Zumbly's $1 - $100 Favorites (by Price Bracket)

It's been almost a month now since I posted my overall Top 10 of 2020, and I thought I should also put this $1 - $100 list out before the year is over. As with previous years' lists, the coins here don't include any I've added from group lots, and though I include all costs incurred in the price shown, shipping fees calculated have often been spread out between coins from the same purchase or that have been consolidated in the same shipment. Three coins in my overall Top 10 list actually came in under $100, but won't be repeated here, so a couple of these are actually runners up in their respective price bracket. Here they are, from the lowest price bracket to highest...



$1 - $10



MAXIMINUS II, as Caesar. AE 1/4 Follis.
Price: $10 (Naville, December 2020)
I quite like these little Siscia mint-only Genius standing fractions. I parted with a decent Severus II example a couple of years ago, so was pleased to be able to replace it with this Maximinus II. Condition-wise, it's abit of a downgrade, but at about an eighth of the cost of the previous, it suits me just fine.



$11 - $20



BYZANTINE EMPIRE. AE 'Thing'. Re-cut Anonymous Class F follis.
Price: $18 (Frank Robinson, May 2020)
I've noticed a fair number of these re-cut Late Roman and Byzantine coins being sold in recent years and have always found them interesting. The re-cut shapes and designs vary quite abit, and there appears to be no consensus regarding what purpose they served. It's been suggested that they were used as gaming counters, but @rrdenarius, who bought a few this year, makes a convincing argument that they were used as weights. Of course, they didn't all have to have been used the same way. Perhaps mine was used as a deadly Byzantine throwing star?



$21 - $30



AURELIAN. Pre-reform Antoninianus.
Price: $24 (Savoca, November 2020)
A low overall win rate at this auction meant that 40% of the total $24 cost for this coin was for postage. I usually consolidate wins over several auctions to lower shipping fees, and probably should have done so this time as well. Anyhoo, this coin still managed to win its price bracket because the only other coin I bought that qualified was a holed Greek fourree that may be too hideous even for me. This late 271 antoninianus from the Cyzicus mint, on the other hand, is pretty decent I think! It has a nice strong portrait of the emperor, and its somewhat uneven strike on an irregular-shaped flan gave it the right 'flavour' for what I was looking for in a pre-form antoninianus of Aurelian.



$31 - $40



BITHYNIAN KINGDOM, Prusias II Cynegus. AE21. Ex Maurice Laffaille Collection.
Price: $39 (Leu, May 2020)
I bought the superlative Stevex6 specimen of this type two years ago, and considering I already owned one of my own at the time, I really didn't have a good reason to buy a third. I guess I just think this is a pretty cool coin type? It was issued by the Bithynian king, Prusias II, who was nicknamed "the Hunter", and depicts on the reverse Chiron, the wisest and greatest of the centaurs, who was taught music and medicine by Apollo, and archery and hunting by Artemis. This one is pedigreed to the collection of Maurice Laffaille, a French furniture designer who was active as an art dealer in the 1940s. Not quite a Stevex6, but still a nice one.



$41 - $50



SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria, Seleucia Pieria. Pseudo-autonomous issue. AE20.
Price: $45 (Leu, February 2020)
A neat pseudo-autonomous provincial from the time of Trajan with the sacred stone of Zeus Kasios in its shrine on the reverse. The more common variety, with Trajan's portrait, was struck alongside this one. I find it interesting that the mint went to the trouble of striking two different obverses, with this one making a point of declaring in the obverse legend the autonomous status of the city.



$51 - $60



PHILIP I. AR Antoninianus. PAX FVNDATA CVM PERSIS
Price: $54 (Naville, December 2020)
The Romans didn't always name their enemies on their coins, so it's always a little special when they do, speaking from a historical perspective. On this PAX FVNDATA CVM PERSIS, Philip commemorates the peace treaty he was forced to conclude with Shapur I after reigning emperor Gordian III was killed during the campaign. Shapur for his part celebrated the event by carving a massive rock relief showing Philip kneeling before him, and bragged about the 500,000 aurei indemnity he made the Romans pay him. I guess Philip can at least be lauded for not having claimed a victory where there was in fact none.



