Ancient Coins: Newest Acquisitions

i'm don't know about the date paul, but that is a very nice coin...what a great first ancient (or great 289th ancient, i'd love to have it).

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Wonderful coin Paul!!!

But I think Doug may have the answer, if any, to the dating.

 

I believe that is right:
Since it was issued by Antoninus Pius, it must date from ~140-161AD.

Everything I have read has mentioned they were issued throughout his reign, hence why they're so bloody common, especially compared to lifetime for her.

 

Thanks, everybody. I did some searching and wasn't able to find any more specific dating for any of the DIVA FAVSTINA coins. Since there are 50+ different types of them, my guess is that ol' Antoninus Pius was so heartbroken he issued them for the rest of his life.

I haven't actually seen the coin in person, but if it lives up to its photo, it'll be a coin I'll keep forever.

I find it interesting, too, that relatively few empresses were deified compared to the number of emperors.

 

Quite a few were actually defied, and some empresses we only know existed because their husbands had defied coins issued. Some deified empresses, like Julia Domna, are common as dirt for living issued but deified coinage of her is pretty rare.

If you get into empresses, you'll learn. It's one of my favorite areas of ancients.

 

I'm at our daughter's now and without access to references but as I recall there are Diva Faustina Augusta coins from her death until Faustina II was made Augusta and the Faustina I lost her title Augusta so later ones just read DIVA FAVSTINA. I see no reason to believe her coins were not made for the entire time that Pius reigned but I do not know how this would be proven one way or another.

 

A dozen or two posts back Cyrrhus shows us a group of seven Greek coppers he got for $110. They are quite attractive and very interesting. It would take a lot of time to look them up and attribute them and even more reading of history to understand them. If you are into Greek history and want to buy coins, Greek silver can strain the budget, but Greek copper is readily available at affordable prices.

Way to go, Cyrrhus!

 

My wife got me this for Christmas.

Gordian III (238-244 A.D.)
Antoninianus, Rome mint, 242 A.D.
Obv: Radiate, draped, cuirassed bust facing right
IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG
Rev: Apollo , bare to waist, seated left, holding branch and resting left elbow on lyre
PM TR P V COS II P P
RIC IV 89, RSC IV 261

 

Couple of new bronzes Roman bronzes have been added to my collection.

Agrippa was purchased here from a fellow CT member.


AGRIPPA (Died 12 B.C.)
Æ As
O: M. AGRIPPA. F. COS. III, head left, wearing rostral crown.
R: Neptune standing left, holding small dolphin and trident; S-C across field.
Rome mint. Struck under Gaius (Caligula)
27mm
9.72g
RIC I 58 (Gaius); MIR 3, 24-6; BMCRE 161 (Tiberius); Cohen 3


Septimius Severus (193 - 211 A.D.)
Æ Denarius
O: SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right.
R: FVNDAT-OR PACIS, Septimius standing left, holding branch.
2.7g
17mm
RIC IV 265; BMCRE 330; RSC 205.

 

This came today, my first ancient Greek. 400-344 BC, AR hemidrachm, Thessaly Lamia, ex BCD collection, with his tags.

 

Possibly better pix. Coin is a bit worn.

 

2 more of these showed up today. 225-650 AD AR Drachm, Sasanian. I guess these rate as "ancient". I know most folks on here are into the Roman and Greek coins, and some Parthians. I have a lot of Indian and related coinage. Is there a separate forum for that?

 

Picked up this Lesbos Mytilene El Hecte a couple of days ago. I thought it was quite a nice little coin and a type I didn't have. Price was very competitive too.

Although its been brushed, the strike is complete and there are no major splits on the metal itself

 

Love it! Are you going to remove those thick plastic deposits? More importantly, why does it matter if it's been "brushed," when it looks like that? Did the brushing leave surface hairlines, and, if so, are they distracting?

 

I still don't have the coin in hand but I couldn't see and distracting marks from the photos. I thought it looks quite nice actually. Thanks for the vote of confidence Paul.