Two Alexandrian potin tetradrachm (sold as a single lot) arrived today. They are my first Alexandrian tetradrachm so I’m quite excited. I can see how these could be habit forming. Probus Potin Tetradrachm of Alexandria. Year 8. A K M AVP ΠPOBOC CEB, laureate cuirassed bust right / L-H, eagle standing left, head right, wreath in its beak. Claudius II Potin Tetradrachm of Alexandria. Year 2 = 269 AD. AVT K KΛAVΔIOC CEB, laureate cuirassed bust right / L-B, eagle standing left, head right, with wreath in its beak. Now these two coins come with two #firstworldcoincollectorproblems. The first problem - I’m undecided about unshackling the Claudius II from the farthing or not – usually the thought of ancients on a chain makes me shudder and I’d be in a hurry to set it free. But I acquired this from a local New Zealand dealer, and there’s an interesting historical coincidence between the Egyptian origins of the tetradrachm and the 1916 date of the farthing. During the First World War, soldiers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force used Egypt as a staging post between New Zealand and the Western Front; recuperated in Egypt after the Gallipoli campaign; and between 1916-1918, fought in Egypt, Sinai and Palestine. I’m speculating of course, but it’s interesting to think that this could be a soldier’s souvenir or lucky charm, which would be pretty neat and I wouldn’t want to lose that context. I’ve asked if the dealer can shed any light on the coins’ provenance but he hasn’t responded yet. Second problem, I keep my ancient coins in Quadrum capsules (easy to access, while providing one extra layer of essential toddler protection). But these suckers are too fat! It’s a problem I have with my Kushans too and not one that I’ve found an ideal solution to yet. Let me know what you would do with the chain, and, if you have one, how you store these suckers. And of course please share pictures of your own Alexandrian tetradrachms!
Nice. I am curious as to what drew you to the Probus. Did you know that it is a scarcer year for example?
Nice chunks of Egypt you have there, RL! As for the holed coins, is there any compelling reason to believe the two coins were at some point actually joined? I'd cut the string and separate the modern coin but I might not remove the links from the tetradrachm. EGYPT, Alexandria. Probus year 8, CE 282 potin tetradrachm, 20 mm, 7.4 gm Obv: AKMAVPΠPOBOCCEB; laureate cuirassed bust right Rev: eagle standing right, head right, wings open, wreath in beak; L - H Ref: Emmett 3982.8; Milne 4658 EGYPT, Alexandria. Probus year 2, CE 276/7 tetradrachm, 20 mm, 7.9 gm Obv: AKMAVPΠPOBOCCEB; laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right Rev: eagle standing right, head left, wreath in beak; L-B across fields Ref: Emmett 3983.2
Should you separate the coins? I say no. As you point out there is some (possible) historical connection between the two coins and why they were joined together. It makes sense and is likely a souvenir of that campaign. If you remove them you remove the context and it cannot be replaced. Its gone forever. As a holed coin it has very little value but as is would have much more value (both monetarily and historically).
I agree with Ken. Keep the joined coins together and you've got a very interesting story to tell. Separate them and you've got just another holed ancient coin.
I would definitely keep them linked together. It is fun to think of the kind of stories those coins could tell. Here is an Alexandrian tet of mine. Gallienus.
I agree complete with Ken on this one. History is a progression and cutting the chain will not heal the hole.
I agree with the others who have said keep them together. The farthing has too much wear to have been joined to the tet in 1918. This is likely a WW2 relic.
My first thought too. But what if it had been carried as a pocket piece for 50 years? And I wondered if the farthing was originally attached by a metal loop, and the ribbon was a quick fix when the loop failed? And I agree with those who say "Don't separate."
Nice Probus and I agree with others, keep the two coins attached. Probus (276 - 282 A.D.) Potin Tetradrachm O: A K M AVP PROBOC CEB, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. R: Eagle standing left, head right, holding wreath in beak; L to left, ς to right. Dated RY 6 (280/81 AD) Alexandria Mint 8.19g 20mm Dattari 5554; Milne 4629; Emmett 3984
I would re-attach the farthing to Claudius by one of the copper rings and lose the rope. Probus Potin seems popular by CT members, here's mine:
I'm curious what era the string appears to be? Does it look WWI? WWII? 1990's? If the latter, I'd consider what @Andres2 suggested. Here's a Valerian Alexandrian tetradrachm I got a couple weeks ago... At almost 23mm, it's bigger than the others I have so was a bit of a surprise when I got it in hand (collage is of seller's photos--I have yet to photo this one). Valerian, 253-260 AD BI Tetradrachm, Struck RY 4 (256/7 AD) Obverse: AKPLIOVALEPIANOCEVEVC, Laureate and cuirassed bust right. Reverse: Homonoia standing left, raising right hand, holding double cornucopia in left; LΔ (RY 4, 256/7 AD) across field. References: Dattari 5158 Size: 22.8mm, 11.2g
Exactly. Otherwise, it's just a holed ancient coin and a holed modern coin joined by a string, making it look like a wishful story. The little rings are called "jump rings". To open the free ring in order to thread it onto the modern coin, use two pairs of jewelry pliers and twist it like this. Do not pull it open in a manner that enlarges the ring. Open it by twisting, thread the coin onto the ring, and reverse the twisting motion to close the ring. Go slowly; the metal may be age-hardened and brittle.
This is a rare Gordian III Caesar tetradrachm. Gordian was caesar only for a short time. And you see that his portrait shows no personality - in his troubled times there was no official portrait yet. I suppose all the years A of the various emperors and naturally also their last years may be rarer than the other years. Tetradrachm Gordian III (238-244) as Caesar, Alexandria. Year 1 (=238). Obv. Bare head, draped and cuirassed, t.r., M ANT GORDIANOS KAIS. Rev. Nike seated t.l., holding wreath, year A. Greyish billon with slightly silvery patina. 21 mm, 12.23 gr. Emmett 3385 var. (obverse legend); Dattari (Savio) 4695.
Thanks for the replies all (and for sharing your sweet coins). I will keep the Claudius II and farthing paired. To be honest, I wasn't specifically in the market for Alexandrian coins and I didn't know it was a rarer type, the group simply came up in a local auction and was too good an opportunity to pass up. Good observation. I'm no string expert. All I can say is it's a bit yellowed so not new, but I have no idea how old it is.
Here's a Probus Tet I just received today: Probus, Alexandria, Egypt, 276-282 AD AE Tetradrachm, Struck 277/278 AD (RY 3) Obverse: AKM AVP ΠPOBOC CEB, laurate, bearded bust right of Probus. Reverse: Tyche standing left holding rudder in right hand and cornucopiae in left, upper left field regnal year LΓ (year 3 - 277/278 AD) References: Dattari 5543, Milne 4557, Forschner 1208, Emmett 3994 Size: 20mm, 6.8g
Neat coins, and fer sure, don't separate them. I just got a Egypt Tet of Claudius II with an unfortunate blob of green patina obverse, but a pretty nice eagle reverse:
