I had the opportunity to meet up with Scooby, a.k.a. @Ryro, at a show today! As many of you who have been on the receiving end of his generosity, you know Ryro is one of the most magnanimous members of our community! He's also quite the raconteur, too! He was very kind to gift me this Macedonian shield coin today. Antigonos I Monophthalmos, king, 306/5-301 BC. Greek Æ Unit, 15.4 mm, 4.21 g, 7 h. Salamis mint under Demetrios I Poliorketes. Obv: Macedonian shield, boss decorated with facing gorgoneion. Rev: Macedonian helmet; kerykeion and monogram to lower left and right. Refs: Price 3159; Zapiti & Michaelidou 7–8. Note: Price attributes the coin to Philip III Arrhidaios (323-317 BC). But lest you think @Ryro is trying to dissuade me from my Faustina fetish, he most assuredly is NOT! He also presented me with this one of Faustina the Younger!! Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman Æ as, 11.57 g, 25.0 mm, 12 h. Rome, AD 170-175. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: VENERI VICTRICI S C, Venus standing right, placing both hands on the arm of Mars, standing facing, head left, holding round shield in left hand. Refs: RIC 1680; BMCRE 999-1001; Cohen 241; RCV 5305; MIR 42-7/10c. Notes: Ex Naville Numismatics, ex- Timeline Auctions December 2021. Which came with some really cool old collector tags!
That's wonderful that you had a chance to meet each other, @Roman Collector and @Ryro -- a/k/a Scooby! I'm glad for (and envious of) both of you. How was the show?
Nice one!....I must admit I had to look up"raconteur"....Spot on!....Great to hear fellow collectors meet up over there...Here it seems to be much more solitary..
@Ryro is one of the members I admire the most from this community (and he is not the only one) and I am very glad when we chat about coins, auction strategies or whatever. I wish I could meet him and some of the other collectors here someday. Who knows. I must confess that he wanted to give me some coins as a gift for Secret Saturnalia. I was flattered and happy that this kind of people still exist, but also very annoyed that I had to refuse because laws in my country are very strict and possessing ancient coins is only legal if there are documents proving you are entitled to own one (auction invoices from legit auction houses). So no giveaways or gifts for me. Selling coins is not an option (I am not entirely sure if I can consign coins to auction houses. But one of the coins I like the most in my collection was this one It was from Ryro's collection and he consigned it to an auction house. One of the things that still makes me meditate. Minted in Rome in 76 AD. Used for its primary role (but this is the amount of wear I find very acceptable). It crossed the Atlantic (who knows when). And reached me in the end (I live ~1399 miles east of Rome).
Both of you are great Dudes. Someday, I would enjoy meeting up with you both @Roman Collector and @Ryro ! Great times! In my travels, I have been very fortunate to have met a few CT folks!
Whilst I am still young enough (66) to Scuba Dive, I still do so. Our first Vacation in 4 years is to Key Largo where I dive and my wife stays on the beach and reads. I have organised our trip to hit the FUN show in July and it would be good to meet up with any CT Ancient Forum member. Also, any hints as to spend my time at FUN would be appreciated, we have nothing like this over here so divide dealers and visitors by at least 5 to our shows, possibly more. I guess you live in Romania @ambr0zie ?
Aww shucks Thanks RC and friends. That was the best, non family related, time I can recall since the Rona hit (Hehe, just what I wanted him to think. Wait. Did I type that or just think it?) Seriously, it was AWESOME getting to chat up @Roman Collector in person. If you think he's just incredibly knowledgeable online with resources at his disposal you've got another thing coming. He has encyclopedic knowledge on areas I know he doesn't even specialize in. And if you even start to say the F word around him (Faustina) you are going to be entertained with facts that Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius didn't even know about the ladies The show was great @DonnaML . Some sellers with only bank busting coins but then a couple more in my budget range was nice. Getting to meet his friend and dealer Bill Rosenblum, from whom I bought two show stoppers from, was a treat. Watching them interact and tell stories was priceless. When a teenage ancient collecting Numismatist stopped by the table while we were chatting away and came across a beautiful Galerius, he asked us what we knew about the emperor, I had mentioned his involvement in Diocletian's tetrarchy. And then RC begins explaining in EPIC and gory detail the way in which Galerius died from "a severe infection of the skin and soft tissue of the pubic area called Fournier gangrene", "it had occupied the lower regions of his body, his bowels came out; and his whole seat putrefied. The luckless physicians, although without hope of overcoming the malady, ceased not to apply fermentations and administer remedies. The humors having been repelled, the distemper attacked his intestines, and worms were generated in his body. The stench was so foul as to pervade not only the palace, but even the whole city; and no wonder, for by that time the passages from waste bladder and bowels, having been devoured by the worms, became indiscriminate, and his body, with intolerable anguish, was dissolved into one mass of corruption.” https://www.academia.edu/10406167/The_Fatal_Disease_of_Emperor_Galerius (Thanks for the article RC). Needless to say, the kid excitedly bought the coin I'll put together an article on the two coins I bought when time allows. Currently I'm busy showering my wife with affection (meaning, I'm watching the kids while she relaxes like the Venus she is). Anyways, I greatly look forward to making the trip "up country" again
