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Message:: [QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 2941876, member: 83845"][ATTACH=full]716204[/ATTACH]Summary of my 2017 Collecting Year 2017 was a productive year for me on the coin front.  I was active in acquiring new material pretty steadily throughout the entire year right up to late December which I think is a testament to how much fun I’ve had sharing my new acquisitions with fellow collectors here on CT.  You guys and gals are the only people I know that share my interest in this great hobby. This post will be mostly about my top ten overall coins but I have already posted a thread showing my favorite budget buys in $10 increments from 2017 at the following link. <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/curtisimo%E2%80%99s-sensational-7-under-70.307075/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/curtisimo%E2%80%99s-sensational-7-under-70.307075/">Curtisimo’s Sensational 7… under $70</a> 2017 by the Numbers 35 Total coins acquired ·  Greek (17%) – 6     o  6 Silver·  Roman (68%) – 24     o  6 Silver     o  18 Bronze·  Near East / Judean (3%)  – 1     o  1 Bronze·  Byzantine / Medieval (6%) – 2     o  2 Bronze·  South / Central Asian – 0·  Far East Asian (6%) – 2     o  2 Bronze Books and Reading Related to Ancient Coins (excluding primary references) I added a lot to my library this year.  In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if my library expense was close to 10% of my coin budget.  Below are a few books on coins that I acquired this year and have read through enough to give a general impression of how much I liked them. The letter at right is the “grade” I would give each book based on what I have read so far.  I chose to exclude primary references and catalogs (RIC type books) from the list. Collecting Greek Coins by John Anthony – A Ancient Coin Collecting II by Wayne G. Sayles – A Classical Deception by Wayne G. Sayles – A Greek Coins by Charles Seltman – A Ptolemaic Coins: An Introduction for Collectors by Richard A. Hazzard – C Handbook of Ancient Greek & Roman Coins by Zander H. Klawans – B Collecting Ancient Greek Coins by Paul Rynearson – C Roman Republican Moneyers and Their Coins by Michael Harlan – Still reading I also managed to snag 6 or so books on ancient history in general (Ex.: Legions of Rome – D) and more periodicals and research essays on coins than I care to count. 2018 and beyond? I think I will slow down on the number of coins that I buy next year and concentrate on acquiring a handful of quality coins while making sure I properly research, catalog and photograph every new coin I buy.  I hope to push my current camera set-up (Nikon + 16-85 mm zoom) and knowledge in 2018 to a point where I am satisfied with my photos or it makes sense to upgrade to a 180 mm macro.  My biggest project will be finally getting a place where I can set up a wood shop like I had back in Texas that will allow me to pick back up working on a custom coin cabinet for my collection. My Top 10(ish) Coins of 2017 So now to the part you are all just going to skim down to anyway <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.  My top list is pretty balanced between the two most popular classic Mediterranean civilizations with 5 Greek, 5 Roman and 1 Judean coin represented.  My top list is silver heavy with 8 of 11 coins struck from silver and no gold coins (something I hope to remedy in 2018).  I thought it interesting that I bought a lot more Roman coins than any other type and yet my Greek coins were just as represented in my favorites.  The only cities or rulers to appear on my list more than once are: Diocletian(2) and Rome(3). While trying to put these in order over the last few days my order kept changing based on which coin I happened to be holding at the time.  If I posted this list tomorrow I suspect the order would be different again so I would be interested in all of your thoughts on my arraignment. I tried to include some new insight on some of the ones that you have all seen and there are a few that none of you have seen before. I have been more excited about the top three coins than it is appropriate for a grown-up to be excited about anything.  I hope you enjoy my thoughts on them. So without further ado here are my top ten coins of 2017. Coins Number 10 through 6 10.  Powerful Purple Pius Plus Pretty Personification![ATTACH=full]716507[/ATTACH]Roman EmpireAntoninus Pius, AD 138-161AR Denarius, Rome mint, Struck ca. AD 140-143Wt.: 3.01 gDia.: 17 mm, 6hObv.: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP TR P COS III; Laureate head rightRev.: AEQVITAS AVG; Aequitas standing left, holding scales and sceptreRef.: RIC III 61; RSC 14 Why it’s my number 10:Sometimes the reason some of us buy a coin is no more sophisticated than “I like the way it looks”.  