I won these at the end of last year and they arrived this week. Working on acquiring coinage around the Second Punic War time-frame, and wanted some of the AE Uncia coins from the period, as many RR collections focus on AR Denarii after 211. These were very affordable for Republic coins of the third century and happy to have some good examples. I especially am attracted to the galley prows on coinage as power symbols, even if Carthage was generally the superior maritime power for the period. Their coins featured horses instead of the galleys. Pics are from the auction as I just got these. Æ Uncia (20,8mm, 6.07g) Anonymous. After 211 BC. Akarnania mint. Obv. Head of Roma r., wearing Attic helmet. Rev. ROMA Prow r.; below, pellet. Sydenham 143e. Crawford 56/7 Æ Quartuncia (15.5mm, 2.7g), Anonymous, Rome, c. 217-215 BC. Obv. Helmeted head of Roma r. Rev. Prow of galley r. Crawford 38/8
ANONYMOUS ROMAN REPUBLIC Æ Uncia Obv.: Helmeted head of Roma left, pellet behind Rev.: Galley prow right, ROMA above, pellet below Rome mint, 217-215 BC 25mm, 8.8g, 3h Reference: Crawford 38/6, Sydenham 86 , BMC 88 Ex JAZ Numismatics ANONYMOUS Æ Semis OBVERSE: Laureate head of Jupiter right; S (mark of value) behind REVERSE: Prow right; dolphin before, ROMA below Rome mint, 88BC 4.33g, 21mm BMCRR II, p. 589, 10
Interesting period of Roman history -- and very interesting period of Roman coinage. I notice especially the top OP coin (Crawford RRC 56/7 type).... In October I bought a similar one: Ex RBW Collection (unpublished duplicate; Richard Witschonke [1945-2015]), Ex Richard Schaefer (1946-) Collection (duplicate; AKA “Goodman Collection”). I became very curious about these particular types after reading Andrew McCabe's (2013) important essay on "The Anonymous Struck Bronze Coinage of the Roman Republic," published in Essays Russo, but available here from McCabe's Academia page. Still just beginning to digest McCabe's new arrangement, I added a second one a month later (this one a Crawford RRC 56/5 type Sextans): Ex Dr. Jay M. Galst (1950-2020) Collection; Ex RBW Collection (unpublished duplicate; Richard Witschonke [1945-2015]). Although both of our first coins shown are technically RRC 56/7's, I understand that the early struck bronze coinage may be much more complicated than Crawford realized: I am a total beginner to Roman Republican struck bronzes, so I can't pretend to know exactly where either of our coins fit into his arrangement, but Andrew McCabe gave them a thorough reclassification (and many other types from 215 BCE onward: the series RRC 38 [incl. the 2nd OP Uncia & @Bing 's], 41, 56, 197-198B, 272, and 339 series). Here is my copy of that volume. If you look closely at the dedication page, you'll see why I also had to have the second coin. I felt I had to reunite them! (The book is ex library of Jay Galst, inscribed to him by Rick Witschonke ["RBW"], and also by Peter van Alfen; the coin is also ex Jay Galst Collection, and previously from the RBW Collection, with both of their tags/envelopes.)
