Finn's 2021 Top 10 Lists

My goal in 2021 was to purchase less, sell more, and bring a bit more focus to my collection.

I failed quite spectacularly on all three accounts

My first list will be 10 Newcomers to my Roman collection - I am nearing the price ceiling of what I can stomach at my salary level without restricting myself to just 1-2 new adds per year, so adding 10 new Roman faces is something of a major accomplishment for me!

10. Britannicus, with Antonia and Octavia, children of Claudius, AE from Cyzicus


This hideous little coin is one I sadly missed out on back when they would go for cheap, but is the only coin type in existence to depict Claudia Antonia, the Elder sister of the more prominent Britannicus and Octavia.

9. Anthemius, AE4 nummus


The portrait is totally gone, but the monogram is unmistakable- Ruling until 472, Anthemius is the last Western emperor I am likely to obtain without my wife putting me 6 feet under!

8. Basiliscus, AE4 Nummus


For now, I draw the arbitrary line between "Eastern Roman" and "Byzantine" at Justinian, so Basiliscus is a pivotal figure in my book. His usurpation against Zeno provided a long enough distraction from the West that Nepos was displaced by Romulus, who in turn was displaced by Odoacer, who declared an end to the Western Empire.

7. Libius Severus, and Ricimer, AE4 nummus


This was in the same lot as the Basiliscus, and remarkably has a visible portrait and a decent monogram. Libius Severus was nothing more than a puppet to Ricimer, who from 461-465 felt secure enough in his position to place his own monogram on his emperor's coinage.

6. The Second Triumvirate, AE from Ephesos, Ionia


Lepidus was the only member from the Second Triumvirate that I was missing, and although I still want to get him on a denarius, I couldn't pass up the unique iconography of this one. Somehow the simplified and idealized portraits reminded me of the much later Tetrarchy.

5. Tiberius & Germanicus Gemellus, sons of Drusus, AE Sestertius


A classic and popular sestertius of Drusus' two ill-fated boys - Germanicus would succumb to childhood illness in a pre-vaccine world, and Tiberius would be groomed to inherit the purple jointly with Caligula, only to be out-maneuvered and ultimately forced to "commit suicide". Since recent findings have all but dashed my hopes of owning Tiberius Gemellus as a purported provincial, this (and one other provincial) remains the only way to obtain these two young boys.

4. Paulina, wife of Maximinus I "Thrax", AE sestertius

Paulina has been on my radar ever since I got serious about Roman collecting several years ago, but after dozens of lost auctions I came to terms with the fact that her denarii are simply overpriced, so I began a hunt for a more reasonable sestertius. This was the perfect middle spot between good eye appeal and good wallet appeal.

3. Cn Statilius Libo, Prefect of Hispania

Despite the poor centering, this remains one of the best coins of this elusive 1st century BC Spanish governor that I have seen. We know nothing about him, and in my opinion a little mystery is never a bad thing!

2. Galerius Antoninus, biological son of Antoninus pius, with Diva Faustina I, AE "As" of uncertain Greek city

This may be one of the ugliest examples known, but I am still ecstatic to own one in any condition, especially missing out on one from a FSR auction last year for over $400! Little is known of this son of Antoninus Pius and Faustina I, except that given how smoothly Aurelius and Verus were adopted and named heirs, he must have died prior to 138. He appears only on this, and a larger denomination of the same type from the same uncertain city. He is the second rarest member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty, second only to Domitia Lucilla, Marcus Aurelius' mother.

And drumroll please...

1. Gordian I Africanus AE Sestertius


It ain't pretty, but pretty isn't possible when dealing with Gordian I and II unless you have some serious budget behind you. I spotted this one in a Nomos auction and had to put in a middling-to-strong bid, and was shocked to win it, especially in the 2021 market. With Gordian I down, I only need Gordian II and I will own all Senate-ratified emperors between Augustus and Theodosius.

Feel free to chime in with your favorites, post any related coins, and stay tuned for the next part shortly!

 

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I really find the busts on the Second Triumvirate coin interesting!
Do you know 'which one is which'?

 

Paulina and Gordian I Sestertii are nice!

 

All nice coins, but your Paulina stands out as a hard to acquire type but you have a real beauty, congrats on a great year.

 

Nice group! That reverse monogram for the nummus, the triumvirate coin and the Gordian I sestertius really stand out for me. That Gordian I was a key acquisition - congratulations!

