Coin #3 – GTCTer 2019 (Guess the Owner of This Coin)

Welcome to Round 3 of Guess the CTer 2019. For the latest updates on the game and to review the clues to the possible prizes please check out the master thread.

[Ancients] Guess the CTer (2019) Master Thread

Coin #3


Theodosius II (AD 402-450)
AR Miliarensis, Constantinople mint, struck ca. AD 408-420
Dia.: 23 mm
Wt.: 4.28 gm

Why I added it to my collection
I have always liked late Roman coins. I began collecting late Roman AE largely because they were inexpensive. This type is not AE and not inexpensive, so until recently I didn't have it or expect I would. But, it has attracted me for many years. Finally I took the plunge.

How the Game Works
The object of the game is pretty simple: Guess which CT member the above coin belongs to out of the five participating members.

@dougsmit
@Al Kowsky
@Valentinian
@Curtisimo
@Parthicus

This is the 3rd of 5 total game threads. After I post all coins and allow for three days time for each thread I will hold a drawing to select 5 winners from those who played the game. Participants can earn multiple chances to win based on the following rules.

1. Guess who the owner of the coin is and give a reason why you think that. (Ex.: I believe that this coin belongs to Curtisimo because he owns pink socks and thinks a toboggan is a hat.) This is the minimum requirement for entry into the drawing. Please include a reason with your guess!
2. Anyone who posts a photo of an ancient coin along with their guess (related or not) will receive an extra chance to win.
3. Anyone who gives a particularly well thought out or amusing reason why you guessed a certain person will receive an extra chance to win.
4. Anyone who guesses correctly will receive an extra chance to win.
5. Anyone who is a young numismatist (age 18 or younger) will receive an extra chance to win. If you are a YN please say so in your entry post.

In total there can be up to 5 chances to win for each member in each thread!

A Note to the Volunteers
If you would like to follow along with the results of the poll feel free to vote for yourself.

A Note to Poll Voters
The poll option is intended just for fun. If you wish to have your guesses counted for the game or to be eligible for the prizes please comment in the below thread per the above.

 

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I picked Valentinian because an LR Miliarensis would be right up his alley.

 

Lovely little coin!

High grade, pricey, someone who has been collecting for years... Al Kowsky, all day long

Doug doesn't buy coins of this high grade... usually. Plus, the image has some overly bright spots which are definitely not Doug-like, unless Curtis purposefully jacked up the exposure on the image, but I don't think that happened.

It could be Valentinian's-- the coin would certainly interest him-- but I don't think it is his. The photography doesn't look like his usual either, although it could be an edited auction house image.

Parthicus has never expressed interested in this type of coin.

Curtis hasn't been collecting for "many years" (as far as I recall), unless he's using the phrase in a Sallent-esque manner.

 

OK, I think I guessed wrong on #1. I now think that was Curtis, and this is Valentinian. No doubt I will switch it up again before this is all done!

Reason: Valentinian is a longtime collector of late Roman AE, so that fits. Plus the expression "not inexpensive" sounds like him to me. In addition, he has some truly stunning coins, like this one.

2nd string guess: Al.

I do have a miliarense! A heavy & extremely rare one, possibly unique. Not quite as beautiful though...


Theodosius I, heavy miliarense

 

All but too obvious. Nice coin. @Valentinian nice...

Which is why it's clearly and really @Al Kowsky nice. It's all in the phrase, "Finally I took the plunge." Who has had the type more expensive types in the past and who recently took that plunge.

Ps, could we get some Greeks up in this party?? Preferably Shields of course:

 

This is definitely Al Kowsky he loves great quality from what I have seen of his collection
Constantine Constantinople. CONS/S (Constantinople) 6th officina, draped bust of Genus struck 330 AD, RIC V111 pg 448. 14mm, 1.0gm.

 

I totally missed out on voting for Coin #2, so I'll cast my vote early here for @Valentinian

I know he's been collecting late roman AE coins for a long time and I've spent plenty of time perusing his educational pages off this site and am confident this would be a coin he'd appreciate and perhaps even one he might splurge on.

Here is my TII:


Theodosius II (402-450), AV Tremissis. Constantinople mint , AD 408-419.
Obv: D N THEODO-SIVS P F AVG - Pearl diademed draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM - Victory walking right, head left, holding wreath and globus cruciger, star in right field, conob in exergue
14.32mm, 1.50g
Reference: RIC X 213; Sear 21167

 

I’ve been collecting ancient coins since 2011 when I realized ancient coins weren’t a million dollars each! Though in fairness I have been collecting much more seriously from 2016 to present. Mostly that is due to an increase in disposable income for hobby activities.

