My coin show today provided me with many choices but these two seemed like coins some of you might like. I couldn't seek your approval in advance so I bought them anyway. First, for our Florida contingent of silver lovers is a hunk of moderately low grade silver or exceptionally fine billon (depending on where you draw the line). It is a Caracalla tetradrachm of the ordinary eagle sort but unusual because it is from the mint on Cyprus as shown by the wheat under the eagle. Each city that issued these used a different symbol under the eagle. This is the first wheat I have noticed and the coin asked nicely to follow me home. The no brainer selection of the day was in honor of our animal lover of the far, far north. It is a Spanish bull from Celsa under Augustus issued by one of several sets a duovirs (IIVIR) named above and below the bull who turns his head toward the camera. The worn patina shows several nice colors which I find attractive compared to a thick and solid green. One might question whether this should be called an AE27 or just an as. I have another show next weekend so felt like I should keep today's purchases down to a reasonable number but that never goes well. You can't fall off the wagon if you never get on. More tomorrow.
On behalf of the contingent of Florida silver lovers, that Caracala Tet is divine. A real winner. The bronze coin is also amazing. Those are two great additions to your collection.
i'll be darned, i didn't know that. almost all the tets of emesa have a little shamash down below the eagle, that's why i bought this guy. neat.
Another fan of the Augustus... those colours sit together very well. I think Steve has one from this city as well? My Spanish bull is from Calagurris. AUGUSTUS AE. 10.64g, 27.7mm. SPAIN, Calagurris, circa 27 BC-AD 14. L. Baebius Priscus and C. Gran. Brocchus, duoviri. ACIP 3122a; RPC I 441b. O: MVCAL IVLIA AVGVSTVS, laureate head right. R: L BAEB PRISCO C GRAN BROC II VIR, Bull standing right, head facing. Ex Archer M. Huntington Collection (HSA 1001.1.20771)
Atta-boy Mentor ... those are two total winners!! Sadly, I don't have one of those awesome Caracalla Tets, but I do have a mucho awesome example of the Augustus Tauro!! => Olé, Olé, Olé!! I love your new examples
Just out of curiosity, if that coin was purchased overseas would it be allowed into the US? There are a few Flavian tets attributed to A Cypriot mint I would love to add to my collection, but I'm afraid to import them for fear they would be snatched up by US customs.
How does Customs know where an ancient coins as minted? Both are very nice coins @dougsmit ! Here is mine: Octavian, 27 BC - AD 14 AE32, 16g, 6h; Colonia Celsa. Obv.: II VIR COL V I CELSA; bare head of Octavian right. Rev.: Bull right; L.POMPE.BVCCO above, L.CORNE.FRONT (moneyers). Reference: RPC 269; Burgos 611.
I'm assuming an auction house would properly attribute the coin and declare the contents when filling out the paper work for export. Perhaps I'm wrong?
Bellinger in 1981 was far from certain that the wheat coins should be attributed to Cyprus since the whole thing rested on a similarity to a coin of Vespasian which I have not found (but I don't have RPC or Prieur to do proper follow up research on the matter). In the time of Caracalla, Cyprus was part of Syria as I understand it and the need to associate each device with a mint is what drives people to write books. In my specialty of Septimius Severus Eastern denarii we often even write the mint "Emesa" in quotes to show we really do not have proof where the things were made but that was the proposal of the guys that wrote the standard references. All I know for sure is that I would not sell this coin to someone outside the US because it would possibly have trouble returning anytime in the future. This one came from a US source who got it from a US source but how we prove that at the border is a question best not risked. https://www.acsearch.info/search.ht...s=1¤cy=usd&thesaurus=1&order=0&company= The above link states: "Prieur admits that the attribution of these grain ear issues to Cyrpus is speculative. As they aren't found in Cyprus it seems to be unlikely that they were minted there. The mint of Akko has been suggested by David Hendin. I see some style similarities between this coin and Prieur 1205 from Damascus." I will note that there are AE coins of Caracalla marked Cyprus that strike me as having quite different style. I have said here on several occasions that I consider collecting ancient coins a poor choice of hobbies for people who must have absolute certainty about every little detail of life. Scholarship on many things in our chosen field is at best a work in progress. This reminds me of an old joke that circulated among people in the medical profession: "We say we 'Practice Medicine' because we really aren't good at it yet." I have also said that I would really love to be able to see any day in the life of my coins since they were made so I would know when (taking care of the problem of fakes), where, how and by whom they were handled. That would leave me ignorant only on why and we all learned from our children that why is the hardest question of them all.
https://www.acsearch.info/search.ht...s=1¤cy=usd&thesaurus=1&order=0&company= I guess I need Prieur. The above link states: " Prieur 1580A. VF. Very rare -- only 5 specimens listed in Prieur." This coin shares with mine the + under the bust. Most listings for the coin give the reference as Prieur 1578 but no one seems to bother mentioning the + or a couple other symbols (dots, crescents) seen here and there. This reminds me of my standing admonition that it is foolish to quote catalog numbers for coins unless you both own and understand the reference involved. Prieur is only $99. How many coins should one own before buying the book? Who owns this one and would like to write a shot review? https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=177631
The corn-ear mark is sometimes found on Cypriot tets struck for Vespasian and Titus. I don't possess a specimen to show you, but RPC lists several types - 1805 (Zeus), 1807 (Temple), 1813 (Zeus), 1814 (Temple), 1815 (Temple), 1816 (Temple), and possibly 1817 (Zeus). These tets may have been struck in Syria for circulation in Cyprus, which of course does not alter their Cypriot provenance. I have only one tet attributed to Cyprus, and that was purchased from a US dealer. I'm loath to purchase one from abroad. There were several I had to pass up on last month at auction in the UK.
Those are both great coins, Doug. Love the Tet of course and the bronze has a nice look to it that even I would like & I am not into animal coins much.
For what it's worth, I've very rarely seen overseas auction houses fully attribute a coin on customs paperwork. More often than not the customs declaration just says "coin" or something similarly vague.
I got this one because I liked the colours Augustus Coin: Bronze As DIVI F AVGVSTVS - Bare-head of Augustus right, lituus and simpulum before and behind. CAESAR AVG / MNKANINIO ITER L TITIO / II VIR - Colonist ploughing with two oxen right. Mint: Spain (27 BC – 14 AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 9.20g / 28mm / - References: RPC 322 SNG Cop. 544
