Purchased for the Portrait

I couldn't resist this one. A common reverse type for Domitian, but paired with a very stylish portrait.



Domitian
Æ Dupondius, 10.13g
Rome mint, 87 AD
Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XIII CENS PER P P; Head of Domitian, radiate, bearded, r., with aegis
Rev: FORTVNAE AVGVSTI; S C in field; Fortuna stg. l., with rudder and cornucopiae
RIC 536 (R). BMC 397. BNC 427.
Acquired from CGB.fr, August 2021.

This common Fortuna type was repeatedly struck throughout Domitian's reign on his middle bronze. She also fleetingly showed up on the denarius in 82. Mattingly calls this Fortuna 'the special Fortuna that watches over the imperial office'. Suetonius writes that near the end of Domitian's reign on 1 January 96 'The Fortuna of Praeneste, which throughout the whole time he was emperor had habitually given him a happy and virtually the same answer to him whenever he entrusted the new year to her care, finally gave a most gloomy answer - and not without the mention of blood.' The COS XIII variant with aegis portrait is quite rare.

Please show your coins purchased for their portraits.

 

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I’d really like one of the Hercules denari of Commodus, but the portrait in this coin just got to me:
Imperial Rome
Commodus, r. 177-192 A.D. (178 A.D.)
AR Denarius, 18.78 mm x 3.4 grams
Obv.: L AVREL COMMODVS AVG. Laureate Head of Commodus right
Rev.: TR P III IM(P) II COS P P. Salus seated left holding branch over snake rising from altar
Ref.: SRCV 5702 variety (RIC 649 var.)
Ex. White Mountain Collection
Note: Letter P omitted by mistake by the celator

 

Both my Faustina II and Julia Mamaea sestertius are purchased for their portraits. I like the good style and large-size portraits.

 

This is a common sestertius for Vespasian, but I really liked the portrait:

 

Love that Domitian portrait! Keeping it Flavian, I bought this just for the portrait:

 

As you all know, portraiture in the late Roman and Byzantine empire is usually rather stylized. But I honestly bought this tremissis of Anastasius for the portrait. On this little 1.5 gram coin, the celator has caught a man of proud, calculating, and uncompromising mien.

 

Super sharp Damnation
I'm a sucker for a pretty faced portrait. Though, it's said that DaVinci used to look for the ugliest and most deranged faces he could because they are the most challenging to portray.
Here's some of both, that I bought for the portrait:


And then theirs the errie look on coins portraiture that I LOVE:

Unlike their predecessor, the poor Ptolemies weren't known for their beauty:
speaking of, here's a portrait that's distorted look I jumped at the chance to win;

And then there's this one that has the beauty on the obverse and beast on the reverse:

 

Wow David that is quite the amazing portrait. Here is another Domitian with a great portrait.

 

Great coin @David Atherton . I like both the obverse and reverse even if it is a common type.

Here is a coin I picked up primarily for the portrait.


I also just recently updated my photo of my Domitian denarius. Not nearly as nice as yours or @Orfew ’s examples but I’ve always thought this was a pleasant portrait for a budget coin.

 

I like those coins with rather veristic portraits. So many portraits are pretty standardized that its nice to see something with a bit more personality.

Here Gallienus looks less like someone with a bunch of grapes stuck on his throat, to a more realistic looking, tired middle aged guy.


And then there's Licinius, who moonlights as Meathead Mike at night, but during the day is a pretty fun Uncle Steve.


Finally we have one of those 1970s mullet men in Gallus. Pretty sure we all saw him in a dive bar band at some point.

 

This is one of my favorite portraits because I think it presents a kinder, gentler Caligula...



A handsome rendering of Elagabalus...


And Claudius, Nero, and Domitian, and Augustus (dupondius struck under Caligula)....

 

That Augustus coin is super weird. I've never seen a coin with S-C on the FRONT instead of the reverse. Craazy

 

Great portrait indeed @David Atherton

I didn't buy the following for the entire portrait, but for the lips only, that I fall in love with : look at those lips....


Crispina (178-183) - AE As, Rome mint AD 180-182
CRISPINA AVGVSTA; Draped bust right, hair knotted in a bun in back.
LAETITIA; Laetitia standing left, holding wreath & rudder on globe.
11.80g, 25mm
Ref : RIC # 683; BMC # 435; Cohen # 28

Q

 

That's a great portrait indeed @David Atherton! When it comes to portraits only, the following are my favorites. And I have shown these before, so, excuse me for showing these again

 

From my most recent acquisitions, I bought these ones for portraits

This was a win-win as I like this kind of reverses, but the first thing that caught by attention was the good portrait. I think this is a good coin for Tetricus II.


One cannot say that Antioch reverses have anything intriguing or special. SC within wreath with minor vatiations, but I am very happy with this portrait and the overall condition of this coin. Especially since it's not very easy to get a Claudius coin in a decent condition.



Although somebody was hungry and got a little chunk from this coin, Maesa's portrait is not bad.


A coin with 2 portraits is something I took into consideration. And won it.
The Dionysos and Aphrodite portraits are quite artistic, in my opinion. Being a small coin (11 mm) makes it even more spectacular.

 

Definitely bought this coin for the portrait of Heracles with the lion’s mane headdress flowing dramatically behind him.

Black Sea Region, uncertain mint AR Tetradrachm.







Description
Black Sea Region, uncertain mint AR Tetradrachm. In the name and types of Alexander III of Macedon. Circa 250-200 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, holding sceptre; AΛEΞANΔPOY to right, BAΣIΛEΩΣ to left, ΟΠ monogram under throne. Price 1322. 16.99g, 30mm, 12h.

Good Very Fine; attractive light tone with golden iridescence.

 

Yes , it is very strange to see SC on the obverse, and I can't off-hand think of another series during Imperial times with SC on the obverse except maybe small quadrantes. In this particular series (RIC 56, Sear 1811), all have SC on obverse. Maybe no one wanted to argue with Caligula!

 

Hello,
One portrait I love :

https://www.colleconline.com/fr/ite...-republicaine-imperiale-diocletien-aurelianus

Another one :

https://www.colleconline.com/fr/ite...romaine-republicaine-imperiale-carisia-denier

 

Here is a budget coin I bought solely for the portrait.

There are 4 Libertas coins with this denomination, after carefully analyzing what is left of the obverse legend I managed to attribute it.

Nerva AD 96-98. Rome
As Æ
27 mm, 9,76 g
RIC II Nerva 100 (as) C
Date: AD 97
Obv: [IMP NERVA] CAES AVG P M [TR P II COS III P P], Head of Nerva, laureate, right / LIBERT[AS PVBLICA] S C, Libertas, draped, standing left, holding pileus in right hand and short sceptre, pointing up slightly to right, in left hand

The coin is worn and it appears it originally had a nice, green, patina.
But Nerva's portrait and, of course, his most prominent attribute facial attribute are good enough.

 

I have no data or research, just a coffee this morning but there does appear to be a style consistency through Trajan. Maybe a good student?


3.222 Adoptive Emperors - Trajan Collection - Trajan 98-117 A.D.
dupondius RIC II 398 Abundantia 98-99 Roma
Radiate head to right
IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG GERM P M TR POT COS II P P
Abundantia seated to left on chair formed of two cornucopiae, holding sceptre; SC in exergue
27.0mm 12.47g 6h