Terence Cheesman Top 10 Purchases 2019 Finally Done

STOP IT, @Terence Cheesman ! My eyes HURT!

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Ancient Joe in his current Top 10 thread makes an interesting observation that if all coins were basically a dollar but the frequency that they show up is the same would your collection be somewhat different. I decided to answer him here as the coins I have presented are here and are more easily referred to. I am not sure the number of coins in my collection would be that much different but I think there might be some changes.
The Alexander Oktadrachm was a chance acquisition. I had been outbid on a number of coins already in the auction so I very quickly went down to the room where the coins were kept looked at it quickly and then back to bid. Had I got one or more of the previous coins I probably would not have acquired this one. There are other cases of me being the under bidder in quite a number of coins and consoling myself with something else.
I have always liked the double daric. I guess it was the notion that it was issued as a wedding present for that mass marriage ceremony between Macedonians and Persians instigated by Alexander III. I am now more inclined to accept the scholarship that it is in fact posthumous, initially issued as Alexander's empire was beginning to disintegrate. This does diminish its romance and to some degree its importance but it did sort of show up when there was not much out there that I liked so....
The Domitian Aureus was completely unplanned. I would have preferred to buy a Vespasian but when I saw it I liked it and then bought it. The same was true of the Metapontion Stater and the Seleukos I Tetradrachm
There are other cases, the Lokris, Philip II Stater, Nero Aureus, Ptolemy IIII Av Octadrachm, and Faustina Senior Aureus that the purchase was based on my want list thus was more or less planned successfully carried out and I got the coin. One other was this one. Basically an "also ran" for this year Athens Ar Tetradrachm 475-465 B.C. Starr Group IV HGC 1595 17.13 grms 23 mm. Photograph By W. Hansen I mentioned before that I had bought all my classic "Owls" prior to the current hoard entering the marketplace. (Clever me) I wanted one that was earlier than my then current Starr group V A coin.After a bit of study I decided to buy this one.

 

Boscoreale Nero and Ptolemy Octadrachm!!

 

A stellar year, Terence! If I were forced at gunpoint to pick a favourite... I would end up dead!

(Which ones are merchant ships? ) (Inside joke...)

 

Wow! The Alexander I and Ptolemy Oktadrachms are my favorites and I don’t even think I need to explain why... beautiful coins!

The threads that are spread out across multiple posts make it somewhat hard for me to keep the list straight. Perhaps it would help if all the 2019 top 10 were posted into one post once all coins are revealed?

 

I suspect that I should have done that. I got one other post to that effect and I have to agree with her. My problem is that some of the coins had not had the photos finished and I wanted to get started. I saw some others had done so and decided to jump in. Next year I will make a point to have them all done and then get started.
Another also ran Pescennius Niger Ar Denarius 193-195 A.D. Rv Fortuna standing left RIC 76 var Ex Garrett Collection 3.70 grms 17 mm

 

Very nice!!