This big bronze beauty arrived yesterday (finally). This is the first coin I have purchased from a European auction.. it was an interesting experience. - Zeus Numismatics. I had been searching for a nice follis of Justinian for some time... My requirements were simple: a well centered coin with as much "face detail" as possible (while being affordable) - also the coin HAD to be larger than 40mm. I wanted a very big bronze! Followed some excellent advice I had read here... I created a spreadsheet calculating the Buyer's Fee, shipping etc - and knew my top bid prior to the auction. I was willing to go to $90 GBP ($124 USD) on this coin.. after prebids the "live" bidding started at $70 GBP at auction. I quickly bid $75 GBP and surprisingly to me that price held! So price worked out to $103 USD. With Buyers fee (10%), PayPal fee (4.5%), and Registered Shipping ($15 GBP) the price topped out at $101 GBP.. so $139 USD. Did I do well? There are cheaper options on VCoins to be sure - but none met my outlined criteria as fully as this coin. There are also similar coins with prices over $400 USD. I think I paid a very fair price (not a steal by any means) and was very happy to get the coin I wanted. One thing I learned... you may pay $15 GBP for "registered mail" delivery.. but you cannot track the shipment... last tracking note was when the coin left Belgium on March 3rd... arrived at my door March 26th... those 23 days were a worrying void of no information... just hope. I really thought I would see a tracking note on the acceptance of a registered letter once Canada Post received the coin.. but no. However it finally arrived. It was also well packaged - another worry of mine. The sellers photo was also a good representation. Sellers photo: My quick cell phone photo today: Byzantine Empire, Justinian I (527-565) AE follis Condition: Very Fine Weight: 23.4 gram Diameter: 42.3 mm Zeus Numismatics, Budget Auction 15, Lot#716 Overall I am very happy with the coin, the price and the auction house (although the wait was a bit stressful). This is now my biggest bronze - an amazing feeling in hand!
That's a great coin. I really like the existing facial features. These coins, like the anonymous bronzes 500 years later, often have the facial details worn. Your coin is really nice. The best I have is this... Justinian from Cyzicus (and smaller at 38 mm) and a few years later (year 19) - $25 pre-pandemic... yours is much nicer and worth it!
New coin is not bad for 25 CHF - the rephotographed one looks great. I like this type - here's another: A write-up here on Prussias II & the Roman Republic
My very first coin from the "Spanish Netherlands". Philip IV of Spain (1605 - 1665) Spanish Netherlands (Brabant) AR Patagon O: ·PHIL·IIII·D·G·HISP·ET·INDIAR·REX·Cross of Burgundy, with crown, firesteel, and Golden Fleece R: ·ARCHID·AVST·DVX·BVRG·BRAB·Zᶜ.Crowned shield in collar of the Golden Fleece. 27.65g 40mm KM# 53.1 GH# 329, Vanhoudt# 645
Looking through one of my boxes for another coin I stumbled on this one. I bought it last year and because I had such a great year I kind of put this one away and more ore less forgot about it. This year I am not doing all that well so when looking at this coin I could not help but to think that this design has been used by one authority or another for something like 240 years or more. Odessos Ar Tetradrachm 90-80 BC in the name and types of Alexander III of Macedon. Obv Head of beardless Herakles in lion skin headdress. Rv. Zeus Aetrophoros seated left Price 1181 16.64 grms 32mm Photo by W. Hansen The style of this coin is way more crude than most of those that have preceded it, though it is interesting that the design is still recognizable and the lettering is still good. It does say something about the trust that people had when they accepted this coin. Price postulates that this coinage ended sometime around 70 BC but I wonder.....
I wish I had forgotten coins as beautiful as that one! The style is different but powerful at the same time. Thanks for sharing!
A snack that arrived this week. I really like these coins from Milan. Gallienus AD 260-268. Mediolanum Antoninianus Æ silvered 19mm., 2,14g. GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right / VIRTVS AVG, Virtus standing left, holding spear and shield. very fine RIC V 534.
