Coin #5 – GTCTer 2019 (The Final Round!)

Welcome to the final round of Guess the CTer 2019. To get caught up 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 #5


Anonymous
AR Victoriatus, mint in Sicily
Dia.: 17 mm
Wt.: 3.3 gm

Why I added it to my collection
These coins were made to trade with the Greek allies of Rome starting in the late 3rd century BC. They were often made to a lower standard of style and metal quality compared to the denarius of the day. This example is not high grade but has an interesting fabric. The flan shows signs of being cast in a two part mold that was slightly misaligned. This is characteristic of many of the early classical and archaic coins of Sicily, where this coin is thought to have been minted.

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 5th 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.

The 5th Round Challenge
Since this is the last of our 5 rounds I invite all of you to reevaluate your previous guesses if you choose to do so and try to match all 5 coins with their owner in this round. (This is not necessary for entry... it's just good fun!)

For those who do not remember their previous guesses, you can review your guesses from previous rounds here. Remember that you are not locked in to your previous guesses from round to round.

Click on the spoilers below to reveal the coin from that round as a refresher.

Spoiler: Coin #1

Spoiler: Coin #2

Spoiler: Coin #3

Spoiler: Coin #4

 

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This almost screams @Curtisimo . Not only does he collect broadly, including Greek and Roman, he also seems to favor slightly unusual coins. The victoriatus is a somewhat unusual denomination, and the mentioning of earlier Sicilian coinage sounds like him. Furthermore, Curtis has an eye for visually appealing, extraordinary examples and doesn't let himself get distracted by minor "technical flaws" such as a slightly decentered strike or flan cracks. All of this suggests that this coin is his.

My low-grade budget victoriatus that is begging for an upgrade:

Roman Republic, anonymous issue, AR victoriatus, after 211 BC, Rome mint. Obv: laureate head of Jupiter r. Rev: Victory r., crowning trophy; in exergue, [ROMA]. 17.5mm, 2.0g. Ref: RRC 53/1.

 

Oh dear. The only name I haven't yet chosen is Doug and I don't think this is a Doug coin. He's a general collector and likely has enough of these and he probably has coins showing how the flans were made, so I don't see him adding this particular coin to his extensive and broad collection.

This is probably a @Curtisimo coin, which means Round 4 must be the Doug coin (which everyone else seemed to know ).

However, I'm going to assign this round to @dougsmit since because he's the only name I haven't used.

Seeing all of the coins, my re-evaluated matches are:

Round 1: Valentinian
2: Parthicus
3: Al Kowsky
4: Doug Smith
5: Curtisimo

Here's a victoriatus from a large mixed lot. I like the portrait of Zeus. It's not the typical style.


Roman Republic, anonymous AR victoriatus
211-208 BCE, Sicilian mint?
15 mm, 3.2 gm
Obv: laureate head of Jupiter right
Rev: Victory standing right, erecting (crowning?) trophy; ROMA in exergue
Ref: Crawford 67/1

 

I previously revised my round 1 guess from Valentinian to Curtisimo, and I'll stick with that. Since my first four guesses are clearly correct, this must belong to Al Kowsky, because that's what Sherlock Holmes would say. Or something. Sounds like Al and I'm sure he'd like the coin. (Who wouldn't?)

So my revised guesses are:
Round 1: Curtisimo
Round 2: Parthicus
Round 3: Valentinian
Round 4: dougsmit
Round 5: Al Kowsky

Here's my victoriatus, Crawford 44/1. @red_spork tells me this variety is one of the earliest issues, so probably around 211-ish, and probably roughly coinciding with the introduction of the denarius.



The lines below the shield on mine are indeterminate between skirt and greaves, so it doesn't fit nicely into any of the 44/1 groups. Probably nobody cares but I can tell myself it's scarce.

What's the Crawford ID and group for the OP? 70/1 group B? (Here's Steve Brinkman's page on these if you want to check.)

 

This is sooooo.... Dougsmit, when you read the words fabric and moulded dies you instantly know the coin has been analyzed to the max by the specialist he is. Sicily, Selinos, Attribution: CNS 11; HGC 2, 1238
Date: Circa 415-409 BC
Obverse: Head of Herakles right, in lion skin headdress
Reverse: ΣE; Bow and Quiver
Size: 16.35mm
Weight: 3.62 grams
Rare

 

<ahem> We are in Rome now @TIF. When in Rome...

 

LOL! I guess I'm not in Rome very often . Okay, okay... Jupiter.

 

Much better. I'm sure Jupiter will forgive you and not hurl any thunderbolts at your upcoming flight.

 

I am going with @Al Kowsky because I don't have any more guess's . Don't have any Greek coins so this will have to do.
Here is a heavy weight coin I am excited about to get , it is in the mail.



