[Ancients] Top 10 Index

Thanks much for this list @Curtisimo , I wanted to be sure and stop by everyone's top 10 list and I had missed a few!

Here is a coin that SHOULD have been on my top ten list, maybe even my #1 spot...but for some reason I thought I picked it up in late 18 instead of early 19.



Galeria Valeria, AE follis, 305-311 AD


O: Bust right, GALVAL ERIAAVG, R: Venus holding apple, VENERIV ICTRICI, ALE in ex. RIC 110. Alexandria mint. 24 mm, 6.6 g.

 

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We are approaching 80 top 10 lists this year. Lots of great coins on display. I am waaaay behind on actually reading them all so I know I’ll be working my way through the links here over the next few days!

In the meantime here is another one of my “almost made it” coins. This one was actually very much in the running for my number 10 spot but because I had already posted it to my budget favorites thread, here, I went with another for my #10. Let’s call this one Curtisimo’s #10b


Roman Empire
Commodus under Marcus Aurelius
AE Sestertius, Rome mint, struck ca. AD 179
Dia.: 33 mm
Wt.: 26.37 g
Obv.: L AVREL COMMODVS AVG TR P IIII; Laureate head of Commodus right
Rev.: IMP III COS II P P S C; Minerva standing left extending right hand, left hand resting on shield on ground to right, spear resting against shield
Ref.: RIC III 1607 p. 342 (under Marcus Aurelius)
Ex Kenneth W. Dorney Auction 9, Lot 105 (Nov. 29, 2019)

 

Is what we see on the shield decoration on front or support structure on the rear?

 

Since I finally got mine up, here is my sole “honorable mention”

Honorable Mention. Baldwin IX Maille

Low Countries - Flanders
Baldwin IX, r. 1194-1205
Ghent mint, AR Mailles, 11.3 mm x 0.4 grams
Obv.: +G+A+N+T Head left with helmet in circle of pellets, one lis in the helmet
Rev.: B . COMES Ornamented cross with one pellet in each angle
Ref.: de Wit 1245-6

Under normal circumstances, this would make it in my top 10, but this coin had an irregular journey. I technically bought it in 2018, and put it up for auction in AMCC2. As the auction got closer, I started to regret the decision. I decided not to pull it however, since I made the commitment to include it. I was a bit surprised, but then also relieved, that the coin didn’t sell, and @Severus Alexander kindly returned it to me. The history behind the issuing authority I find to be really interesting, and so I will include the info I wrote for AMCC2 here:

The mailles, or petite deniers of the low countries are a unique response to the debasing of the coinage occurring within France. Instead of debasing the silver, the issuers of the Low Countries opted to keep the same purity of silver, but reduce the size of the coin, which kept them in line with the value of French coins during the same time period. Baldwin IX was at the center of medieval politics in the late 12th century. His wife was Marie de Champagne, the grand-daughter of French King Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Marie’s brother, Henry II of Champagne, was king of Jerusalem, and her uncles were Richard I of England and Phillip Augustus of France; both critical leaders in the third crusade. After the loss of Jerusalem to Saladin and the failure of the Third Crusade, Baldwin’s obligations through his marriage would see him join the disastrous Fourth Crusade, and their subsequent attack on Constantinople. Baldwin was chosen to become the first Latin Emperor of Constantinople, and was crowned Emperor Baldwin I (Marie died in transport before she could join her husband).

 

Great question. I think it is the interior structure of the shield. If Minerva were to lay the shield on the ground in a natural way the vertical strap for the arm would be horizontal to the ground. I think that the horizontal line on the shield represents the strap. The half circles above and below would then be the reinforcement. It’s easier to see if you compare to this vase painting of a circular shield.



This could, of course, be me seeing what I want to see. I think it would be far more interesting if the engraver were taking the time to show us these mechanical details instead of a formulaic design. It still looks like the inside of the shield to me. Especially when considering that the convex portion of the shield is almost always shown facing away from the figure in similar reverse designs that I’ve seen.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

Galeria Valeria
AE Follis

310 A.D., Alexandria Mint, 3rd Officina
7.440g, 24.6mm, 12H

Obverse: GAL VAL-ERIA AVG,
Bust of Galeria Valeria, diademed, draped, right

Reverse: VENERI V-ICTRICI,
Venus, draped, standing front, head left, holding up apple with right hand, raising drapery over left shoulder with left hand

Exergue: (✱ on K)/(Γ on P)//ALE

Reference: RIC VI Alexandria 122

 

Well we have our first official Top 10 list of the year so it seems like a good time to resurrect this thread.

Since last year I have gone back and added all of the Top 10 lists I could find going back to 2013. You could easily spend a happy few hours of your day getting lost in the interesting lists from years past.

The "Almost Made it Challenge"
I am going to take up my own challenge and post a throw-back almost-made-it coin from 2017. Please periodically help me keep this thread relevant by posting some of your almost made it coins as well. Any past year almost-made-it coins are fair game too so have some fun with this!

