornate stephanos.
Rev.: Owl standing facing, wings spread, on shield; ΔΙ-ΟΓ across field, below, ΠΕΙΡΑ
Rev.: SNG BM Black Sea 1066-7; HGC 7, 229

5 Powerful Portrait of Poseidon
In my opinion, these Macedonian tetradrachms represent the most iconic portrait of Poseidon in all of ancient coinage. I purchased this example for my 12 Olympian Portraits collection for this very reason. This coin will require a lot more research on my part to better understand it. There is a lot of disagreement whether these tetradrachms were struck by Antigonos Gonatas or Antigonos Doson. I don’t know enough yet to have an opinion on the matter so I’m sticking with the auction house attribution to Doson for now (note the tag indicates Gonatas). I have downloaded the Panagopoulou reference but I have not yet had enough time to read through it.

The provenance for this coin will require some additional research as well. The coin is ex George Muller of Spink and I hope to learn more about him. I believe the tag that came with the coin is earlier and was written by Leonard Forrer in the 1940’s but I have more work to do to confirm that.

Provenance

• Ex Collection of a Mentor (George E. Muller, Director of ancient coins at Spink from 1953-1982), ex Naville Numismatics Auction 84, lot 72 (Oct. 8, 2023)
• Old tag, possibly written by Leonard Forrer (1869-1953†), with “SPK. 1941” written on the back.

Kingdom of Macedon
Antigonos III Doson, 229-221 BC
AR Tetradrachm, uncertain mint, circa 227-225
(30.0 mm, 16.74 g)
Obv.: Head of Poseidon r., hair bound in seaweed.
Rev.: Apollo, holding bow, seated l. on prow. Below, monogram.
Ref.: SNG München 1121. SNG Ashmolean 3264. SNG Alpha Bank 1046. Merker, ANSMN 9, p. 49.

4 Syracusan Tetradrachm
This coin is a sharp, 5th century BC tetradrachm from Syracuse with an old provenance. Seriously, what is not to like here?

Provenance

• Ex collection of German historian Fritz Taeger (1894-1960†), Rhenumis Auktion 11, lot 10015

SICILY, Syracuse
Second Democracy, 466-406 B.C.
AR Tetradrachm, struck ca. 460-440 BC
(25 mm, 17.08 g)
Obv.: Charioteer driving slow quadriga right, Nike above flying right, crowning horses, Pistrix (Sea serpent or ketos) in exergue
Rev.: Head of Arethusa facing right, ethnic before, four dolphins around. Minor smoothing present, though a lovely head of Arethusa with each strand of hair visible.
Ref.: Boehringer-546 (Obv. 276, Rev. 378); cf.SNG ANS-177.

3 Caligula and Germanicus
The dynastic issues of Caligula showing Germanicus, Augustus or Agrippina are my favorite of his types. Therefore, I knew I wanted one to represent him in my denarii collection. Caligula denarii are rare and expensive so I was happy to score this coin which is, by my standards, a no-compromise example. The portraits are both nice, the toning is beautiful and the coin just looks great in-hand. The few scratches and imperfections don’t bother me at all, and in fact helped me more easily recognize this coin during my provenance research. I was able to find a fantastic provenance for this coin back to 1925. If you want to read my write up for this coin, please see here.

Provenance

• Ex Howard Coppuck Levis Collection (1859-1935†), Ars Classica XI, lot 316 (June 18, 1925)
• Ex Walter F. Stoecklin Collection, Amriswil (1888-1975†), Obolos 9, lot 164 (March 25, 2018)

Roman Empire
Gaius (Caligula), with Germanicus, 37-41.
AR Denarius, Lugdunum mint, struck AD 37
(19 mm, 4h, 3.38 g)
Obv.: C CAESAR AVG GERM•P.M•TR•POT Bare head of Gaius to right.
Rev.: GERMANICVS • CAES • PC • CAES • AVG • GERM Bare head of Germanicus to right.
Ref.: BMC 13. Cohen 4. RIC 12.

2 The Curia Julia
I have been searching for the right example of this type for several years but I never found one that spoke to me until I saw this example. The reverse shows the ancient Roman senate house (the Curia Julia) whose construction was started by Julius Caesar and finished under Augustus in 29 BC. When I bought the coin I knew only about the Marc Poncin provenance from 2006. I have since been able to push that provenance back to 1914 and two more world class collections.