$61 - $70



TROAS, Sigeion. AE21. Double-bodied owl. Ex Demetrios Armounta Collection
Price: $70 (Künker, March 2020)
From the same auction that brought me the previous coin, I also picked up this bronze of Sigeion with a syncephalic (one head with two bodies - I looked it up!) owl. I've wanted one ever since Steve first showed his here on CT six years ago. What I didn't know at the time was that the one I'd eventually acquire would come from the same 2014 CNG auction that Steve picked his up from (his coin is Lot 127, mine is Lot 128). I learned a good deal about coin appreciation from Steve. I wonder who ended up buying his Sigeion owl.



$71 - $80



PAMPHYLIA, Aspendos. AR Stater. Circa 465-430 BC.
Price: $77 (CNG, June 2020)
The coin that, quite understandably, gives @Severus Alexander nightmares! One can't help but wonder why this poor victim received extra brutal treatment at the hands of whatever ancient coin butcher decided to not only lop off 0.3-0.4 grams of silver from its edge, but also continue hack all those deep gouges into it. Evil! Still, at 10.63g, it's still a nice chunk of 2400 year old silver. I've intentionally followed CNG in photographing this coin with its reverse upside down, mostly because I was amused when I first saw it at how the orientation transformed the original lion-over-triskeles design into something that looks more like a melting Kool-Aid Man.



$81 - $90



ELAGABALUS. MOESIA INFERIOR, Nicopolis ad Istrum. AE27.
Price: $83 (Gorny & Mosch, November 2020)
I was attracted to this one because of its rare (rated R7 in Hristova-Hoeft-Jekov) and rather interesting reverse type, which depicts an elegantly relaxed Haimos, the personification of the Balkan mountain range. Fleshing out the scene are the requisite tree for him to lean against, some rocks as a throne, and two pets - a leaping stag, and a little bear (emerging from its cave?). My coin shares a reverse die with the one shown by @Jochen1 in his thread Haimos - the Mountain God and is a double die match of Hristova-Hoeft-Jekov (2018) 8.26.43.1.



$91 - $100



MACRINUS. MOESIA INFERIOR, Nicopolis ad Istrum. AE27.
Price: $95 (Roma, December 2020)
I've wanted an Apollo Sauroktonos ("the Lizard-Slayer"), depicting Praxiteles's most famous work of art, for some years now, after having been first introduced to the type by @dougsmit. This year, I managed to acquire 2 of the 21 varieties catalogued by Patricia Lawrence on her comprehensive webpage. Mine here is one of the more common types, and is a double die match to the example @Roman Collector picked up last year. Interestingly, no lizard can be clearly seen on this variety, and there continues to be debate regarding exactly what Apollo holds in his right hand. Some believe it's a laurel branch, while others think he's holding the lizard (by its tail!). Looking at my coin and other examples, I think the ambiguity is due to the fact that Apollo is actually being shown holding not just a branch, but a branch that has the lizard on it. Given the angle of Apollo's right arm, one would expect a branch alone to be pointing upwards rather than drooping down the way this one is. One explanation would be that the branch being bent down is meant to suggest weight on it, that of a lizard scuttling across it towards the tree. If this is correct, then this variety, catalogued by Lawrence as Type 20, would tie in quite neatly with Type 21, also from Nicopolis and of the same period, which shows Apollo now holding his laurel branch lowered down, and with the lizard now happily ensconced in the tree. You lizard-slayer fans out there, let me know what you think!



Coincidentally, the last shown coin is also my last purchased coin of 2020. It and a few others won't reach me until sometime in 2021, but I do kinda like having these "spillovers" to look forward to. That said, here's to hoping that the new year will bring more than just coins for us all to look forward to.

As always, please feel free to show your coins or share your comments!

 

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Nice coins and great buys! I especially like the Troas AE 21 (being partial to owls) and the Elagabalus AE 27 from Moesia Inferior.

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!



The rest are great though. Especially the throwing star, the PAX FVNDATA, and the top two brackets. I agree with your theory about the Sauroktonos type!