This is what this coin was for me earlier this year and I make no apologies for that <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie50" alt=":happy:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.  This coin has a great purple iridescent toning that is hard to capture in a photo as well as great detail on the obverse portrait.  Plus who doesn’t love a coin of Antoninus Pius?  A. Pius was the fourth of the popularly styled Five Good Emperors that ruled Rome at its height.  His reign is noted for being remarkably peaceful for the time and for the fact that he never had to leave Italy while emperor.  He earned the title Pius either for having his adopted father Hadrian deified, for physically supporting his aged father in law in senate meetings or for pardoning innocent people who had been condemned to death.  The reverse type showing Aequitas, the Roman personification of justice and equality, seems perfectly appropriate here.  Finally a Roman ruler whose likeness I don’t have to feel guilty about owning! 9. A Tyrian Sheke… I Mean Tetradrachm[ATTACH=full]716509[/ATTACH]Seleucid EmpireAntiochos VII Sidites, 138-129 BCAR Tetradrachm, Tyre mint, struck ca. 131-130 BC (SE 182)Wt.: 13.47 gDia.: 28 mmObv.: Antiochus VII  Diademed and draped bust rightRev.: Eagle standing left on prow left; palm frond behind; to left, monogram above club surmounted by  Tyre monogram; to right, monogram above BΠP (date); monogram between legsRef.: SC 2109.10c; HGC 9, 1074; DCA 198 Write up:<a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-first-jewish-coin-and-its-modern-descendent.292881/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-first-jewish-coin-and-its-modern-descendent.292881/">The First Jewish Coin and its Modern </a><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-first-jewish-coin-and-its-modern-descendent.292881/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-first-jewish-coin-and-its-modern-descendent.292881/">Descendant</a> Why it’s my number 9:This coin depicts Antiochus VII who is widely considered the last great Seleucid King.  During his reign he worked to restore territory that had been lost to Seleucid control during the disastrous reigns of his predecessors (and successor interestingly).  He laid siege to Jerusalem and seems to have brought it back into the empire; though his fair treatment of the Jews earned him their respect and the title Euergetes ("the Benefactor").  This coin was struck in the year following the siege of Jerusalem and it is interesting to speculate whether it might have been struck with the silver Josephus mentions was obtained from the tomb of King David at the end of that siege.  The date of 131/0 also means it was struck the year before the planned re-conquest of Parthia in 130-129 BC in which Antiochos VII lost his life.  Though referred to as a tetradrachm it is about 3 grams lighter than the Attic standard which means it was struck on the weight standard and also resembles the reverse type of the famous Tyrian Shekels that would begin production about 4 years after this coin was struck.  I also just really like these high relief Seleucid portraits. 8. Yeah… me and Alex were like brothers maaan[ATTACH=full]716510[/ATTACH]Kings of Thrace, MacedonianLysimachus (305-281 BC)AR Tetradrachm, Lampascus mint, struck ca. 297-281 BCDia.: 31 mmWt.: 16.5 gObv.: Diademed bust of deified Alexander right with Horn of AmmonRev.: ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ Athena Nikphoros seated left with shield and spear. Monogram above crescentRef.: Thompson 61 Write up:<a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/is-this-what-alexander-the-great-looked-like-a-diadochi-tetradrachm.294408/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/is-this-what-alexander-the-great-looked-like-a-diadochi-tetradrachm.294408/">Is This What Alexander the Great Looked Like? A Diadochi Tetradrachm</a> Why it’s my number 8:This coin is a dual threat.  On the one hand it depicts a deified Alexander the Great and gives us such a beautifully styled portrait that one can’t help but wonder at how accurately it may depict its subject.  On the other it was issued by one of the most mysterious and fascinating of the Diadochi, or successors, to Alexander’s achievements.  Lysimachus had to settle for second fiddle to the more prominent members of Alexander’s inner circle for most of his career and was given what amounted to a backwater (Thrace) as a satrapy on Alexander’s death.  Most of his numismatic legacy during his early rule is unexceptional until sometime between the Battle of Ipsus and the death of Cassander when he began to issue this type.  This coin clearly conveys a message: Lysimachus had arrived as a major player in Hellenistic affairs and, further, he was a worthy successor to the deified Alexander he placed on this coin.  