AncientJoe's Top 10 for 2020

Only a Poor Old Man · Dec 3, 2020

Fantastic coins! My favorite is not the obvious choice. I pick Eukratrides. I bet he could kick Brutus' a** any day!

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Mike Thornton · Dec 3, 2020

WOW

Numisnewbiest · Dec 3, 2020

I agree that they're all fantastic coins, but the history behind the Eid Mar makes it tops for me. That one just blows my mind, and I like your example so much more than the gold version.

ancientone · Dec 3, 2020

Amazing in every way. The best of the best of the best, sir!

Nvb · Dec 3, 2020

@AncientJoe
Yours is a truly world class collection.
Each coin is wonderful but #9 deserves a shoutout for the fantastic design and being a type I had not seen before.
#7 Eukratides and #2 Syracuse tetradrachms would be the top 2 picks if I had to rank them, but I’m obsessed with Greek silver so a bit biased in that direction.
Thanks for sharing.

Di Nomos · Dec 3, 2020

Love looking at the coins and equally love reading the descriptions and story behind them.

But, you need to do an also ran list for the other 5 or so that missed out - we'd all love to see those too!

Congratulations on another great year of collecting.

Al Kowsky · Dec 3, 2020

AncientJoe said: ↑

2020 has objectively been one of the most challenging years in recent memory. Coins are a great escape from the daily breaking news alerts and I've been fortunate to cross off a number of long-term wants from my list.

I'm a minimalist person (and collector) so I tend to focus on adding relatively few pieces over time. My goal every year is to add just one "keeper" piece and I keep saying to myself that "this year will be the year where I only add one and I'll be happy with that".

Yet, somehow I was fortunate to find and be able to buy 15+ coins this year. Two of my favorites are still en-route and they would fit within this top 10 but I don't trust that they'll arrive within this calendar year so they will fall to next year's list.

I've greatly enjoyed seeing everyone's "Top 10" lists for this year so far. It shows that while we all have a common interest, we all approach it from different angles and have our unique take on what we want our collections to be.

#10. Tarentum Nomos. I was disappointingly outbid on this coin last year but was chatting with a dealer who mentioned how surprising it was that a different dealer bought it for stock. That was good news to me! A few weeks later, it found its way home to me.

View attachment 1212121

CALABRIA. Tarentum. Circa 302 BC. Didrachm or Nomos (Silver, 21 mm, 7.83 g, 11 h), Sa... and Kon..., magistrates. ΣA Nude youth riding horse walking to right, raising his right hand to crown himself; below, Ionic capital. Rev. TAPAΣ / KON Youthful oikist, nude, riding dolphin to left, holding serpent in his right hand and whip in his left. Fischer-Bossert Group 75, 947 (V368/R733). HN Italy 947. Vlasto 657. A spectacular coin of great beauty, sharply struck from fresh dies and arguably the finest known example. Virtually as struck.

#9. Helios Hekte. There are a wide range of designs on electrum but I've been looking for an example of this type for several years. It's much rarer as a hekte than a stater and personally I prefer the art on the hekte.

View attachment 1212122

MYSIA. Cyzicus. Ca. 450-350 BC. EL sixth-stater or hecte (11mm, 2.70 gm). ca. 410 BC. Helios, nude, kneeling right in front of foreparts of two horses prancing to left and right; tunny fish right below / Quadripartite mill-sail incuse square punch with stippled interior. Greenwell 23. Jameson 2194. SNG von Aulock 7312. Kraay-Hirmer 715. von Fritze 149. BMC 106.

The engravers of the Kyzicene coinage drew their ideas from numerous sources, both local and foreign. Here, the inter-connected mythological relationships of Helios to Apollo; and Apollo as father to the city-founder Kyzikos point to an indigenous origin. The symmetrically balanced composition of the sun-god Helios flanked by the horses' foreparts must have been sculptural in inspiration and the observation that the composition is perfectly square (Head, NC, 1877, p. 170 [J.P. Six]) suggests that it has "been copied from a metope of a temple." (Greenwell, p. 59).

#8. Messana Dilitron. This isn't a particularly rare coin but the engraving quality of the trident made it a coin I couldn't pass up.

View attachment 1212123

Sicily. Messana. 338-331 BC. Æ Dilitron (14.76g, 9h). Laffaille 59; MAST 42 (this coin). Superb green patina. Perfectly centered and struck. Choice extremely fine. From a European private collection; Ex. Münzen & Medaillen 1997 (85) lot 26, Ex. NAC 9 lot 180 (April 16, 1996)

#7. Eukratides tetradrachm. This type is listed in the "100 Greatest" book for good reason with its remarkable artistic depiction of Eukratides (who never skipped a gym day). It's my first Bactrian coin and the primary type I had hoped to add from the Kingdom.