Time has dulled the edge of my throwing star:

4.16 g, probably a solidus weight before the wear...

 

Ok, now it's my turn to have nightmares!

 

For the money, the TROAS, Sigeion was your best buy IMHO.

 

All excellent buys, some astounding deals out there.

From my top 5 ½ this year, two coins would fit in the categories

$41 - $50 :


Gaul, Julius Caesar & Octavian – Halved dupondius, Vienna (Gaul), ca. 36 BCE
[•IM]P• [DIVI•IVL•CAE]SAR•DIVI•F bare headed portraits [of Julius Caesar to left] and Octavian to right
C•[I•V] Prow of galley to right, surmounted by superstructure and mast (CIV for Colonia Ivlia Viennensis)
31,5 mm – 9,96 gr
Ref : RPC # 517


$61 - $70 :


Sicily, Syracuse - Bronze litra, circa 375-344 BCE,
[ΣYPA] Head of Athena left, wearing Corinthian helmet with neck guard,
Hippocamp left
15mm., 6.13g
Ref : Calciati # 34, Sear # 1193


Q

 

LOL, Great coins and posts. I enjoy the “Thing” . My thought is that someone was just BORED, and randomly started cutting and clipping. Excellent coins, and great idea for posting. That Double-Owl was a STEAL!

 

You made some utterly amazing coin purchases!
John

 

All great buys zumbly but man that double bodied owl is terrific, your another person I need to get buying lessons from.

 

My choice is the Sigeion. On what was it overstruck?

 

I was the previous owner and the consignor of this coin. Congratulations, you have made a very good deal !
this sale was a lesson for me -> a cheap starting price is not a good idea for every coin types.

 

Thank you for telling me! I'm always happy to be able to add to a coin of mine a provenance to a fellow CT member's collection. And yes, a cheap starting price doesn't always serve the consignor, as I've found out from personal experience on a few occasions. I hope you'll take some comfort in the fact that it'll be much appreciated in its new adopted home, where it now sits alongside these two:


BITHYNIAN KINGDOM, Prusias II Cynegus
AE24. 4.54g, 24.4mm. Nikomedia mint, circa 182-149 BC. SNG Copenhagen 635; HGC 7, 629. O: Head of Dionysos to right, wearing wreath of ivy and fruit. R: [BAΣI]ΛEΩΣ - ΠΡΟYΣIOY, Centaur (Chiron) advancing right, playing kithara; to lower right, monogram.


BITHYNIAN KINGDOM, Prusias II Cynegus
AE22. 6.38g, 21.9mm. Nikomedia mint, circa 182-149 BC. SNG Cop 635; RecGen 26; HGC 7, 629. O: Wreathed head of Dionysos right. R: BAΣILEΩΣ ΠPOYΣIOY, Centaur (Chiron) advancing right, playing kithara; monogram below raised foreleg.
Ex stevex6 Collection; ex Dr. Lawrence D. Sporty Collection

 

Thank you, Q. I love both of those coins, but especially that fantastic halved dupondius!

Hmmm... if it was overstruck, I can't say that I see any traces of an undertype.

 

You have some interesting coins at all price levels. My favorite is the Stevex6 Centaur, and ...

How much does your throwing star weigh?

 

4.35g. Considering the date of the Class F follis, the re-cut weight would seem to good match for a histamenon nomisma of Michael VII or Nicephorus III.

 

Glad to see you had a sweet coin 2020 Z, even in the "chrsmat71" price bracket!

All of these are pretty awesome, I'd love to have a "throwing star", nightmare owl reverse, and I always dig an big AE provincial. I'll give the win to the centaur reverse, I remember that LOVING that stevex version when he first posted it!

 

Awesome acquisitions, @zumbly! My faves are the syncephalic owl of Sigeon, the PAX FVNDATA of Philip, and my coin's twin!

 

Thanks, Chris! Hope you and the family have been well and that we'll see you around here more in 2021. Have a great new year!

 

I love the colours on yours, double die match buddy! I'm curious to see what mine will look like in hand when it eventually arrives.