Post your latest ancient!

I like the Julia Domna! The other is Salonina with the royal couple sacrificing on the reverse? That's a nice one too. And "interesting" tends to last longer than "pretty", doesn't it?

 

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Certainly - but I have to admit that I like to aim as much as possible for interesting AND pretty

 

Oh, yes! There are some fun ones.

Silenos (my favorite type), bee [edit: oops, previously Lesbos or Lycia, not Ionia?], Athena. Those are just for Hemiobols. (But the turtle is always on the reverse for those ones.)

Also: tiny dolphin (tunny?) Tetartemorion! For the latter, Heritage writes:

"Silver fractions with turtles have been attributed to various locations from Lesbos to Lycia, and provide no help in identifying this unrecorded type. Methymna is known to have employed both turtles and dolphins on their coins and thus seems the most likely candidate. Lycian Dynasts also used turtles and dolphins, but the style on those issues are unlike this coin."​

For another Athena, CNG writes:

"The “head of Athena / sea turtle” obols previously have been attributed to Lycia, but Athena’s helmet on many specimens features an ornately designed bowl that is strikingly similar to that found on coins of Methymna. "​

So, many of these have a highly tentative quality, and Lycia and Lesbos have been or are both considered plausible.

NOT MY COINS

 

One of my favorite types @Mr.MonkeySwag96 ! it makes several appearances in my notes:

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/prusias-ii-and-the-roman-republic
https://www.sullacoins.com/post/freedom-for-thessalians-in-196-bc
https://www.sullacoins.com/post/lysimachos-pergamon-and-cistophori

 

this is very helpful—thank you. I’ll be hitting that section of the new catalog this week so I will make some provisional adjustments!

 

One of a few new purchases.
RPC Volume: I №: 1568
Reign: Tiberius Persons: Tiberius (Augustus)
City: Thessalonica Region: Macedonia Province: Macedonia
Denomination: Leaded bronze (22 mm) Average weight: 9.26 g.
Obverse: ΤΙ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ; laureate head of Tiberius, right
Reverse: ΣΕΒΑΣΤΗ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΕΩΝ; bust of Livia, right
Reference: Touratsoglou, Tiberius 1–32 (c. 14–20/23) Specimens: 46

 

Nice one. However, I suspect there was some heavy drinking going on during the minting of L. Aemilius L. Paulus' coins, as so many of them are struck slightly (like yours) or a little more slightly (like mine) off planchet.

 

First purchase of 2024:

Caracalla mint error brockage


Geta double struck (shifted) error (that kid had a really long neck )


(Angry) Caracalla limes denarius

I'm really trying not to purchase any more coins for the next few months till I get caught up on cataloging but I couldn't pass these up.

 

Birthday gift I got for myself a few days ago. Not terribly expensive, it's a fun coin to have and an interesting complement to my other Gordian III featuring Mars on the reverse. I'm not really too invested in the coins of Gordian III, but I can't pass a nice one up when I get the chance. Maybe in a few years, I'll have a respectable set of reverse types for this emperor, all by happenstance.

 

Nice acquisition. They did a good job of centering both sides on a misshapen flan.

 

I bought these two coins the first of the year.

 

Maximinus Thrax Denarius. Freed it from its slab when it came in the mail on Friday.

 

Maximinus Thrax is fascinating. I got a book about him recently.

 

I like'em both. The Galba is a good example of a good looking coin in lower grade (I'd grade it Fine). I like the style of the drachm, very nice portrait. Well collected.

 

Yes he is one of my favorites. Not a good emperor, but an interesting one!

Can you please share the title of the book? Thanks

 

My last purchases of 2023 arrived yesterday


ATTICA. Athens. Circa 515-510 BC. Hemiobol (Silver, 7.5 mm, 0.34 g). Wheel with four spokes. Rev.Quadripartite incuse square, divided diagonally. Seltman pl. IV, ρ. Svoronos, pl. I, 54–6; HGC 4, 1654. Minor deposits, otherwise, very fine.

