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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 7886195, member: 19463&quot;]My favorite travel series denarius is Alexandria (not the most common) but is special to me for its reddish tone.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1360337[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>More common is Aegyptos but this is my only travel sestertius.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1360338[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>I once had well over a hundred Falling Horsemen but have sold and given away nearly half of them.&nbsp; The ones I have left are &#039;better&#039; on average but what I show here are not higher grade but just &#039;special&#039; to my definition.</p><p><br /></p><p>Good: Two by Constans</p><p>FH1 are the hardest to find of the four standard types of FH.&nbsp; To qualify to be FH1, IMHO, the horse&#039;s head must be pointed forward rather than tucked back as on the common FH4 coins AND the horseman needs to be making ground contact rather than just hunched over the horse&#039;s back. This Siscia has the forward head but the rider is questionably off the horse.&nbsp; </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1360362[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>My Thessalonika seems to show the rider kneeling on the ground better.&nbsp; I really need a better example of an FH1 without question. </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1360363[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Better: Two by Constantius II</p><p>Rome mint with horseman struggling to his feet (FH4 1/2?) with a fancy shield held by the Roman</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1360343[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Antioch often has good style and many survive in good condition.&nbsp; This one has good &#039;stirrups&#039; which Romans did not use but, I believe, the die cutter had seen used by barbarians.&nbsp;&nbsp; Some people say these are just pants decorations but I believe it shows a rope with foot loops (possibly sewn to the pants) that would allow the rider to stand and control the horse much as with modern stirrups.&nbsp; This coin and a few others with stirrups started my website in 1997 when I was becoming interested in FH coins through the late Victor Failmezger.&nbsp; </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1360347[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Best: Two by Constantius Gallus</p><p>A pretty example of the Aquileia issue marked as being struck 72 (LXXII) to the Roman pound of metal</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1360354[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>All Amiens FH coins are worth keeping.&nbsp; This is doubly rare being a Gallus with the finest style portrait of that mint.&nbsp; Note the three part, banded mullet.&nbsp; The coin is also has clashed die reverse.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1360353[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Impossibly &#039;more bester&#039;:</p><p>I do not have the super rare Magnentius FH coin. What I have is a dumpy, barbarous FH coin that is either Magnentius or Decentius.&nbsp; The letters are less than clear but counting the bumps make me think it is DN DECEN&nbsp; TIVS AVG???&nbsp; If Magnentius, a letter seems missing.&nbsp; It makes no difference since the coin is obviously unofficial style. </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1360360[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Having shown nine coins above, I only have one slot left for a tetrarchal follis.&nbsp; Since Provenance is the rage at present, I&#039;s show a rather ordinary Galerius Caesar follis from Aquileia that earned its place here from being ex. John Quincy Adams (from a group lot purchased at that sale by Mendel Peterson).&nbsp; I wonder if the President was bothered by the flat strike on Genius&#039; head.&nbsp; I am. (Call me a condition snob!) Otherwise, it is a decent coin.&nbsp; Note on the obverse there is a corresponding weakly struck place in the ribbon on the neck.&nbsp; In 1971, the Massachusetts Historical Society decided they needed money worse than to maintain his ancient and foreign coin collection that had been entrusted to them.&nbsp; I wish more museums would decide to clear out their vaults of worthless (to them) old coins. </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1360375[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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