Heres a couple recent budget ancients I got the other day. As usual I picked coins that don't like having their pictures taken Since I collect Fel temps, I thought I should at least have one of each type and finally got the phoenix type. I got it because it was there . The Greek proved the hardest to photograph, having a very glossy patina. The rev. shows a lot of detail and really pops up when you rub your thumb across it. I really like that in some coins. Constans AE3. 348-350 AD. D N CONSTANS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right / FEL TEMP REPARATIO, phoenix, radiate, standing right on rocky mound, GSIS dot in ex RIC VIII Siscia 232. Cohen 22. Maroneia, Thrace, AE18 2nd century BC. Head of young Dionysos right, wreathed with ivy and band across forehead / MARWNITWN, Dionysos standing left, holding grapes.
Sweet new additions, RG ... I'm lovin' both of them, but I am definitely a sucker for the ol' Phoenix standing on the pile of rocks!! (I really like the colour of your new coin!!)
Those are nice coins - I like the Greek in particular: great color and strong features. I've collected pricey coins and cheap, and I've discovered that the budget coins give me no less satisfaction than the expensive ones. I've got a few bottom feeders to share myself which I'll post as I get the pics done. The first is Gallienus - worn to G, but on a round, thick flan, centered, and all the devices and legends are there, plus a pleasing dark color. 11 bucks shipped...
Greats coins, especially the greek. Still dont own a Phoenix Fel Temp but its never been on my want list.
Okay, this has annoyed me for the last time: ΓΔЄΘΛΞΣΦΩω (MAPΩNITΩN) You now have all the Greek letters you'll need. Come on folks, this is 2013!
I've discovered that some free image editors don't recognize the extended ASCII codes for Greek letters, so it becomes troublesome to put them in a graphic. You can write them out just fine in Word, and copy the text, but when you try to paste it into a text box in Paint.NET for instance, the letters get transliterated back into the Roman alphabet. So sometimes I have to take a screenshot of the letter and paste it in to the attribution as an image - not that's it's a big deal, but it is fussy. But I like my attributions to be part of the coin images themselves. If you're just typing them out on the forum, it's easy enough to insert all sorts of symbols.
I doubt it. Where are the archaics, squiggles and downright oddball letters? Forvm has quite a nice clickable set of letters that enable posters there to cover most needs short of Karoshti and Devanagari but this is CT. Describe us: reverse field letters obverse and reverse ligatures mintmark and officina officina letter
An interesting variety of phoenix variations (note how I avoided using the plural phoenices) exists with globe or pyre as well as tall and short birds. Mints showed their creativity here.
Sorry, I missed a few Ч ς If I recall correctly, the Crispus is a ligature of Eros or Amor? If so, it would be rendered as most ligatures are in epigraphy: (EROS). Granted, some of the archaic letters are missing, but it is better than using Q and W.
Getting back to the original subject: Everyone should know that I am not adverse to low end coins when there is a reason and certainly own 2000 coins that major dealers would not buy at any price. However, it hurts me to see beginners buying ugly scraps of metal and paying prices that could get something at least legible if not beautiful. I am the last to criticize buying rare coins in whatever condition they present themselves. I have no problem with buying low end representatives to fill out a collection series (just try to get 2000 different Falling Horsemen all in VF+). Just don't fall into the trap that something being old means it has to be ugly, expensive or both.
Doug, the others that I missed should all be ligatures. Has anyone noticed lately that junk boxes just ain't what they used to be? Arcadius Æ. Rome mint. Struck AD 394-395. Sicily, Tyndaris. Æ. Time of Roman Rule. Struck circa 212-210 BC. Kings of Numidia. Massinissa or Micipsa, 203-148 BC or 148-118 BC. Æ. (All long since sold. Ahh, memories!)
I don't know what junk boxes used to be like, but do a search on eBay for lowest-priced auctions, and on any given day, you'll find hundreds of coins that I wouldn't get paid to take. Sometimes I'll look through 30 pages of auctions before I find 2 or 3 that interest me.
