Shea19's Top 10 coins of 2021

Al Kowsky · Dec 22, 2021

Shea19 said: ↑

My last coin of the year finally arrived, so I'm happy to be able to post my Top 10 of the year. I did surprisingly well this year, considering the tough coin market. I made the wise decision to take advantage of the high prices by selling off some of my older coins that I'd either upgraded or otherwise no longer fit my collecting interests, and I quickly spent the money from those sales on new coins. I was especially happy with a large consignment I made to our friend Severus Alexander at AMCC, where a lot of my coins ended up going to other CT members.

Overall, it was a nice haul this year, mostly focused on Roman Imperial and provincials (I was shocked to see that I'd only bought two Greek coins all year!). Hope you enjoy the list, and I'm interested to see which of these you like the best.

10. Caracalla Tetradrachm- Antioch
I didn't really need another Caracalla tet from Antioch, but I just absolutely loved this portrait, and I couldn't resist. Just a big, bold portrait of a very tough-looking emperor...I especially like the detail on his brow/forehead.
View attachment 1412439
Caracalla, Syria, Antioch, BI Tetradrachm (26 mm, 13.95 g), 215-217 AD, ΑΥΤ Κ Μ Α ΑΝΤΩΝЄΙΝΟC C ЄΒ, Laureate head of Caracalla to right./ Rev. Eagle with spread wings standing facing on club, head to right and holding wreath in beak; between the eagle's legs, star. McAlee 686

9. Severus Alexander/Jupiter Denarius
A well-struck, bright denarius of the young emperor with a nicely detailed reverse of Jupiter hurling a thunderbolt.
View attachment 1412448
Severus Alexander. A.D. 222-235. AR denarius (20.6 mm, 3.18 g). Rome mint, struck A.D. 232. IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander right / IOVI PROPVGNATORI, Jupiter standing right, hurling thunderbolt and holding eagle. RIC 238

8. Julia Domna denarius
This was my last new addition of the year, and I had been waiting on this one before posting my list. I thought it was a great depiction of Julia Domna from late in her reign. It has very nice detail on her famous hairstyle, and I think she even has a little bit of a Caracalla-like scowl on her face. I also like this interesting reverse type with Cybele depicted as the "Mother of the Gods".
View attachment 1412517
Julia Domna, AR Denarius, (19mm, 3.73g), IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG Bare and draped bust of Julia Domna to right; hair waved vertically and fastened in large bun on back; six ridges./ Rev. MATRI – DEVM Cybele, towered, draped, standing front, head left, holding drum in right hand and sceptre, nearly vertical, in left, legs crossed, resting left elbow on column; at feet, lion seated left. RIC 382

7. Numerian Antoninianus with Mercury reverse
I thought this was a great example of an interesting and somewhat mysterious ruler. I think that this antoninianus (in my opinion) is about as good as it gets for coins of this era...nice style, strong portrait, struck from fresh dies, well-centered, good metal, and full, clear legends. I especially like the detail in the cuirass/armor, as well as the nice depiction of Mercury on the reverse.
View attachment 1412453
Numerian, Antoninianus, 283 A.D., (22 mm, 3.91 g), Rome mint, Δ = 4th officina, IMP C NVMERIANVS P F AVG Radiate and cuirassed bust of Numerian to right./ Rev. PIETAS AVGG / ΚΑΔ Mercury standing facing, head left, holding purse in right hand and caduceus in left. RIC 414.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/nu...-struck-coin-of-a-short-lived-emperor.381934/

6. Galba tetradrachm
This coin was my first from the "Year of the 4 Emperors," and I just absolutely love the portrait of Galba. When he took over as emperor, Galba was 69 years old, well past his prime, and in failing health...I thought this was a nice, realistic-looking depiction of Galba as a grumpy, tired old man. Though there is obviously some circulation wear, I like that this coin saw a lot of action in one of the craziest years in the history of the Empire. I also like that despite the wear, the obverse legend still clearly shows ΓΑΛΒΑC ΚΑΙCΑΡ ("Galba Caesar" in Greek).

