What sad news. I always enjoyed posts from James, his knowledge and good humor will be missed. Back when I was just beginning to get enthusiastic about ancient countermarks, I got a CT message from Jamesicus asking if I'd like a Claudius dupondius "DV" countermark - which he sent me, for free! What a nice, generous guy... Claudius Æ Dupondius (c. 41-54 A.D.) Unofficial Mint (Sestertius) TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TR P IMP, laureate head r. / [SP]ES AVGVSTA, Spes stdg. left, holding flower & raising hem, [SC in ex.] RIC 99; Cohen 85 (imitative). Countermark: see reverse. (16.74 grams / 29 mm) Coin Talk gift Aug. 2019 Free Countermark: DV and edge cut at 3 o'clock, obverse. Pangerl Collection No. 58. This countermark signified validation as a dupondius on lightweight or unofficial sestertii. Note: gift from Coin Talk member jamesicus aka James Pickering, Tucson, AZ See Coin Talk Aug. 4, 2019. James posted some photos of himself a while back, which I'm guessing he wouldn't mind me re-sharing this one here, a very snazzy James cutting a rug: Atque in perpetuum, frāter, avē atque valē.
That is a huge loss - condolences to his family. jamesicus brought a wealth of knowledge and artistry to the forum. His calligraphy and Roman lettering expertise were incredible and show his passion and skill for the discipline. RIP.
Sorry to hear that. He was a passionate collector, and as his many hobbies attest passionate about life in general. RIP Jamesicus.
I didn't know him but my condolences to those of you who did and his family. Sounds like he had an awesome full life.
I am really saddened to read this. I had asked a month or two ago if anyone had heard from him recently but it seemed that nobody had. I had the honor of helping him edit some images of his favorite coins. Nothing much, but it was a pleasure to help him. He was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. He sent FFIVN and I these 2 beautiful Irish gunmoney coins and we talked at length about them. He clearly had a passion for not just ancient history but history in general. He will be missed. James II 1689 Æ Shilling, Civil War “Gunmoney” coinage Dublin Mint Obv: IACOBVS • II • DEI • GRATIA, laureate head of James II left Rev: MAG • BR • FRA • ET • HIB • REX • 1689 •, crown superimposed over scepters dividing script J [-] R, value XII. above, month (“Jan:”) below James II 1691 Æ Half Penny, Civil War “Gunmoney” coinage Overstruck on Shilling Limerick Mint Obverse: IACOBVS • II • DEI • GRATIA, laureate head of James II left Reverse: HIBERNIA • 1691 • First Depiction of Hibernia on a Coin
James had some wonderful web pages on ancient coins of the London mint and on lettering on ancient coins. They are no longer working, but the WayBack machine still has some. Roman coin Reference Web Sites and Pages https://web.archive.org/web/20180831042041/http://jp29.org/romanimp.htm ROMAN IMPERIAL COIN INSCRIPTIONAL LETTERING https://web.archive.org/web/20180405155911/http://jp29.org/capmon.htm Coins depicting Caesars and Augusti who campaigned in Britain" https://web.archive.org/web/20191024095644/https://jp29.org/000favorites.htm A Table of Contents (with sites on Roman coins, cactus cultivation, and samurai swords!) https://web.archive.org/web/20170602083807/http://jp29.org/index.htm
They are very informative. He mentioned a while back that they would probably stop working after his death and suggested saving the html for them. I went and did that so as to have some great reference material. I'm glad they can still be accessed (sort of) online so that others who didn't have a chance to read them, can.
Last year James sent me a book on Roman coinage. We enjoyed many conversations over the last several years. He also sent me a coin because he thought I might like it. James knew that giving is itself a gift and he gave so selflessly. I shall miss my friend greatly.
What a tremendous loss for our community. James was incredibly knowledgeable and generous. He had a giveaway back in 2017 which I won. He gifted me this fantastic follis of Galerius. It holds a very special place in my collection. At the time, he said this about the motivation behind his generosity: “Everyone: My motivation in gifting coins (I think it is the motivation of all coin gifters here) is to perpetuate interest (especially that of new collectors) in the kind of coins I specialize in collecting -- a way of giving back something to this hobby that has provided me so much joy and contentment for so many years. There is nothing particularly noble or meritorious in what I am doing -- it is simply something I want to do.” I think it was a particularly noble gesture. Rest well, James. I will miss you, my friend. Erin
An awesome person. It was a joy speaking with him on CT, and I enjoyed his posts! I was just thinking of him the other day, missing his posts. I hope his wife and family are ok. He will be missed!
I am very glad to see the response here from so many people. I'm sure that Ken Dorney would want to participate himself, but, as many of you know, he can't do so. (He says that he still doesn't know why that happened.) I joined Coin Talk only about a year and a half before James stopped posting here, but saw more than enough to appreciate him just as so many of you clearly did, both as a numismatist and as a human being. I should point out that I noticed that his dear wife Beverly is not mentioned among James's survivors in the obituary I posted, so I can only assume, sadly, that she predeceased him. My condolences for her as well. May they rest in peace together. I have only one numismatic piece that came from James, via Ken Dorney -- a Charles I coin weight: England, Charles I, 1625 - 1649 AE Double Crown Weight, Traveling Mint, 17mm, 4.51 grams Obverse: CAROLVS REX, Crowned bust of Charles left small B below (Nicolas Briot, die cutter). Reverse: Crown above X over S [ = 10 shillings]. Withers 992 Purchased from Ken Dorney; ex James Pickering Collection.
This is so very sad. He was truly a pillar for our CT community. His contributions were and still are so knowledgeable and always a great pleasure to read. We all will miss him very much. My deep condolences to his family, he will be always remembered. Dear Jamesicus, May your spirit dwell were it wants to.
This is sad news. I've always enjoyed his posts very much. Whenever he wrote something, it was invariably interesting. But mostly, I was always struck by the tone of his posts; genuinely polite, friendly, and sincerely interested in others. In short, a true gentleman. (so, I'm not at all surprised to hear he was originally British). I will miss him. And I'm sure many of us will.
Here's a post that I started late last night, but ran out of steam. That is sad news, and yet another marker of an earlier generation of collectors and scholars who are no longer with us. I have been a CT member for only a short while, but the posts that I shared with James were informative and warm, and his generosity is legend here at CT Ancients. His passing is a loss for us, but his legacy will live on and continue to enrich the field of ancient numismatics for generations to come.
Sad news Condolences to his friends and family. I had noticed his absence for most of the last year; I missed his passion for Julio-Claudian coins. I'll post one here that he was very fond of - I was surprised to learn that he was the one to purchase it from me, and it always made me happy that it went to a loving home with him.
What sad news, a terrible loss to our community. James was such a pleasure to converse with, with a great sense of humour and so very generous... I shall treasure his copy of Cloke & Toone which he gifted me, complete with a lovely calligraphic inscription. His passion for London tetrarchal coins infected me and I feel lucky to have an early London coin from his collection: Love this tribute, @zumbly! I noticed this as well. One of my favourite things about James was the way he wore his tremendous love for his wife on his sleeve. Requiescat in pace to both of them. Thank you, James, for everything! [edit] I love that you can plant a tree in his memory!
Thank you for letting us know Donna. I have thought about him several times over the last month or two and wondered how he was. He brought a lot of class to the forum along with his knowledge and goodwill. He will be missed.
Condolences to his family... A lovely man who was always ready to help. Here's a coin we discussed a while back that he loved..... Here's to you James....I'll miss our chats! Britannia, Trinovantes & Catuvellauni. Cunobelin. Circa 9-41 AD. AE Unit (2.437 g, 14mm).
