Well not sure where to start as I have never been very good at writing and putting together what I really want to say and make it presentable. So here goes , I got bit by a brown recluse spider on the 27th of December and ended up in the hospital and almost lost my foot because of it. I got out of the hospital on January 8th and am still having problems with my leg with pain and circulation even today. Then on the 15th of January my Father and Step Mother came over to eat supper and when they were leaving my Step Mother collapsed and suddenly passed away with no warning at all. I spent that evening and the next day trying to help my Dad through it. So on the morning of 17th I invited my Dad since He was not eating well or at all to come eat breakfast with my family , right after He left to go home my Wife had a stroke. I rushed her to the emergency room and we waited all day while they did tests. The hospitals here are so full She did not get admitted until the next day and as of today She is still has not been put into a room, they have Her out in a hallway in a gurney bed with a bunch of other sick people waiting for a room. They will be probably be putting some stents into both of Her carotid artery's in Her neck when they have a room for Her to stay in. I can not even go visit Her while She is in the hallway. So would you all post up your coins that have something to do with a persons good health or well being please. Its been kind of rough for me and thank you all !
That's a fine idea to feature healing coins. I'm sorry to hear about all that's going on. It seems to have been a rotten month for many; I know of unusually many people who have been going through (non-covid) related tragedies this month. Let's hope February will be more auspicious.
Oh dear heavens man! And I thought I had it tough. My heartfelt condolences for your loss and hoping a hospital bed opens up right away for your step-mom..... I can help you with the foot though. This guy has one extra that he can spare.
I'm so sorry to hear of all your troubles, @bcuda! I hope your wife gets a room & treatment soon... here is a cute little Telesphoros to help speed that up: All my best wishes! I hope your family is all in good health soon and that your grieving process, especially your Dad's, is a healing one.
My daughter and I have both had a miserable 2021 and 2022 to date. But you have had something none of us wish on anyone. Here is a coin that was sent from Pearl Harbor to President Roosevelt as support of Infantile Paralysis. I hope it cheers you up a bit.
@bcuda It must be such a stressful time for you and your family with all that has happened. Please be sure to take care of yourself too with others depending on you. Brown recluse bites can be very serious. Several years ago, I got very sick from an infected brown recluse bite and needed several days to recover. On the healing theme, here is a recent silphium coin, of course, since it was a "wonder drug!" It was supposed to help for scorpion stings, but not sure how it would work on brown recluse bites! Kyrenaika, Kyrene 305-295 BC AR didrachm 7.83 gm, 20 mm O: head Apollo Karneios left R: silphium plant, type III; ΚΥ - ΡΑ at sides; ΣΩΙ monogram upper left; star upper right cf. BMC 238 (same symbols, different dies) An unusual representation of silphium with the double axillary umbels and unique corrugated leaves. I hope things calm down for you and your family.
..Herennius lQQks like he's smilin' on this coin(minted likely b4 he rang into some bad luck himself)..plus its got a moneybag reverse....hang in there and prayers to ya @bcuda
Wow man so sorry to hear about the bite and health issues. Living in an area where the Black Widow spiders are in large numbers one needs to be very careful. What many are unaware of is that what bite you an " brown recluse spider " is the mate of the black widow spider. Warning if you know that you live in an area where these are very prevalent you need to do your homework. I haven't worked in over a year....a lot of the things I used for my former job I kept in my garage. I had not messed with anything just left it sit.... One after noon after my surgery as I was able to get around a little better....I went out to my garage to soak some coins. A crock pot I used at times for work sat up against the wall against the house. Looking in the open box ....omg there she was the size of a quarter in her web . I grabed my ball mason jar that had acetone in it and scooped her very carefully into the acetone. Not the first one I've found in the garage...as I also found one near my garbage cans closer to the garge door. Brown recluse as well black love clutter the more the better....so a warning as well from the op....not to be taken lightly....as they can kill. Again so glad to hear your on the mends. My sincer condolences to You and your family on your loss...These have been some tough days for quite a few....I do understand your pain you and yours are going though...having two family members 1 with stage 4 colon cancer and the other last stages of MS. Stay strong....we are here for support always. Lets all hope for some light at the end of this dark tunnel. Cheers to all for better days ahead. And remember that your friends at CT have you in our hearts and prayers.
May your wife get well soon! What is happening in hospitals is terrible... May this be a warning to all of us, and encourage us to accept Covid vaccines so less people will go to hospitals and those who need to be cured immediately like your wife would get a decent room ! My contribution here : my only Galba coin, a dupondius. Completely destroy... and in the same time the most beautiful portrait of this emperor I've seen!