View attachment 1212124

Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Eukratides I, circa 170-145 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 33 mm, 16.95 g, 12 h), early 150s BC. Diademed bust of Eukratides to left, seen from behind, wearing Macedonian helmet adorned with bull's horn and ear, and holding spear with his right hand. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΕΥΚΡΑΤΙΔΟΥ The Dioscouri, each holding palm branch and lance, galloping on horseback to right; below, monogram of ΦΤ. Bopearachchi, 8b. Mitchiner 179a. SNG ANS 485. Lightly toned, very well-centered and struck in high relief. Extremely fine.

#6. Noah's Ark Pentassarion. This was again a case where I was the underbidder on a coin and came across the dealer who bought it for stock. Pictures don't really do this coin justice as the metal looks terrible when photographed but these coins are always frought with problems (or they cost 30x more like an example that sold at Leu this year).

View attachment 1212125

PHRYGIA. Apameia. Philip I, 244-249. Pentassarion (Orichalcum, 34 mm, 18.56 g, 7 h), Aur. Alexander, archon for the second time. •AYT•K•IOYΛ•ΦIΛIΠΠOC•AVΓ• Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philip I to right, seen from behind. Rev. ЄΠ M AYP AΛЄΞANΔP//OY B APXI AΠ/AMЄΩN The story of Noah: on the right, half-length figures of Noah and his wife, in tunic and stola, standing left in square chest representing the Ark, inscribed NΩЄ and floating on waves; above to right, a seated bird; on the left, Noah and his wife standing left upon dry land, raising hands in supplication; above, a bird returning from land with olive branch in its talons. BMC 182. SNG von Aulock 3510 (same dies). Extremely rare, one of a very few known examples. Rough but with very clear details.

#5. Larissa stater. This was a complete impulse buy and yet managed to be one of my favorite coins for the year. I knew the coin well: it received a full-page spread in the famous Hunt Collection's first catalog where it was shown alongside some other-worldly pieces. When it was about to close for the opening price, I couldn't let it go. Toning is a transient attribute of coins but in this case, it is visually unchanged since it was photographed in 1990 which indicates that it's been stored carefully for the last 30 years.

View attachment 1212126

THESSALY. Larissa. Ca. mid-4th century BC. AR stater or didrachm (26mm, 12.32 gm, 4h). Head of nymph Larissa facing, turned slightly left, hair in ampyx, wearing pendant earrings and necklace / ΛΑΡΙ-Σ-ΑΙΩΝ, bridled horse prancing right on ground line. HGC 4, 409. BCD Thessaly I 306-311. BCD Thessaly II 1160.

Ex Nelson Bunker Hunt Collection (Sotheby's New York, 19 June 1990), lot 93

#4. Armenia Capta denarius. I spend an inordinate amount of time strategizing potential future purchases to see which coins would best fit my collection. In this case, this type is much harder to find in nice condition than the Eid Mar. It was this precise coin that I identified a number of years ago as the one I'd like to find and I was pleasantly surprised to see it come back around for sale.

View attachment 1212127

I spend an inordinate amount of time strategizing wantlists to determine appropriate coins for my collection. It's always validating when the precise coin I selected from a type happens to find its way to me as was the case with this denarius.

Ever since 53 B.C., when the Parthians massacred the legions of Crassus near Carrhae, Romans had a keen awareness of their ancient enemy in the East, and of the territories that separated their two worlds. Armenia was the most important of these buffer states, and throughout the confrontational history of Rome with the Parthians or Sasanians, it was an important land to control. Typically, this did not mean large garrisons and full occupation, but control through a sympathetic ruler.

Octavian gained control of the Roman East after defeating Mark Antony and Cleopatra in 31 B.C., and then began preparing to secure Armenia, and to recover from Parthia the military standards that had been lost by Crassus in 53, Decidus Saxa in 40 and Antony in 36. His chance arrived in 20, amid civil unrest in Armenia when an embassy beseeched Augustus to replace their current king, Artaxias, with his brother Tigranes.

Augustus entrusted his eldest stepson, Tiberius, to raise an army and lead it and Tigranes to Armenia, and to install him as the new king. Tiberius achieved this without much difficulty — a remarkable task for a 21-year-old; but then, we must remember what his step-father had achieved while he was younger still.

The Parthian king Phraates, awed by the convincing actions of Augustus, accepted the appointment of the new Armenian king and handed over all of the captured Roman standards in a bloodless victory and a diplomatic coup.

#3. Apostolo Zeno aureus. I've wanted any coin from Apostolo Zeno (1668-1750) since I started collecting and this purchase was made even better by it being a type I wanted in nice condition.

