My favorite coins of all time

My favorite of your favorites is not in the list you put to the vote.
Not that the options are no more than enough. I chose here to vote for Divus Caracalla. For several reasons: rarity, the style, because it is a sestertius, which personally appeals to me, but especially because it is something unusual to deify and honor an emperor not very loved to the Roman people. Undoubtedly, I believe that his alleged paternity with Elagabalo plays a key role in this issue.

But really, my choice would be that Hadrian's denarius fourrée with brockage. This is unsurpassed. Especially to me, I'm very interested in fourrées.

 

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Yes, that one certainly deserved consideration but I have been made aware of a couple other fourree brockages so it was moved out. Several other coins were eliminated because I did not want too many of one sort of coin. My favorites might include several Septimius Severus, Julia Domna, errors and coins I felt lucky to find. My hundred favorites would be easier than just ten - easier but not easy. I posted this thread in response to the other top ten lists. Maybe I should have done ten (or 100) Septimius, ten errors, ten fourrees, ten barbarous, ten coins with interesting fabric, ten odder than the usual oddball but not an error, etc. etc. etc. There are so very very many interesting ancient coins that it is altogether unreasonable to select only ten. What did that old potato chip ad say? "You can't eat just one (thousand)???"

 

Yes, it is a late reply (a short vacation) but the analysis you have underlying each coin is interesting.

The Alexandrian denarius of Septimius Severus is beautiful but the denarii of the Rome mint (I think) appeared to be more “professionally” done. I have wondered why the second city of the empire made coins that were crude in comparison to not merely Rome but other far smaller cities. It could be that what I think of as crude could be a matter of style. Certainly the eastern denarii of Julia Donna were beautifully done and (IMHO) equal to Rome, whatever “equal” means. Tough to speculate about the motivations and ideals of beauty of the people at this time.

 

(Estimated) Total populations aside, I would wager that Antioch might be better considered as the "second city" of the empire during the first few centuries (until the establishing of Constantinople).

As for this thread; it's b4 my time...but that Gordian III overstrike is too cool.

 

The Tet from Arados, the Obol owl and Septimius showing something pertaining to his wife's mood.. All these are very exciting coins. Who doesn't like rarity in Design ? I love all these coins.

 

My short term memory is suffering to the point that I had forgotten this thread existed. I was considering posting a list of my all times favorites as of today and find interest that four were different because my opinion had changed but there was only one new addition to the list at #4 overall obviously being my #1 of 2020 as posted on my earlier list. There is no reason now to post that new variation of the list. It is impossible for me to pick just 10 or just 100 without wondering about #11 or #101. I probably have coins that should have been considered but have overlooked as I did the Hadrian fourree brockage multatuli pointed out. If I am still collecting and upright in 2021 there is no guarantee that the new addition will still be #4 even if it is in the top ten. Call me senile. Call me fickle.