That's an interesting coin! I have my hands full with normally struck coins but I've always wanted some examples of flip strikes and other errors. Seems pretty quiet on on the Saturday night coining... any night owls out there? What are you up to? For me... I recently got this great early Aurelian that looks like Claudius II (and beefy at over 5 grams). I have a few others of this type but with this bust as transitional (or just Siscian) as it is... I'm glad to have it. Aurelian - Siscia - CONCORDIA MILI - RIC V 192
Nice addition! I was watching El Classico, so no coining last evening. I did however re-do some photo's of my coins, earlier this week. Another result can be seen below. Curious which one the members of this board prefer. Perhaps somewhere 'in between' would render the best photo's. Old: New:
In "La histories des guerres Mithradatiques pour la vue monnaise" (Sp!), 1997 by Francois deCallatay there is a die study and treatise on these late Odessian Alexanders plus Mesembria plus Bithynia plus Mithridates. Brush up on your French, it is a treat and a must for serious numismatists.
I have been all but frozen out on coin purchases so far this year but I have been doing pretty good with books. I have so far acquired something like 7. To date I have not gotten the De Callatay on Mithradates but it is on the short list. I suspect that this is another coin in that book. Odessos Ar Tetradrachm in the name and types of Alexander the Great though this time with something of the features of Mithradates of Pontos Ar Tetradrachm 88-70 BC Obv. Head of beardless Herakles. Rv Zeus seated left Price 1192 16.11 grms 30 mm
One of my guilty pleasures when discussing the coinage in the name of Alexander the Great is re examining some of the number of coins minted with his name and types. There seems to an almost endless appetite for this type of coin among the cities of Asia Minor. I can more or less understand the rational of the cities on the southern coast of Asia Minor adopting this coinage after they were liberated from Ptolemaic control. However cities like Kyme, Magnesia, Myrina and Temnos remain something of a puzzle. Temnos Tetradrachm 188-170 BC In the name and types of Alexander the Great. Obv Head of Herakles in lion skin headdress. Rv Zeus Aetophoros seated left. Price 1690 16.68 grms 33 mm Photo by W. Hansen Perhaps the most remarkable thing about these later posthumous Alexanders are the extremely broad flans. It appears that they are literally screaming out that they are on the Attic standard. However most of these cities should be under the aegis of the Kingdom of Pergamon which was minting the Royal coinage at the time which was also on the Attic standard. Furthermore these coin predate by quite a number of years the introduction of the cistophoric coinage.
It's Saturday night. Here is a little Constantine I picked up for the equivalent of $15 shipped last week. My reasons for this: Arles is an uncommon mint, I like the Sol type, the coin has a nice portrait, style and patina... and opportunity for a "snack" presented itself: Constantine the Great, Roman Empire, AE3, 317–318 AD, Arles mint. Obv: IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; bust of Constantine I, laureate, draped cuirassed, r. Rev: SOLI INVICTO COMITI; Sol standing l., radiate, chlamys draped across r. shoulder, raising r. hand and holding up globe in l. hand; in fields, C–S; in exergue, PARL. 19mm, 3.43g. Ref: RIC VII Arelate 145.
I got this for its mintmark: Justinian, 527-565. Sear 222 40 nummia 35 mm. 19.1 grams. mm THUP Year XXXI = 31 = 557/8, at Antioch, rendered THUP for Theoupolis, its new name after a second disastrous earthquake. That mintmark was used years 30-34. The story of Antioch under Justinian is here: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/interesting/Justinian.html When I started that page I was impressed that there was a single city with 5 different mintmarks during one reign. Well, it is not just five. That page now has 16!
Not much new here lately. Got my first vaccination shot about 10 days ago... that that's nice. As for coins... things have been expensive, so I've been happy snagging a few low cost snacks. Here's one. It's not perfect but I think nice for the price. It joins about 5 or so other Gordian denari and about 40 other Gordian coins. Gordian III - P M TR P III COS II P P - Rome - RIC IV 115
Mine's not quite as nice. Great pickup for $15! PS: It seems the photo I have on file of my coin is terrible... haha. Constantine I as Augustus 307-337 A.D. Æ Follis. 2.4g, 20mm. Rev. SOLI INVICTO COMITI, Sol standing left raising right hand and holding globe, M and F in field, ARLA in exergue. RIC 102 Arles
I don't know if I knew that detail about the mint mark. I knew that it changed but I didn't know it was used only for those late years. I have a similar one... this coin sat for a long time as I couldn't read the year. After a lot of searching for a match and back and forth, I went with my best read on the smudged part of the coin... year 33, like the example coin below. My coin: Example coin of the guessed year (these are very hard to find (year 33)).
Beautiful coins as always Terence! I especially like that second one. What's in front of Zeus? Is it a vase and grape vines? Great coin!