View attachment 1212128

Vespasianus, 69-79. AV-Aureus, 73, Rome; 7.27 g. Head r. with laurel wreath // Vesta temple between the statues of two goddesses, inside a statue of Vesta. BMC 109; Calico 691; Coh. 578; RIC² 549.

#2. Euth/Eumenes signed tetradrachm. This is the fourth time I've tried to acquire an example of this type and it was finally my turn to take one home. I purchased an example of a closely related type also within 2020 but I'll be selling that coin as this is nicer in every way.

View attachment 1212129

SICILY, Syracuse. Second Democracy. 466-405 BC. AR Tetradrachm (28mm, 16.96 g, 1h). Dies signed by Euth- and Eumenes. Struck circa 415-405 BC. Nike as charioteer, holding reins in both hands, driving fast quadriga right; above, Nike flying left, crowning charioteer with wreath; in exergue, Skylla, holding trident, swimming right; behind her, dolphin swimming right; EVΘ before / Head of Arethusa left, wearing wreath of grain ears, and necklace with lion head ornament; EVM below neck; four dolphins and [ΣV]PAKO-ΣIΩИ around. Tudeer 46 (V15/R28); SNG ANS 273; BMC 153; Rizzo pl. XLIII, 11; Basel 460; Gulbenkian 279; Jameson 796; McClean 2714; Hunterian 45 (all from the same dies). Near EF, toned. A Classical Greek masterwork.

At Syracuse, these artists infused the standard typology - the victorious charioteer and the head of Arethusa - with a vigorous lifelike quality that stands among the finest works of numismatic art. The chariot scene was transformed from a two-dimensional view to a dynamic three-dimensional perspective, with the horses arrayed in a manner to give the viewer the impression that the horses are emerging from the field. On the reverse, the previously stoic and sedate profile of Arethusa was now imbued with an individuality. Although her adornments varied in the way her hair was kept and the kind of earrings she wore, the vitality of her countenance now offered a radiant immortality.

#1. Eid Mar denarius. My top coin for this year is probably not a surprising choice. It's certainly not my rarest or the most beautiful from the year but it's a type that is remarkable for its palpable connection to a key turning point in history. I'd classify the type specifically as "annoyingly expensive" but cost is ultimately defined by supply and demand.

I've been looking for a replacement Eid Mar since selling mine in 2016 and this coin finally fit the bill. I certainly wouldn't turn down an even longer pedigreed example at some point but this coin represents a significant upgrade over the one I owned.

View attachment 1212130

Marcus Junius Brutus and L. Plaetorius Caestianus. Denarius, Northern Greece 43-42 BC, AR 3.45 g. BRVT IMP L·PLAET·CEST Bare head of Brutus r. Rev. EID·MAR Pileus between two daggers. Babelon Junia 52 and Plaetoria 13. C 15. Sydenham 1301. Sear Imperators 216. Kent-Hirmer pl. 27, 98. Cahn, EIDibus MARtiis, Q. Tic. 18, 1989, 22d (these dies). RBW –. Crawford 508/3. Very rare and in unusually fine condition for this issue of great historical importance and fascination. Struck on a very broad flan and lightly toned, minor areas of porosity, otherwise extremely fine

Ex Triton IX, 2006, 1356 and NAC 62, 2011, Markoff, 2005 sales.

On the Ides of March, 44 BC, in the House of the Senate, Julius Caesar was murdered, dramatically changing the course of Western history.

The “Eid Mar” denarius was minted by the assassin himself, Marcus Junius Brutus, to commemorate the date. It marked the final chapter of the Roman Republic, leading to its replacement by an empire which lasted for nearly 1500 years and whose influence and legacy shapes our world today. Had Caesar not been killed, the ramifications would have likely resulted in a dramatically different history of the modern world.

It is the only Roman coin which mentions a specific date (EID MAR) and loudly proclaims that the tyrant Julius Caesar is dead and that the deed was done in the name of liberty, as Brutus considered his assassination of Caesar to be an act of patriotism.

This was so remarkable that it became one of the few coin types to be mentioned by a contemporary historian. The ancient scholar Dio Cassius spoke of it in his History of Rome: “Brutus stamped upon the coins which were being minted his own likeness and a cap and two daggers, indicating by this and by the inscription that he and Cassius had liberated the fatherland.” (XLVII.25)

I hope everyone has a safe and healthy final month of 2020: here's to a hopeful return to normalcy in 2021!
Click to expand...

A.J., You've got another selection of museum quality treasures this year ! The Ides of March denarius is your greatest addition this year because of the exceptional quality & historical importance. I think the portrait on your denarius is more attractive than the gold aureus that just broke the world record for a Roman coin at auction . The Vespasian aureus is another stellar addition. I think the beauty of the coin outweighs the historical importance of the provenance . The Helios hekte is a masterpiece of miniature numismatic art .

dougsmit · Dec 3, 2020

2 and 6 lead my list which includes all the rest but the EID (I stay on the porch). I hope everyone realizes that #8 you called common is NOT the common coin of Hieron II of Syracuse so many of us own but is a century older and twice the weight (not to mention being very well done). The common one is below.

gogili1977 · Dec 3, 2020

Exceptional coins. Congratulations!

