Here are my top ten coin picks for 2019. I collect modern coins as well as ancients, so I'll give the 10-7 spot to them since this is the ancients forum. 10. I collect emergency money like form any period of time, I'm somewhat focused on Conder tokens and notgeld. This WW I German aluminum notgeld has a cool cave bear skeleton on the front, a type I have wanted for quite a while. Note there are two dates on the coin, the coin was minted in 1920 (reverse date), the 1919 date makes the start of an exhibition of a cave bear skeleton in the the city of Menden. I think it is still there! Anyone know? 9. I also collect coins from any time period that were minted in the old school ways, hammered or cast. I did get one hammered coin this year that was minted in the century I was born, the 20th, but I'll give this coin the spot. I'm not really sure, but I think these were struck. This 19th century silver coin is from the waning days of ancient coin making and the waning days of ancient ways to some extent...that last gasp of feudal Japan that dated back to the 12th century. 8. This coin may be my favorite coin of the year, a 2 pence "cartwheel". This is coin was minted at the Soho mint (you can see "SOHO" right below Britania's shield) by some of Mathew Boulton's steam powered machines. So this is one of the first truly modern coins, most coins from before were milled and had some dude at least turning the crank. Plus this thing is HUGE and is amazing in hand! Ok, on to the ancients. I'll not blab on about them so much as most of you know more about them than I do probably. 7. This coin was an opportunity snag from CT own @Mat ! Thanks for the offer! Julia Domna, AR Denarius, 194-217 AD. O: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bust r.; R: MATER DEVM, Cybele between lions, holding branch and scepter, arm on drum. Rome mint. Rome 205. 19 mm, 3.0 g. 6. A last minute ebay snag. I always wanted a Greek coin minted in Italy and this one is a Punic war coin also since these fellows allied themselves with Carthage during the second Punic war. Bruttium, AE unit, late 3rd century BC. O: Laureate head of Zeus right, R: eagle standing left, cornucopiae at left. 21 mm, 9.8 g. 5. This one was also from a coint talker, @Bing ! I got this in his auction. I only has one Commodus coin, and I liked the cool quadriga reverse. I'm also week in the AS catagory as well, so that beefs that up a bit. Commodus, As, 181 AD O: M COMMODVS ANTONINVS AVG, laureate head right R: TR P VI IMP IIII COS III P P S C, Commodus driving a quadriga to left Rome mint, RIC 319, 27mm 4. Also from mat! I really needed an Augustus, plus it has Liva and some other cats from Thrace on it! THRACE. Rhoemetalces I, with Pythodoris, Augustus, and Livia, 1st century AD O: Heads of Augustus, laureate, and Livia, conjoined right; to right, capricorn right, holding globe. R: Diademed head of Rhoemetalces and draped bust of Pythodoris, conjoined right. 27mm 13.8g 3. Finally got a GIII marriage issue! @maridvnvm got his first one this year also I think. Gordian III and Tranquillina,238-244 AD, Thrace, Anchialus. O:Confronted busts of Gordian r., laureate, draped and cuirassed, and Tranquillina l., draped and wearing stephane. R: Hygieia standing r., feeding serpent from patera. 25 mm, 12.3 g. 2. Shapur II has been on my list for years. This coin has some ruff surfaces, but all the details are pretty nice! SHAPUR II, AR DRACHM, 4th century AD. O: Crowned bust of Shapur to right, inscription around , R: Flaming fire altar between two crowned attendants, head of Shapur on top of altar to right. 20 mm, 4.2 g. 1 and tag along. Sabina, my fantasy GF from another time gets the #1 spot, but I'll let her great uncle Trajan ride along as well since I got them together. Both of these were from @Victor_Clark ! Trajan, AR Denarius, A.D. 114- 117 O: IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC; laureate and draped bust right. R: P M TR P COS VI P P SPQR; Felicitas standing left, holding caduceus and cornucopiae. 18x19mm 3.2g , RIC II Rome 343 Sabina, AR Denarius, A.D. 128- 137 O: SABINA AVGVSTA; Draped bust right, R: CONCORDIA AVG; Concordia seated left, holding patera and sceptre, and resting left elbow on column. 18mm, 3.1g RIC II Rome 391 I'm going to take a little break form coin collecting in the new year, so if I'm not around for a while, I'm not dead or banned (I hope), but I'll be back I'm sure! If anyone wants to use any of my pics or anything, you have my permission for sure! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and has a great 2020!!
