We're bent, but we ain't breakin: let's see those bent beauties (we've all got a few laying around)

Inspired by my recent Augustus, Gaius and Lucian, Denarius upgrade (the former WAS broken... or bitten by a rabid Barbarian) I realized I'm drawn to coins that have some uniqueness to them... and the affordable prices which come along with them.
What in the world mightve occurred to the bottom of this Denarius? And did some ancient actual graffiti Augustus spitting/talking?


Augustus, 27 BC-AD 14. Denarius (Silver, 20mm, 3.58 g), Lugdunum, 2 BC-AD 12. CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE Laureate head of Augustus to right. Rev. AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT / C L CAESARES Gaius and Lucius Caesar, on left and right, standing facing, each togate and resting a hand on one of two shields set on the ground between them; behind the shields, two crossed spears; above, on left, simpulum right, and on right, lituus left. BMC 519-533. BN 1651-1657. Cohen 43. Lyon 82. RIC 207. VF. Purchase from Savoca April 2021

Here's his predecessor:


And some other tough SOBS that refused to break.


This formatum appears to have been a twice folded over axe head!

Aes premonetale. Aes formatum,
6th-4th century BC. AE. g. 64.72 mm. 40.00. Former Artemide Kunstauktionen

Here's one of my favorite toned, and ballsiest RRs:

L. Thorius Balbus, Denarius, Rome, 105 BCE AR (3,74 gr 20 MM6 H) Head of Juno Sospita r., wearing goat-skin behind, downwards, I S M R, Rv. Bull charging r. above, control letter, O below. L THORIVS in ex. BALBVS. Crawford 316/1 Thoria 1 Sydenham 598.

And this runner up for world's wackiest flan, which was probably born bent:

Anonymous Quadrantes. Period of Domitian to Antoninus Pius. AE Quadrans. Obv. Draped bust of Mercury right, wearing petasus. Rev. Winged caduceus; in field, S-C. RIC II 34. AE. 2.24 g. 19.00 mm. VF/About VF. Purchased Artemide March 2021

Of course, the Greeks always being ahead of the Romans... except in warfare, could bend dimensions without bending their coins:

CARIA, Halikarnassos
(reassigned from Kindya)
499-497 BCE
AR hektai, 1.78 gm, 11 mm, Milesian standard
Obv: head of ketos right
Rev: geometric pattern within incuse square
Ref: Konuk

More wavy then bent, queen Elizabeth might have been bent herself, at least against the queen of guys named Scott
She's also bent out of shape here on my only coin of hers:

Queen Elizabeth I
1567 CE England
Tudor Period Silver
Threepence Coin

No coins were bent in the making of this thread... just a few squares after reading it.


If you've got bent coins I'd like to see them!

 

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..bent?!?...this coin in mine comes to mind bent from an obvious reason...

 

This is so off-center the flan bent around the reverse die during striking!


Gallienus, AD 253-268.
Roman billon antoninianus, 1.89 g, 18.5 mm, 11 h.
Rome or Mediolanum, AD 260-268.
Obv: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head, right.
Rev: PA[X AVG?], Pax standing left, raising branch in right hand and holding long transverse scepter in left.
Refs: Too off-center to attribute precisely.

 

this one got hammered

 

The bend was a bit too harsh for this guy

 

While I'm "anti-bent", strange shapes are another animal






Q

 

Weird and wonderful array, @Ryro! Your new Augustus is interesting, but the crazy flan of that quadrans really takes the cake. Great stuff! I'm often drawn to these "whatever happened here!" oddities too. Here's a Severus Alexander I sestertius I recently picked up with a big chunk taken off its edge.


SEVERUS ALEXANDER
AE Sesetertius. 19.21g, 31.2mm. Rome mint, AD 228. RIC IV 476; Cohen 343. O: IMP CAES M AVR SEV ALEXANDER AVG, laureate and draped bust right. R: P M TR P VII COS II P P, Mars (or Virtus), helmeted, in mililtary attire, standing left, foot on prow of ship, holding spear in right hand and parazonium in left hand; S-C in fields.
Ex E.E. Clain-Stefanelli Collection

And as for getting bent out of shape, here's a favorite of mine...



SELEUKID KINGDOM, Seleukos I Nikator
AR Tetradrachm. 16.84g, 26.6mm. Uncertain mint 6A (in Babylonia), circa 311-305 BC. In the name and types of Alexander III of Macedon. Price 3449; SC 293. O: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin. R: BAΣIΛEΩΣ / AΛEΞAN∆POY, Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; anchor flanked by Δ-I in left field, monogram under throne.

 

Excellent Hogs mouth portrait!
With the amount of inbreeding the Habsburg's did old Leopold was lucky he didn't have a bent spine... just that crazy jawline:


This one's not bent, just wobbly

 

WAVY


Thrace Thasos 146-50 BCE Roman provincial or Military mint AR Tet Dionysos Herakles Club Lion skin

 

John I (1199 - 1216 A.D.)
AR Penny
Short Cross type, class Vb1
O: HENRICVS R-EX, crowned facing bust of John, right hand holding scepter.
R: + ILGER ON LVND, voided short cross, quatrefoils of connected pellets in all quarters.
Ilger moneyer
London Mint
1.33g
18mm
Cf. SCBI 56 (Maas) 1408; North 970; SCBC 1351.


Henry VIII (1509-1547 A.D.)
AR Groat
Second Coinage
O: hЄnRIC’ VIII D’ G’ R’ ΛGLIЄ Z FRΛnCЄ, crowned bust right (Laker bust D); saltire stops, Lombardic lettering.
R: POSVI DEV’ ΛDIVTORЄ’ mЄV’, royal shield over long cross fourchée; saltires in forks, double saltire stops, Lombardic lettering.
Tower mint; im:arrow, 1526-1532 A.D.
25mm
2.55g
SCBC 2337E; North 1797

 

who doesn't love Tom Petty..and the Eagles for that matter...i had a Mercedes stolen outside Winterhaven Fla. back in the 90's

 

Here's a bent Augustus denarius
Obv.: CAESAR AVGVSTVS - Bare head of Augustus left
Rev.: Round shield inscribed S Q P R / CL V. C
Mint: Colonia Caesaraugusta (ca. 19-18 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 3.72g / 20mm / 6h
References:

• RIC 42b
• RSC 293

Acquisition: Naville Numismatics Online auction NN Live 58 #485 14-Jun-2020




ATB,
Aidan.