Your Favorite Coin in Your Collection

Probably the Pupienus sestertius I just got. Pretty good portrait especially since the two guys (Balbinus and Pupienus) ruled for just 99 days...anyway, it's today's favorite.





The reverse probably refers to Pupienus' unexpected victory over Maximinus Thrax.

 

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I am sorry, I cannot list a "favorite" coin. Virtually ALL of my coins are truly my favorites! I collect HISTORICALLY and not as focused on a Numismatic or Aesthetic quality of a coin. Generally, my "favorites" are SERIES of coins that I have or am collecting on a focused period in History. I enjoy The Roman Republic; Etruria; Ancient China; Carthage; Punic wars; The Social War; Mercenary/Libyan War; Italia Coinage; Makedonwn / The Diadochi; Egyptian Royal Scarabs

It seems I enjoy eras of Human Struggles, Critical junctures in Human History, or foundations of societies. Pretty generic!

Here is a representative from each of those ares that I like to play in...

The Roman Republic

RR 234-231 BCE AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm Apollo-Horse prancing Crawford 26-1 Sear 28

Etruria:

Etruria Populonia AR 5 Asses 3rd C BCE 2.0g Young Hd L V behind HN 173 Vecchi Rasna III 52 ex NAC 29 No 9 RARE

China:

China Qin 220-180 BC AE 12 Zhu Ban Liang Blank H7.7

Carthage:

Carthage Zeugitana 310-270 BCE EL Dekadrachm-Stater 18.5mm 7.27g Tanit Horse 3 pellets in ex MAA 12 SNG COP 136

Punic Wars:

Carthage Zeugitania First Punic War 264-241 BCE Double Shekel 26 mm 13.9 g Wreathed Tanit Horse stndng r star above SNG Cop 185 Rare

Social War:

Marsic Confederation denarius 90-88 BCE Italia-Corfinium Oath Ceremony over pig Sear 227 SCARCE

Mercenary / Libyan War:

Carthage Zeugitania Libyan Revolt AR Shekel 24mm 7.34g 241-238 BCE Wreathed Tanit Horse stndg control mark and Punic M SNG Cop 236

Italia:

Campania CAPUA AE 14-5mm 216-211 BCE Hera Oscan Grain ear Hannibal capital Italia SNG Fr 517 SNG ANS 219 HN Italy 500 EE Clain Stefanelli

Makedonwn / The Diadochi:

Makedon Philip II Tet Pella LIFETIME 353-349 Zeus Horse star spearhd Le Rider 102

Egyptian Royal Scarabae:

Egypt SCARAB Seti I ca 1291-1278 BCE 19th Dynasty ex Zuzim

 

As evidenced by my avatar the following stater from Tarentum is currently my favourite. The coin does have its flaws but the great artistry (IMHO) on the reverse and a wonderful old toning make up for those imperfections.

 

What a wonderful Tarentum stater! You are right about the artistry.

Like others, I have many favorites: one or two Greeks, Romans, Celts, 'barbarous imitations', Sasanians, Kidarites, Parthian bronze, Arab-Sasanian bronze and islamic coins. Here's one of the last category.



AR mansuri dirham, Rassid dynasty (second period). Emir Al-Mutawakkil Ahmad, 643 AH (= 1245/6 AD), Zufar, also known as Dhofar, in Oman. 24.5 mm, 1.65 gr. Album 1084.
Isn't it stunning, this thirteenth century silver piece?

 

First of all, a thread like this will not have a "last" post (or at least not for years, & we don't want to wait that long).

This is a good thread & you should always start with your specimen.

Now for me, it's like asking me which of my 9 grandkids is my favorite! It's not a question I can possibly answer (I would have at least 1000+ candidates) & as you can see from the 20 previous responses, it's a difficult proposition for many.

However, this is still a valuable thread, as you prompted many of our fabulous members who post some incredible coins, & for this reason I hope this thread keeps on going, & going, & going......!

 

I have a clear favorite, but I will not reveal it until I give it the proper writeup

 

I mainly pinch guilders, so my ancient collection is tiny and nothing super exceptional. My favourite of my dozen or so coins is no doubt this one:

Caracalla, denarius, RIC 285a, 2.73g.