Castulo Dupondio 2nd century BC
34.3 grams

 

The coin seems a weensy bit lower grade than what Al might choose, but since he’s the only one I haven’t voted for, Al it must be!

 

But it doesn't look like a Doug coin??? And he's the only guess I've got left!
Well, go big or go home. Plus, I really like @Ancient Aussie's reasoning (and gusto).
Therefore, it must be a @dougsmit coin due to the excellent write up and a calculated ruse to make us second guess ourselves!
Jeez you guys. I’m glad for the couple RRs and provincial... but nothing but Roman coins!? ... Probably by design, sneaky hobbits.
Here's my Victoriatus:

 

I'll tell you what, anyone who can figure out who all 5 coins belong to on the 1st try is a GENIUS ! Obviously I remember which photo I submitted, but there is no way I could figure out who owns the other 4 .

 

Perhaps this coin belongs to red_spork? No, that isn't one of the choices.

After reading an enjoyable post by @red_spork, and clicking through to browse Steve Brinkman's page on Anonymous Victoriati, @Parthicus, purchased Coin#5.
It seems plausible to me...


Roman Republic, Anonymous, circa 211-208 BC. AR Victoriatus
Mint: uncertain mint in Sicily
Obv: Laureate head of Jupiter to right.
Rev: ROMA Victory standing front, head to right, placing wreath on trophy.
Size: 16 mm, 2.46 g
Ref: Crawford 67/1

 

I am rally surprised someone did not search and find who here has used the word 'fabric' more than anyone else. It makes me feel good that AA has paid attention to my 'to the max' post enough to realize that I would love this coin despite it being a Republican which is not my favorite era. That does not mean that the coin is or is not mine. I voted for it being mine but in keeping with the rules, I voted for myself in all five. Despite losing my mind, I do know which was correct. As stated earlier, I would be happy to own each of the coins shown here.

 

I've been tagged twice in this thread so far so I suppose I should submit a guess and perhaps a Victoriatus or two of my own. I think, based on the photo, that this is a @Curtisimo coin. I know he's at least a little interested in this period because of the fantastic anonymous denarius he posted a while back. I'll go ahead and throw in my best guess on who the others belong to as well:

1. @Al Kowsky
2. @Parthicus
3. @dougsmit
4. @Valentinian
5. @Curtisimo

I'll be somewhat surprised if any of those are right but I think there's some misdirection going on here in multiple ways so I'm sticking with my vote.

As for victoriati, I've got 15 of them now, enough that it's tough to decide what to share when there's a post that calls for sharing them. I actually have one that I haven't shared yet and can't share because it's a new, unpublished type but I'm hoping I'll be able to by the end of the year. Until then, you'll have to be content with a couple I've shared before, in this case two Sicilian examples like the one above:
Roman Republic AR Victoriatus(16 mm, 2.98g, 6h). Anonymous, circa 211-208 B.C., Sicilian mint. Laureate head of Jupiter right. Border of dots / Victory right crowning trophy; in exergue, ROMA. Line border. Crawford 67/1; BMCRR Italy 137


Roman Republic AR Victoriatus(17 mm, 3.35g, 11h). Anonymous, circa 211-208 B.C., Sicilian mint. Laureate head of Jupiter right. Border of dots / Victory right crowning trophy; in exergue, ROMA. Line border. Crawford 70/1; BMCRR Italy 139; Russo RBW 297(variety with double skirt).

 

It just looks like a Curtismo.

 

I really like this one and hope you will be as happy with it when it arrives as I have long been with my coin. They show the distinct fabric of a blank cast in a cup mold but not struck hard enough to erase the shape of the blank.

 

Well, I have no idea. I haven't selected Valentinian or Particus, so, like the reasoning above, it must be one of the two. I'll go against the grain and say it belongs to @Valentinian. I've not heard him exclaim he likes pork, but I'm betting he likes bacon. Again, there you have it.

This coin is from the general time period, albeit from Rome

ANONYMOUS ROMAN REPUBLIC
Æ Uncia
Obv.: Helmeted head of Roma left, pellet behind
Rev.: Galley prow right, ROMA above, pellet below
Rome mint, 217-215 BC
25mm, 8.8g, 3h
Reference: Crawford 38/6, Sydenham 86 , BMC 88
Ex JAZ Numismatics

 

I think @Valentinian owns this one because that's the first one I thought looking at it.
But here is one of my ancient Greek coins.

 

Since he's the only one I haven't voted for yet, it must be @Al Kowsky !

Sorry I have no better reason than that, but random guesses can be as (or even more) accurate than experts opinions : a few years ago a stock portfolio had been given to a) a group of business experts, b) a computer, c) a group of 9 yo pupils with the task of generating the more profit they could. And guess what, the pupils won the challenge !

My only victoriatus :



Q

Oh ! and I'm not going to change any of my former votes, they are so inspired and clever that I could only do worse