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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;BenSi, post: 8099235, member: 95174&quot;]It has been a good year for my coin collection, I did acquire about twenty new coins and several group lots, I could not decide on what coins that would be included in a top 10, so instead of making a longer list I went the other way, I came up with my top 5 coins of 2021. </p><p><br /></p><p><u>These bests of the year threads are my favorite on CT, I really enjoy them, I look forward to seeing more from my fellow collectors as the year is closing.</u></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>#5</b>, A nice acquisition from CNG and a coin I needed to help complete my goal of finishing the Romaion/Byzantine collection of the 12th century.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is on top of the food chain for the available denominations, a Hyperpyron of Manuel I, I had tried several times to acquire a nice example, this year I got it.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1408115[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Manuel I Comnenus. </b>1143-1180. AV Hyperpyron (29mm, 4.34 g, 6h). Variety V. Constantinople mint. Struck circa 1167-1183. Facing bust of beardless Christ, beardless, holding scroll and raising hand in benediction; nimbus with five pellets between double-lined cross arms / Manuel standing facing, holding labarum and patriarchal cross on globe, being crowned by <i>manus Dei</i>; nine pellets on collar; on chlamys, square below right arm. DOC 1(for type); SB 1956. Lightly toned, minor scratches. Good VF.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>From the Peter J. Merani Collection, purchased from Glenn W. Woods</i></p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><br /></p><p><i><b>#4</b> John II trikephalon aka Electrum Aspron Trachy </i></p><p><br /></p><p><i>This is a replacement coin, in fact it is my third example, but the others had annoying faults, I finally won a better but not perfect example. The obverse is excellent.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>[ATTACH=full]1408116[/ATTACH] </i></p><p><br /></p><p><b>John II Comnenus EL Aspron Trachy</b>. Constantinople, AD 1118-1143. Christ Pantokrator enthroned facing, holding Gospels and raising right hand; IC-XC across fields / John on left, and St. George on right, both standing facing and holding patriarchal cross on three steps between them; IѠ/ΔЄC/ΠO/TH to left; Θ/Ɔ[Γ]/P[Ѡ]/I[Γ] to right. DOC 8c; Sear 1942. 3.18g, 31mm, 6h.</p><p><br /></p><p>Extremely Fine.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>#3</b> The trachea the 12th century issues were created with two strikes and that almost guaranteed a mess. The later Latin trachea and Bulgarian issues seem to be made with one strike. In this case a very common coin 12th century coin but nicely struck. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1408117[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Alexius III Angelus-Comnenus, 1195-1203.</b> Trachy (Bronze, 27 mm, 2.88 g, 6 h), Constantinople, 1195-1197. Bust of Christ Pantocrator facing, raising right hand in benediction and holding scroll in left. <i>Rev.</i> Alexius and St. Constantine standing facing, holding between them globus cruciger, and each holding a labarum. DOC 3. SB 2011. Dark patina. Extremely fine.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>#2</b> I started a new collection because of a thread here on coin talk, this coin was one of my earlier acquisitions for that collection and it is a beautiful example.&nbsp; I find this series to be greatly undervalued.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1408118[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Islamic Dynasties, Zengids of Mosul: Nasir al-Din Mahmud AE dirhem</b>, 616-631 AH (1219 - 1234 AD), 8.05gm, struck 627 AH (1229-1230 AD) in Mosul, 26.0mm.&nbsp; Obv: Crowned female figure personifying the moon seated facing with legs crossed, holding crescent; date in fields.&nbsp; Rev: Shahada and name and titles of Abbasid Caliph al-Mustansir in five lines across fields; name and titles of Nasir al-Din Mahmud in outer margin.&nbsp; Mitchiner WOI 1129; SS 67.&nbsp;&nbsp; EF</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>#1</b> This coin is my favorite piece for the year, I actually wrote another thread on the history of this coin <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/andronicus-i-comnenus-the-final-coin.376792/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/andronicus-i-comnenus-the-final-coin.376792/">Andronicus I Comnenus , The Final Coin? | Coin Talk</a></p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;To summarize it came from the collection of Simon Bendall, If properly attributed by Michael Hendy this would be a coin only minted during the month of August 1185 during the siege of Thessalonica by the Normans, Andronicus died in mid-September the same year. I bought this coin from a dealer who had won it at the CNG auction the year before.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1408120[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Andronicus I Comnenus. </b>1183-1185. Æ Tetarteron (20mm, 2.57 g, 6h). Thessalonica mint. Struck July/August 1185. Half-length bust of St. George facing, holding spear over shoulder and shield decorated with lis / Andronicus standing facing, holding labarum and globus surmounted by patriarchal cross; <i>manus Dei</i> to upper right. DOC 7; SB 1988. Brown patina, roughness on the reverse. VF.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>From the collection of Simon Bendall.</i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>I also want to Thank all of my fellow CT members on the fantastic threads created throughout the year, I have learned so much and have added the occasional piece from outside my collection because of them.</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>I wish you all Happy Holidays and a terrific new year. </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>BenSi (Simon)</b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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