Yeah, don't mess with that John-guy. :)
Constans was his nickname, which goes back to several Byzantine texts. You get three choices when it comes to Constans II's official names:...
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Well, it just goes to show how different eyes (and tastes) see different things. I like the first one better, and I don't think it's fuzzy.
I like the coin very much, and I think you did quite well on the price.
If a coin has a fairly smooth patina and you light it from a sharply-oblique angle, it will always look silvery. A sharp angle limits the...
That is indeed incredible. It's so odd to see COS IIII on a coin of Constantine.
It could be BD, but if it's been sitting in a dealers bag for years and hasn't gotten any worse, it is very likely stabilized. Otherwise you'd...
There was a demonstration of the mold-blowing. The molds were terracotta, and in the case of the blue bowl, had three pieces fitted together. They...
Yes. If you have the knowledge, junk bins at shows are a great place to find something rare on occasion. I have a handful of scarce issues that I...
Lol. The History of the Gallic Empire, Readers' Digest Version.
The kids had a lot of fun. But this was in Corning, NY, so you'd have at least a 4-hour drive, depending on where you are on Long Island. I'm not...
Of course, RIC rarities are only accurate over the samples taken by the authors of RIC. Some of the Amiens issues of Magnentius and Decentius are...
A very nice coin, and one that I would happily accept into my collection. Coins of the Decapolis can be tough in better grades, but quite a few...
Congrats, John. Great coin!
Pietas looks like she's shrugging off a question. "Hell if I know..."
That's one of the types that sometimes gets called the "Star of Bethlehem" coin, and it's one of finest examples I've seen. Nice find! However,...
Nice find indeed! I only wish I could find a brick-and-mortar dealer who had a bag full of ancients I could cherry-pick in the back room. Our...
The kids did some glass-blowing, but it wasn't very hands-on at all. They got to inflate the glass, but the pros did everything else. I suppose it...
This isn't coin related, but for those of you interested in all things ancient, I visited the Corning Museum of Glass yesterday and saw this...
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