Antoninus Pius Alexandrian

Haven't stopped with my tetradrachms.

Here is an Antoninus Pius Alexandrian Tetradrachm I picked up back in March.

Some may dislike the chip but looks like it was struck that way and all the other details are there, quite nice I thought for an under $40 win.


Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.)
Egypt, Alexandria
Billon Tetradrachm
O: ΑVΤ Κ Τ ΑΙΛ [ΑΔΡ] – ΑΝΤWΝΙΝΟС – [EVСEΒ], Bareheaded and draped bust right.
R: L ENΔEKATOV, Dikaiosyne seated left, holding scales and cornucopia. Dated RY 11 (147/48 A.D)
24mm
11.9g
Emmett 1377.11

 

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I do not see this but L ENΔEKATOV (YEAR 11).

 

Mine has a different reverse (Elpis) but the same date.

 

My first Alexandrian tetradrachm was that same type, Mat.

I thought it was the ugliest coin I'd seen and was certain I'd never want more of them.



Coins of Roman Egypt now make up the largest segment of my collection.

To be fair though my first one, which was in a small group lot, has very unattractive surfaces. Despite that I can now appreciate that it is a nice portrait and rather good strike, "for the type".


EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius
year 11, CE 147/8
billion tetradrachm, 23 mm, 11.7 gm
Obv: ANTΩNINOC CEBEVCEB; laureate head of Antoninus Pius right
Rev: L ENΔ E KATOV; Dikaiosyne seated left, holding scales and cornucopia
Ref: Emmett 1377.11, R1 (common)

 

Nice coins guys! I don't have any AP tet but have a nice denarii with temple on the reverse.

Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. AR Denarius (18 mm, 3.32 g). Rome mint. Struck AD 159. Laureate head right / octastyle temple, within which are the seated figures of Divus Aug

 

Nice details on that one, Mat.

I have an A-Pi tet with Dikaiosyne reverse from a group lot bought last year, but the goddess is standing on mine.

ANTONINUS PIUS
Billon Tetradrachm. 13.13g, 21.8mm. EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 15 = AD 151/2. Dattari 2191; Emmett 1375.15; RPC Online 13726 (17 spec.). O: ΑΝΤωΝΙΝΟС СƐΒ ƐVСƐΒ, laureate head right, with trace of drapery on shoulder. R: L-IƐ, Dikaiosyne standing facing, head left, holding scales and cornucopia.
Ex Robert L. Grover Collection of Roman-Egyptian Coinage, previously held by the Art Institute of Chicago (1981.442)

And from the same group lot, a year 11 Elpis like Doug's.


ANTONINUS PIUS
Billon Tetradrachm. 13.81g, 24mm. EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 11 = AD 147/8. Dattari-Savio pl. 111, 8160 (this coin); Emmett 1383.11; RPC Online 13607 (21 spec., this coin cited). O: Laureate bust right. R: L ENDEKATOV, Elpis standing left, lifting hem of skirt and holding flower.
Ex Robert L. Grover Collection of Roman-Egyptian Coinage, previously held by the Art Institute of Chicago (1981.511); Ex Giovanni Dattari Collection

 

Nice tet for the price, worth every penny!

 

Nice Pius tet! You know I like AP coins!

 

Here's a year twelve portraying his daughter:


Faustina Jr, AD 161-175.
Billon Tetradrachm, 13.82 g, 23.2 mm.
Alexandria, AD 148/9.
Obv: ΦΑΥCΤΙΝΑ CЄΒΑCΤΗ, pearl-diademed and draped bust, right.
Rev: L ΔѠΔЄΚΑΤΟΥ (regnal year 12 of Antoninus Pius), Dikaiosyne seated left, holding scales and cornucopiae.
Refs: Köln 1944; Dattari 3238; BMC 1317; Emmett 1938.

 

Thanks for the fix, Doug & great coins, everyone.

 

Great coins everybody. I now have ten Alexandrian tets in my collection as I am starting to pick up the pace a bit in acquiring them. The next thing to do is nab some of those nice big 2nd century drachms with the very interesting reverse types, who knows may try to get one of Antinuos. After all I've been to Antinopolis (el-Sheikh el-Bada today) and seen some of the ruins. Unfortunately there's not much left. The local villagers consider the site haunted by evil Jinn, so it is hard to get them very excited about showing you around.

Here is an 18th century representation of a triumphal arch partially intact. Also, the locals have dismantled most of the ruins to build sugar cane processing ovens, which is the dominant crop in the area.

 

This wont win any prizes for looks but is a 1 year type and it has not been posted by anyone yet ( the coin is fine, the green deposits are rockhard )
BMC 943, MILNE 1738. Year 7.
ATHENA STATHMIA Reverse, LZ across fields, year 7
Weight 13.10g. Size 22mm

An interesting Reverse type with Athena holding the tools of Dikaiosyne.
I am only just reading up on the subject so will leave it to those best qualified to elaborate if they like.

 

I just read today that Roman Imperial coins were not accepted as legal currency in Egypt. Visitors coming into the province had to exchange all of their roman coins for Alexandrian, and visitors leaving Egypt had to exchange all of their coins for roman coins.

 

Yup, a tetradrachm was equal to 1 denarius.

 

Quoting a previous post of mine:

According to Kenneth Harl, in his book Coinage in the Roman Economy, Egypt created the world's first successful fiduciary currency. (Fiduciary currency cannot be redeemed for a monetary reserve of a precious metal such as gold or silver. This is similar to paper currency or modern coinage.)

Roman coins in Egypt where made from billon, an alloy consisting of a majority base metal (such as copper or, in the Egyptian coins' case, bronze) mixed with a smaller percentage of a precious metal (usually silver). Since the Egyptian economy was a closed one (coins did not circulate into or out of Egypt), its coins did not compete with circulating gold and silver coins from the rest of the Empire. Coins made in Egypt were less than 25% silver, but earned the trust of Egyptians, who constituted 10 to 15 percent of the Empire's population, for more than two centuries. Harl adds, "There was little risk of an inflationary spiral set off by the dynamics of 'Gresham's law'* whereby bad money chases out good money."

Gresham's law explained:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham's_law

I love the diversity of reverses of the Antoninus Pius Tets (my guests, not my pictures):

 

Thanks @Bart9349 - quite a nice explanation!

 

Hey @Mat ! Congrats on your new Tet! Wow, you are racking up the Tetties! Very nice! You know, I never notice the chip, cracks, etc. I always see the coin first: what is depicted, devices, etc. You pointed the chip out, THEN I noticed! It looks great!

I am super surprised that I have a Tet of AP from Alexandria. But, I have one!


RI Antoninus Pius 138-161 BCE BI Tet Alexandria Egypt Dikaiosyne Scale

 

Here's a tet of Salonina...wife of Gallienus. Portrait is particularly nice I think...

 

Here's one with a differently posed eagle.


Antoninus Pius, Alexandrian tetradrachm
13.93 g 22 mm
ANTωNEINO CCEBEVCEB, laureate bust right with some sort of drapery
L ENATOY (year 9 145-146 AD) eagle standing wings open head left

 

While these are nice tetradrachms, we should note that Pius has the greatest and most varied array of bronze drachms of all Roman Emperors. I do not have any of the good ones with spectacular types but it is a specialty that could absorb a billionaire's budget with little effort. It is a bit unusual in that many of the best types do not exist in fine condition but bring high prices anyway. Of my few, well used drachms, I'll show this ordinary Athena


and Serapis in temple.


Someone here bought Steve's zodiac drachms as I recall?