Coin #3 - Guess the CTer 2021

Golly @zumbly - Your coin is spectacular (and very chocolaty)!

 

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Thank you! The deep Oreo-black surfaces are peculiar to Alexandrian tetradrachms from the Hermanubis Collection. Not everyone is a fan, but it can be quite striking. I especially like the coin because of the portrait - don't those chubby cheeks of young Severus Alexander just asked to be pinched?

 

Why yes!! They certainly do beg for a pinching!

 

I'll go for bcuda and agree with the detector find theory.
A Severus Alexander sestertius, my first, was from Frank Robinson, 1987. He sells classier coins now for prices I won't pay.

 

Count me in. I stopped bidding on CNG sales for a while because I had won a couple from this collection and was not pleased. In hand, the word that came to my mind was 'artificial'.

 

At this point, I might as well be blindfolded and grasping at straws with my guesses concerning the ownership of these coins. Regardless, my vote is for @bcuda. I mean, who doesn't like a nice large sestertius? Without further ado, here's a Severus Alexander denarius from my personal collection.


Severus Alexander
AR Denarius
222 – 228 A.D.
Obverse: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG; laureate and draped bust right.
Reverse: PAX AETERNA AVG; Pax, draped, standing left, holding olive-branch in right hand and sceptre in left hand.

RIC IV Rome 165

 

I understand the collection was put together over the course of some decades, but I'm guessing the uniform look was the work of one conservator employed to clean the whole lot up when the time came for them to be sold. I do wonder what the Hermanubis coins that I have originally looked like, but I can't say I'm brave enough to attempt to undo the 'magic'.

 

I know it's not a very original choice, but I'm going with @bcuda as well; sure, the coin by itself could belong to any of the five posters, but for me, there are a lot of important clues in the description: the reference to the size of the bust, the fact that it has been in his collection for a long time and, most importantly, the enjoyment of the green patina, of which, from his other posts, bcuda seems to be very fond of.

Unfortunately, Severus Alexander is one of the emperors missing from my modest YN collection, though I'll try to get one in the future; in the meantime, here's a coin I've just received today:

Claudius II (268-270), antoninianus, Smyrna mint, first emission.
Obverse: IMP C M AVR CLAVDIVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind;
Reverse: VIRTV-TI AVG, trophy and arms flanked by two captives, SPQR in exergue;
RIC 255, RIC V online 822.

 

Interesting. I noted the dark chocolate patina on my only Hermanubis coin but didn’t dwell on how different it is to my other Alexandrian coins. If it is artificial I wonder how it was created? I’m certainly no expert at distinguishing real vs artificial patina but usually it seams artificial patina covers up unsightly flaws and fills pits etc. On my example all of these details are visible. Note the rougher surface between 9 and 12 o’clock on the obverse and the visible flow lines across the whole design.


Egypt, Alexandria
Elagabalus (AD 218-222)
BI tetradrachm, struck RY 4 (AD 220/21)
Dia.: 23.9 mm
Wt.: 12.56 g
Obv.: Α ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΜΑ ΑΥΡ ΑΝΤⲰΝΙΝΟϹ ƐΥϹƐΒ; Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: L Δ; Homonoia standing left, raising hand and holding double cornucopia
Ref.: Emmitt 2937.4, RPC online 10082
Ex CNG Auction 407, Lot 460 (Oct. 11, 2017); Ex Hermanubis Collection.

I wish I knew more about the Hermanubis Collection. All I have with my coin is the name. It would be interesting to have more background on this interesting collection.

 

If it's done by some chemical treatment the flaws and pits will remain.

Has anyone else noticed a characteristic medium matte brown often found on (new) Leu AE coins? I think they, or someone they're connected with, do some repatinating. (Not implying dishonesty here, they often note that a coin is "repatinated.")

 

Gosh... of course, I had no idea about that collection; but, being very interested in, and newbie at, cleaning ancient coins, I decided I would not be 'repatinating' any coins, except maybe, in the case I just want to experiment to see what the process is all about. I have noticed - and I hope to show it in a thread soon, that in just about two years or so, some coins I had cleaned seem to have the patina returning. I was quite surprised to see that. To be sure, I will have to pull photos for a good comparison.

 

This has to be @Theodosius , I reckon! We all know him as a true connoisseur of fine style and high grade, but weren't we all a bit less picky when we began collecting ancients? Many of us started with unidentifiable LRBs, Theodosius started with a sestertius of Severus Alexander worn to an attractive "fine"...

It's not repatination, but someone in the past thought it a good idea to cover this coin in what I suppose is cellulose lacquer:

Severus Alexander, Roman Empire, AE sestertius, 234 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG; bust of Severus Alexander, laureate, draped, r. Rev: P M TR P XIII COS III P P; Sol, radiate, walking l., raising r. hand and holding whip in l. hand; in fields flanking, SC. 31mm, 18.59g. Ref: RIC IV Severus Alexander 538c.

 

Are all those quotes something I wrote myself ?
Geee ! they are everywhere....watching me !
I feel the danger... they are coming... taking control of me. Is it a Covid vaccine side effect

Here's a Severus Alexander denarius I got from an auction run by our own @Severus Alexander



Q

 

This must be @bcuda
Why? It’s a modest coin from a sympathetic emperor, fitting well with the collector; a modest and sympathetic man who prefers to present a fond memory rather than a flashy coin.



Here’s a similar, modest coin from Severus Alexander that has resided in my collection for a very long time.

 

I guess this could be one of mine: I'm not afraid of worn coins, as I've stated before I started out with $3 and $5 LRBs from a local coin store's junk boxes, and Severus Alexander fought a war against the Sasanian emperor Ardashir I:

 

This coin reminds me of the song! "Somebody's Watching Me"


Athens Attica 454-404 BCE ARr hemidrachm 16mm 2.08g Athena frontal eye - facing Owl wings closed olive branches COP 70 SG 2528

 

Some of you may have been afraid by @Alegandron's hemidrachm big eyes, but don't be shy folks, it doesn't bite !!!

Q

 

I haven't seen any Iberian coins in the first three CTer's
Guess the CTer 2021 contest.

 

Indeed thanks Q!


There is still almost a full day of fun left for guessing. Don’t be shy and don’t worry if you missed a previous round!

 

These guessing threads have been a lot of fun for me. There are a lot of funny, witty and clever people on this site. Even if I missed responding directly to your post (such as @ValiantKnight ’s penguin detective work and @Ignoramus Maximus ’s Nostradamus impression ) I still got a kick out of everyone’s responses and well reasoned answers.

There are still a few hours left before I post the next round! Don’t miss out on the fun folks.