Many/most? of us have found that we’ve unintentionally formed some mini “sets” of coins within our collections- coins that have some sort of match with others. They weren’t purchased because of a match, but the unforeseen match was later observed and the mini-set/s was/were later identified as such. “Matches” can be derived from many things- commonalities with people, regions, types, devices, denominations, dies, historical stories, etc. The individual coins still likely fit well within the broader focus of our collections; and for some, they may have even sparked an additional or even a new primary collecting goal- a different collecting objective that serendipitously grew from an inadvertently created mini-set that then captured our interest. Please share your “inadvertent mini-sets”- three or more coins that share some interesting commonality! I found that I have a mini-set of 3 coins minted in Ascalon that share an “emperor obverse & a Tyche-on-galley reverse” design: Vespasian Judaea. Ascalon. Vespasian (69-79 AD). AE (24 mm 10.47 gm, 12h). Dated Civic Year 181 = AD 77/78.CΕΒ[ΑCΤΟC], Laureate head of Vespasian left. / ΑCΚΑΛΩ, Tyche standing facing head left on prow of galley left, holding vexillum and aplustre; on left, incense altar; in right field, dove standing above date: AПP. Rosenberger 108; Yashin 113; RPC 2206. Titus Judaea. Ascalon. Titus, 79-81 AD. (AE (24 mm, 12.93 g). Dated year 184, 80-81 AD. Laureate head right. / Tyche-Astarte standing left on galley, holding standard and aphlaston; to left, altar; to right, dove above date. Sofaer 78; Yashin 117; RPC 2209. Trajan Judaea. Ascalon. Trajan (98-117 AD). AE (24 mm, 12.53 gm, 12h). Dated Civic Year 215 = 111-112 AD. Laureate head right. [CEBA]C TOC. Dotted border. / [A]C[KALW]. Tyche standing facing head left on prow of galley left, holding vexillum and aplustre; on left, altar; in right field, dove standing above date: EIC. Dotted border. Rosenberger 138; Yashin 152. Ashkelon Also known as Tel Ascalon, Tel Ashqelon, Ascalon, Ashqelon, 'Askalan, Askalon, Askelon, 'Asqalan, 'Asqelon Philistine Beach The Philistines who migrated to the coastal plain of Israel around 1200 BC settled in five major cities. Three of these were along the coastal branch of the International Highway leading from Egypt, but because of the presence of sand dunes, only Ashkelon was built on the shore. At 150 acres (60 ha), the tell of Ashkelon is the largest Philistine city, and one of the largest tells in all of ancient Israel. Excavations From 1985 to 2016, Harvard University excavated Ashkelon under the director Lawrence Stager. More than a century earlier, Ashkelon was the site of the first “archaeological excavation” in the Holy Land when Lady Hester Stanhope conducted a small dig. Excavations have uncovered remains from nearly every period from the Neolithic Age until the 13th century AD. Fortifications During the Middle Ages, the Muslim rulers of Ashkelon re-used Roman granite columns to strengthen the construction. These columns now protrude from the eroded tell as waves have gradually washed away ruins on the shoreline. The Canaanite city was surrounded by a massive rampart on three sides of the city, and the fourth side was protected by the sea. Later fortifications took advantage of the rampart, and walls were constructed on top of it. The city had no springs but several good wells and fertile soil. Canaanite Gate One of the earliest intact gates in Israel was excavated at Ashkelon in the 1990s. The Middle Bronze mudbrick structure is contemporary with the well-known one at Dan. Outside the gate, a bronze calf was discovered, apparently once worshipped at the city entrance. Later History Ashkelon was an important city after the Babylonians destroyed the city and wiped out the Philistines. A key seaport in the Hellenistic period, Ashkelon