After the somewhat heartbreaking experience of writing an epic top 10 of 2018 thread only to have it crash and disappear (unsaved!), I've decided to start over and instead post my most exciting/ interesting acquisitions of late 2018 and early 2019. Its really hard for me to choose a favourite with so many different flavours - I'm looking forward to the Hunnic, Sasanian, and early Islamic additions to my collection and the Gaul stater, the Selge stater and the Hadrian Drachm make me smile ear to ear. All nicely sized coins. NORTHWEST GAUL. Coriosolites. Ca. 100-50 BC. BI stater Jersey Moon Head type. Head right, hair in large spiral curls / Horse right, lyre below. D&T 2334. NGC Ch VF 5/5 - 2/5, scuffs. Weight 5.39 g Diameter 20mm SASANIAN KINGS. Šābuhr (Shahpur) I AD 240-272. AR Drachm (27mm, 4.36 g, 3h). Mint VIII (“Susa”?). Phase 1b, circa AD 244-252/3. Bust right, wearing diadem and mural crown with korymbos and earflaps / Fire altar; flanked by two attendants wearing mural crowns. SNS type IIc/1a, style K and pl. 27, A28 and A29 (same dies); Sunrise –. VF, areas of toning Weight 4.36g Diameter 27mm Stater 370-360 BC v. Chr. Ancient Greece from Selge (370-360 BC) Selge in Pisidia, statér dated 370-360 BC. Grading: VF. Adv: Wrestlers. Rev: Slinger og triskeles. References: Sear (1997) 5472. Weight: 10,8 g Diameter 22mm Egypt, Alexandria: Hadrian AD 117-138 (year 16), AE drachm, 34.5mm, 21.27gm. Laureate bust right / Nilus reclining left, crocodile beneath. Fine, Emmett 1014(16) very rare date. Ex: Fred Knust Weight 21.27g Diameter 34.5mm Zengids of Mosul. Saif al-Din Ghazi II. 565-576/1170-1180. Æ dirhem. 568/1172-1173. VF, brown and blue-green patina. Zengids of Mosul. Saif al-Din Ghazi II. 565-576/1170-1180. � dirhem (28 mm, 11.21 g, 3 h). 568/1172-1173. Draped male bust facing slightly left, prominent knot at forehead; above, two winged figures / Legend in five lines and in left and right margins. Spengler & Sayles Type 60.4. VF, brown and blue-green patina. Weight 11.21g Diameter 28mm ARTUQIDS OF AMID & KAYFA NASIRALDIN MAHMUD AH 610 HINS ARTUQIDS OF AMID & KAYFA: Nasir al-Din Mahmud, AD 1201-1222 AE dirham (8.6 gr & 28,19 mm), al-Hisn, AH 610 . A-1823.1. SS-15 Weight 8.6g Diameter 28.2mm HUNNIC TRIBES, Nezak Huns, Shri Shahi. Circa AD 560-620. BI/AE Drachm. Rare 1 in 100s HUNNIC TRIBES, Nezak Huns. "Nezak Shah". Circa 500-600. Æ Drachm. Crowned bust right, crown with three crescents, each containing a trident, ribbons on shoulder,tamgha or letters above ribbons / Fire altar, flanked by two attendants, wheels flanking flames. Alram, Alchon 76, Göbl, Dokumente Em. 226/225. Extremely fine example Weight 3.26g Diameter 27.2mm
Nice group. I place the Selge on top. (Embarassed correction here: Aspendos. Thanks PeteB - below) Suggestion: When writing a complicated and long post like the top ten, start in your word processor for the text. When it is what you want, copy and paste to Coin Talk new post space and then add the photos. That way you can save the texts as you go and risk less to crashes or getting called to dinner.
Wow your avatar pic coin is.. amazing! Add one to the bucket list The Celt and the Selge are probably my top 2 for this group as well Great suggestion Doug, much appreciated =)
Love the Coriosolite coinage! I've attached mine. My write-up on the coin and its history are here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=47002&pos=5
Nice write up and nice coin! I really like the styling on your stater, each one is unique and wonderfully weird. Here are my other 2 Coriosolite staters, also recent purchases. Grade: VF / XF | abbreviations Catalog: LT.- DT.S 2333 B DT.S 2333 B DT.? Sch / L.- Sch / SM.- CORIOSOLITÆ (Area of Corseul, Cotes d'Armor) Statuette of billon, class VI obverse, hybrid Vb reverse c. 80-50 AC. Saint-Brieuc (22) R3 billon Obverse: Anépigraphe Human head on the right, hair in three rolls, the hair divided into large locks in the shape of S, the nose in 2 upside down, beaded cords in front of the face Reverse: Anépigraphe Cheval androcephalus bridled, galloping to the right; above, remains of the head of the charioteer and pointed stalk; between the legs, a leaning lyre; in front of the horse, a cross Comment: Mint with complete types, well centered, but of soft knock or with marked wear. Gray and porous patina Weight: 6.81 g Diameter 22mm Grade: VF / aEF | Abbreviations Catalog: Castelin 211 Material: Silver Weight: 6.16 g Diameter 22mm Kopf r. / Stilisiertes androkephales Pferd r., oben Lenker, darunter Eber r.
I think not Selge. The city name for Selge is ΣΤΛΕΓΕVΣ. Yours has the name for Aspendos: ΕΣΤFΕΔΙΙΥ(Σ).
Doug has a later version struck at Selge, with a "Greek" legend "ΣΕΛΓΕΩΝ."...circa 325 BC. An earlier version can be seen here: https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=163614 with the city name inscribed as in my post above: ΣΤΛΕΓΕVΣ....circa 370 BC or earlier.
