My second top on CT. After revisiting the purchases for the year, there are a few coins bought to tick the box and a few coins that I find interesting, but not necessarily like. So for the first time in 3 years, I am considering that some coins should find new homes in the near future. Same as last year, not necessarily the most expensive or the best condition coins made the top. Hope you'll like at least one. 1. Anonymous follis class A2 Last year, I opened the top with a scarce IHSH XRISTU sub-type. This year, I am very pleased to show this IHSHS XRISTU, which is the only one I saw with this inscription. 2. Tetarteron of Alexius I, SB 1923 I bought a few tetartera in 2021. Out of all, this is the one I am most happy I got, although is not "the best" in any category. 3. 30 nummi of Heraclius These are generally ugly looking coins. Without exception overstruck, it is difficult to see a clear obverse and reverse. This coin is an exceptional example of the type. It is wrong that I want (badly) to clean it? 4. Just another 30 nummi of Heraclius This is the pair of the above, CON, officina Gamma. It is year 20 vs 21 for the above, and year 20 is much more common. Condition is slightly worse and it came from a less visible source, which made it 25 times cheaper than the #3. So I like it. 5. 30 nummi of Tiberius This came with a provenance that I cannot verify. Nicomedia had a very interesting way to make the mouth of Tiberius. 6. Tired of 30 nummi? Just one more. I was lucky enough to find 8 interesting examples of this scarce denomination in 2021, and 4 made the top. If you'd want this denomination for your collection, Tiberius II, CONA or CONB is your best bet. I still need a CONA, though. 7. A Julia AE from Cappadocia Advertised as a Domna, I bought it as a Maesa, which I believe it is; MAICA is quite obvious. The coin is being cleaned. What I find interesting is that I expected a third letter after ET, but there is none. I already cleaned that area. Nothing. 8. Just because I liked it My collection is limited to few areas, but I liked this Claudius II and got it. I will probably start a new category - coins that I simply like to have, without following any completion or further improvement. One day, I will read why there is a SALVS inscription around a portrait of Isis and what she did with a sistrum and a basket. But until then, I will indulge in my ignorance.
Interesting coins. You had a good year. I like the numbers on Byzantine coins and find it interesting they do not always match numbers on Byzantine scale weights. Roman Republican gold, XXX = 30 asses Byzantine bronze, XXX = 30 Nummi (Nomismata) late Roman / Byzantine scale weights NΛ = 30 Nomismata = 30 Solidi (actually both XXX and NΛ are used) I do not have a 30 N scale weight. I have a 5 Nummi coin and 5 Nominmata scale weight. Both use E for 5. The E on the scale weight is not much better in hand. I probably need to find someone here to advise how to remove desert patina.
This is actually a very nice example of a rare coin, It has character and beauty. None of the Metropolitain tetartera were found at any of the coin archeological sites in Corinth, Athens and Thessalonica. Very nice find.
Congrats on a nice year, @catadc . Being a provincial collector, the Julia Maesa is a favorite. Fantastic portrait on that anonymous follis! Hard to find those with an intact nose. If you want to, you could probably remove some of the encrustations with a small diamond-tipped tool. Press it firmly, rolling it slightly in very small circles. It will break up the cement-like deposits. Put a bit of distilled water on it while working and frequently flush away the pulverized concretions.
That Claudius reminds me of the portraits and legends on the Aurelian/Vabalathus issues. Is there any connection?
@corvusconstantius - I have not clue; that coin and period is not in my regular collecting area. It was an exceptional buy. @rrdenarius - see the advise of @TIF for cleaning. I clean the desert patina under a microscope, using a high precision cutter, and with the coin dry. Wet cleaning goes well for LRBs with European dirt; dry cleaning works better for byzantines with desert dirt. At least for me.
Thank you for the link to your post. Very interesting. When I started collecting byzantines, Warren was nice to share with me his work before being publicly available. I highly recommend it as an introduction read: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Byz/index.html If you want to see some nice byzantines, I recommend the Forvm galleries of BenSi: The 12th Century Byzantine Empire. - Classical Numismatics Discussion - Members' Coin Gallery (forumancientcoins.com) Quant.Geek: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=36484
catadc, You scored some handsome Byzantine coins this year, especially #1, the anonymous follis ! I like #5 & 6 too .
