When You Buy a Coin Because of the Portrait

Still love this one... from the era of scrappy coins... Quintillus with a sweet handlebar mustache and sideburns:

From the old beards and mustaches thread.

 

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I have a nice variety of Macrinus portraits but this one is my favourite -
Cibyra, Phrygia

 

Looks like the engravers used a Caracalla portrait, which makes sense because they might not have seen Marcrinus or any Imperial coin portraits of him.

 

Real, and they were Skythian. See The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor.

https://www.amazon.com/Amazons-Legends-Warrior-across-Ancient/dp/0691147205

 

I've always liked this sensitive Faustina Jr. portrait. I assume it's closer to "real life" than her more often-seen, pleasant but bland and "epitomized" portrait.

More typically she's shown like this:
(same reverse, you may note)


Of course this might lead into a discussion of whose "normal representation" was typically the most attractive woman's portrait (to modern eyes) on a Roman coin

A lot of folks say Crispina:
sorry I don't have a spiffier specimen, but you can get an overall impression

Although Lucilla was also portrayed in a pretty attractive manner on many of her coins:

Seems like the Antonines had some attractive women among them -and some decently talented engravers.

 

With so many amazing coins, I shouldn't show my favorite. Maybe I should start collecting something else, like bottle caps? pocket knives ? But before I make a decision about what to collect, this is my favorite of the ones I have, and of course it is Augustus

Denarius, Rome, 16 BC, L. Mescinius Rufus, moneyer
17 mm, 3.55 g
Ref.: RIC 351
Obverse: Laureate head right
Reverse: L MESCINI – VS RVFVS Mars, helmeted and cloaked, holding spear and parazonium, standing l. on pedestal inscribed S P Q R / V PR RE / CAES

 

I just purchased this Julia Domna denarius from Forum Ancient Coins because it was love at first sight. The reverse isn't great, and the obverse legend was done over a stiff drink, but the portrait knocked me out of my seat. This coin was minted when she was about 43 years old, two years after Septimius Severus had died and Caracalla had killed Geta, so she had been through a lot by this time, but still looks noble and dignified.



JULIA DOMNA, SILVER DENARIUS, ROME MINT, 213AD
Obverse: IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG
Reverse: VESTA
RIC IV C390, RSC III 230, BMCRE V C29, Hunter III C10, SRCV II 7108
Ex Jyrki Muona Collection

 

Awesome coins !

 

Welcome to CoinTalk, @Numisnewbiest!

 

Thank you, TIF!

 

@Orange Julius great Movember Quintillus!

 

Newmisnewbiest's late Domna is a fine portrait of the period. I want to show a sestertius of the same time that has a really strange treatment of the eye. It reminds me of the old style tetradrachms of Athens with almond eye. It might be going too far to question whether the die cutter was aware of those then 700 year old coins but I do believe that there were some artists worthy of our study working at the Severan mint. Double striking ruined the reverse on this one but the die can be found on high grade coins.

 

I didn't have time for this thread last week, but portraits, yes, that's top of the list for me. Here are some.

This coin decorated my desk for twenty years before I even started collecting. A bronze drachm of Ptolemy IV, issued in Alexandria between 221 and 205 BC. A huge coin of 40 mm and 67 gr. The bearded portrait belongs to Zeus, the supreme Greek god.



Agrippa, died 12 BC, but here honored by his grandson, the emperor Gaius Caligula, 37-41 AD. An as of 25 mm, weighing 14.5 gr.



Julia Domna, a denarius I bought from CNG, but it is from the estate of coin seller Tom Cederlind, who had a great eye for great portraits. Rev. Luna, cloak billowing around her head, in biga drawn by horses on ground line, to the left, LVNA LVCIFERA [meaning Moon, the Light Bearer]. 18 mm, 2.85 gr.



This is Constantinus II as caesar, a coin issued under his father Constantine the Great in AD 320, in Siscia, province Illyria (now Croatia). Constantine as a boy, laureate, draped, and cuirassed looking left, holding Victory on globe and mappa. 18 mm, 2.31 gr.



TWO great idealistic portraits on this bronze of Laodicea ad Mare, now Latakia in Syria. To the left, the emperor Domitian, to the right is the city protecting goddess, usually called Tyche. But I suppose you might call her Laodicea, too. 25 mm, 11.23 gr.

 

And don't forget the barbs: this is a beautiful, early, fourré Celtic imitation of the Philip II tetradrachm. Early third century BC, 24.5 mm, 13.85 gr.



A Sasanid silver drachm of king Kavad I, his first reign (488-496 AD). 28 mm, 4.02 gr.



A Later Nezak billon drachm, Kabul, possibly around 665 AD. Obv. Male bust r., crowned with a buffalo’s head on a large crescent, its muzzle into the crescent. Two ribbons pointing upward attached to the necklace. Text Nycky Mlka right. Rev. Fire altar with two attendants with staves or plant stalks, two wheels above their heads. 24 mm, 3.04 gr.



And although I'm only collecting ancient and medieval coins, I couldn't leave this splendid Baroque portrait alone. It's a medal of Pope Clement X, sculpted by Alberto Hamerani. It's from the year 1670. On the reverse you see Christ washing Saint Peter's feet.

 

i was bidding on a Probus coin just for the that reason melord...for the neck of it!

 

Well, there are different reasons for buying a coin because of the portrait:

I bought this one, although it is a fourrée, because I found it expressive. It remains, and likely will remain, one of my favourite acquisitions of 2018:


Artaxerxes II – Darius III, Achaemenid Empire, fourrée siglos, ca. 375–336 BC. Obv: Great King kneeling left, holding dagger and bow, three pellets on chest. Rev: irregular punch. 14.4mm, 4.92g. Ref: Carradice 1987, type IV C (prototype).

I bought this one because it is gorgeous and the portrait strongly resembles someone close to me:


Faustina the Younger, Roman Empire, sestertius, ca. 161–164 AD, Rome mint. Obv: [F]AVSTINA AVGV[STA], diademed portrait right. Rev: IV[NONI] REGINAE, S-C, Iuno standing left with patera and sceptre, peacock left. 30mm, 27g. Ref: RIC III, 1651.

And finally, I bought this one because it is so unusually and incredibly hideous. I mean, look at it. The eye. The nose. The mouth. The oversized cheek. Licinius junior truly looks like an alien who just had their wisdom teeth taken out. This portrait has crossed the line of ugliness where things start to once more become appealing. Something tells me that the engraver of this obverse die (a recent thread established his name to have been Kevin) might have been forced to think about alternative career paths soon after this was struck.


Licinius II, Roman Empire, AE3, 317–320 AD, Antioch mint. Obv: DN VAL LICIN LICINIVS NOB C, laureate and draped bust left, holding mappa, globe, and sceptre. Rev: IOVI CONSERVATORI CAESS, Jupiter standing left, holding Victory on globe and sceptre, captive at feet left, delta in right field. 18mm, 2.82g. Ref: RIC VII, 29 delta. Ex Warren Esty.

 

My favorite coin portrait would have to be this as of Claudius that I got in a Nomos Auction, which was my first auction house purchase. I only hope it isn't tooled, but it doesn't seem too suspicious. The reverse is a bit nicer than the picture leads to believe, too.


AE As of Claudius, minted 50-54 AD at Rome. 29mm, 10.94g, RIC 116, ex Nomos Obolos 8
Obverse: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP PP, bare bust left
Reverse: SC across field, Minerva advancing right, brandishing shield and javelin