View attachment 1412456
Galba, Seleucis and Pieria, Antioch., AR Tetradrachm (27 mm, 14.30 g), ΑΥΤΟ]ΚΡΑΤⲰΡ ΓΑΛΒΑC ΚΑΙCΑΡ CЄΒ[ΑCΤΟC] Bare head of Galba to right./ Rev. [ΕΤΟΥC Β] Eagle with spread wings standing left on wreath, holding wreath in beak; palm frond to left. McAlee 308. RPC I 4198.

5. Caracalla- "Providence of the Gods" denarius
This denarius was struck within a year after Caracalla infamously had his younger brother Geta assassinated. It has the reverse legend PROVIDENTIAE DEORVM (“Providence of the Gods”), which is an especially interesting and fitting reverse type for Caracalla, who had attributed his murder of Geta to "divine providence." I was able to buy a companion piece of Geta with the same Providentia Deorum reverse legend, which I thought was a perfect pair...obviously, the Providence of the Gods was not as kind to Caracalla's little brother. The coin also has a bold portrait of an angry, unhinged-looking Caracalla, which I always enjoy.
View attachment 1412484
Caracalla, AR denarius, circa 212 A.D., Rome mint, (18mm, 3.08 g), ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head of Caracalla to right/Rev. - PROVIDENTIAE - DEORVM, Providentia standing left, holding wand over globe at feet and sceptre. RIC 227. Ex. Harlan J. Berk.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/denarius-pair-of-caracalla-and-geta-providence-of-the-gods.384264/

4. The City Goddess Tyche with a nice "turreted" bust
This fun provincial bronze from Laodicea has a nice bust of the city goddess Tyche wearing a fairly elaborate “turreted” crown. Turreted crowns depict the city walls or towers on top, and city goddesses are often shown wearing this kind of crown to symbolize their protection of the City and their associations with its fortunes. While some turreted crowns show more vague outlines of the city walls on top, I was especially drawn to this coin because it shows a nicely detailed city "landscape" on top of Tyche's crown. I can make out a city-gate with a full door, multiple walls, and a large watchtower...definitely an impressive piece to wear on top of her head!

View attachment 1412463
Antoninus Pius, Syria, Laodicea ad Mare. AE Diassarion (26 mm, 13.18 g), circa 142-143 A.D., ΑΥΤΟ ΚΑ ΤΙ ΑΙ ΑΔΡ ΑΝΤΩΝЄΙΝΩN CЄ Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Antoninus Pius to left, seen from behind./ Rev. IΟYΛΙЄΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΛΑΟΔΙΚЄΩΝ / KΡΑ / YP Turreted and draped bust of the city-goddess to left, wearing bunch of grapes. RPC IV.3 online 8589.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-...s-shes-got-the-whole-city-on-her-head.387166/

3. Macrinus- "long beard" denarius
I've wanted a denarius of Macrinus with a "long-bearded" portrait for a long time, and I was so happy to land this one. After conspiring to assassinate Caracalla and taking over as emperor, Macrinus soon began to grow an absolutely majestic beard, which resulted in (in my opinion) some of the best Imperial portraits of the 3rd Century. For many reasons, Macrinus was clearly not a successful ruler, but if nothing else, he definitely looked the part.
View attachment 1412460
Macrinus, AR Denarius (20mm, 3.13g), Struck March-June 218 A.D., Rome.
IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG., Laureate and draped bust of Macrinus with long beard, right/ Rev. P M TR P II COS P P, Macrinus seated left on curule chair, holding globus and sceptre. RIC 27. Clay Issue 3.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/macrinus-denarius-with-a-nice-long-beard-portrait.388289/

2. Julia Domna provincial with Athena Promachos reverse
This large provincial bronze of Julia Domna from Cilicia is one of my favorites in my collection. What makes this coin special to me is that the reverse depiction of Athena Promachos brandishing a spear and thunderbolt has a striking resemblance to a famous statue of Athena Promachos that was buried in the Vesuvius eruption in Herculaneum (a few miles down the road from Pompeii). I included a photo of the statue below, and the similarities are very clear. Although this coin could not have been based on that particular statue, a similar statute likely served as the inspiration for the coin. The coin was also struck on a nice big flan, and has a pretty portrait of the empress on the obverse. The photo doesn't really do it justice, it's a real beauty in hand.
View attachment 1412465
Julia Domna, Cilicia, Isaura, AE Tetrassarion (29 mm, 15.06 g), circa 205-211 AD. IOYΛIA ΔOMNA CЄBAC Draped bust of Julia Domna to right./ Rev. MHTPOΠOΛЄΩC ICAY-PΩN Athena Promachos advancing right, wearing aegis over her shoulders, holding spear in her left hand and brandishing thunderbolt with her right.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ju...ith-a-strong-athena-promachos-reverse.375904/

