Saturday Night Free For All

I have moved to a different time zone – thus it already is Saturday night for me. Time to revive this thread.

The last weeks have been stressful with very little time for coins (or pretty much any other fun things), but now I'm settled in, in post-travel quarantine, sitting at my new desk, writing tags and taking pictures of some more or less recent Roman acquisitions:


Roman Republic, moneyer: M. Cato, AR quinarius, 89 BC, Rome mint. Obv: M CATO; head of Liber r., wearing ivy-wreath; below, control mark (torch?). Rev: VICTRIX; Victory seated r., holding patera in r. hand and palm-branch over l. shoulder. 14mm, 2.12g. Ref: RRC 343/2b.


Roman Republic, moneyer C. Postumius, AR denarius, 74 BC, Rome mint. Obv: Bust of Diana r., draped, with bow and quiver over shoulder. Rev: C. POSTVMI AT/TA (ligated); hound running r.; below, spear (with graffiti: MABIEN). 18mm, 3.85g. Ref: RRC 394/1a.


Valerian I, Roman Empire, AR antoninianus, 258 AD, Lugdunum mint. Obv: Obv: VALERIANVS P F AVG; bust of Valerian I, radiate, draped, l. Rev: DEO VOLKANO; Vulcan, draped, wearing pilos, standing l. in temple, holding hammer in r. hand and pincers in l. hand; at his feet l., anvil. 22mm, 3.16g. Ref: RIC V Valerian 5.

 

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I'm glad you had a chance to settle down with your coins. I've been cataloging coins and participating in auctions. Here's my latest auction win:

Gordian III AD 238-244 and Tranquillina.
Roman Æ tetrassarion, 11.04 g, 26 mm.
Thrace, Anchialus, AD 241-244.
Obv: AVT K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC AVΓ CEB TPANKVΛ-ΛINA, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian III, right, facing draped bust of Tranquillina, left.
Rev: OVΛΠIANΩΝ AΓ-XIAΛEΩN; Zeus,nude, standing left, holding patera and scepter.
Refs: AMNG II-1 649; Varbanov 739; BMC --; Moushmov --; Mionnet --; Lindgren --; Wiczay --.
Notes: This issue appears to have been struck with a single reverse die.

 

Can anyone find the Gorgon on the obverse? I can't.
Parion, Mysia
AR Hemidrachm
Head of Gorgonian
Incuse

 

Perhaps this:



These coins were very crudely struck and many really don't have even a hint of obverse detail.

 

Kid's asleep, wife's asleep, cats are asleep, so I'm browsing this thread and chipping in with two of my favorite periods: the Late Empire and the Greek Frankokratia.



AURELIAN (270-275)
AE25x22mm 3.27g pre-reform antoninian, Siscia mint, 3rd officina, second phase, late autumn or December 272(?)
IMP AVRELIANVS AVG; radiate, cuirassed and draped with paludamentum, holding Victory on globe in right hand and eagle-handled pugio on left forearm bust l.
CONCORDIA MILITVM; Emperor togate stg. r., clasping the hand of Concordia stg. l.
*T in exergue
LV 7428-33, RIC V-1 218corr. RIC Temp #2201, 21 specs recorded from 3 obverse dies, obverse die-match with LV 7428
From a series of coins with special bust types, possibly minted to mark Aurelian's victory against the Palmyra revolt and/or his campaign against the Carpi later that autum or early December 272.
Jacquier Auction 40, Lot 404.




PHILIPPE de TARANTO as PRINCE and Despot of NEPANTOI and CORFU and PRINCE of ACHAEA (1294/1306-1313)
AR19x18mm 0.86g billon denier tournois, Nepanti/Lepanto mint, cca. 1306-1307.
+ : Ph'S P ' ACh ' TAR DR '; cross pattee
+ ⚜ NЄPANTI CIVIS ' ; chateau tournois; ⚜ underneath
Malloy 113, Saulcy XV, 13.
The coinage from of Philippe de Taranto as Prince of Achaea starts at Nepanti as early as 1306 and soon afterwards the type is moved to Glarentza and the series of Nepanti gets discontinued around about 1307. The mint apparently stops minting with Philippe's reign. The series naming Philippe as Prince of Achaea is scarce.
The coin is part of a collection that was offered by Lanz and Savoca during 2018 and 2019.

 

Very glad to hear the move went well.

 

My latest bargain pickup.. I love the details.


Pantikapaion, Cimmerian Bosporos (340-325 BC)
AE, 20mm, 7.6gm
Obv: Bearded head of Pan/Satyr facing right with ass's ear
Rev: Π-A-N, forepart of griffin crouching left, right front paw raised, sturgeon swimming left below.
Ref: SNG BM Black Sea 869

 

Not a coin but since it is a free for all. Reflector cut from a road In the Republic of Iraq close to a port of entry from the second war. Don't know why I still have it after all these years thought I would share.

 

I have nothing new to share but posted this coin on another thread today discussing Apollonia Pontica hemidrachms. I see the possibility that my unknown undertype might be one of those Parion hemidrachms with next to nothing on the obverse.

