I recently picked up 2 coins that any ancient collector would probably consider an important milestone... My 1st imperial Caligula... Caligula (Gaius), AE As, Struck 37-38 AD, Rome Mint Obverse: C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT, bare head left. Reverse: VESTA, Vesta, veiled and draped, seated left on throne with ornamented back and legs, holding patera in right hand and long transverse scepter in left, S-C in fields. References: RIC I 38; BMCRE 46; Cohen 27 Size: 27mm, 9.38g And my 1st Nero... Nero, AE Dupondius, Struck 62-68 AD, Lugdunum (Lyon) Mint Obverse: NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P, Head of Nero, laureate, left; small globe at point of neck. Reverse: VICTORIA AVGVSTI, Victory walking left, holding wreath in right hand and palm in left, S-C in fields, II in exergue. References: RIC I 410; Lyon 81; BMCRE 350; Cohen 346 Size: 29mm, 14.84g I'll come back in a sec to add attributions...
Two classics! I'm never sure how to distinguish authentic from cast in a coin such as that Caligula. The soft/soapy junctions of the devices to the fields are always worrisome (a sign of casting) but certain types of wear and surface corrosion could look that way too.
I was questioning that myself but didn't find a fake match. In fact I found surprisingly few examples of this type that I would think is often faked. Again hard to determine from a photo only.
I also shared these photos on a FB ancient coin group and a handful, including Dominic Chorney from Baldwin's, don't have any reservations about it's authenticity.
Thought I'd use this thread to share a few more cool recent coin pickups... All quadrans! Caligula quadrans Claudius quadrans Claudius quadrans Trajan quadrans
Hey, I have all these but the first and then a few others @Justin Lee AUGUSTUS AE Quadran OBVERSE: LAMIA SILIVS ANNIVS, clasped hands holding caduceus REVERSE: III VIR A A A F F around large S C Rome 9 BC 3.0g, 15mm RIC 420, BMC 200, S 1693 AUGUSTUS AE Quadran OBVERSE: SISENNA MESSALLA IIIVIR, altar REVERSE: APRONIVS GALLVS AAAFF around SC Rome 5 BC , Moneyers Apronius, Galus, Messalla, and Sisena 3.0g, 17mm RIC 463 or 200 in Old RIC CLAUDIUS AE Quadrans OBVERSE: T I CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG – Modius REVERSE: PON M TRP IMP P P COSII - Large S C Struck at Rome, 42AD 2.6g, 16mm RIC 90, BN 195, S 1865, C 72 CLAUDIUS AE Quandran OBVERSE: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG around hand holding pair of scales above PNR REVERSE: PON M TR P IMP COS DES IT around S C Struck at Rome, 41AD 2.8g, 15mm RIC 85, Cohen 71, BMC 174 ANONYMOUS Æ Quadrans OBVERSE: Winged petasus REVERSE: S-C, winged caduceus Struck at Rome, Late 1st-mid 2nd century AD 15mm, 2.36g RIC II 32 TRAJAN AE Quadran OBVERSE: IMP CAES TRAIAN AVG GERM, diademed bust of Hercules right with lion-skin on neck REVERSE: Boar walking right, SC in ex. Struck at Rome, 98-117 AD 2g, 14mm RIC 702 TRAJAN AE Quadrans OBVERSE: IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG, laureate head right, slight drapery on far shoulder REVERSE: She-wolf crouching left, SC in ex. Struck at Rome, 98-117 AD 2.6g, 16mm RIC 694, Cohen 340, BMC 1061