A letter from the Leu

I've been waiting for a letter from the Leu.
Usually I don't wait for letters. They arrive when they arrive. But this time I was waiting for it.
It's a long time since I waited for a letter. I think last time I waited for a letter was 26 years ago, when I was 21. Then I waited for love letters from a girlfriend who lived in London. She used to write me often while we were together. After we went each our way, she established a solid acting career, and was even portrayed as "the most sexy woman in Norway" by a glossy magazine. She's one of the people I respect and admire most. I still keep her letters inside a folder that rests in an old coffer in the attic.

The letter from the Leu was different, to no ones surprise. It still made my heart beat when it arrived today. Their web auction last month was one of the few auctions where I awarded myself 10/10 coin collecting points afterwards. It must be 10 years since that last happened.

I hope you would like to see what was inside the letter. You will not see what is in the letters in the attic.



I have looked at the coins of Phocas before, and though that I don't like them very much. I have considered them a bit simplistic. It then occurred to me that I love the way he is portrayed, exactly because of the simplicity. How few lines do you need to make to make it look like a bust? I think they made it pretty well. Yeah, the coin has plenty of "bag marks", and the angel has a kind of anonymous look, but I think it's a very nice coin.



After I concluded that I'm now a collector of Byzantine gold coins, I found no reason to stop with a simple usurper. Here's a whole royal family:

Constans II, with Constantine IV, Heraclius, and Tiberius, 641-668. AU Solidus, Constantinopolis, circa 661-663.
Obverse: Facing bust of Constans II, with long beard, on the left, wearing plumed helmet ornamented with cross and chlamys, and Constantine IV, on the right, wearing crown surmounted by cross and chlamys; between them, small cross.
Reverse: VICTORI AVςЧ [officina letter] / CONOB[T] Heraclius, on the left, and Tiberius, on the right, standing facing, each holding globus cruciger; between them, cross potent on base set on three steps. Reference: DOC 38. MIB 37. SB 971.
Diameter: 19 mm. Weight: 4.31 g, 7 h. Conservation: Minor marks and with light areas of weakness, otherwise, extremely fine.

I find many of the portraits from this period to be a bit strange and cartoonish, but I like it. How about a world leader that thinks it's ok to look like that on his coins?



I love sports. I have always participated in sports, and hope I always will. Therefore I've always liked coins that celebrate these important unimportant events. Wrestling in the Olympics 2350 years ago, and a slinger competition on reverse. What is not to like?



I read about the Narbo issues last year, and found them interesting. This is:

Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus with L. Licinius Crassus. AR Denarius, Narbo 116-115 BC

Obverse: L•POΣ ΓONI•CNF Head of Roma, wearing winged helmet, to right; behind, X (mark of value). Reverse: [L•L]IC•CN•DOM Nude and bearded warrior standing front in quadriga, head to right, holding shield, carnyx and reins in his left hand and hurling spear with his right.
Reference: Babelon (Pomponia) 7, (Licinia) 14 and (Domitia) 18. Crawford 282/4. RBW 1109. Sydenham 522a. A very rare variety.
Size: 19 mm, 3.16 g, 3h Conservation: Very fine.

Biography
Republican moneyer and Consul in 96 BC. He issued coins in Narbo in 118 BC as a senior monetary magistrate, jointly with the other monetary magistrates L. Licinius Crassus (q.v.), M. Aurelius Scaurus (q.v.), C. Malleolus (q.v.), L. Cosconius (q.v.), L. Pomponius (q.v.) and L. Porcius Licinus (q.v.). He is also likely to be the moneyer who issued coins in Rome in 116 or 115 BC. He may be a relative of the Cn. Domitius (q.v.) who issued coins in 128 BC, though from a different branch of the family.



There is nobody on this coin, but the issuer was no nobody. He was:

Ottoman Empire. Sulayman I Qanuni ('the Lawgiver'), AH 926-974 / AD 1520-1566. AU Sultani

Obverse: سلطان سلیمان بن سلیم خان عز نصره ضرب في سروز

Legend: "Sultan Suleyman Sah bin Sultan Selim Sah azze nasruhu duribe fi Misir sene [926]" Translation: Sultan Suleyman Son of Selim, Lord May his victory be glorious.

