Featured Boars, sows, and pigs of the Roman Republic and Empire

Also:

Septimius Severus. 193-211 AD. Nicopolis, Moesia Inferior; Æ25. Obv: (AVT Λ CEΠT) - CEVHP ΠEP; His laur. head r. Rev: VΠ AVP ΓAΛΛOV - (NIKOΠOΛEIT)ΩN, in ex: ΠPOC ICT(P); Mt. Haimos as a young man sitting left on a rock, with a light gown over his shoulder and knees; his head turned to the right. His right arm is raised over his head and his left hand is resting on the rock or a tree stump. A bear at the base of the rock springs right, toward a deer fleeing right. The legend includes the Roman legate Gallus' name. F/aVF. HrHJ (2018) 8.14.43.3, scarce (R5). Three examples cited.

 

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Well, it decides which sides faces up in the tray

 

And a slightly clearer one:

Elagabalus. 218-222 AD. Nicopolis, Moesia Inferior; Æ 26. Obv: His radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust, right. Rev: Mt. Haimos as a young man sitting left on a rock, with a light gown over his shoulder and knees; his head turned to the right. His right arm is raised over his head and his left hand is resting on the rock or a tree stump. A bear at the base of the rock springs right, toward a deer fleeing right. The legend includes the Roman legate Rufus' name. AMNG (Pick) 1953. HrHJ (2018) 8.26.43.1 (same dies).

 

PIG:




RI Titus 79-81 CE AR Denarius Sow piglets

 

Every time I think of pigs, I think of my step mother, (not the way you are thinking). She had quite a large collection of pigs. I asked her one day why they were special to her. She told me, "they aren't, I hate the stupid things".

Turns out, my grandmother had bought her one, and to be nice she displayed it. Then others in the family saw it, thought it was her thing, and also started buying them. At the end, when she came clean, I think she had over 100 of them.

Be careful what you display.........

 

Nice RR coins Donna!

Attica, Eleusis. AE15 dichalkon, ca. 317-307 BC. Triptolemos left, mounting a winged chariot drawn by two serpents / EΛEY beneath piglet standing right on mystic staff; all within wheat wreath.


Epirus, Nikopolis, AE18. Augustus (under Hadrian) (Divus). AVGOVCTO CKTICTHC, Head of Augustus r., bare. / NΕIΚΟΠΟ(Λ) ΕW(C), Head of boar r.

 

Lol, my mother was an Elementary Teacher. Same thing, she had a frog statuette in her classroom when she first started teaching. For over 30 years, kids would bring and give frog trinkets to her. She would display them. She received hundreds, if not 1,000 over 30 years. I never saw any in my parents home.

When she retired I gave her a nice Jade Frog when I was travelling Asia. She confided that she actually HATED frogs, and had thrown all of them away when she retired. Lol.

This always reminds me of that hilarious conversation with her.


Luceria AES Grave Anonymous 217-215 BCE Uncia 7.35g Frog-Corn Ear pellet retrograde L T-V 285

 

For a minute I thought you were talking about a collection of real, live pigs!

 

Pleasing porkers on two of my favorites. The first one, incredibly, came from a large group lot.


ROMAN REPUBLIC
AR Denarius. 4.03g, 18.8mm. Rome mint, 64 BC. C. Hosidius C.f. Geta, moneyer. Crawford 407/2. O: Draped bust of Diana right, wearing stephane, earring, and double necklace of pendants; bow and quiver over shoulder; III VIR down left, GETA down right. R: Calydonian Boar standing right, pierced by spear and harried by hound below; C HOSIDI C F in exergue.


ANTONINUS PIUS
AE As. 11.02g, 28.6mm. Rome mint, AD 140-144. RIC 733; Cohen 450. O: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III, laureate head right. R: IMPERATOR II, Sow seated by a river under an oak tree suckling three piglets, another one before her; S C in exergue.
Ex Old Sable Collection

 

My porcine contributions to this thread are two Roman Republican Aes Grave quadrantes c, 235 BC.

 

I've never gone hog-wild about collecting coins with boars, having pigged out on Athenian tetradrachms, and squealing with joy with each new arrival, but I do give a grunt about the critters, so to bring home the bacon, here is my Chinese bronze boar.

 

Very nice! When does it date from?

 

I'm not sure. It could very well be a copy, but if I were to try to date it, possibly from the Qin or Han dynasties. It could be a much later piece, possibly even 20th century. The Chinese do copy earlier styles of art as a form of honoring ancestors.

The piece does have casting seams, but that is to be expected. It has the appearance of a tomb figure. The molds are comprised of two or more sections, depending on the size of the work. This little boar measures approximately 57 mm long, 35 mm tall and 22 mm wide.

I'm not sure about the patina, and I've never shown it to an expert (never qualified for a ticket to Antiques Road Show! Rats!).

 

This is maybe the Trajan you mentioned, a quadrans also posted by @Bing:



I like your new coin from France, Donna, but that sow on your Sulpicius Galba is something else! Great coin.

 

Thanks. And yes, every Trajan I've seen with a pig or boar on the reverse was a quadrans.

 

@DonnaML - I have always liked the Volteia issue - here is another


M. Volteius M.f. AR Denarius 78 BC. Obv. Head of Liber right, wearing ivy-wreath. Rev. Ceres in biga of snakes right, holding torch in each hand; behind, round shield. In exergue, M. VOLTEI. M.F. Cr. 385/3

Crawford 407/2 has already been posted on this thread , but here is
the rare variant with no spear in the boar

 

I don’t remember seeing this one of yours before, Sev. It’s superb!

 

I'm boarless.
What a dead bore.....

Q

 

This one was posted already, but it's my only piggy


ROMAN REPUBLIC, C. Sulpicius, C. f. Galba . Denomination: AR Denarius (serrated), minted: Rome, Italy; 106 BC
Obv: D P P Conjoined heads of the Dei Penates left
Rev: C SVLPICI C F, two soldiers facing one other, each holding spear and pointing at sow between; I above.
Weight: 3.65g; Ø:18mm. Catalogue: Crawford 312/1. . Provenance: Van der Dussen auction 1989, ex Nuij 2020-04; acq.: 04-2020



Poor piggy. Does not look all that happy