I'm so very sorry, @bcuda, about your own complications from the spider bite, your stepmother's sudden passing and the effect on your father, and your wife's problems, including being stuck in a corridor instead of getting a room -- ugh. I was once in an emergency room for eight days without ever being admitted, and here in New York in 2017 when I had a C-difficile infection, I was in a bed in the emergency room and then a corridor for almost 36 hours before a room was found. It seriously adds to the stress, and I hope she's admitted to a room very soon and recovers quickly. A remarkable number of us seem to have reported deaths or serious health problems of their own and/or their families recently, and most of them aren't even related to Covid (even though I know so many people who've had it and been ill with it of late, even if not to the point of hospitalization, such as one good friend and her whole family, including her 15-month grandson and her 98-year old father). For me, never mind my cataracts surgeries; I haven't mentioned it previously, but I learned last week that my older sister, my only sibling, has died in Hungary, where she had been living since the 1980s. Quite a shock. and I still can't quite believe it. So here are some coins depicting Salus and Valetudo, Asklepios, and snakes and serpents including the Agathodaemon, all of which symbolized good health and healing in the ancient world. May they be effective for all of us, and our loved ones, and bring some comfort to those of us in mourning.
Healing thoughts... RR Rubrius Dosssenus AR Quinarius 87 BC Neptune Victory alter snake Aesculapius S261 Cr 348-4
Gosh, @bcuda, that is an overwhelming amount of grief and stress for one person to shoulder all at once. I hope we can share your burden if only a little bit and I hope your wife gets a bed soon and recovers quickly. Here's a catch-all deity because it sounds like you need something from each of these gods: Serapis-Asklepios-Harpokrates-Poseidon-Ammon-Helios-Nilus-Zeus (Serapis Pantheos) EGYPT, Alexandria. Philip I Regnal year 4 (246/7 CE) BI tetradrachm; 22mm, 11.61 gmNGC Choice VF 5/5 - 3/5. Dated Regnal Year 4 (AD 246/7). Obv: A K M IOV ΦIΛΠΠOC ЄV CЄB; laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Philip I right Rev: bust of Serapis-Pantheos right; serpent-entwined trident behind, cornucopia before, L-Δ across upper fields Ref: Emmett 3510; Dattari 4916; RPC VIII unassigned, ID 2808 ex Morris Collection (Phil Peck) Telesphorus: MOESIA INFERIOR. Marcianopolis. Elagabalus (218-222) AE 17, 2.5 gm Obv: AVT K M AVP ANTΩNINOC; laureate head right. Rev: MAPKIANOΠOΛITΩN; Telesphorus standing facing. Ref: Varbanov 1422 (unverified) Asklepios: THRACE, Pautalia. Caracalla CE 198-217 AE29, 16.4 gm Obv: AYT K M AY CEY ANTΩNEINOC; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right Rev: OYΛΠIAC ΠAYTAΛIAC; Asklepios seated right on back of winged serpent Ref: Varbanov 5007 (unverified)
Olbia - Олбия Some of the world's earliest coinage may have in fact had it's origins as amulets or offerings to a god. However they began to be issued, with eventuality they soon saw service as a medium of exchange. The curious aspect of the Delfin, or Dolphin money from the city state of Olbia in Southern Ukraine is of course the shape of the pieces, which were modelled on the Black Sea dolphins. Inasmuch as dolphins were rather prominent on later ancient coinages from Syracuse and Calabria, these pieces are unique for their shape. The earliest pieces seem to have had a bit more detail to the designs, as dorsal fins and eyes are featured. Later pieces were produced perhaps in a bit more of a mass production scenario, and lost some of the details. Later pieces also featured some alphabetic characters, most notably OY.
My condolences, bcuda, on your loss and I do hope that your wife has a good recovery. My wife died suddenly from a hemorrhagic stroke, aka aneurysm, in 09. And the spider bite! Here's an Athenian owl, new style, 2nd century BC, with a caduceus on the reverse. Also, here's an Athenian owl, 4th century BC, with an interesting counterstamp depicting the heart-shaped flower of the ancient silphium plant, which was used as a seasoning, perfume, aphrodisiac, and as a medicine. I have always felt that the light of Mozart's music is a time-tested healing balm:
@bcuda...Ouch!...I'm sorry to hear about this tough time for you and your family and all so close together....The old saying "Sometime it doesn't just rain it pours"!.. But the sun will come out again!....Here's a Pinocchio to remind you of the days you were over here with your detector.....Keep strong..Paul
Also, here's my faience amulet of the Eye of Horus (Uzat Eye), green with brown relief, dating to the 26th Dynasty, ca. 525 BCE. I purchased it on Jan. 7, 1983 at Harmer Rooke in New York City. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Horus: "The Eye of Horus, wedjat eye or udjat eye is a concept and symbol in ancient Egyptian religion that represents well-being, healing, and protection. It derives from the mythical conflict between the god Horus with his rival Set, in which Set tore out or destroyed one or both of Horus's eyes and the eye was subsequently healed or returned to Horus with the assistance of another deity, such as Thoth. Horus subsequently offered the eye to his deceased father Osiris, and its revivifying power sustained Osiris in the afterlife. The Eye of Horus was thus equated with funerary offerings, as well as with all the offerings given to deities in temple ritual. . . . The Eye of Horus symbol, a stylized eye with distinctive markings, was believed to have protective magical power and appeared frequently in ancient Egyptian art. It was one of the most common motifs for amulets, remaining in use from the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BC) to the Roman period (30 BC – 641 AD)."
The Brown Recluse. I got bit some time back and went straight to my doctor. He tended to it immediately. He told me that with my condition I would have just died if a few minutes later. Scarry stuff, I am glad you are over it.