Reverse: ضارب النضر صاحب العز و النصر فی البر و البحر
Legend: "Daribun nadri sahib-ul-izzi ven-nasri fil-berri vel-bahr" Translation: Striker of the glittering Master of might and victorious of land and sea.

Reference: Misr, AH 926 = AD 1520. Pere 181 var. Sultan 9465.

Size: Gold, 20 mm, 3.56 g, 5 h. Conservation: Minor areas of weakness, otherwise good very fine.

I have been thinking lately that we in the western world know too little about the important history of Islam and the peoples following it. I know practically nothing about the Ottoman empire, for example. The new Netflix series was all about Mehmet II and his obsession to conquer Constantinople. That fits well with the image we have of the Middle East, I guess. Through getting into Islamic and Ottoman coins, I hope to gain more knowledge about the whole culture and even the language and ways of expression.


We still have wolves in Norway, but wolves aren't really adjusted to modern society. When they come across a flock of sheep these days, they kill far more animals than they can feed on. I guess I can relate to that when I'm on a coin buying roll, but look at this nice Bulgarian coin!


Hungary, Béla III, 1172-1196. AE Rézpénz
Obverse: +SANCTA ARIA The Virgin Mary, nimbate, seated facing on throne, holding scepter in her right hand and Child Jesus in her left.
Reverse: . RЄX BЄLA RЄX STS Bela III and Stephen III enthroned facing within Gothic niche, wearing crowns surmounted by crosses, each holding long scepter in right hand and globus cruciger in left; above, cross.
Reference: Huszár 72. Réthy 98.
Size: 26 mm, 2.83 g, 2 h. A very attractive and sharply struck example. Good extremely fine.


Style and fabric of this type closely resemble the famous Byzantine Trachy coinage, attesting the deep cultural influence the empire exerted over southeastern Europe. It is worth noting that Bela himself was sent to Constantinopolis by his older brother Stephen at the age of 15 years, where he grew up at the court of Manuel I Comnenus. Like so many foreign princes before him, the young Bela must have been deeply impressed by the magnificent and highly cultivated capital of the venerable Empire. He eventually got engaged with Maria, Manuel's daughter, and adopted the name Alexios when he became the Byzantine crown prince in 1165. However, when a son was born to Manuel I in 1169, Bela lost his rank and his engagement with Maria was dissolved, laying the foundation for his return to Hungary in 1172 when his brother Stephan was poisoned.

Oh, sorry. It is HUNGARIAN. And probably the only medieval Hungarian coin that I will have, as it's quite outside what I collect (even if I'm collecting all over the place.) I really like it. I'm sorry I didn't get a good pic of the reverse this time; they were either out of focus or not well lit enough. On this pic, there's movement on the reverse. Will try again.



This wolf needs gold.

I bought a lot of coins in December, and now both they and their bills are coming home to roost. It's going to be a while until I can buy coins like these again, but it sure was fun. And the letter from the Nomos hasn't even arrived yet...

 

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Brilliant assemblage, @svessien! Congratulations on getting 'bitten' by Byzantine! ...Yes, minimalism can be its own, compelling aesthetic. ...But being Norwegian, I'll bet you knew that....

 

Hold on a sec, all these coins were in that envelope? No wonder, you have been waiting for the postman to show up!! I would have been sleepless till that thing arrived intact.

I know that Phokas is more or less the Nixon of Byzantium, but to the benefit of us collectors his coins are plentiful and still affordable. Nothing wrong with his coins or with the coins of his successors, the Heracleian dynasty. My 'affordable' Byzantine gold is from them and I think it is one of the finer examples out there.



For anyone that wants to get Byzantine gold, hurry while you still can. It is getting really popular lately and even the 'cheap' emperors are starting to get pricey.

 

Thanks!
In 2008 I read about Galla Placidia. I found her history so compelling that I traveled to Ravenna to see her mausoleum. It is a very modest, small building next to the church of Santa Croce. I spent less than half an hour inside, and it was still well worth the trip. I like the «less is more» attitude that you sense in late Roman and Byzantine art.

