While browsing through todays offering at Great Collections I spotted 3 slabbed Roman coins marked "ex AK Collection", see photos below. I have used that designation in the past, but those coins did not come from my collection .
I've been wondering who "AK" is because I often see coins with that provenance. I'm sorry that it isn't you because it would solve the mystery.
That was a collection sold in the Triton XX sale some years ago. I have a few from it. Many of AK's Julia Domnas were in a group lot. Roman AR Denarius, 3.66 g, 18.2 mm, 1 h. Rome mint, AD 195. Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust right. Rev: VESTA, Vesta seated left, holding palladium in right hand, transverse scepter in left. Refs: RIC 582; BMCRE --; Cohen 223 var. (aureus); RCV --; Hill 187; CRE 415. Notes: Ex-Perron collection 1960; ex-A.K. collection; ex-CNG lot #614, Triton XX. Julia Domna, AD 193-217. Roman AR denarius, 3.53 g, 20.0 mm, 12 h. Rome, AD 202-203. Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: HILARITAS, Hilaritas standing left, holding patera and palm branch. Refs: RIC 558; BMCRE p. 161, *; Cohen/RSC 78; RCV --; CRE 351; Hill 554; ERIC II 97. Notes: Ex-CNG; Ex-AK collection; Wildwinds "plate" coin. Julia Domna, AD 193-217. Roman AR denarius, 3.37 g, 17.6 mm, 1 h. Rome, AD 196-211. Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: VENVS FELIX, Venus standing left, holding apple in right hand and drawing out fold of drapery with left hand. Refs: RIC 580; BMCRE 85-89; Cohen 198; RCV --; CRE 397; Hill 379, 394. Notes: Ex-Perron collection, 1960; ex-AK collection; CNG Triton XX, lot 614.
I bought 2 lots for a total of 59 coins from the AK section of Triton XX and have posted the decent ones here repeatedly certainly including the top ten list for 2017. I wish I had bid on more AK lots but most were large groups of coins that I already had so the fact that they were reasonable was overshadowed by my not needing them. I really believe someone made a rash decision to sell those coins in such large groups without singling out the real winners. I sold off several of the lesser coins through John Anthony's CT sales but still have about 48 of the 59 and consider well over half of them 'die with' coins. That is an unusual number for a large lot. CNG issued a limited number of special AK catalogs which I was unable to obtain even though I bought the lots. I am sure most went straight to te trash since the typical CNG customer would not have found interest in those coins. The next couple Triton sales included a page of AK lots extending the coverage to Aemilian but all were in lots too large for my interest in that period so I did not bid. AK coins came with provenance to when AK got the coins which was often several decades ago. Most were decent examples but were collected for the type rather than being high grade. Several of the Alexandrian coins bore high Emmett rarity ratings and were not something seen every day. From the Alexandrian lot Commodus to Caracalla came this Commodus tetradrachm which I considered a keeper. Also included was this much more common type which is very popular and not all that hard to find better. I do not know the ID of AK but the coins suggest that I would have enjoyed meeting someone who would buy those coins.
My favorite Julia Domna came from the AK Collection: Julia Domna, AR Denarius ca. 201 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Draped bust right, hair waved vertically and fastened in large bun in back, IVLIA AVGVSTA / Rev. Isis, wearing polos on head, draped, standing three-quarters right, head right, holding the nursing infant Horus in left arm against left breast, with her right hand holding a wreath or other ring-shaped object against her chest, her left foot against prow, right, and her left knee bent with Horus resting on it; to left of Isis, rudder rests against altar; SAECVLI FELICITAS. RIC IV-1 577 (p. 170), RSC III 174 (ill.), Sear RCV II 6606, BMCRE 166. 18x20 mm., 3.35 g., 6 h. Ex. A.K. Collection; ex. CNG Triton XX Auction, Jan. 10, 2017, part of Lot # 614, No. E027. There's a link at CNG to the separate AK Collection catalog, but it's broken. CNG took all but a few pages offline, unfortunately. The dealer from whom I purchased this coin sent me the portion of the page from that catalog on which it was listed. There was no additional provenance for my coin.
I have one AK Collection coin that was part of one of the Triton XII groups and then later showed up at Naville. Thankfully, it was not identified for the rarity it was in either sale: Roman Republic Æ Semuncia(17 mm, 3.39g). Anonymous, style of first "L" series, Luceria mint, 214-212 B.C.. Head of Mercury right, wearing winged petasos; border of dots / Prow of galley right; above, ROMA. Line border. Crawford 43/6 var(no "L" mintmark); BMCRR 168(plate IX.10) = Ghey, Leins & Crawford 2010 43.6.3 Ex Naville Numismatics live auction 49, 5 May 2019, lot 321, ex AK Collection, Triton XII, 6 January 2009, lot 463(part, ID #B053)
Donna, that's a really nice coin, but I wonder if the green accumulations might be PVC residue. I cannot really tell from the photos. They could be oxide deposits. Whenever I encounter a coin such as this one, I put it in a bath of 100% acetone. If the deposits are PVC residue, they will dissolve, if not, they will be unaffected by the acetone, as will the rest of the coin. Just a rinse with distilled water and gentle drying in a cloth will do the job. Just a suggestion....
Thanks. That's the dealer's photo, and I have no idea why it looks like that. In "real life," I see no green whatsoever, even with a magnifying glass. It just looks silver to me, with some darker coloring around the lettering where it presumably wasn't cleaned as much.
Yes. I bought mine from the same dealer and it's just the way that particular firm photographs the coins.
I don't know what's up with those green-hued pics of the A.K. coins, but they thankfully aren't green at all in hand. A pic of a Lucius Verus denarius I have taken straight from the CNG Triton XIX online catalogue: My pic of what the coin actually looks like: LUCIUS VERUS AR Denarius. 3.64g, 19.7mm. Rome mint, AD 169, Consecration issue under Marcus Aurelius. RIC III 596a; BMCRE IV p. 456, 503 and pl. 62.19; C 55. O: DIVVS VERVS, bare head right. R: CONSECRATIO, Eagle standing front, body inclined right, head turned left, stands on bar. Ex A.K. Collection An even greener Julia Domna: My pic: JULIA DOMNA AR Denarius. 3.92g, 20.1mm. Rome mint, circa AD 198-207. RIC IV (Septimius) 564. O: IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right; hair waved vertically and fastened in large bun on back. R: MATER DEVM, Cybele seated on throne, holding branch extended in right hand, left elbow resting on drum, set on throne; on both sides of throne, lions seated left; the one on left only half seen. Ex A.K. Collection; ex stock Münzen und Medaillen Basel 1971 Like Doug, I wonder at the decision to offer some very nice coins from this collection in large group lots. I'm equally perplexed at the green-hued pics. Some of the webpages from the most recent offering of A.K. Collection coins are still online. This particular lot below has a good number of coins that look positively scary in the photographs: https://ak.cngcoins.com/level2.asp?Lot=833
For some reason (or by accident), CNG left the A.K. catalog descriptions up for 8 -- and only 8 -- group lots when they decided to take the rest offline. See https://ak.cngcoins.com/index.asp. Anyway, it appears that I can't blame the green photo of my coin on the dealer from whom I bought it!
It also doesn't appear to be the usual CNG photographer. CNG uses the same web address for each offering of A.K. coins (there have been a number over the years). That link shows the most recent lots, and will probably be overwritten if and when another offering comes up. I think the detailed pages with the individual coin pics get removed at that time.