From the Dr. Paul Peter Urone Collection, acquired from Tom Cederlind, 17 September 1995. With David Sear certificate of authenticity.





IONIA. Phokaia. Circa 387-326 BC. Hekte (Electrum, 10 mm, 2.58 g). Female head to left, wearing a laurel wreath and with her hair in a sakkos; below neck, here off the flan, seal. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square. Bodenstedt 102. BMFA 1920. Some scuffs on the obverse, otherwise, good very fine.

Ex Obolos 16, 11 October 2020, 843.





JUDAEA, First Jewish War. 66-70 CE. Prutah (Bronze, 16 mm, 1.88 g, 9 h), year 2 = 67-68. 'Year 2' (in Paleo-Hebrew) around amphora with broad rim and two handles. Rev. 'The freedom of Zion' (in Paleo-Hebrew) around vine leaf on small branch with tendril. Hendin 6389. TJC 196. Sharply struck. About extremely fine.

 

It's called Maximinus Thrax by Paul N. Pearson. Maximinus really started the trend of "Barracks Emperors", of which Probus is my favorite.

Serdica, 277-280. Radiate, helmeted and cuirassed bust l., holding spear over shoulder and shield on arm. R/ Emperor on horseback l., extending arm in salute and holding sceptre; to l., captive seated l., looking r.; A. Cf.
He has some fascinating coins. Now I need a Maximinus as well. The fact that so many common foot soldiers were able to take the throne must have been concerning, but at least one of them was able to begin to somewhat restore the empire.

 

Today I received my coins bought at the latest e-auction at Leu Numismatik. We (that is me and all the other coins here) are having a welcoming party for them, as we have been aching for them to arrive:


Phoenicia, Arados, King Gerostratos

AR Stater, circa 348/7-339/8 BC.

Obverse: Laureate head of Ba'al-Arwad to right.

Reverse: ('ma' in Phoenician) Galley to right right above waves.

Reference: E&E-A Series III.2.1. HGC 10, 32.

Size:19 mm. Weight: 10.18 g, 8 h. Somewhat granular surfaces and with a test cut on the obverse, otherwise, very fine.


Sicily, Gela

AR Litra, circa 465-450 BC

Obverse: Bridled horse standing right, reins trailing from mouth; above, wreath.

Reverse: CEΛ-AΣ Forepart of a man-headed bull to right.

Reference: HGC 2, 373. Jenkins Group III, 319.

Size:13 mm. Weight: 0.80 g, 5 h. Somewhat porous, otherwise, very fine.


Lucius Verus, 161-169 AD

AR Denarius, Rome 164-65 AD

Obverse: L VERVS AVG ARMENIACVS Bare head of Lucius Verus to right.

Reverse: TR P V IMP II COS II Mars standing right, holding reversed spear with his right hand and resting his left on shield set on ground

Referemce: BMC 376. Cohen 262. RIC 528.

Size: 17 mm. Weight: 3.53 g, 6 h. Well centered and sharply struck. Rough spot on the reverse, otherwise, good very fine.



Lucilla, Augusta, 164-182 AD

AR Denarius, Rome

Obverse: LVCILLAE AVGVSTA Draped bust of Lucilla to right.

Reverse: CONCORDIA Concordia seated left, holding patera in her right hand and holding cornucopiae in her left.

Reference: BMC 333. Cohen 7. RIC 759. RCV 5480

Size: 17 mm. Weight: 3.17 g, 12 h. A few light scratches on the obverse, otherwise, good very fine.

"A nicely toned example with a charming portrait." - Leu Numismatik, 2023



Aurelian 270-275 AD

Obverse: IMP AVRELIANVS AVG Radiate and cuirassed bust of Aurelian to right.

Reverse: ORIENS AVG / ΔXXIR Sol standing front, head to left, raising his right hand in salute and holding globe in his left; to left and right, seated and bound captives.

Reference: CBN 177-9. RIC 63. RIC V online 1793. Venèra 1049-64. RCV 11571

Size: 22 mm. Weight: 5.49 g, 12 h. Very minor roughness, otherwise, good very fine.