Wow! Busy boy this year, @chrsmat71 ! Way cool stuff... I used to collect Emergency monies... liked the eclectic! I like the Meiji money too. Japan Meiji Era AV-AR Ingot 1868-1869 Nibu Kin Samurai Shogun Paulonia Chrysanthemum Great collection, Chris!
I love those British Cartwheels! I have 2 of them but they are reallllllllly worn. Yours is beautiful. The rest of your coins are amazing too. Always a fan of Trajan and that is a nice looking Sabina. Thanks for sharing!
We are coinbros, Chris! Since we both collect every time period. You got some amazing coins, I love the Japanese samurai era Kobans/Shu/BU/ can't afford the Obans Very diverse group! John
Great coins Chris. The Trajan and Sabina denarii are my favorite. We will miss you in the new year. Don’t stay away from ancient coins too long... Ive heard its bad for one’s health.
I really like that ex Bing Commodus As, Chris... nice colour and great quadriga reverse! The Sabina and GIII/Tranqie are my other favourites. +1 to that!
Very nice coins @chrsmat71 my favorite is the cartwheel. That is just a lovely example with great edges. So many of them would get beat up and dented. Also to have an example with SOHO so clear is icing on the cake. I can't imagine having a pocket full of them as my wages. Back during AMCC1 I picked up an example. If you're really interested in the history of British coinage at that time I would highly recommend the book "Good Money" by George Selgin. It covers the coinage shortage of the 18th century, the rise of Conder tokens, the Soho mint, and the eventual modernization of production at the Royal mint.
I picked one of these up recently too. The 3d effect of the cave made me wonder if it was caused by die clash at first.
A nicely varied year! I too want one of those huge cartwheel coins-- they look fun to fondle . The cave bear coin is pretty cool too. Of course all of the ancients are wonderful . The four-headed Thracian coin is on my list. So is Sabina.
I regret passing up a chance a few years ago. A dealer had quite a number of Cartwheels that had been 'personalized' with names or initials or just plain damaged. The soft copper is easy to damage and such coins are cheap and guilt free for 'fondling'. Coins with intact edges are not as easy to find as we might like. Worse, you can easily drop one and halve its value with one dent. Mine has suffered a serious edge experience.
Chris, You did well this year with an interesting & eclectic assortment of numismatic items ! The handsome as of Commodus with the victory quadriga on the reverse is my favorite, & 2nd place will certainly go to the strange notgeld coin . My father was born in the city of Bochum, Westfalen Province, & remembered using notgeld coins like the one pictured below.
Love the Domna with Cybele and the Gordian/Tranquillina provincial. The Trajan denarius is a great one, too!
Great coins Chris, I actually like your cartwheel and cave bear as my favorite but also the Commodus is a beauty as well, congrats on a great year.
Nice coins, that first one is my favorite of the list, even though i only collect Roman coins. That cave bear is interesting in some sort of scary way, as it seems to walk out of the coin. Looks like the demodog of stranger things...!
Some excellent ancients, I particularily like the Commodus quadriga reverse. A cartwheel is somewhat a favorite of mine too I hope nothing bad is driving you far from numismatics and am looking forward to seeing you around here very soon Take care Q
Thanks for that book suggestion! I'll have some amazon credit shortly from a botched order and will put that on the list! Hey, I got one of those also! Thanks for dropping by everyone, I hope you all have a great coin (and life in general) 2020!
Cartwheel and cave bear are great, but I especially like the Commodus quadriga! Look forward to seeing you back later in 2020.
