Ancients => Severed Head anyone?

This is my 4th and final coin-score from Wednesday's CNG auction ... I loved all four of this month's wins!! (I think that I nailed it!!)

For some odd reason I haven't purchased any new AR RR examples for a very long time (maybe Bing has been buying 'em all?!)



Yah, but I've always wanted one of these types, so I was super happy to score this example for less than it sold for in 2014 (cha-ching!!)

https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=335486

... anyway ...

Please put your hands together for my sweet new addition ...

M. Sergius Silus. AR Denarius
Rome mint
116-115 BC
Diameter: 17 mm
Weight: 3.85 grams
Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right; mark of value behind
Reverse: Soldier on horseback rearing left, holding sword and severed head of barbarian; Q below
Reference: Crawford 286/1; Sydenham 544; Sergia 1a
Other: 5h … deeply toned, with blue highlights
Ex Archer M. Huntington Collection, ANS 1001.1.25414 (Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 328, 11 June 2014), lot 438







Man, ya gotta love the severed head coins, eh?

 

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Ummm, so please post anything relevant to one of my Friday Night threads!!

Yah, the mods should be here in no time, eh?



... just jokes ...

"Please" post any severed head coins, Roma coins, AR RR examples, coins with blue hue, underpants ...

=> It's Friday Night!!

 

That's one of the nicest ones I've seen! Nice clear severed head, pretty toning, deep strike... fabulous

 

Another great win Steve! I was thinking the other day that I don't have nearly enough RR denarii in my collection so I picked this one up. I should have waited though because there's a much nicer example in an upcoming auction. Oh well.

Roman Republic
AR serrate denarius 3.91 g, 20 mm
A. Postumius A.f. Sp.n. Albinus
Rome mint, 81 BC
Draped bust of Diana right, with bow and quiver over shoulder; bucranium above / Priest and bull with lighted altar between them.
Crawford 372/1; Sydenham 745; RSC Postumia 7; Sear 296

 

Congrats on your new score, Ajax => thanks for posting, coin-bro (I don't have one of those cool types ... I'm jello)

Hey, you must be pumped about the Oilers, eh? (or are you a Flames fan?)

 

LYCAONIA. Iconium (as Claudiconium). Hadrian (117-138 AD). AE. Weight: 2.36 g. Diameter: 17 mm.
Obv: ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС ΚΑΙСΑΡ. Bare head left.
Rev: ΚΛΑΥΔЄΙΚΟΝΙЄωΝ. Perseus standing facing, head right, holding harpa and severed head of Medusa.
Numismatik Naumann, Auction 45, July 3rd 2016, lot 536
RPC III 2825

The heroic from-the-back bust of Hadrian is surprising. Note that two earlier coins of Iconium feature a bust of Perseus depicted from the back. Hadrian has been rendered in the same pose as Perseus, the founder of Iconium.

 

Very cool coin, ED ... you rock (I still can't thank you enough for finding that sweet Pontos, Laodikia coin for my collection)

Oh, and thanks for posting that cool severed head example (I haven't seen that baby before)

 

Neat coin, Ed & steve! I want the type too.

 

My current avatar:

ROMAN REPUBLIC. M. Sergius Silus
AR Denarius, 19mm, 3.9g, 9h; Rome, 116-115 BC.
Obv.: Helmeted head of Roma right; ROMA and XVI monogram behind, EX•S•C before.
Rev.: Soldier on horseback rearing left, holding sword and severed Gallic head in left hand; Q M SERGI below, SILVS in exergue

 

Awesome => thanks, my Secret Santa friend ... I love your coin

I hope things are good

 

Thanks man! Things are great. Did you see, I got another dog?


(It's the little brown brindle one)

 

It looks like a whole lotta fun ... I think I recall you saying that the poor ol' guy is holding his tongue around the new house-mate? (congrats on the new addition)

 

Love the style of your new coin lil bro. Great provenance as well.

 

Yup pretty pumped man. Things are finally looking up for them, and the city has been buzzing so it's nice to see. Who are you cheering for?

 

Well, I am a Canucks fan, so I don't have any true-heart in this year's playoffs, but I'm also a gamblin' man so I have an NHL playoff pool (it is specific players, rather than teams, but if Pittsburgh, Ottawa and Ducks go through to the next round then I may win myself some coin-mulla?)

Oh sorry => my brother in-law is a mega-Oilers fan, so I didn't pick any of those dudes (that wouldn't be sporting!) ... he is looking very good, if they manage to get by the Ducks (good luck)

 

Not sure if this head has been severed, but it's lacking a body:


Maximinus II, Rome, Tetrarchy, AD 309-313
AE, follis, 4.96g, 21mm;12h; Antioch
Obv.: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS PF AVG; laureate head right
Rev.: GENO AVGVSTI; Genius standing left, holding head of Sol and cornucopiae; star left, A right
In Ex.: ANT

Hopefully my dirty ole LRB didn't stink up your thread!

 

I love this type. Like so many RR moneyers, Silus pays tribute to one of his ancestors who was sort of the ancient version of Rambo, if you will. This is what Pliny has to say about him in Natural History, AD 77...

Nobody - at least in my opinion - can rightly rank any man above Marcus Sergius, although his great-grandson Catiline shames his name. In his second campaign Sergius lost his right hand. In two campaigns he was wounded twenty-three times, with the result that he had no use in either hand or either foot: only his spirit remained intact. Although disabled, Sergius served in many subsequent campaigns. He was twice captured by Hannibal - no ordinary foe- from whom twice he escaped, although kept in chains and shackles every day for twenty months. He fought four times with only his left hand, while two horses he was riding were stabbed beneath him.

He had a right hand made of iron for him and, going into battle with this bound to his arm, raised the siege of Cremona, saved Placentia and captured twelve enemy camps in Gaul - all of which exploits were confirmed by the speech he made as praetor when his colleagues tried to debar him as infirm from the sacrifices. What piles of wreaths he would have amassed in the face of a different enemy!

 

Cool, you scored it! I love your example very much. If you weren't bidding on it, I would have been very tempted even though I already have one that I like alot. Very cool CNG scores, Steve!



Oh, speaking of the devil, I'm holidaying with the family in Australia at the moment, and that crazyman mini-stevex6 has come along, and has been up to no good, as usual ...

 

Seems like a pretty badass guy

 

You wanna hear something crazy? My wife said to me, out of the blue, "Let's take a vacation to Singapore." Evidently she was reading up on it and decided she wanted to visit. I said, "Sure. I have a friend in Singapore." She stared at me for a moment, rolled her eyes and said, "Of course you do." Lol.