My latest acquisition came from a very old friend (take that as you wish but I have known him a while) who commented that I was suprised I ordered that coin. That got me started wondering if he knew more about what I find attractive or desirable in a coin than I do. I'll describe a few of its features but that does not mean that any of those features cause it to be attractive to me. I can find something interesting about most ancient coins. Since I got the coin in the mail yesterday, I discovered a few other things about it that I find interesting but that may say as much about the nature of my disease as it does about the coin. Some of you know I have been taking some close ups of small sections of some of my coins. You probably suspect I am on the payroll of microscope manufacturers (I'm not but if you are a manufacturer and want to give me a new trinocular stereoscopic scope, I'll take it). I'll start by showing a small part of the obverse of the coin. There are a lot of things to see in this photo. My favorite is the two rows of three dots which I believe to be the double pearls mentioned in BMCRE as one of the options for coins of this ruler and period even though they did not have this reverse listed with that option. You may or may not know that I think assigning importance to the kind of hair hardware shown and requiring us to decide what we have before we get a catalog number is one of the reasons I have so little respect for collecting by catalog number. This image also shows some artifacts of striking and toning that I find interesting. Sure you can see such things 'in hand' and in low resolution photos but I like my photos better. Does this photo show why I liked this coin? Maybe. My wife just told me it is time to make supper (my turn) so I will have to add more to this later. I know one of you can ID this coin from this teaser and most won't read this far in one of my run-on threads so I'll leave with the question of what this photo shows that may or may not be of interest. Ruler? Date? Would a real expert (not I!!!) be able to ID this coin from this photo? Very possibly!
I think it is a deceptively rotated closeup of Faustina Sr's hairstyle, the top/back of her bun... or if the image isn't misrotated, Faustina Jr's bun.
My second photo shows a slightly larger section of the reverse of this coin. It shows a slightly unusual arrangement catalogs describe as an arm resting on a cornucopia that is placed next to the seat rather than held in arms as usual. Below the seat is a globe which my slightly worn specimen shows to have had bands (astrolabe?) which should be more of interest to people interested in astronomy than it is to me. Do these characteristics have anything to do with my buying the coin? Not really. I do find these points interesting to a degree but that takes us back to my desire to find something interesting in the coin after the fact. These characteristics will ID the coin but again only for people who have studied these as a specialty. I do not. Perhaps that is why the seller was surprised I bought this coin. Perhaps it is true that I'll buy anything at least if it is fairly priced. The seller, our own Valentinian, tends to be fairly priced IMHO but that may be because he tends to have coins that have some interest other than their being mint state. I did not have one of these. Now I do. I did not know I wanted one of these. That one I can not explain. It hurts me that anyone would think I am being deceptive. Up is up. It is not Faustina Sr.
Faustina Jr denarius, Concordia reverse. Final answer, Regis . I'm not sure of your reasons for buying the coin but look forward to that explanation . Yes, you are such a little angel .
The last coin I bought in 2018 was an Alexandrian tetradrachm of Faustina II. While researching it, I became aware that this daughter of Antoninus Pius sported quite a number of variations of hairstyles in her younger days. I am not a specialist in coins of empresses or a fan of fancy hair styles but I could see how someone who found those things interesting might want to specialize in the lifetime coinage of this lady. I had some of her coins of Rome but no denarius this early an with anything like the hair on Valentinian's coin. Now I do. Why did I like that coin. I have no idea. Anyone care to talk me thrugh what they consider to be the proper reference number for it in BMCRE? I do not have that volume of RIC so I don't know how they handled the pearls.
There are three coins in BMC with this reverse design: 1086-1088. Of these, 1086 and 1087 have the same hairstyle as yours. The reverse dies differ in the break in the inscriptions, and the die-axis differs between 1086 and 1087, but neither of these features is of significance during the Antonine period. Here's the listing: Here are the actual coins in the British Museum collection: 1086: 1087: 1088:
Here's the classification of the various bust types and hairstyles on p. 158. The band of pearls refers to a diadem of pearls, actually. Here's a double band of pearls: Single band: Stephane and band of pearls:
Thanks. Seeing several coins makes it possible to decipher the BMC listing better. My coin has a letter spacing unlike any of the BMC examples but that is minor and expected.
Not really. The matter shows how little I know about the Antonine period. To my unskilled eye, the coin looked 'different' but it turns out to be quite ordinary.
My version of the OP coin: Here's the CONCORDIA standing version of the coin, BMC 1085: I like having access to photographs of objects in the British Museum: Because I occasionally find die-matches:
This was an interesting post. I dug through my Faustina II's and found what I think is BMC 1087, based on the spacing of the reverse legend. Mine has little "fingers" coming off the obverse bust near the forehead, off her hair - I am assuming this is just an aspect of striking and not a stephane?
Yeah, I didn't think so. The three spikes are probably nothing. As I understand it: sestertius with stephane (right) and without (left):
My poor version ( seen better days ) My records show that I have the longer Obverse legend ( ANTONINI ) with Concordia standing but I am having difficulty locating it In reply to the reason you bought it Doug, who wouldn't ? A lovely example that is perfectly centered on a tight flan, strong details with little wear & nice toning. Certainly not " ordinary " for the type, I know I would
