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Message:: [QUOTE="svessien, post: 5378137, member: 15481"]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. [ATTACH=full]1230056[/ATTACH] 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. [ATTACH=full]1230061[/ATTACH] 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? [ATTACH=full]1230062[/ATTACH] 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? [ATTACH=full]1230066[/ATTACH] 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. BiographyRepublican 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. [ATTACH=full]1230071[/ATTACH] 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 البحرLegend: "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! [ATTACH=full]1230064[/ATTACH] 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. [ATTACH=full]1230069[/ATTACH] 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...[/QUOTE]

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