I collected modern US coins since my grandpa gave me a 1926 Peace Dollar when I was much younger. I can only assume he would rather have started me off with a Sestertius if he would’ve had one on hand at the time

 

Which is exactly why I would submit such a coin, just to throw everyone off the scent...

 

The brevity of the blurb is most un-@Curtisimo-like, which is exactly why I think it must be his! Nice coin, Curtis.

 

I might have said @Al Kowsky, but since I have already picked him in a previous round, I say @Curtisimo. If I recall correctly, he likes bacon wrapped bacon. So there you have it!

And here you have a coin that rivals the OP coin don't you think?

THEODOSIUS II
AE4
OBVERSE: D N THEODOSIVS P F AVG, pearl diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: Cross within wreath, X in jewel at top of wreath, SMK(?) in ex.
Struck at Cyzicus 425-435 AD
0.7g, 11mm
RIC 451

 

I think it's Al's coin because of the high grade, photography, and write up.

I have nothing related...so here's something unrelated!


Syria, 3rd - 1st centuries BC
PB tessera, possibly a weight or seal.
19mm, 4.6g, maximum thickness 6mm.
Obv.: Helmeted head left.
Rev.: Helmeted head left.

 

Here is is what @Al Kowsky has in aprevious thread stated about his wonderful Theodosius II solidus:

Considering that he likes that magnificent gold coin so much, it wouldn't surprise me were he to also have a miliarensis of the same emperor. I'll thus guess that the coin above is his.

I have no Theodosius II to show, but here is a humble AE coin of his better known grandfather of the same name:


Theodosius I, Roman Empire, AE 2, 378–383 AD, Siscia mint. Obv: DN THEODOSIVS PF AVG; bust of Theodosius I, diademed, draped and cuirassed, r. Rev: REPARATIO REIPVB; Emperor, head r., standing facing, holding standard and globe; in exergue, ANTA. 22mm, 4.48g. Ref: RIC IX Antioch 68A.

 

@Valentinian is the only one of the choices I know who has a strong interest in late Roman (like me), which is why he is my choice. That being said, here is a coin that would be right up Valentinian’s alley.

Odoacer, Kingdom of Italy
AE nummus
Obv: OD[O-VAC], bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Rev: Odoacer's monogram (letters ODOVA) within wreath
Mint: Ravenna
Date: 476-493 AD
Ref: RIC X 3502



I remember once, he shared about nearly getting an Odoacer nummus for $125 back in 1985 (a steal even now at approximately $298!). He received the catalog in the mail and called immediately to order it, but was already beaten to it since he lived out west and got the catalog later than people on the east coast.

 

This attribution is clear if you sort through the evidence: photographic, epigraphic, and a few other graphics...

@Parthicus bought his first siliqua in 2017 and at the time wrote: “This was my first late Roman silver coin, and now I may become hooked if I find another quality piece soon”. However there is no further evidence in these pages that he became hooked. Recently he wrote: “The only siliqua in my collection is this Arcadius.” Not the most enthusiastic post.

A thoroughly superficial review of CT posts shows that @Valentinian is expert in late Romans and does demonstrate an attraction to late Roman silver. He also uses the word “inexpensive” often in his posts (76 times), more than the rest of the field combined. The photo evidence also points in his direction.

I’ve ignored other possibilities to keep from being distracted by too much evidence and putting at risk my logic.

@Valentinian is the owner of Coin #3.

Here’s an interesting late Roman coin of Theodosius II’s grandfather:

Flavius Theodosius Augustus AD 388-392 AE4
Mint: Constantinople
Obv: D N THEODO-SIVS P F AVG, Bust of Theodosius I, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed, right
Rev: SALVS REI-PVBLICAE, Victory advancing left, carrying trophy over shoulder with right hand, and dragging captive with left, in left field, tau-rho

 

He's used the phrase "not inexpensive" zero times.

The photo does look like it could be Valentinian's, and I don't have a good feel for photos taken by Al since he often posts seller images.

However, another bit of evidence points away from V: this coin sold through Heritage and was slabbed. I don't think V shops at Heritage there with any regularity... but Al does (or maybe he just sells through them?).

The coin was formerly slabbed and the out-of-slab images are so much better. Good job, whoever bought this coin .

With Curtis's clarification about the duration of his collecting I supposed it could be him, but to me the full wording of the "why I bought it" blurb still suggests someone much older (or maybe I'm biased because of my own age). He's my #2 pick but I'm still sticking with Al as the owner of this coin .

 

TIF, you're floundering in self-doubt & confusion . This contest is taking a toll on you . Love it !

 

Not that much. It has been a wonderful diversion from the multitudinous stressors in my life right now.

Hope you're enjoying your lovely new coin

 

* I'll be sure not to use the word "multitudinous" in the coin description if I'm one of the volunteers in a future "Guess the Owner" contest .

 

You could always substitute that word with heterogeneous.