Severina was the only woman who help the position of sole ruler in the history of the empire and this example is great evidence for this occurrence.

Heroes of the Third Century: Aurelian and Severina

Roman Empire
Ulpia Severina Augusta, AD 274-275
BI Anoninianus, Antioch mint, struck ca. AD 275
Wt.: 4.1 g
Dia.: 23 mm, 12h
Obv.: SEVERINA PF AVG; Diademed, draped bust right, set on a crescent.
Rev.: CONCORDIA AVG; Emperor and Empress standing, facing, clasping hands.; Q //XXI
Ref.: RIC V 19

 

Thanks for taking the time and making this list Curtisimo. It's a lot of fun to look back at the lists of previous years (and my wishlist just keeps expending and expending ... )

[edit: typo, seems English is still not my native language... ]

 

I agree! Thanks for putting this together, @Curtisimo . I suppose the end of the year must have just gotten away from me but I wonder why I forgot to post a top 10 for 2015 or 2017... I will make sure I don't lose track of time this year!

 

If you did a couple retroactive lists for your missing years I wouldn’t complain

 

I have a list prepared for this year, which I'll post in December. Until then, here is a denarius that almost made my 2020 list (for additional info on this coin, see my write-up here):


Roman Republic, moneyer: C. Fabius [Hadrianus?], AR denarius, 102 BC, Rome mint. Obv: EX·A·PV; bust of Cybele r., wearing turreted crown and veil. Rev: .FA BI.C.F; Victory in biga r., holding reins in l. hand and goad in r. hand; below, bird (flamingo?) and control mark V. 19mm, 3.82g. Ref: RRC 322/1b. Ex Artemide 52E, lot 168.

 

In my 2020 list just posted, I mentioned the possibility of a Top Ten of the Decade list. I am sure that many here would like to see that list from Ancient Joe! Would it include two EID MAR?

 

I hope not. He has so many stellar coins, it would be a pity to seeing twice the almost same

Q

 

I'll boost this thread with a coin that was in the running for Top 10 of 2020:

Lydian Moon God - Meis Axiottenos
Saitta, Lydia, Pseudo-autonomous, AE17, 1/3 Assarion, time of Septimius Severus, 193-211 AD
Obv: Bust of Mēn Axiottenos on crescent right, wearing Phrygian cap
Rev: CAITTHNΩN, Apollo standing facing, head to left, holding branch in his right hand and leaning left on bow set on ground
Size: 2.26g, 16.3mm
Ref: SNG von Aulock -; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC 17; Lindgren I 789; Asia Minor Coins Online AMCO #6106

 

That is an excellent coin! Would have made my top 10 easily this year. Thanks for sharing this.

 

In this case would the decade list run from the beginning of 2011 until the end of 2020 or would it go from the beginning of 2010 until the end of 2019?

For me both of the above lists would be the same. I don't have a coin this year that would have made any of my previous lists much less an all-decade list.

I suppose 2010 to 2020 would be an acceptable stretch

 

I'm working on a all time list rather than the decade. Most of my better coins have come in the last decade so there would only be a couple real oldies included. I would define the decade as 2011 to 2020.

 

That would be my understanding too

Q

 

It is not even December but it seems that the floodgates are officially open on this year's Top 10 lists. Since we have had enough new ones that the old ones are falling off the front page I will go ahead and bump this thread with another installment of the "almost made it" challenge

Here is an almost-made-it from 2019:

Crusader Coin Showing Fascinating Medieval Armor

Crusader Antioch
Bohemond III (Minority 1149-1163, Majority 1163-1201)
AR Denier, Antioch mint, struck ca. 1163-1188
Wt.: 1.06 g
Dia.: 17 mm
Obv.: +BOAHVHDVS; Helmeted head left marked with cross pattee, coif mail composed of crescents, five pointed star right, crescent left.
Rev.: +ANTIOCNIA; cross pattee, with crescent pointing downward in second angle.
Ref.: Malloy 65/Class A to B cf. Metcalf
Ex AMCC 2, Lot 289 (Nov. 9, 2019)

Why it almost made my 2019 list:
Like most people that acquire this type I was drawn to the depiction of medieval armor on the obverse. I had a really pleasant time researching the type of helmet shown on this coin and was very interested to learn that the "rounded top" design was really only in fashion for a period of about a half century during which this coin was struck.

The connection to the Crusader kingdoms was another point of interest as well. I also think the toning is very nice and the centering is pretty good too. All around I think this is a great coin that would have easily made my 2020 list if I had acquired it this year.

 

Phenomenal thread, deserving of a sticky.

I will be participating, but I'm staying positive that the top 10 changes in a month (Santa I've been good....) + I need 36 more posts to participate in the Secret Santa

The below Septimius Severus is not making my list, but is a wonderful coin:

Septimius Severus 193–211 A.D. denarius
SEVERVS PIVS AVG\ADVENT AVGG
RIC IV 248

The flan crack adds quite a bit of character but it does drop it to #11 for 2020.

Thank you for organizing this thread, and to everyone sharing.