1. Early Macrinus tetradrachm with unique "transitional" portrait
This coin was an easy choice for #1 for me, and it may be my favorite coin in my entire collection. Though the portrait looks to be of Caracalla, the coin is actually one of the earliest tetradrachms of Macrinus, struck shortly after he helped to orchestrate the assassination of Caracalla. The coin was almost certainly struck before the mint workers had received Macrinus' official portrait. While some of the earliest tetradrachms from this mint have “transitional” portraits of Macrinus which somewhat resemble Caracalla, I’ve never seen one quite like this, and when I saw it, I knew I had to have it.

What makes this coin special is that the portrait on this Macrinus tet doesn’t just resemble Caracalla, in my opinion, it is a portrait of Caracalla. The right side of the obverse legend clearly reads "ΜΑΚΡЄΙΝΟC CЄ", confirming that it was struck under Macrinus. What I believe happened is that the portrait for this obverse die was completed while Caracalla was still in power. Before the obverse legend had been engraved, they received word of Caracalla's death at the mint, and in a rush to get new coins made for the new emperor (and likely to make sure that Caracalla's soldiers got paid), the die engravers just kept the old portrait of Caracalla and then added in the obverse legend for Macrinus.

The end result is a coin with a portrait of Caracalla and an obverse legend with the name of Macrinus, the man who had him assassinated. How cool is that?

View attachment 1412476
Macrinus, Mesopotamia, Edessa, 217-218 AD., BI Tetradrachm (28 mm, 13.00 g). Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of "Macrinus" to right, seen from behind. AY•K•M•ΟΠЄΛ•CЄΥ•ΜΑΚΡЄΙΝΟC CЄ/ Rev. ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ЄΞ ΥΠΑΤΟC Eagle with spread wings standing facing, head to right and holding wreath in beak; between the eagle's legs, shrine. Prieur 864(var)? Very rare.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/la...s-with-a-unique-transitional-portrait.386137/

I hope you enjoyed the list (I've certainly enjoyed reading all of yours!), and I'm interested to hear which are your favorites. And of course, feel free to share any relevant coins.
Click to expand...

Shea, You had a great year !. My favorites are #10, 1, & 4 in that order. The portrait of Caracalla on #10 depicts his anger & cruelty in satirical manor . I can't imagine many of these coins were struck . If Caracalla lived long enough to see one of these coins the engraver would have been in fear for his life .

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Ryro · Dec 22, 2021

Both Domnas are amazing! The Athena reverse is a showstopper! And her older issue that you said "she even has a little bit of a Caracalla-like scowl on her face." Little bit? She could curdle milk with that scowl!
And as much as I also like both of your Macrinus coins, I had to go with your Tyche! And with all that detail the city on her head is well fortified!

Curtisimo · Dec 28, 2021

All great coins but my favorites are 3, 4 and 6! Great list and great year.

Sorry about the late response. I’ve been a bit behind on Top 10s.

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Shea19's Top 10 coins of 2021

Choose up to 3 favorites

10- Caracalla tetradrachm- Antioch

9- Severus Alexander denarius

8- Julia Domna denarius

7- Numerian antoninianus

6- Galba tetradrachm

5- Caracalla "Providence of the Gods" denarius

4- City Goddess with Turreted Bust

3- Macrinus denarius

2- Julia Domna provincial bronze

1- Macrinus tetradrachm with "transitional" portrait

Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

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Shea19's Top 10 coins of 2021

Choose up to 3 favorites

10- Caracalla tetradrachm- Antioch

9- Severus Alexander denarius

8- Julia Domna denarius

7- Numerian antoninianus

6- Galba tetradrachm

5- Caracalla "Providence of the Gods" denarius

4- City Goddess with Turreted Bust

3- Macrinus denarius

2- Julia Domna provincial bronze

1- Macrinus tetradrachm with "transitional" portrait

Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

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Ryro Trying to remove supporter status

Curtisimo the Great(ish)

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