became a free city in 104 BC. Herod I financed major construction projects there and it flourished in the Roman and Byzantine periods. The Cruaders later re-fortified the city but Saladin captured it and destroyed it upon the approach of Richard the Lion-hearted. (-bibleplaces.com) Other Info & Bible References It was one of the five cities of the Philistines (Joshua 13:3; 1 Samuel 6:17). It stood on the shore of the Mediterranean, 12 miles north of Gaza. It is mentioned on an inscription at Karnak in Egypt as having been taken by king Rameses II, the oppressor of the Hebrews. In the time of the judges (Judges 1:18) it fell into the possession of the tribe of Judah; but it was soon after retaken by the Philistines (2 Samuel 1:20), who were not finally dispossessed till the time of Alexander the Great. Samson went down to this place from Timnah, and slew thirty men. The prophets foretold its destruction (Jer 25; Jer 47 Amos 1:8; Zeph 2:4,-7; Zech 9:5). It became a noted place in the Middle Ages, having been the scene of bloody battles between the Saracens and the Crusaders. It was besieged and taken by Richard the Lion-hearted, and "within its walls and towers now standing he held his court." Among the Tell Amarna tablets are found letters or official dispatches from Yadaya, "captain of horse and dust of the king's feet," to the "great king" of Egypt, dated from Ascalon. (-Easton’s Bible Dictionary & Naves Topical Index)
Let's get the examples of mini-sets flowing! To help "prime the pump." Here's another "inadvertent set" of mine, "temples" (4 coins, 5 temples): JUDAEAN, Samaria, Neapolis. Elagabalus (218-222 AD). Æ (27mm, 11.23 g, 12h). AVT K [M AVP] – ANTWNINOC, Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / ΦΛ NEAC Π[OΛ CVP ΠAΛ] (Flavia Neapolis in Syria-Palestina), Representation of the sacred mount of the Samaritans - Mt. Gerizim surmounted by temple seen in three quarter view with steps leading to it, colonnade and altar at base. Sofaer 92 var. (letter; same obv. die); Rosenberger 39 var. (same). Dusty green and brown patina. Good VF. From the Dr. Jay M. Galst Collection, purchased from Menashe Landman, 27 July 2006. Neapolis, Samaria, the biblical Shechemis, is now Nablus, Israel. The ruins of ancient Shechem lie just east of Nablus. The city lies in a valley between Mt Ebal to the north and Mt Gerizim to the south. It is the site of Joseph's Tomb and Jacob's well. Jesus spoke here to a Samaritan woman. The city was refounded as Flavia Neapolis after the suppression of the Jewish Revolt. Mt Gerizim is home to about half of the remaining worldwide Samaritan population of ~900. Most of the other half live in Holon, a suburb by Tel Aviv. Following the destruction of Shechem during the First Jewish-Roman War, Roman Emperor Vespasian founded Flavia Neapolis ("New City of Flavius") in 72 CE as an entirely new settlement nestled between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. Flavia Neapolis was not built directly over ancient Shechem, but rather about 1 to 1.5 miles (2 kilometers) to the west of it. The ruins of ancient biblical Shechem are located at Tell Balata, an archaeological site on the eastern outskirts of the modern area. Vespasian chose a fresh location further west to build his Roman-style city, complete with a classic Cardo and grid layout. The Modern Connection: Over the centuries, Flavia Neapolis grew and its name was corrupted through Arabic pronunciation into the modern city name of Nablus (as "p" sounds transitioned to "b"). Today, the ruins of original Shechem at Tell Balata are swallowed up by the eastern suburbs of the greater Nablus metropolitan area. JUDAEA, Herodians. Herod IV Philip, with Tiberius. 