I originally placed an order for this coin in December 2021. It took a month and a half to reach my local USPS sorting facility where it sat for an additional 10 days, only to be returned to sender for "insufficient postage"! After the coin reached the seller we tried the whole postal process again ... this time it was delivered! And it was well worth the wait. Domitian Æ Diobol, 5.00g Alexandria mint, 91-92 AD Obv: ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΔΟΜΙΤ ϹƐΒ ΓƐΡΜ; Head of Domitian, wreathed with corn, r. Rev: ƐΛΠΙϹ ϹƐΒΑϹΤ(Η), LΙΑ; Elpis standing l., with flower RPC 2621 (8 spec.). Emmett 286.11. Dattari-Savio 489. Acquired from Zurqieh, February 2022. Elpis, the Greek personification of hope, is depicted on the reverse holding a flower and slightly lifting her skirt. This image of Elpis (or the Roman Spes) is quite common on the coinage and probably is based on a cult image of the goddess. Interestingly, the obverse features Domitian wearing a wreath of corn, symbolic of prosperity. BMC speculates the wreath "may be in imitation of Ptolemy V." Feel free to post any coins that took a long time arriving ... or anything else you believe is relevant.
Proof that hope (Spes) springs eternal, @David Atherton? Won at a Spanish auction that closed on 19 December. It arrived Tuesday, 1 March.
Elpis: Marcus as Caesar from Alexandria: Type: AE Drachm, 33mm, 22.95 grams of Alexandria Obverse: Bare headed and draped bust of Aurelius right M AVPHLIOC KAICAP Reverse: Elpis Standing left holding flower and hitching skirt LEND EKATOV Reference: BMC 1238 listed as "rare" by R.A. Numismatics
My "coin that killed Caesar" became one of the "coins stuck at Frankfurt" along with hundreds of others from a certain German auction last year, through no fault of their own, when a public health crisis shut down international shipping. I think it took 5 or 6 months to arrive in the USA? On the topic of Elpis & Alexandria... Here's one I may give a full post to, since I'm rather excited about it. CNG and RPC had it listed as the "second known specimen," but it was, in fact, the Dattari specimen (and only known, not included in Dattar's 1901, so first published in 1999). Given the size of Alexandrian coinage, though, there are a lot of those, so it can take a bit more to make it interesting: This is the first Elpis coinage in the name of Severus Alexander by 3 years -- though there was a matching Julia Mamaea Elpis Tetradrachm for Year 7 (as with years 10-13). Roman Provincial. Egypt, Alexandria. Severus Alexander Billon Tetradrachm (24mm, 12.44g, 12h). Struck 227/8 CE (Regnal Year 7). Obverse: Α ΚΑΙ ΜΑΡ ΑΥ ϹƐΥ ΑΛƐΞΑΝΔΡΟϹ. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Reverse: L – Z (date). Elpis standing left, holding flower in her right hand, raising skirt with her left. Published: Dattari-Savio (1999, 2007) 12335 / 9892bis (this coin illustrated) = RPC VI Temp 10362 (this coin illustrated online) = Emmet 3101 (7), pp. 153 & 254 (this coin cited). Provenance: Ex-Giovanni Dattari (1858-1923) Collection; Ex-Harlan J. Berk w/ ticket & inventory no. (cc33653, no date); ex-unknown dealer tag with price & inventory nos. (779 - HZHQANUSB, no date –if anyone recognizes it, please let me know!); ex-CNG e-Auction 505 (1 Dec 2021), Lot 361 (erroneously described as 2nd known, after Dattari); ex-Rocky Mountain Collection of Alexandrian Coins.
Wow!...I remember the days when USPS would deliver mail to the addressee with a "postage due" note (delivery completed, with the assumption that something important was being delivered). How much postage could possibly be missing for the USPS to return to sender??? Sounds like a bad actor was jacking with it! Great looking coin!...looks like "hope" prevailed!