Mr.Q · Dec 3, 2020

You're top ten are also great lessons, thank you. Happy Holidays

robinjojo · Dec 3, 2020

I love the obverse motif of #8, the Helios Hekte. #9, the Messana Æ Dilitron has a beautiful patina and excellent strike. The Syracuse tetradrachm is absolutely gorgeous. I could go on and on; all your coins are special in so many ways.

Fugio1 · Dec 3, 2020

Really beautiful examples, all of uniquely fine style. Thanks for sharing these.

Spaniard · Dec 3, 2020

Absolutely stunning coins as you well know!...Really enjoyed and learnt from your little write ups on each thanks...

Curtisimo · Dec 3, 2020

What an amazing list. The thing I like most about your list (and collection) is how much thought you have put into selecting truly historically or numismatically interesting coins. Hard to pick a favorite but the EID MAR is amazing and the signed Syracuse tet is on a level all its own.

Thanks for sharing these with us here on the forum.

zumbly · Dec 3, 2020

Stupendous additions to a stupendous collections! In spite of having seen many of these already, I still couldn't help thinking "good lord, that's incredible!" as I scrolled down the list.

My favorites are the Noah''s Ark and Syracuse yet, but I do also love the Kyzikos hekte, ex Apostolo Zeno Vespasian aureus and the EID MAR. I do wonder, though, if you would keep this one if another with an older pedigree comes along to tempt you? Do you already know of one or several examples that would do the trick? (And as just wondering out loud, does anyone know the record holder for most EID MARs owned? )

Romancollector · Dec 3, 2020

@AncientJoe I don't think there is anything I can say that hasn't already been said...In any case, I will simply state the obvious. Every coin is a masterpiece. Like everyone else, I'm most fond of the EID MAR denarius, but I'm also particularly fond of the Armenia capta denarius and the Vespasian aureus.

Congratulations on a phenomenal year of collecting!

Shea19 · Dec 3, 2020

Wow! AJ, you never disappoint. Just beautiful. My second favorite (after the Eid Mar) is the Bactrian tetradrachm...looks like very high relief on the obverse, must be an incredible piece in hand. Congrats and thanks for sharing these beauties with us!

Valentinian · Dec 3, 2020

I'll add my voice to the chorus. Every coin is wonderful. When #10 (Taras) is a virtually mint state coin of an extremely charming type, you know the rest of the list is going to be good! My top three are the Taras, the Vespasian/VESTA, and, of course, the EID MAR.

Thank you very much for sharing them with us.

Terence Cheesman · Dec 3, 2020

Fantastic group. I love all of them particularly the Augustus with the Armenia reverse The Poseidon from Messana and of course the elephant in the room the Brutus. I will be looking forward to your top 10 of the decade,

DonnaML · Dec 3, 2020

i can't even begin to pick a favorite among these. Every one is superb in every way -- better than museum quality for most museum collections in the world! As wonderful and historically significant as the Eid Mar is, it isn't above the others in artistic quality or in condition.

Log in or Sign up

AncientJoe's Top 10 for 2020

Only a Poor Old Man Well-Known Member

Guest User Guest

Mike Thornton Learning something new everyday.

Numisnewbiest Well-Known Member

ancientone Well-Known Member

Nvb Well-Known Member

Di Nomos Well-Known Member

Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

dougsmit Member

gogili1977 Well-Known Member

Mr.Q Well-Known Member

robinjojo Well-Known Member

Fugio1 Well-Known Member

Spaniard Well-Known Member

Curtisimo the Great(ish)

zumbly Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

Romancollector Well-Known Member

Shea19 Well-Known Member

Valentinian Well-Known Member

Terence Cheesman Well-Known Member

DonnaML Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

AncientJoe's Top 10 for 2020

Only a Poor Old Man Well-Known Member

Guest User Guest

Mike Thornton Learning something new everyday.

Numisnewbiest Well-Known Member

ancientone Well-Known Member

Nvb Well-Known Member

Di Nomos Well-Known Member

Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

dougsmit Member

gogili1977 Well-Known Member

Mr.Q Well-Known Member

robinjojo Well-Known Member

Fugio1 Well-Known Member

Spaniard Well-Known Member

Curtisimo the Great(ish)

zumbly Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

Romancollector Well-Known Member

Shea19 Well-Known Member

Valentinian Well-Known Member

Terence Cheesman Well-Known Member

DonnaML Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches