Victory walking left, holding wreath and palm. Star in left field. SECURITAS REI PUBLICAE, or safety of the commonwealth. ANT = Antioch mint....
It looks average for what you find at these auctions.
Yes, quite right, it is S ♥ S. I copied the attribution from Numista, and they have a mistake there.
Finally, Iceland, 25 Aurar, 1922. This little coin definitely has dirt - looks like tape residue, and it's definitely going into some acetone. Why...
Most of the coins I buy come from the Middle East. I've never had a problem receiving any coins I've ordered from anywhere in the world. I know it...
It's been a common practice among many nations throughout history. Whether it's sad news or not is a matter of taste.
Vicki's a dirty girl! I might give her an acetone bath to see if there's any dirt, but it looks like toning to me. Anyway, that's fine. I like...
Thanks for that information, Christian. I assumed the privy marks had something to do with the mint. Here is Frederik IX... Denmark, 5 Kroner,...
Close! It's his brother, Valens, Eastern Roman Emperor.
Netherlands, 2 1/2 Cent, 1929. Bronze, 4g, 23mm, 1mm, 6h; mintage: 8,000,000. Obverse: KONINGRIJK DER NEDERLANDEN; Crowned lion arms with 15 large...
Well, you guys certainly have some exquisite stuff. Meanwhile, I picked up a handful of junk bin coins for a dollar apiece, but they're not bad....
Yeah, I'd like to get a vintage set of those.
The assaying method Doug was referring to is the use of touchstones. Wiki has a brief article here. A more detailed analysis can be found in this...
I'll bet it has something to do with Jennifer Lawrence.
Nice sleuthing, Doug, and some very interesting reading on those pages.
Relevant... https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-the-first-official-coin.251238/
Yes, and how it was done is quite intriguing, but I'll give someone else a chance to post it, if they know. :) There's also the aspect that for...
What I should have said is that fineness in recent history isn't so much a question of technology as of choice. The Romans may not have been able...
It does indeed look like a filled hole, but a great example of the type. Nice find!
Today's technology has little to do with it. The ancient Greeks and Romans were producing coins of extremely high fineness, much finer than the...
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