4 BCE-34 CE. Æ (17mm, 6.27 g, 12h). Caesarea Panias (Caesarea Philippi) mint. Dated RY 37 of Herod IV (33/4 CE). [TIBEPIOC CEBACTOC] KAICAP, laureate head of Tiberius right; laurel branch to right. / [ΕΠΙ ΦΙΛΙ]ΠΠΟΥ ΤΕΤΡΑ[ΡΧΟΥ]; tetrastyle temple façade with small inverted triangle in pediment (Augusteum of Paneas); L Λ Z (year 37 = 33/34 AD) between columns. Meshorer 109; Hendin 6264 (6th Ed), 1233 (5th Ed); RPC I 4952. Dark green-brown patina. Near VF. Hendin 6th Ed Rarity: R1. Syria. Seleucia, Seleucis and Pieria. Trajan (98-117 AD). AE (25 mm,13.17 gm, 12h). Circa 114-116 AD. [ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΚΑΙ ΝЄΡ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟС ΑΡΙС]Τ СЄΒ ΓЄΡΜ, laureate head right / СЄΛЄΥΚЄѠΝ ΠЄΙЄΡΙΑС, perspective view of the tetrastyle temple of Zeus Kasios with canopy-like roof; on the top of the roof a flat base, on it an eagle with open wings. Inside a conical stone decorated with a knotted ribbon/pearl string; ZЄYC KACIOC in two lines below (retrograde Z), A in right field. RPC III 3766; Butcher 52; SNG München 990. Judaea. Pre-Royal Coins of Agrippa II. Diva Poppaea and Diva Claudia. AE (20 mm, 5.47 g). Caesarea Paneas mint. Struck under Nero, 65 AD or later. [DI]VA POPPA[EA AVG], statue of Diva Poppaea seated left within distyle temple set on high podium. / DIVA CLA[VD NER F], statue of Diva Claudia standing left on basis within round hexastyle temple set on high podium. Meshorer 354; Hendin 1270. Choice Very Fine. Well-preserved for the issue. Notes This coin depicts temples for Nero's deified wife Poppaea Sabina and their daughter Claudia who died in 63 AD at the age of four months. It is the only coinage issued in Claudia's name. When Claudia was born, Nero honored her and her mother with the title Augusta. Poppaea was Nero's second wife, and he was her third husband (Otho was her prior husband). Pappaea died in 65 AD (killed by Nero while pregnant with another child according to Tacitus, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio). Nero ended his own life three years later at age 30. Thanks for looking! Please add your mini-sets! I'd love to see them! Hope these temples tempt you to contribute some of your mini-sets! My two humble mini-sets need some help!
Great examples in those two inadvertent sets! (And an interesting thread idea!) Excellent, well-written write-ups. (I don't have time to do likewise this post, so I'm taking a shortcut by including partial numismatic data for each coin.) :-/ The first mini-subset above could also be called your "Tyche, Astarte, dove" mini-set. I have one coin that would fit within that set. You have Vespasian, Titus, and Trajan from Ascalon, and I can fill-in with Domitian (albeit an early Domitian with a less chunked-out portrait). Ascalon, Domitian, Tyche-Astarte, struck ca. 86-88 AD, RPC II 2215 Your second mini-subset above also includes wonderful specimens! Methinks you have a good eye for ancient coin acquisitions! I have 4 or 5 such inadvertent mini-sets. One is below. It would have to be called my "Hand of God", (or if I wanted to make it sound erudite I could call it my "Manus Dei" mini-set). I didn't set-out (pun intended) to collect coins with the hand-of-God, it developed as a byproduct of my overarching collecting theme: Divus Constantine I, struck 337-340 AD, Alexandria, AE follis (15 mm, 2.15 g.) Veiled head of Divus Constantine, emperor driving quadriga, Hand of God above. RIC 12; LRBC 1454. Arcadius, Antioch, ca. 378-383 AD, AE Maiorina, (22.5 mm. 4.66 g.) emperor crowned by Hand of God above, Gloria Romanorvm, Cross upper left field, *ANTS. RIC 283, 41(a). Drosser, pg. 48, #44 (this coin!). German States, Hall in Swabia, ca.14-15th century, AR heller, (14.5 mm, 0.42 g.), anepigraphic, Hand of God, Cross moline with pellet at each arm. Saurma 1365. Germany, City of Hall, AR pfennig, 1712 AD, (13 mm. .35 g.), uniface, two adjacent shield of arms (Cross, left; Hand of God, right), eagle above, KM 7.
