Closing the circle on some circles: Macedonian shields and Roman Emperors/Got sub collections?

Thrilled to say I just recieved a hard fought, long sought Macedonian shield coin of the VERY short lived (and well fed) Roman Augustus Vitellius!

Vitellius Æ23 of the Koinon of Macedon. AD 69. [OYIΤΕΛ]ΛΙΟΣ ΓΕΡΜΑΝ[ΙΚΟΣ ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΩΡ], laureate head left / [ΣΕ]ΒΑΣΤΟΣ ΜΑΚΕ[ΔΟΝΩΝ], Macedonian shield. RPC I 1616. 9.39g, 23 mm.
Nearly Very Fine. Very Rare. Purchased from Savoca May 2021

This coin set a unique milestone for me, as it completed my set of Roman Emperors with coins with their portrait on the obverse and MSCs on the reverse!

Somethings missing here:


There it is


Oh, and I guess you want to see the Augusti:


As well as an upgrade on my old Claudius was a travel buddy with Vitellius:

Koinon of Macedon. Claudius. A.D. 41-54. Æ. 9.43 gm. 23 mm. Beroea mint. His bare head left; TI KΛΑYΔΙΟC KAICAP / Macedonian shield; MAKEΔΟΝΩΝ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ. RPC I 1612. SNG Copenhagen 1334. Varbanov 3005. Very Fine; pleasing dark green patina. Purchased from Savoca May 2021

"The Koinon of the Macedonians was a confederation of Macedonian cities under a central government or king (or, under Roman rule, the Roman emperor). Rooted in the Hellenistic period, this central administration handled diplomatic issues both between member city-states and with foreign bodies. Coins issued in the name of the 'Macedonians' first appear during the reigns of Philip V and Perseus, and continued to appear under Roman rule. The Romans reorganized the Koinon around the imperial cult and put members of the local elite in charge. They organized and financed festivals and games, and were awarded Roman citizenship in return. The iconography of the Koinon issues (Alexander the Great, the Macedonian shield, and so on) reflect a powerful ethnic and civic identity that, as it was no longer a threat to Roman control, was allowed to flourish. (Howgego, Christopher; Heuchert, Volker; Burnett, Andrew, Coinage and Identity in the Roman Provinces. 2005.)"

A recent unique Koinon of Nero with a tiny MSC:

MACEDON, Koinon of Macedon. Nero. AD 54-68. Æ (30mm, 15.68 g, 1h). Bare head left / Ares standing left, holding wreath and spear; round shield to right. RPC 1613 (same obv. die as illustration); Varbanov 3010 (same rev. die as illustration). Good VF, brown and green patina, minor roughness. Very rare.
Nero AE30 of Thessalonica, Macedonia. NEΡΩN KAICAΡ, youthful, bare head left / MAKEΔONΩN, Ares standing left. Moushmov 5876.
Purchased from Savoca March 2021

And this strange Augustus from Spain will have to help fill the void since Claudius was the first to get this coin types treatment from Macedon and Marcus Aurelius was last:

Augustus
Hispania, Uncertain mint.. 27 B.C.-A.D. 14 Æ as (24 mm, 7.25 g). 'Moneta castrensis'. Mint in northewestern Spain, Probably struck before 23 B.C. [IMP] AVG DIVI F, bare head left; palm branch before, winged caduceus behind / Round shield with four linear outer panels and round central boss. ACIP 3301; RPC 3. Fine, earthen-green patina.
Ex: Silicua Subastas
"The 'Moneta castrensis' coinage, lacking any sort of ethnic or magistrate, is impossible to place with certainty. Most examples are found in northwestern Spain, and stylistically show some affinity to the Spanish issues of Carisius. The obverse legend places the coinage after 27 B.C., and the fact that the coins lack any indication of the tribunican power suggest a terminus post quem of 23 B.C. It is most likely that the 'moneta castrensis' coinage was struck to finance Rome's efforts during the Cantabrian Wars, which brought an end to Spanish self-determination and finalized the province's subjugation."

It is a small and interesting group that has Koinon made. And even more exclusive is the group with the honor of the Macedonian shield on the reverse. Ironically, the Macedonians of old always had them on the obverse, NOT the reverse!


Here's one of my favorites that makes up for what it lacks in portrait with beauty

Pseudo-autonomous issue, 1st century AD. (Bronze, 17 mm, 4.97 g), Beroia. Macedonian shield. Rev. MΑΚΕΔΟΝΩΝ Nike standing to left on globe, holding wreath with the extended right hand and palm branch with the left. SNG Cop. 1331. SNG ANS.-. RPC -. Unusual and rare; a very interesting exampleA very interesting and scarce emission of the Macedonian Koinon
MACEDON. Koinon of Macedon. Ex: Munzzentrum



So please, share your Koinon, MSCs, completed sub collections that you've completed or anything relevant and or fun

 

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Great examples, and information! Thanks for sharing

 

Congratulations on the completion of your set! Must feel great!

A celebratory wreath to mark the feat:

Aeolis, Elaia, diobol 450-400 BC.
(sorry, no Macedonian shield here yet, but that's just because you scooped them all up)

As for me: given the state of my collection, I'd say all I have is a number of unfinished sub-collections, with the main collection missing in action.
So I have nothing finished to show.
Perhaps inevitable when you've only been collecting for two years.
There's just so much beauty and history out there, so much to explore! It's difficult to limit oneself to just one thing...And why should I?

