Hello all, New member here, I've read the board's rules and regulations. I've been collecting for a few years now. Hope to learn from all the members here. Here's a coin to keep things on topic. A relatively common quinarius of Octavian from ebay. David Sear argues this quinarius should have been issued before Octavian was granted the title of Augustus.
Welcome to Cointalk ancients! Nice to see the coin that inspired my similar Vespasian denarius. Vespasian AR Denarius, 3.27g Rome Mint, 75 AD RIC 776 (R). BMC 169. RSC 369. Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: PON MAX TR P COS VI; Victory, draped, holding wreath extended in r. hand and palm upright in l., standing l. on 'cista mystica', on either side of which is a snake, coiling up on it's tail, facing inwardly Ex Harlan J Berk 145, 14 September 2005, lot 232.
Welcome @RichardT. I have one of these: AUGUSTUS AR Quinarius OBVERSE: IMP VII CAESAR - Bare head right REVERSE: ASIA RECEPTA - Victory standing left on cippus, holding wreath and palm, snake on either side Uncertain Italian Mint 29-27 BC 1.7g, 13mm RIC 276, S 1568
Welcome @RichardT - here's a a note on your coin that you may enjoy, and a roman republican quinarius to add to your post! Roman Republic, Anonymous, 211-208 BC, AR Quinarius Obv: Helmeted head of Roma right, V behind Rev: The Dioscuri galloping right, ROMA within box below 16 mm 2.4 grams
FAC has it as "cista mystica", and I do believe they are correct. Definition: The cista (or cista mystica) was a basket used for housing sacred snakes in connection with the initiation ceremony into the cult of Bacchus (Dionysus). In the Dionysian mysteries a serpent , representing the god, was carried in a cista on a bed of vine leaves. Cippus Definition: A small low pillar usually inscribed and used in ancient Rome and Greece as a gravestone or landmark. It looks like a basket and there is no writing on it. Cista Mystica it is.
Welcome, nice to have you aboard! That's a very nice example of the Octavian quinarius... remarkably well-centered and much more complete than most.
Thanks everyone for your kind words, and for that interesting website link. As for collecting focus, my main two focuses are the Imperatorial Period and the Late Empire (Constantine I to Zeno)
A most hearty welcome to CT, @RichardT! And that is a super nice quinarius, one of my favourite types from Octavian/Augustus. Note that it's better if you click on the "Full Image" button beside your uploaded image before posting. It will then get inserted at full size into your post and we can all appreciate the coin more easily.
Welcome to CoinTalk.com Richard. I do hope you enjoy it here. I joined in April of 2017 and it has been a blast! So much more fun when you can discuss and show your coins to an engaged community.