Couple new additions

Well, its definatly not my usual junk. Just picked these 2 up today, an As of Augustus and another of Claudius (I posted it not too long ago, but wasnt mine at the time).
I have another I've been itching to post that was traded to me, but I want to wait until the ones I traded get delivered.


Divus Augustus Æ As. Commemorative by Tiberius. DIVVS AVGVSTVS PATER, radiate head left / Eagle standing on globe facing, wings spread, head right, S C at sides. RIC 82


Claudius Æ As. TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP, bare head left / LIBERTAS AVGVSTA S-C, Libertas standing facing, with pileus and extending left hand. RIC 97

 

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Far from junk indeed, beautiful additions, congrats!

 

Thanks

 

Both are very pleasing. These often come with poor surfaces and copper wears faster than the alloys used later so these are really quite nice.

 

Thanks Heres a couple of my earlier examples of these types.

 

WOW randy, BEAUTIFUL Augustus coin.... I LOVE it..... the eagle reverse is cool, but the bust of Augustus is amazing. Great coins my friend, very nice. I still haven't any from this early in the Empire, but I really want an Augustus like that now, I love the radiate crown.... ooh it's SO SO pretty!!

 

Thanks I was pretty lucky to get them both.

 

Randy, I like the reverse of the Octavian a lot. A couple of grand sesterses.

 

Thanks actualy there are all Ases

 

Heres the the one I got in trade

Septimus Severus Denarius. L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP IIII, laureate head right / APOLLINI AVGVSTO, Apollo standing left with patera & lyre. Rome mint RIC 40, RSC 42, BMC 78 (hope I got that right )

 

Very nice!

 

Thanks

 

Great pickups!

 

Nice SS Randy. I never saw a reverse with Apollo with a lyre before.

 

Thanks, the Severan period is kind of new to me so I dont really know much about what types there are.

 

Lol and I am really trying to branch out of it.

 

Randy's new Apollo is the Rome mint version of a coin that is also found from Alexandria but not from the Syrian mints. The same type was used under Pius and Aurelius leading to the theory that it shows the statue of Apollo that was recorded as being placed at the Rome mint in the time of Trajan. There is a similar type of Commodus where the lyre is shown on a pillar identified by the coin inscription as the Palatine Apollo. I really don't know if these were really different statues of if the coin version here just omitted the pillar which was needed to support the heavy lyre on the marble version. The lyre type appears again on the Antioch mint Anonymous Pagan coins of the Great Persecution c.311 AD. Several of these lyres are shown on my Apollo page:
http://dougsmith.ancients.info/apollo.html

The similarity to the earlier Rome types makes you wonder if the statue was moved or copied so that it was associated with Antioch by that late date.

Of the Roman/Greek gods, Apollo is unusual in several ways. First, his name was the same in Greek and Latin. He had quite a number of functions including light and music with enough different attributes that one needs to suspect a statue is Apollo anytime the figure is attractive rather than strong. Apollo was the god of most things that were pleasant. Manly/macho types won't be him but anything showing grace or refinement probably is. He appears nude as often as dressed but, when dressed, it is often in clothes that 21st century eyes might see as effeminate. Of the gods, Apollo is the one most often seen as having 'ambiguous' gender by modern standards. Interestingly, Apollo's sister Diana was goddess of the hunt and shown as a bit more masculine than most goddesses. More females (Minerva, the personification Virtus) were shown with masculine attibutes and attire while other males of the pantheon were unquestionable masculine (often nude).

If you are looking for a coin 'speciality' that allows gathering a large number of very different coins (both Greek and Roman), consider working on a set of Apollos.

 

Thank you for all the info Doug! It was a bit confusing on some coins when it had a "effeminate" bust listed as Apollo, as well as coins of Helios. I have a republican coin with a bust of Apollo, and on the rev. Marsyas; also possibly a representation of a statue.

L Censorinus Denarius. 82 BC. Laureate head of Apollo right / L CENSOR, the satyr, Marsyas, standing left with wineskin over shoulder; behind him, column surmounted by draped figure (Minerva?). Syd 737, Cr363/1d.

I was remided just now of gold coins depicting Nike?(I think) that where made from the gold of 4 large statues of Nike. Do you recall anything like that?

 

Thank you Doug. Interesting gender bending in ancient times. I suppose we could give artistic licence to the interupitation of the Apollo statue.

 

By the way, my dog is named Apollo (we call him Pete for short) and someone kept calling him a "she" yesterday. lol

edit: heres a photo