My Top 10 for 2021

Thanks for the comments Doug . The Veneti stater is my favorite too .

 

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These denarii are difficult to find; Doug posted the other variety .

 

Thanks John, I agree with your comments .

 

Thanks Curtis . The Byzantine aristocracy didn't like to lose & there was no limit to their cruelty .

 

Wow what a beautiful varied selection @Al Kowsky ! All are beautiful looking coins but for me the Cunobelin and the Veneti....Stunning!....Congrats on an excellent year...
Here's a humbler Cunobelin with a metal worker which will be in my top 10..

 

Donna, I was thrilled to add the Celtic coins to my collection. Despite only a handful of collectors that seriously collect these coins, the best gold coins sell for shocking prices .

 

Spaniard, Thanks for the comments . The reverse on the Cunobelin stater is exceptional for the type . Your Cunobelin bronze is impressive, & the minting scene on the reverse is very unusual. Cunobelin truly Romanized the Celts of Britain.

 

Many thanks to everyone for the kind comments ! The Veneti stater & the hefty Gordian bronze appear to be the most popular of my Top 10 .

 

@Al Kowsky, your Byzantine Histamenon Jesus Christ flanked by Romanus & Eudokia is my favorite. The details on the Gordian reverse are amazing. Congrats on a great year.

 

Lovely - I like the Celtic staters, particularly the Veneti one, and the Septimius Severus sestertius best.

ATB,
Aidan.

 

That's an amazing range of coins you've acquired, spanning many centuries. I'ts hard to pick a favorite. I enjoy the reverse of the Veneti tribe stater. It tickles the imagination, I mean, who doesn't have a picture in their head when reading "Charioteer holding a stem with a rosette on top while driving a man-headed horse, running boar below"
Also, I really find the sestertius of Septimius Severus very appealing, lovely colouring on that one, and the portrait is very life like. Very nice coin!

 

Very nice, Al. Here are my top 3 favorites, in order of favorite-ness. All 3 of my favorites, happen to be gold.
1. The Byzantine Romanus IV gold 6-header. A beautiful coin, very valuable, and historically important, because of the Manzikert defeat.
2. The Eastern Roman Zeno gold. Another beautiful gold coin. I don't notice the effects of the flip over double strike, except maybe for a few extra, raised areas here and there, and some differences in the border. But I'm not very familiar with this coin type.
3. The Celtic Britain Cunobelin gold. A beautiful and interesting coin. It seems to have a lot of silver in it, which makes it look almost like an electrum coin.

Here are seller photos, of my Zeno bronze nummus. Someday, I'll take my own photos of it. It's another example, of how the late Roman bronze coins declined in size, design quality, flan quality, and strike quality, while the late Roman gold coins continued to look relatively good.

Zeno AE4 Nummus. Eastern Roman Empire. Second Reign. 476 AD To 491 AD. Constantinople Mint. RIC X 958. 10 mm. 1.26 grams. Obverse Zeno Bust Facing Right. Reverse Monogram.

 

sand, Attached is a link to a thread I posted last April on the Zeno flip-over double strike.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/rarely-seen-error-on-late-roman-gold.379720/#post-7485243

 

Al/ I love the Celtic coins, they have really unique themes/ hidden faces/ etc.
But that AR Taler from Hall Mint in Tyrol/ Archduke Ferdinand is beautifull/ looks like it was struck yesterday. The Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I got things going in the Hall Mint, he was responsible for the first European coinage that issued large Silver/ gold coins. Also struck the 7 Dukat 1477 Marriage Commerative to duchess Maria of Brabant/ 1477 AV 7 Dukat on warhorse.....
John

 

John, I knew you would appreciate the Hall thaler since you have so many Baroque Period coins . The coin is an unblemished gem with beautiful luster . It took me a long time to warm-up to Celtic coins, but when I explored their culture with an unbiased eye I could see the magic in their coinage .

 

What an incredible group! I think my 2 favourites are definitely the celtic staters with their intricate and intriguing blend of artistry and history, but your byzantine selection is phenominal. The uncommonly nice Justinian bronze has to take a place on the podium in my opinion, amazing stuff!

 

Most of the Justinian bronze coins have very low-relief portraits because it took so much strength to hammer the coins, but this coin has a much higher relief seen on a typical late issue.

 

Thanks. That helps. I see it, now.

 

Beautiful coins. My favorite are Septimius Africa and Gordian III.

 

I have been looking for a Severus Africa Sestertius for some time and yours is the finest specimen I have ever seen