TIF's 2018 recap-- Top Ten Favorite Alexandrians

Trajan.. Lucky Emperor to represent half of your top ten. Congrats Tif..Indeed

 

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A wonderful group!! It's hard to pick a favorite - I'd probably have to go with your Foot of God but your Pius harbor scene is high up in the running in my eyes. Here's to a wonderful 2019!

 

Thanks, everyone!!

Yours is a marvelous example. Mine has considerably more wear but is still very attractive, at least to me . I'd love to have yours too though.


EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius
Regnal year 17
AE drachm, 33mm
Obv: laureate bust right
Rev: Serapis-Agathodaemon standing erect right
Ref: Dattari 2829; Emmett 1678.17
Ex Robert L. Grover Collection of Roman Egyptian Coinage, previously held by the Art Institute of Chicago (1982.1988, G.781)

Another Serapis-headed Agathodaemon-- this one riding a horse. Ex X6 too


EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius
Æ drachm (32mm, 23.0 g, 12h); RY 23 (CE 159/60)
Obv: Laureate bust right, slight drapery
Rev: Serapis-Agathodaemon serpent erect right on horseback advancing right; L K Γ (date) across field. Only the K is visible on this coin but this is the only year of issue for the type
Ref: Cf. Köln 1852-3; Dattari (Savio) 8939; K&G 35.820; Emmett 1679
Ex X6 Collection.

I hadn't even noticed but you're right-- Trajan accounts for half of this list!! I'm happy to have some better Trajans but for me the reverse is the most interesting side of any Alexandrian coin .

 

Beyond Awesome @TIF ! Wonderful coins great graphics, and dyn-O-mite write-ups! Love them all, but I will concede the Egyptian coins to you. Well done on a fun year! AND, I look forward to your Top 10 NON-Egyptians!

 

My all time personal favourite of yours is your number one coin on the list! What an awesome coin year you had, despite the dreadful setbacks.

 

Here is my favorite drachm of Roman Alexandria:



Trajan, 98-117.
34 mm. 17.25 grams.
Radiate head, nude bust right.
Modius (kalathos) on column, winged snakes either side
LIZ in exergue = year 17 = 113/4 AD.

Not in Milne. Not in BMC with radiate bust, only laureate. Emmett does not distinguish types by obverse varieties. The reverse is type 396. Giessen 651 is excellent but laureate, not radiate. Not in Forschner.

RPC III 4805. The coin above is better than either of the two pictured in the book, and better than the one on-line:

http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/4805.3/

I got it in 1992 at the summer ANA in Orlando. At the time I certainly did not know it was rare, but the appeal of the reverse was enough to make it worth $45 (from a major ancient-coin dealer).

 

The “homeliest” one is my favorite here, but that snake cowboy is not bad too. Ah, who am I kidding, they ALL make me really really jealous! That was a serious Roman-Egyptian tour de force, and just a mouth-watering selection in general. It’s hard to imagine you have another list of top coins for the year beyond this one, but I look forward to it, if only to instruct myself on how to buy better coins in 2019.

 

Ok, I'd been looking through your top 10 this morning and no one coin was sticking out at a top winner to me so I thought I'd give it some time away and to return to the list and one would become apparent... But nope! I simply can't pick one! An amazing list! I can't wait to see your non-Alex top 10!

Edit: in reading the recent comments that I didn't read before submitting my post, I'm not the only one that feels this way!

 

Wow, TIF, you had a great year in 2018 adding to your Alexandria specialty.

I thought of Monty Python as soon as I saw "The Foot" coin. What a weird item to depict on a coin. I believe this type must have inspired the very rare medieval coins dedicated to St Hubbins, the Patron Saint of Quality Footwear.

What a strange portrait style coins 2 and 3 use for Trajan. He looks like a cartoon character or a bobble head. His head is almost too large for the flan. It appears to have its own weather system.

Glad you liked to Saturnalia gift, I was excited to have something that fit your collecting interests. Looking forward to seeing more cool coins and awesome animated gifs next year.

John

 

Jaw dropping stuff Tif, I can't pick a favorite!

 

Hello, TIF! I was really looking forward to what you had to show us and gift us. I was practically thinking you'd given up. How could I have such stupidity! Your coins are simply fantastic! I have no words and I could not define my favorite. Congratulations for the excellent numismatic year! I wish you many others come!

 

Great idea!

 

Very nice 10

 

@TIF , your ship came in with this coin. I like well worn coins, like this one, that retain their character.
Best wishes for a great 2019!

 

Nice 10 @TIF
I am completely envious of all those Trajans 3, 4,6, 7 & 9 are all sweet

 

Your number one is my favorite too, first because it's a super-extra-fantastic coin, but also because it's illustrated twice in Emmett : that only is a feat considering how few illustrations it has

Congrats on a great alexandrian year my friend !

Q

 

What a awesome group of coins for 2018 @TIF !!!!!

Snake jokey, Python foot, and truckin' snake bigga are obvious winners...bug man I love Harpodile (Harpotaur? Crococrates?) Man, is see pics of Harpokrates pointing at his mouth, and he is a god of silence...does that have anything to do with your ""SHHHHH" today?