Let us now praise rapid shippers...

So late Friday night I was scrolling through some online coin dealers’ inventory at about 11 PM. Probably a bad idea. Anyway, I knew my next coin was going to be a Diocletian abdication follis. I love the historical context for those coins and the big flan that allows for those wonderfully long legends.

And there in the newly added inventory of Marc Breitsprecher (formerly known as Ancient Imports, I think) was this emerald beauty. I clicked the buy button and then went to sleep, with visions of abdicating emperors dancing in my head.

So I figured the coin would arrive in Tennessee from Texas at about the end of the week, especially since the seller might not get around to posting it until Monday or so. But I came home from work today and, lo and behold, there it was—the coin that I had clicked on late Friday night.

And look at that lovely green patina. It’s as if Diocletian was the Emperor of Oz, not of Rome. As you can see, the patina is about as green in hand as it is in Marc’s inventory photo. In other words, I was satisfied with the fit between the coin in the inventory photo (bottom) and the coin in hand (top). Actually, I don’t think my in hand photo does the coin justice. It would probably be even closer to the inventory photo if I had better light.

Now, I know that there is more to being a good dealer than rapid shipping, and I understand that many coin vendors are one-person operations. However, I was shocked at how quickly this coin arrived. It was nice to have this kind of immediate gratification after waiting a month or more for some international purchases.

So that is a long preamble to this invitation: Post a coin that reached you surprisingly quickly given the shipping context.

If you don’t have one of those, post your favorite Diocletian or favorite emerald patina.

 

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I love that patina and understand how you couldn’t pass it up. That is surprisingly fast shipping, too. Sometimes that’s the sign of a great seller and good post offices at both ends. I have a PO near me that processes shipping and receiving much quicker than usual compared to the others in the area.

Speaking of receiving new coins and OZ green I have this emerald coin waiting for me to pick up tomorrow at the PO.

 

I think this time it was a good idea! I admire your beautiful acquisition.

 

Nice coin with a pretty green patina. And yes, Marc is one of the good ones. I've never had any issues with him.

 

It took only a week for this rare, tiny nummus of the Vandal Kingdom to travel from Israel to Florida.

Anonymous, Vandal Kingdom
AE nummus
Obv: Bust right
Rev: Palm tree
Mint: Carthage or other North African mint
Date: 440-490 AD

 

Wow. Israel to Florida. That’s impressive.

 

funny you mention that..i watched the w o z last nite!..

 

That is a very good lQQkin' coin..in detail and color.. "I'll get you my pretty"....i guess my fav green coin is this Claudius..and the original movie of course

 

Don’t get either of them wet! Can a witch get bronze disease?

 

ahaha!

 

Marc is a good guy. I've purchased many coins from him over the years.

 

Great coin with fantastic patina Gavin, I can add an auction house with very fast delivery and would you believe from Germany, I have become used to coins taking 3-4 weeks from there, the Savoca auction in Jan I bought three coins delivered inside a week Fedex.

 

Wow, that's a beautiful coin, and a great type too.

Here's mine, also from Cyzicus, despite it having a Trier mintmark (PTR).


DIOCLETIAN
AE Follis. Abidication Issue. 9.17g, 28.3mm. Cyzicus mint, AD 305-307. RIC VI 677a (Trier). O: D N DIOCLETIANO FELISSIMO SEN AVG, laureate bust right in imperial mantle, holding olive branch and mappa. R: PROVIDENTIA DEORVM QVIES AVGG, Providentia standing right, extending right hand to Quies standing left, holding branch and leaning on sceptre; S F in fields, K S between figures, PTR in exergue.
CNG notes: "This is perhaps one of the most unusual issues in the entire follis series. It is nearly always attributed to Trier (Treveri), but a comparison of portrait styles and an examination of follis hoards reveals that it was not struck in Trier but in Cyzicus. Two officinas struck this issue, D and z, and the KD in the field between the two figures is actually the mintmark, not the PTR. A look at the coins of Cyzicus (RIC 22-23) shows that the same two officina struck this issue without the PTR also. The appearance of Greek letters on an issue from Trier would be highly unusual. The Senior Augustus issues of Diocletian and Maximianus were struck at every mint then in operation. Apparently, the first coins of these types were prepared at (or for) Trier, and examples were sent to the various other mints to copy. At Cyzicus, the die engravers copied everything, including the Trier mintmark - and put their own mintmark in the field. Someone soon realized the mistake and new dies were prepared with the Cycicus mintmark only - and in its proper location."

 

Great coin! Heres some green for you.

 

That's a great addition.

I'm keen to add an abdication-type to my collection. Just have to keep an eye out for the right coin at the right price.

 

What a gorgeous coin, Gavin! Great history too. Hmm. I need one

Favorite Diocletian from Roman Egypt:


EGYPT, Alexandria. Diocletian
year 11, CE 294/5
tetradrachm, 19 mm, 7.6 gm
Obv: ΔIOKΛHTIANOCCEB; laureate head right
Rev: Draped bust of Selene right, crescent before; L IA behind
Ref: Emmett 4080.11, R5
The date looks odd, more like L IE rather than L IA. It can't be L IE (year 15) because production of tetradrachms in Alexandria ended in 298. Per Emmett, this reverse was only issued year 11. Could it be and unpublished L IB, with the right side of the B missing? Possibly, but it's probably just a somewhat blundered A.

I don't have any brilliant emerald patinas like your new coin, but here are a few with brownish green:


SICILY, Syracuse. Dionysios I


Kamarina tetras


Sicily, Syracuse. AE 13, c. 425 BCE. Arethusa(?)/hippocamp & octopus

And in praise of rapid shippers, no one was better than the old Gitbud & Naumann auctions via Pecumen. That was before the Pecumen platform became unstable, before G&N split, and before the German laws became burdensome for sellers and buyers. Sigh. I used to receive coins from Pecunem ~3 days after the auction. Germany to the Caribbean in 3 days? Wow!! They must've had an army of people processing those lots, or perhaps a few people and gallons of caffeinated beverages

Here's one of those G&N speed-shipped coins.


CARIA, Mylasa

 

Great coins, this was a great read before I have to start work, thanks all!!
@John Anthony @Ken Dorney and Frank Robinson have all gotten coins to me in a couple days.

 

O, i love that coin..hairdo and all!

 

I agree! That's one heck of a hairdo.

 

I had the same experience with Savoca. The coin I bought was inexpensive, so the shipping fee felt a bit much. But it was very nice to have that coin from Germany to Tennessee in one week.