 

My first coin with this reverse. I believe it's Constans

 

Was going through a new group tonight and found this interesting type:

The Aenianes, Thessaly (400-344 BC); Ae Dichalkon

Obv: Bust of Zeus right
Rev: AINA-NΩN; Slinger wearing chlamys standing left and slinging right, sword around waist and two javelins behind

About all I can find about the Aenianes were that they were a people from the south of Thessaly.

 

Not much new for coins here... It's been pretty slow lately. I did receive a few snacks a couple weeks ago. Nothing great but some fun cheap LBRs.

Licinius I
Obverse: IMP LICINIVS PF AVG, Laurate head left.
Reverse: IOVI CONS-E-RVATORI, Jupiter standing left, chlamys across left shoulder, holding thunderbolt right, holding spear left. P field mark left.
Mintmark: ST
Ticinum
RIC VII Ticinum 70, R4

Constantine I
IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
SOLI INV-I-CT COM DN, Sol, radiate, standing left, chlamys
across left shoulder, holding Victory on globe and
raising right hand.
Star in left field, crescent in right field.
Mintmark RQ.
Rome, AD 316.
RIC VII Rome 49; Sear IV 16942.
Rated Scarce.

Licinius I
Obv: IMP LIC-INIVS AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust right
Rev: VIRTVS-EXERCIT, Standard inscribed VOT / X in two
lines standing on ground, captive seated on either side.
S-F across fields.
Mintmark: AQS.
RIC VI Aquileia 40 unlisted obv legend, rated R2.

 

I've posted this elsewhere, but this is my Gallienus "upgrade"

 

I love the Securitas leading on column types. Here's mine of Gallienus. It isn't in sharp but I love this coin because of the colors. It has underlying silvering covered by brilliant greens and blues. It's really pretty in-hand. Hard to capture in a photo.

 

This arrived earlier this week. Nobody else wanted it, so I got to pick it up at its opening bid of CHF 25.


BITHYNIA, KINGS OF. Prusias II Cynegus
AE21. 5.53g, 20.8mm. Nikomedia mint, circa 182-149 BC. SNG Copenhagen 636-7; Lafaille 430 (this coin); HGC 7, 629. O: Head of Dionysos to right, wearing wreath of ivy and fruit. R: [BAΣI]ΛEΩΣ - ΠΡΟYΣIOY, Chiron the Centaur advancing right, playing kithara; to lower right, monogram.
Ex CGB Monnaeies 49, 30 June 2011, lot 201; ex stock Crédit de la Bourse, 1993; ex Maurice Laffaille Collection (Münzen & Medaillen 76, 19-20 September 1991, lot 430)

It joins an earlier example I have, an ex Stevex6 coin, which I took the opportunity to rephotograph. The glossy, dark green surfaces make it awfully hard to take decent pics of. Not entirely satisfied with these.

BITHYNIA, KINGS OF. Prusias II Cynegus
AE22. 6.38g, 21.9mm. Nikomedia mint, circa 182-149 BC. SNG Cop 635; RecGen 26; HGC 7, 629. O: Head of Dionysos to right, wearing wreath of ivy and fruit. R: BAΣILEΩΣ ΠPOYΣIOY, Chiron the Centaur advancing right, playing kithara; monogram below raised foreleg.
Ex stevex6 Collection; ex Dr. Lawrence D. Sporty Collection (CNG 393, 15 March 2017, lot 75); CNG 253, 6 April 2011, lot 91

 

Here's an interesting denomination that has been discussed before (Warren Esty has a very interesting article about the metallurgical composition of the type): the double-aurelianus of Tacitus, with some new examples:





For those unfamiliar with the denomination, this coinage had a double content of silver present in the billon, to around 9-10%. It was likely an experiment that did not gain traction, possibly related to the emperor's campaign in Asia Minor in 276 against rogue Gothic tribes that were plundering the countryside since the second part of 275.

Not sure if these even circulated outside the Eastern Levant area.

 

How ‘bout free styling with a couple of medievals tonight?...

 

Got this guy recently Drachm of Myndos 180-160 B.C. Obv head of Serapis right laureate lotus blossom on top of head Rv. Isis crown seated on two ears of corn. Zabel-Meadows 16 3.82 grms 18 mmPhoto by W. Hansen

 

It's Saturday evening in Europe, the wheather is good, and due to the COVID-19 situation being mostly under control, social and cultural life are carefully starting again. Finally, I can once more do other things than coining on weekend evenings!

But before I head out, here are three recent acquisitions. The Septimius Severus denarius fits my general Severan collecting interest, and the Crispus has a fine portrait and interesting mintmark. Though it is outside of what I normally collect, I couldn't resist the Maximian tetradrachm because of the nice head of Serapis on the reverse and also because it seemed like too good a deal to pass on for 10€ shipped...

 

Is that a crown on the Crispus mintmark? Looks like Sol's hat/halo. Nice coins!