 

Nice selections. I like the Tiberius & Germanicus Gemellus sestertius.

 

@Finn235 Very nice. Some nice, rare, late Roman Emperors. Libius Severus (461 AD to 465 AD in the West), Anthemius (467 AD to 472 AD in the West), and Basiliscus (475 AD to 476 AD in the East). I'm a big fan of late Roman bronze coins, but I don't have any of those 3 rare Emperors.

 

For my second list, I will be covering emperors and empresses that I owned in 2020 or earlier, but added either a new title, or else just a pleasing new example.

Again, I have nearly exhausted my list of "X as [title]" without straying into 4 digit territory, so any progress is great progress!

We'll start with coins that are neither new emperors nor new titles for them, but nonetheless deserve placement in the top 10

10. Geta as Caesar, bearded portrait AR denarius


This curious coin comes only a short time before Geta was promoted to co-Augustus with his father and brother. Why Caracalla was promoted at age 9 while Geta had to wait until he was 20 is probably lost forever with the damnatio against him.

9. Gallienus AE Denarius

A fitting companion to the sestertius I bought last year - I've always been fascinated with the very sparse and sporadic issuance of denarii after Gordian III.

8. Probus BI Antoninianus, Martial bust


I'm a sucker for Probus' more artistic types, but this one really does it for me! This engraver was a master of his craft.

7. A trio of rare denominations from Trajan Decius:
1) The last Imperial Semis ever struck
2) AE As, liberalitas issue
3) AE dupondius, liberalitas issue


I have come to appreciate how hard Decius tried to restore the glory of the empire, and his coinage reflects this. I am particularly fond of these liberalitas issues, as unlike most other ancients, at least one event from their life is certain - they were disbursed to the populace as part of the emperor's largesse.

And finally the new titles! These are all fairly common emperors, but scarce to rare titles for them.

6. Diadumenian as Augustus, AE of Antioch

I could start a debate, but I am sticking to my guns that the CE beneath Diadumenian's bust was added as a modification to existing dies, and stands for CEBACTOY, the Greek equivalent of Augustus. As Diadumenian and Macrinus were near Antioch at the time, it would make sense for a large emergency issue to be produced, to rally the populace against that priest boy who claimed to be Caracalla'a son.

5. Divus Trajan, AE of Mysia, Pergamon, with Divus Augustus

Divus Trajan is a tricky one - aside from the immensely rare imperial issues and the ones by Decius over a century later, contemporary coins of Divus Trajan are nearly non-existent. This one from Hadrian's era offers a neat alternative - the coin features the Temple of Divus Trajan, with the Temple of Divus Augustus, with both appearing as statues within.

4. Julian II, as Usurper AR siliqua

Long on my radar, these early, western-mint siliqua of Julian II show him as Augustus but without his beard, and are dated to his 360-61 usurpation against Constantius II, which ended with the latter's death before fighting actually took place. That they are so prolific is probably an indication that they were used to raise armies against the sitting Roman emperor.

3. Divus Claudius with Nero, AR drachm of Caesarea


Divus Claudius is nearly impossible to find in imperial coinage, so these Latin-engraved provincial silvers make a good alternative. This one is also denarius-sized and was more palatable than what the tetradrachms have been selling for lately. Divus Claudius is a strange one - he was a laughingstock before becoming emperor, he was widely hailed as a capable statesman during his tenure in the purple, but once he was deified he became a laughingstock again, with Seneca writing a satirical play just years later in which Claudius is turned away by the gods and sent to Hades for a sisyphean punishment for his murderous streak and love of gambling. Claudius was also the only divine emperor passed over by Decius for his "best emperors" set.

2. Diva Julia Maesa, grandmother of Severus Alexander, AR denarius


I am convinced that this is the ugliest example on the market, and the only one that will ever sell for less than $1000. I spotted this coin in CNG archives several years ago, and dreamed of owning one so cheaply - which I did earlier this year! Despite her relatively good reputation in Rome, Julia Maesa's consecration seems to have been a relatively low key event, with very little coinage struck to celebrate. Perhaps mommy Mamaea didn't want grandma stealing her thunder anymore?

1. Divus Lucius Verus AE Sestertius


OK, so this isn't a new add, but oh my gosh would you just LOOK at that bust! Even though the magic of taxes, conversion rates, and fees on both somehow nearly doubled my price between hammer time and invoice time, this is probably my favorite 2021 pickup overall regardless.