My only regret in collecting ancients so far is that I didn't start collecting some 20-30 years ago. The collection I would have had...

 

Great write up, thanks Ryro

 

Thanks so much! And great reminder. Despite being on the edge of 40, I'm still incredibly fortunate to have come across this hobby when I did.
I better show the fellas off proper:
My old Claudius. He is by far the easiest and most plentiful to get and does have a beautifully designed shield:

Macedon. Koinon of Macedon. Claudius AD41-54.
Bronze Æ
23mm., 9,79g.
nearly very fine

Nero... as Caesar!!!

Nero, as Caesar
Koinon of Macedon. 50-54. Diassarion (Copper, 23 mm, 8.26 g). KAIΣAP NEPΩN Bare head of Nero to left. Rev. ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΩΝ Macedonian shield. RPC I 1614. SNG Cop. 1335. Ex Savoca


Vespasian
MAKEDON. Koinon . ( 69 - 79 AD). Ae. Obv: Laureate head left . ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤ [ΩΡ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ] ΟΥΕΣΠΑΣΙΑΝΟΣ. Rev: ΚΟΙΝΟΝ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΩΝ. Makedonian Shield. RPC 333. SNG COP. 1336. Rare. Condition: Extremely Fine. Weight: 8.82 g. Diameter: 23 mm. Purchased from: Papillon


Domitian
MACEDON, Koinon of Macedon. . AD 81-96. Æ (23mm, 7.55 g, 3h). Beroea mint. Laureate head right / Macedonian shield. RPC II 336; Varbanov 3024.


Hadrian (117-138). Macedon Koinon. Æ (22mm, 4.47g). Laureate head r. R/ Macedonian shield. Cf. RPC II 634. Fine
Ex London ancient coins LTD 2020


Antoninus Pius, Koinon of Macedon., 138-161. Assarion (Bronze, 22 mm, 7.20 g, 8 h). ΚΑΙCAP ANTΩNЄINOC Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Antoninus Pius to right, seen from behind. Rev. KOINON MAKЄΔΟΝΩΝ around Macedonian shield. AMNG III, 264b. RPC IV online 4267. Moushmov 5887 VG. Ex: fn7


Marcus Aurelius
Æ20 of Koinon, Macedon. AD 139-161. Bearded head right / Macedonian shield. Varbanov -. Cf. Varbanov 3047. 3.49g, 18.5mm. Very Fine.

Other than a dream coin of Faustina II with a wicked facing gorgon boss on the shield, that's it, that's the end of the line for MSCs. Incredible to think how long this specific symbol, representing Macedonian dominance, lasted

 

You'd think so. Bitter sweet, to be honest.
Gazing at the endless stretch of sea ahead Ryro wept; for there were no more worlds to conquer...
Jk. There are still a TON of rarities and not so rare, but really expensive, MSCs out there for me to spend a lifetime seeking out

 

Here's a Koinon ... Koinon of Bithynia, that is!


Sabina, AD 117-137.
Roman provincial Æ 24.8 mm, 8.1 g.
Bithynia, Koinon of Bithynia.
Obv: CΑΒЄΙΝΑ ϹЄΒΑϹΤΗ, draped bust of Sabina, right, with hair coiled and piled on top of head above double stephane.
Rev: ΚΟΙ-ΝΟΝ ΒΕΙΘΥΝΙΑϹ, octastyle temple on podium; pellet in pediment; Nikes erecting trophies (?) on raking cornices.
Refs: RPC III, 1016A; SNG von Aulock 291.

Another Koinon ... Koinon of Thessaly, that is!


Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman provincial Æ assarion, 6.04 g, 19.2 mm, 1 h.
Koinon of Thessaly, Larissa, AD 158-165.
Obv: ΦΑVϹΤЄΙΝΑ ϹЄΒΑϹΤΗ; bare-headed and draped bust of Faustina II, right.
Rev: ΚΟΙΝΟΝ ΘЄϹϹΑΛⲰΝ; Athena Itonia in snake-adorned aegis, striding right, brandishing spear and holding shield.
Refs: RPC IV.1 4570 (temporary); Rogers 98a, SNG Cop 349; SNG Evelpidis 1685; BCD Thessaly II 966.1 & 966.2.
Notes: Ex-BCD collection. Issued in three denominations: tetrassarion (RPC 4569), diassarion (RPC 4568), and assarion (such as this coin).

And @Ryro's favorite Koinon ... the Koinon of Macedon:


Time of Severus Alexander, AD 231-235.
Quasi-autonomous AE 25.1 mm, 11.60 g, 7 h.
Koinon of Macedon.
Obv: AΛЄΞANΔPOV, diademed head of Alexander the Great with flowing hair, right.
Rev: KOINON MAKЄΔONΩN NЄΩ, Alexander, his cloak fluttering behind him and raising right arm, galloping his horse, right.
Refs: AMNG III 388; cf. BMC Macedonia p.24, 120; cf. Lindgren II 1374.

 

Hehe. You know what I like
But those others without ATG nor MSCs on them, they are merely a sub collection without sub stance
(Jk, that Frosty Faustina with the Athena, snake aegis is oober cool)

 

Very nice set.
I have four emperors
Nero

Vitellius

Vespasian

Marcus Aurelius