 

Favorite coin? Gosh, that's as hard as trying to pick one's favorite child, dog, or wife. Well, maybe easier than the last category. But perhaps my most meaningful coin is this small Geta from Isaura in Cilicia. My closest friend showed it to me once about 55 years ago, and at the time, I told him it was absolutely gorgeous. I never thought about it again until 6 years ago when he came to visit, he told me to hold out my hand and he dropped it into my palm, telling me "it's now yours". I will always treasure it as the bond of a friendship that has lasted my entire life.

 

I have a clear favorite, and like a couple other people in this thread the coin is my avatar.


Rome. Clement VII (Giuliano de’Medici), 1523-1534. Doppio Carlino, AR 5.01 g. CLEMENS·VII PONT· MAX Bearded bust left with ornate cope with figures of saints and medallion. Rv. Mintmark of Giacomo Balducci. QVARE – DVBITASTI (Matthew 14:31) Christ lifting St. Peter from the Sea. Muntoni 43. Berman 841. Rare. VF, profile of Clement slightly doubled.

Ex. CNG-NAC 40, 1996, 218.

Dies Engraved by Benvenuto Cellini.

Cellini writes about this coin in his autobiography, and for me the opportunity to own an original renaissance artwork by one of the greatest sculptors of all time makes this a very easy choice.

 

Wow. Very nice coin. But a FANTASTIC story.

 

For my part, Voulgaroktonou has provided the best possible answer here. If I knew I were to die later today AND if I were to be allowed to hold one coin until the last minute at which time I would drop it into a hand of someone who would provide it with the level of appreciation that I had, THAT coin is my favorite coin. I know some of you rate your coins only by their market value. I'm not talking to you. I know you can't take them with you. Museums don't want coins. I have family and none of them care in the least about my coins. The cash my coins will raise for my family when they are sold by CNG, JAZ or someone else yet to appear on the scene will mean relatively little to my heirs so they won't miss this one. I admire the friend of Voulgaroktonou who sounds like someone very special. May his memory endure for generations.

I'm feeling fine. Don't plan on any gift coins anytime soon.

 

This an awesome photograph of an awesome coin. I would love to see your photography setup as I am trying to improve mine.

 

My fav as of today.

 

Wonderful patina on that coin @dlhill132

 

Thank you for your thoughtful words, Dougsmit; yes my friend Bill is very special. He got me on the right path to studying ancients when I was about 10 and he was ca. 30. 56 years on, and we're still friends!

 

Can anyone explain me this?

That contradicts what I have read. I don't rememember my source, but a bronze coin tends to circulate for about 100 years before they are out of use. Or they will be restruck. - How did this Gordian restruck 800 years later? Did it circulate tru' 800 years? - Was that coin in use in year 500CE or 800CE to buy bread?

 

The coin did not circulate for 800 year but probably was found after being lost for 800 years and used as a blank because it was the right size/weight. Perhaps they found a bag of a thousand of them and restruck them all; perhaps it was the only one. Today machine mints can't use old coins as blanks but restriking old coins was standard procedure when this was done. Many Byzantine bronzes are hard to find NOT restruck on an earlier coin but usually the undertype is only a few years old. The worker that did it quite possibly had no idea he was doing anything out of the ordinary. A blank was a blank and just another part of the job.

 

My setup is quite primitive actually. I would have preferred to photograph vertically, but as I'm limited by the tripod I made a cardboard stand to hold the coin. I use a daylight lamp that I point at a sheet of paper mounted to the lens to get diffuse indirect light which works ridiculously well for what it is. In way of camera settings, I usually use f/16 or f/18 and vary the shutter speed until I'm satisfied with the results.


And to make up for this off-topic hijack, here's another ancient coin of mine that I really like:

Aurelian, aurelianus, RIC 290, Serdica mint, 4.02g



I really like the late 3rd century reverses with those cartoony sausage-fingered figures on them.

 

I have a feeling this thread will be one to last for years.