Provenance

• Ex Achille Cantoni Collection (1844-1914†), P. & P. Santamaria, lot 207 (November 29, 1920)
• Ex Walter Niggeler Collection (1878-1964†), Munzen und Medaillen AG & Bank Leu AG, Sammlung Walter Niggeler 2 Teil, lot 1014 (October 21, 1966)
• Ex Marc Poncin Collection, CNG Mail Bid Sale 72, lot 1357 (June 14, 2006)

Roman Republic, Octavian
AR Denarius, 30-29BC, Italian Mint
(21 mm, 11h, 3.54 g)
Obv.: Bare head right.
Rev.: Curia Julia with IMP CAESAR on architrave, at apex, Victory standing upon globe with warriors at the angles.
Ref.: RIC, 266; RSC, 122

In most any other year, this coin would be a slam dunk #1 for me. But this year…

1 A Lifetime Portrait of Julius Caesar
This coin is one of the most historically significant coins in history! Julius Caesar was the first Roman to put his portrait on a coin, an act that was shocking and notable at the time. With this series of denarii struck only a few weeks before he was assassinated, he proclaimed unambiguously that he was now Dict[ator] Perpetvo (Dictator for life!).

Most people mark the start of the Roman Empire with Augustus in 27 BC. Mary Beard makes an interesting case that Pompey could rightly be considered the first emperor. I prefer to think that the empire started in February-March of 44 BC when Julius Caesar made it clear he had no intention of relinquishing absolute power.

This example has one of the best portraits I have seen for Caesar. I was also very happy to be able to find a 1983 provenance for this coin. It is my favorite coin of 2023 and now one of my favorite coins in my collection.

Provenance

• Ex Münzhandlung Ritter Lagerliste no. 19, lot 327 (November 1983)
• Ex Collection formed in the Rhineland, Leu Numismatik Web Auction 24, lot 496 (Dec. 3, 2022)

Roman Imperitorial
Julius Caesar, 49-44 BC.
AR Denarius, P. Sepullius Macer (moneyer), Rome mint, struck first half of March 44 BC
(17 mm, 3.53 g, 4 h)
Obv.: CAESAR [DIC]T PERPETVO Laureate and veiled head of Julius Caesar to right.
Rev.: P•SEPVLLIVS - MACER Venus standing front, head lowered to left, holding Victory in her right hand and long scepter adorned with star in her left; to right, round shield set on the ground.
Ref.: Babelon (Julia) 49 and (Sepullia) 4, Crawford 480/11, CRI 107b, RBW 1684, Sydenham 1072

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

A fantastic year of collecting. All examples would easily get into most peoples top 10. choosing my favourites of those shown was most difficult. But, in the end, I chose,
1, 9 and 3 in that order.

 

All great additions, but number 9 is my favorite

 

@Curtisimo, you never cease to amaze me with your specimens & dedication to research. I'm going to assume the lifetime portrait of Caesar (#1) is an accurate portrayal, since it's not particularly flattering but presumably he OK'd it. Dang, they're all nice (read: Great!)

 

Splendid group of coins. I enjoy the combination of interesting historical types, notable provenances, and overall attractiveness. That is more-or-less the combination I aim for.

(I always choose an attractive-but-worn-with-interesting-object-biography coin over one in better condition without. Coins that tell a story both about the ancient world and how it's been understood in the modern.)

I remembered that wonderful Augustus Den. recently when I bid (successfully) on a Nero/Agrippina Jr Drachm -- my first from the Niggeler Collection
(this coin but more recent sale).

Love that Levis-Stoecklin Caligula Denarius! I have a long-term (years/decades) goal of collecting at least one coin from each of the Naville Ars Classica catalogs. (So far ~1/3 or 1/4 of the way.)

That Arethusa is one of my favorite reverse dies of the Syracuse "Second Democracy" Tetradrachms. I really love the eyelashes (an unusual feature). Mine was sold as Boehr 540 (V275/R378), but is a different obv., seemingly unique die combo. Given the old tone I figured I'd find some old provenance eventually, but 9 years on, no luck:


I dont have a Graham-Tinchant coin yet, but I love the catalog. This is my copy, pictured in the Numiswiki article:


I really like them all!

 

Wonderful group! I'm always partial to the Syracusan coinage, so #4 would be my first pick. The centering and strike are well above average for Second Democracy coinage.

 

That is a wonderful example with beautiful toning. My example has a pre-1960 provenance as coming from the Taeger collection, but I suspect he acquired it in the 1930s as he did with other of his coins I’ve been able to find. I’m currently searching for additional provenance for it so I will keep and eye out for yours as well (I stop and examine all the die matches I find). If you see mine let me know as well. Perhaps one of us will have luck eventually.

 

Thank you! I am limited to 10 photos in the OP so I didn’t get a chance to post the catalog collages I made for the coins with a published provenance. I still need to make one for my JC.









With your extensive knowledge of historic collections, I wonder if you know anything about Marc Poncin? Many of his coins were sold in the 2006 CNG sale above. There is no information on the collector in the catalog.