...seems Littleton has a bit o trouble with IDing ..i got this Hostilian Moesia provincial instead of Aemillian,( altho bought from another dealer not familiar with ancients) ..but hey...it was close enough for me
A very nice Christmas gift @Alegandron ! I also got recently my first roman Carthage coin , it's not in a great shape it was picked form a 4$ bin. Constantius I Chlorus AE Radiate Carthage Mint 303 AD , RIC 35a , "radiate fraction" denomination, a.k.a. the "post-reform radiate." Obverse: FL VAL CONSTANTIVS NOB C Bust of Constantius Chlorus, radiate, draped, cuirassed, right Reverse: VOT X / FK within a wreath
@Alegandron In all my years as a collector, I've never received a coin as a Christmas or birthday gift. I think that is a very thoughtful gift from your daughters. Carthage is one of my favorite mints for the coins of this era. Most of the follis reverse types are unique to Carthage. Here is another type that is unique to Carthage: Reverse type: FELIX A-DV-ENTAVGG NN; Africa standing, facing head l, ln long drapery with elephant-skin head-dress, r. holding standard, l. tusk; at feet to l, lion with captured bull. "I" to left, PKP in exergue
Years ago my wife gave me an Alexander the Great Drachm. Good shape. I think folks are more confident in a worn coin, making them feel better that it is “real”. My Daughter, her fiance, and grandkids were proud to find it, but they were apprehensive when they gave it to me. I was excited because I did not have a Carthage mint Roman coin. I do have perhaps a hundred Carthage Empire coins, though. This fits in as Carthage. LOL, in all reality, I am very difficult to buy any gift for. I usually get what I want, otherwise I do not need it.
LOL, I think I have only purchased a few supplies from them. I have ignored their Modern coins, and never looked at their Ancients. My son in law had collected some Moderns, but I do not think he knows any Ancients.
The best thing about my coin is it was free! I purchased a lot of coins to resell. Sold them all but this one and made a pretty good profit. MAXIMIANUS AE Antoninianus OBVERSE: IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right REVERSE: FELIX ADVENT AVGG N N, Africa standing facing, looking left, wearing elephant-skin headdress, holding standard and elephant's tusk, lion with captured bull at feet, H in right field, mintmark PKB Struck at Carthage. AD 298 9.1g, 28mm RIC VI 25b
Nice! When I was researching mine, this reverse came up many times, and I am interested in that design!
That's a really cool gift and some really nice coins have been posted! Buying late third-fourth century AD Roman coins is off the beaten path for me, but every now and then one comes by that has an interesting reverse and historical import. This is my only Roman coin of Carthage. It is a nice example, with a good amount of the silvering still present. It is still in the NGC slab that it came in last year.
The 2019 Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Algeria hasn't received the level of publicity that some others have, so I thought it might be worth noting here. For American collectors, the MOU with Algeria restricts the import of coins from the mint of Carthage as well as just about any coin struck in, near or for Algeria from the beginning of time to 1750. Specifically: "9. Coins—Pre-Roman mints in Algeria include Cirta, Hippo Regius, Caesarea (Iol), Lix, Siga, and Timici. Roman provincial mints in Algeria include Caesarea, Cartenna, and Hippo Regius. Helpful reference books include: Corpus nummorum Numidiae Mauretaniaeque, 1955, J. Mazard, et al., Arts et metiers graphiques, Paris; Le Trésor de Guelma, 1963, R. Turcan, Arts et Métiers Graphiques, Paris; Etude sur la numismatique et l'histoire monétaire du Maroc: Corpus des dirhams idrissites et contemporains, 1971, D. Eustache, Banque du Maroc, Rabat; Corpus des Monnaies Alaouites, 1984, D. Eustache, Banque du Maroc, Rabat; The Roman Provincial Coinage, multiple volumes, 1992-, A. Burnett, et al., The British Museum Press, London. Some of the best-known types are described below: a. Greek—In silver, bronze, and gold, struck in Algeria and in nearby mints (Cyrene, Carthage). b. Roman Provincial—In bronze, struck at Roman and Roman provincial mints and found throughout Algeria. c. Numidian and Mauretanian—Associated with Numidian kings such as Micipsa, Jugurtha, Hiempsal II, and Juba I, and Mauretanian kings such as Syphax, Juba II, Ptolemy II of Mauretania, Bocchus I, and Bocchus II. d. Byzantine—In bronze, silver, and gold, struck in nearby mints like Carthage or mobile mints in Arab-Byzantine period Ifriqiya. e. Islamic—In silver and gold struck at various mints including Algiers, Bijaya, Biskra, Qusantina, and Tlemcen. Examples include any coins of the following dynasties: Almohad, Hafsid, Marinid, and Ziyanid. f. Ottoman—Ottoman coins of Algeria in silver, gold, billon, and copper, struck at various mints including Algiers, Qusantina, Tagdemt, and Tlemcen. Also Spanish coins of Oran in billon or copper, produced in Toledo or Madrid for use in Spanish Oran between 1618 and 1691." https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/08/16/2019-17743/import-restrictions-imposed-on-archaeological-material-from-algeria
None of mine have been imported. Mine were all found in the rare hoard dug up on a North Carolina Beach many many years prior to the MOU. 2 Shipwrecks: Carthaginian and a Roman. The Ghosts of the Roman Sailors and the Carthaginian Traders vouched for the coin hoards, cleared US Customs on the Beach, and paid a small duty to cover the value prior to handing the hoards over to me. Regardless, Carthage is in today's Tunisia. MOLON LABE Carthage Third Punic War Serrate Double Shekel 149-146 BCE 12.8g 26mm Wreathd Tanit- Horse pellet raised leg SNG COP 404
That's interesting. Thanks for the information. I certainly don't want to deal with another coin detained by US Customs. One point, though - Carthage is actually located within Tunisia. Does the MOU with Algeria also include coins found in Tunisia? Is there a separate MOU between the US and Tunisia?
It doesn't seem to be based on the find spot (which is hardly ever known, of course). Rather, it covers coins of Algerian type or types known to have seen significant circulation in Algeria. Many of the coins noted in the memorandum were actually minted in what is now Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Spain. In theory, one would still need either an export certificate from Algeria or a pre-2019 provenance. In practice, who knows? [edited]
@Alegandron, no doubt a special coin from your daughter! The guys in officina Δ seem to have been a bit uncertain about what a delta looked like. In the spirit of Here's a coin that gave me trouble with attribution that might be fun : Obv: MAXIMINVS NOB CAES, laureate head right Rev: SAC MONI VRB AVGG ET CAESS NN, Moneta standing left, holding scales and cornucopia, star in right field; RQ in exergue Ref: RIC IV 124b (reverse legend error/variant MONI in place of MON)