AncientJoe's Top 10 for 2020

Stunning, beautifull works of art, all are in their own way unique and deserve to find a new home in your exquisite collection. Congratulations on your top ten and may you also have a great 2021 collecting year.
John

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

All beauties, of course!! Most of my faves have received several mentions already, but I'd like to add another appreciative cheer for the Tarentum nomos, which is just as much of a standout in my eyes as the rest of the list, if not more so.

Colosseo vincit!

 

Thank you for posting these here -as you do. It is nice to see a genuine collector who appreciates the history and beauty .. and likes to talk coins. Instead of these being locked away beyond our view.

 

Thanks everyone! I quite enjoy seeing all of your favorites and selections: it's hard for me to pick favorites as it comes down to personal preference for history vs artistry and I waffle around when stack-ranking them.

And to one of Doug's ideas from a different thread, I'll start thinking(/overly analyzing) a top ten of the decade list, probably to post in January, just to make it even harsher to say which of my children are my favorite.

 

The quality of the obverse portrait and crispness of the detail on your Ides of March denarius place it among the top 10% of these coins that I've ever seen. Easily the pinnacle of any collection. Have you ever considered gifting it to the eponymous collector on this site? ;-)

My other observation of your list is that each of them is an eye-opener regardless of one's particular focus in ancient coins. Any collector will spend a few minutes looking closely (staring?) at each one and reading more about them, and understanding why that particular coin has a place in your collection.

Looking forward to more eye openers in 2021!

 

I've been considering that too, but I think I'd rather hide in a hole instead....

Q

 

I’m not voting for a favorite here, because they all are. Just bumping this wonderful top 10 collection to page one, where it belongs for a while.

 

Great selections. Thanks for sharing.
My favorite is the EID MAR. I do not remember seeing a design like your Helios Hekte. The artwork and strike are amazing.

 

Amazing coins, all of them. Congratulations!
I really enjoy seeing your Philip I with the Noah's Ark reverse. But for me, the one that jumps out is the EID MAR denarius. Not only THE Roman coin of most historical importance, but its also a beautiful specimen.

 

Fantastic list @AncientJoe! Of course your #1 is hands down the best of a stellar lot. Heck, it's CT's #1 for 2020!

 

We are absolutely blessed to have someone of your calibre here! Fantastic coins, each one enough to floor even the most advance collectors. The EID MAR has to take up the number one spot, but the Zeno, the Sicilian tet and the Larissa stater are not too shabby either! Heck, they all are!

 

I finally managed to dig out the recent census from Alberto Campana which lists all of the known examples so that I could take a picture.

I wouldn't/couldn't hold on to two at once and I would be looking for it to match the rest of my coins so (as an example) even though the coin currently up at Triton has a 1911 pedigree, it wouldn't fit for me.

A number of the nicer longer-pedigreed coins have found their way into museums as of late so those are off the table. But, looking through what coins could theoretically come back around again, a significant upgrade for me would be the Garrett example which has a pedigree back to 1888. Granted, it would cost probably 2-3x more but is an unimprovable coin in my eyes:

 

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully we'll get to see that example appear on your top 10 list eventually.

 

All enviable. The Noah's Ark is especially interesting as
a type - I dropped out of the bidding on Leu's example
long before the end.

 

As I scrolled through I was thinking, Gosh I don’t know which I like best...then I gotta that Eid Mar!

 

What a stunning collection of coins you obtained in 2020! Obviously that Eid Mar should be no 1, awesome coin. I like #2, #& and #9 a lot as well.

 

Another stellar year, Joe! I won't even try to pick a favorite . I like that while you obviously appreciate fine style and high grade, it is far from the only reason you acquire coins.

It's great to have you in the CT family and thanks for being generous with the virtual sharing of your coins... and your outstanding images!

 

Awesome collection! It’s great to see something so beautiful come out of a not so beautiful year.