 

Well put, Old Man, well put.

 

I just googled Santa Croce and my jaw dropped when I saw the mosaics. Thank God for Ravenna, it is one of the very few places one can admire early Byzantine art. I haven't been there yet, but it is definitely on my list. Damn those iconoclasts... They caused too much damage... Almost as bad as Henry VIII who is responsible for the English churches looking so plain...

 

@svessien those are beautiful coins!

 

From what you have told us about your earlier travels, I think you would like Ravenna. It’s not often that you go to a historically important city in Italy and find that it’s calm and quiet, and people have time. I went there in late September. It was a good time to go.

 

@Only a Poor Old Man, you Need to get there. If I were you, it would be at the top of my 'bucket list,' marked "Urgent!!!"
Regarding iconoclasm and Henry VIII, tragically, Protestants got up to that sort of thing all over Europe. In France, what the Huguenots didn't get to, the sans-cullotes did.

 

I think I ran into Constans II in a San Antonio bar...

 

Somebody here already made the connection with ZZ Top....

 

He claimed his name was "Larry".

 

I greatly enjoyed my two weeks in Istanbul a few years back, which I flew to from my base in Cairo (I had a special 4-month visa in Egypt for researchers). Made me want to get started in Byzantines, and also get a coin of Theodosius II (who built the infamous walls) in spite of being an ineffective emperor for the most part. I was there in early November. There were a few showers and then the fog would lift, offering shimmering sunny views of the Golden Horn. I have yet to go to Ravenna but it's on my list of places to see. I watched a show about the art of Byzantium a few weeks back which focused on the process of making tesserae and embedding them into the mortar to create a mosaic. Many of the tiny pieces are covered with gold leaf, giving them an almost ethereal, other-worldly quality. This is evident from what I heard from other visitors. Also, there are a few good examples of this in Hagia Sophia. Nice coins @svessien ! And thanks for sharing your story.

 

With all due respect, I would have preferred to get another love letter from the sexiest woman in Norway over the Leu letter

 

I agree, but that boat sailed half a lifetime ago. My most important collection is of great moments in life, though. And there’s definitely a few from those times.

 

Great coins svessian I would rather have a letter arrive with gold coins, then a letter from a girlfriend/
the coins will keep their beauty foreverand will appreciate in value.
Sulieman the Magnificent issued rather drab looking gold, as did Selim I/ Bayezit/ Mehmet II before him. Later starting with Osman III they struck larger/ heavier ornamental Altins/ sadly most ended up with holes in them Nice to see you getting into Byzantine gold/ some really nice ones in Heritage Platinum Sale/ Jan. 21st.
John

 

I’ve been inspired by your purchases and postings, John. I read somewhere that you can’t produce something in gold that looks ugly - gold will always have its beauty. I think it’s right, and that even a drab looking Sultani with areas of weak strike has its charm. I will continue to look into Ottoman coins.

 

Nice haul, @svessien !

I believe I have a similar Suleiman...


Kostantiniye, (Istambul)
Ottoman Empire
Suleyman I (The Magnificent) (r. AD 1520- 1566)
AV Sultani 20 mm x 3.36 grams Dated ( AH 926 or AD 1520)
Obverse: Sultan Süleyman Shah bin Sultan Selim Shah, Azze nasruhu, dhuribe fi qustantiniyah , seneh (926)-(Sultan Süleyman Shah son of Sultan Selim Shah, May his Victory be Glorious struck in Constantinople Year (AH 926) )
Reverse:Reverse : Dharibun-Nadri sahibbul izzi vennasri filberri velbahr-(Striker of the Glittering, Master of Might Victory and of Land and the Sea.)
Ref: Album -1317


Suleiman the Magnificent CE 1520-1566
AV Sultani
Constantinople mint 1520
20mm 3.4g

 

Solid wins !
I still have myself to write something about my Leu auction wins

Q

 

I forgot to mention that the sexiest woman in Norway thing is really cool. My girlfriend back when I was 20 used to model and became one of the Stella Artois girls. We eventually married 4 years later before an unfortunate separation in 2010.