I also love the historical reference of the Horn of Ammon (see write up) and the excellently styled reverse. 7. A Julian II Siliqua Unearthed 130 Years Ago[ATTACH=full]716511[/ATTACH]Roman EmpireJulian II, AD 360-363AR Siliqua, Lugdunum mint, struck ca. AD 360-361Wt.: 2.23 gDia.: 18 mmObv.: FL CL IVLIA NVS P P AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust rightRev.: VICTORIA DD NN AVG, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm frondRef.: LVG. RIC VIII 212; Lyon 259; RSC 58†c, IRBCH 1424 Why it’s my number 7:You guys might recognize this fella from my recent give away game.  My description in the game seems to be just as appropriate an explanation here as there: On a hot summer day in 1887, a little more than 130 years ago, a workman searching for a new source of water for the nearby village of East Harptree thrust his spade into the boggy ground and was rewarded with the sound of a resounding thud. He had stumbled on a hoard of ancient silver buried no more than 6 inches under the ground in a lead container. The coins were buried sometime around the year 375, most likely by a merchant trying to save his wealth from the coming of some catastrophe we can only guess at. This coin was among those discovered on that long ago day in Victorian Britain and it shows Julian II, a ruler best known for being the only Roman Emperor after the conversion of Constantine I to renounce the Christian faith and return to the ancient Roman gods. In the end it is in my collection (and my no. 7) because even though it is a relatively common type it has an uncommonly neat history (less than 15 years unaccounted for) and eye appeal to spare. 6a. It’s Lonely at the Top[ATTACH=full]716512[/ATTACH]Roman EmpireDiocletian (AD 284-305)AE Antoninianus, Rome mint, struck ca. AD 285-286Dia.: 24.73 mmWt.: 3.55 gObv.: IMP DIOCLETIANVS AVG Radiate bust of Diocletian rightRev.: IOVI CONSER-VAT AVG Jove standing right holding thunderbolt and scepter. XXIZ belowRef.: RIC V:II 161 Write up:<a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/diocletian-two-interesting-coins-and-a-legacy-of-reform.307405/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/diocletian-two-interesting-coins-and-a-legacy-of-reform.307405/">Diocletian: Two Interesting Coins and a Legacy of Reform</a> Why it’s my number 6a:I know what you’re thinking… That worthless Curtisimo is a cheater for choosing 11 instead of 10 coins!  Well, this is technically correct I suppose but these next two coins are so interesting to me as a pair that I just couldn’t resist including them both together in my write up and on this list.  Of the two the above is probably my favorite as it was struck during the first few months of Diocletian’s rule when he, and he alone, held the title of Augustus.  Though we only have evidence for the later, regularized, donatives under Diocletian it is reasonable to think that these sole-rule ants were struck largely for that purpose considering that they start almost immediately after his victory at the Battle of the Margus and that the defection of Carinus’ army was instrumental in his success.  This coin also has a lot of eye appeal considering the very crisp legends and the coloration.  It is well centered with pleasant flow lines. 6b. A Post-Reform Tetrarchy Follis[ATTACH=full]716514[/ATTACH]Roman EmpireDiocletian (AD 284-305)AE Follis (silvered), Ticinum mint, struck ca. AD 269-267Dia.: 31 mmWt.: 8.63 gObv.: IMP DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG Laureate head of Diocletian rightRev.: GENIO POPV-LI ROMANI Genius standing right holding patera and cornucopia. DT. Below. Star in left fieldRef.: RIC VI 33 Write up:<a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/diocletian-two-interesting-coins-and-a-legacy-of-reform.307405/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/diocletian-two-interesting-coins-and-a-legacy-of-reform.307405/">Diocletian: Two Interesting Coins and a Legacy of Reform</a> Why it’s my number 6b:This companion piece to my 6a choice represents the second half of Diocletian’s numismatic legacy.  In around AD 294 he completely reformed the currency and began issuing this entirely new coin denomination.  It is hefty and feels great in hand which I can only assume was part of its appeal at the time it was issued.  This particular example is struck on a large oblong flan and has a good deal of its silvering left intact.  I like how the style of this coin is halfway between conventional “soldier emperor” iconography and the developing severe abstract style of the tetrarchy.  The reverse type is a direct appeal for unity within the Roman world which I find to be both interesting and illustrative of the period.  This example is well centered and shows good detail throughout.[/QUOTE]

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