 

Some spectacular additions : Verus, Paulina, Gordian I, the triumvirs, Galerius Antoninus, Britannicus with Octavia.... Wow !!

Q

 

Some great new additions, especially those rarities. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a semis of Trajan Decius or a Diva Julia Maesa denarius, those are great! The Divus Verus sestertius is an absolute stunner, certainly well worth whatever you paid, spectacular coin.

 

@Finn235......What a lovely selection of coins that you dont see that often, at least together!...Your collection has really moved on with some of these little rarities.
Particularly like the Libo and what a find with that Galerius Antoninus!...Super pickup on the Gordian I good luck on acquiring his son...The Divus Lucius Verus is a stunner......But there is one coin for me that really stands out which is the Diva Maesa WOW what a find!.....Congrats on an amazing collecting year...Looking forward to seeing your purchases in the coming year.

 

Holy moly, those are some rare personages to be found, @Finn235! You had an amazing 2021! My favorite -- if pressed -- is the Second Triumvirate one of Ephesus! You don't see that one every day, for sure!

 

Very interesting selections, really difficult to choose just some.
I saw a Triumvirs coin similar to yours in a recent auction. Worse conservation. It was an interesting coin (you don't see an obverse with 3 busts every day, and certainly not THESE busts). But the price was discouraging for me - so not sure if I will get one in the future.

Diva Maesa? that's new for me, and on my wish list (or perhaps not )

Big fan of Gallienus denarius, the uncommon Decius denominations and of course the Gordian I sestertius.

 

Finn, My favorite is the Paulina sestertius . These coins rarely come up for auction. Your coin is a good strike with an attractive patina .

 

From your first list, my 3 favorites: Gordian I, Paulina, and the crossed cornucopiae of Tiberius and Germanicus Gemellus. Congratulations on some great acquisitions.

 

Interesting coins, my favorite if the Paulina on a peacock

 

Wow - Gordian I Africanus, Anthemius, Basiliscus, Paulina, Galerius Antoninus, Cn Statilius Libo - not coins posted every day! You may have failed on your goal, but certainly ended up with some interesting coins. Best wishes for 2022!

 

Finn,

Nice acquisitions!

You wonder why Geta was proclaimed Augustus late in 209. A possible explanation occurred to me when I was corresponding with Andrew Burnett a couple of years ago. Andrew quoted my idea as follows in the article he subsequently wrote on Zela, Acclamations, and Caracalla:

‘I had an idea about the possible occasion of IMP XII = II on the coins. Septimius had made Caracalla IMP and AVG, and Geta Caesar, on the occasion of his own IMP XI for the capture of Ctesiphon early in 198. So maybe he made Geta IMP and AVG on the occasion of his own IMP XII and Caracalla’s IMP II? Those acclamations would then have occurred late in 209, when Geta apparently became Augustus, judging from the scarcity of his coins dated just TR P = 209. Septimius’ IMP XII medallion and Caracalla’s two IMP II medallions would belong to 1 Jan. 210, fitting with the fact that Caracalla’s two rev. types were also used on sestertii of 210. Septimius’ medallion depicts two emperors shaking hands (or holding a Victory on globe?) in the presence of other figures, probably a commemoration of the IMP XII = II victory and/or of Geta’s promotion to IMP and AVG. A problem for this reconstruction, however, is the beardlessness of at least one of Caracalla’s IMP II obv. dies, which might suggest that he was already IMP II on 1 Jan. 209 (accepting my argument from their titulature that virtually all second- and third-century bronze medallions were apparently struck for use as New Year’s presents). The occasion of this hypothetical acclamation for all three emperors late in 209 would presumably have been the success of Septimius’ invasion of Scotland, which according to Dio “forced the Britons to come to terms, on the condition that they should abandon a large part of their territory”. Septimius would have modestly declined the title BRIT on this occasion, only accepting it in the course of 210, maybe for a preliminary success in his attempt to quell the ensuing rebellion of the Maeatae, against whom he sent a punitive expedition according to Dio.’

 

Congratulations ! I cannot say which ones are my favourites. Probably Paulina, Divus Verus and especially the Triumvirate ! This is what I call a collection of rare, even very rare coins.

 

From your second and equally impressive list, my favorites are the Divus Lucius Verus, the Divus Claudius, the Julian II siliqua, and the Geta.