Baltimore Show Review: Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bronze

I went to the Baltimore coin show today and had a great time. Arrived around 11 AM and left about 3:30 PM, with just a short lunch break. The show seemed pretty well attended, with most of the ancient/world dealers having multiple buyers browsing at once during the morning, with business slowing a bit in the afternoon. Had fun chatting with various dealers while I browsed, particularly Fred Knust of First Light Numismatics, Tom Wood of Ephesus Numismatics, Joe Lang from Stephen Album, and of course Allen Berman. I ended up purchasing 17 (!) coins, at prices ranging from $6 to... more than $6. The majority were ancient, with a few modern (including one colonial American). Of the 17 coins, 16 are bronze/copper and 1 billon, with no silver at all. This wasn't deliberate, and not due to price (some of these bronzes were not cheap), I guess I am just really learning to appreciate the look of a nicely aged bronze coin. I took some quick group photos of my new acquisitions; they really deserve better photos and individual write-ups, and will probably get those later, but for now I just wanted to give a sense of why I am happy with my day.

First up, four Romans (including the billon tetradrachm from Alexandria):

Next, a mixed bunch. Top row is two Parthian bronzes (notice the huge casting sprue on the left one). Middle is from 11th century Sri Lanka, should be easily attributable to ruler as soon as I bother to look it up as this type normally is very well struck with full and complete legends. The bottom are two Greek bronzes I got unattributed at $6 each. The left is definitely Ptolemaic (but which one?) and the right is probably attributable with a little research:

Next, two coins that look Roman and Byzantine but aren't. Left is from the Artuqids of Mardin, and struck about a thousand years after its Roman prototype would have circulated. Right is an Arab-Byzantine issue from Emisa in Syria, c.680- 700 AD, issued by the early Muslim rulers in lands that they had just conquered from the Byzantines, and fairly closely copying the Byzantine coinage that circulated locally, with some minor design changes and added Arabic legends.

A group of modern(-ish) coins, from Steve Album's $10 (or 5 for $40) junk box. The weird Byzantine-like one in the middle is apparently from medieval Hungary, possibly King Bela III based on what Joe Lang said. (The only Bela I know is Bela Lugosi, but he was pretty cool, so I guess I'll enjoy researching this coin.)

And finally, my one US purchase of the day, a 1773 Virginia halfpenny. This is one of the very few officially struck coins authorized for the British colonies that eventually became the United States of America. Note the "Virgi-nia" at the edges of the reverse that mark this unmistakably as an American coin. This type apparently saw widespread circulation, especially in Virginia and Maryland. At $70, it was practically a steal.

Hope you enjoyed my recap of my show experience and my numismatic haul. I'd love to hear anyone else's experience at the show, and especially to see your latest acquisitions.

 

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I very much enjoyed your recap. It sounds like you had a great time. I wish I could have attended-maybe next time. Very nice pickups.

BTW I loved the shoutout to Dr. Strangelove.

 

What a fun group! It looks like you had a productive and enjoyable day at the show.

 

Congrats on the new haul. Love the recap and Strangelove pun!

 

a fantastic, diverse group of cool bronze coins....just the way i like it!

 

I would have loved to be there. Not just for the coin show. I was stationed near Baltimore in the 60s and in the 80s. Love the Inner Harbor and old Italy (I thinks thats what it is called). Good food there whatever it's called.

Love your purchases. There are several I'm looking forward to seeing in their own threads.

 

there is no greater feeling than loving your coins whatever value they have.

 

Just a hint: you have all but one letter of the city ID on the reverse split between the two sides. The missing letter is an M. Mine is missing that M and the A before it.

This one is my favorite of the bunch assuming the other side is as nice as the one you show. Those are some sprues!

This one hurts me. The coin was issued as a scyphate cup but someone flattened it out creating the cracks in the process.

I'm going tomorrow. Hope you left something for Saturday shoppers.

 

All great coins, love the Trajan get and the modern copper.

 

Nice selection of coins @Parthicus! I like the variety of your bronze acquisitions. I used to only buy silver, but in recent years I also am starting to appreciate the look of aged bronze.

 

That is a pretty and very heterogeneous grouping of coins. Two Trajans, a Domitian and a nice Marcus Aurelius sestertius from the Imperial side. Nice mix.

I collect U.S coins as well, and you are right, that is a very nice Virginia Halfpenny.
( the one example I once bought turned out to be a fake!).

 

Thanks for the positive feedback, everyone. Guess I will have to take the time to properly photograph and write up some of the individual coins. Fortunately, that sounds like a lot of fun.

I'm not native to Baltimore, but I have lived here for 12 years, and the city has grown on me. Little Italy has some good restaurants, though the best Italian food in the area is from my mother's kitchen. (It is possible I am biased in this assessment.)

That is just the hint I needed! I've now got this coin as coming from Mesembria in Thrace, 3rd-2nd century BC. Sear (Greek Coins and Their Values) 1677. I've also managed to ID the Sri Lankan coin to Sahasa Malla, 1200- 1202 AD.

Well, let's just say there's a reason I showed this side rather than the other. It came ID'd to Artabanos III (80-90 AD), Sellwood 74.11, though I want to check that myself. (The beard doesn't look quite right to me for Artabanos III.) Agreed that the sprues make the coin- I probably would have passed on it otherwise.

Ah, that explains the crack. I had looked up "Bela III coin" online and found some other examples of this coin, but none made it clear that this is a scyphate type.

Don't worry, there were still plenty of cool coins left when I finished yesterday. Please post your haul here!

 

I totally missed the Strangelove pun!

 

I got to Baltimore today and some of the dealers were already gone by 11. I did score this hefty drachm but the insert says litra so I'm a little confused.

Sicily, Syracuse AE drachm 30.2g
Timoleon 334-336 BC



And an interesting Sikyon hemidrachm
Sear 2777, c.146 BC

 

That's a nice and less common Sikyon issue. Now, if you don't already have one, you really need one of their Chimaera staters .

 

It is on my ever-growing list and the next denomination.

 

Did you get there in time to see the dealer with no coin under $100 and few under $500 but with a $10 you pick box? I bought 10 coins but none from him.

 

There were quite a few that had similar coins to what I've seen at auction but priced $200-$1200 more.