Sometimes you can't determine your top ten for the year until near the end of the year. This coin arrived today (December 28): Large! 35 mm. 26.00 grams. DIVO AVGVSTO SPQR above elephant quadriga with four mahouts pulling ornate car with Augustus seated left. Large SC inside legend beginning at 11:30: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST PM TRPOT XXXVII TRP year 37, that is 35-36 AD. Struck by Tiberius. Sear 1784, BMC Tiberius 125, RIC 62. There are quite a few Greek coins with elephants and some Roman and Roman provincial coins with elephants. It would make an interesting theme, but I don't know of anyone seriously collecting elephant types to get them all. Do you know anyone who has made a list of them and is checking it twice? Show us your elephants!
Assorted elephants but none so impressive: Commodus AE as Rome mint Septimius Severus denarii Rome mint - MVNIFICENTIA AVG - These come with IMP VIII and VIIII dates on the obverse and are hard to find with full legends. Mine are not great specimens but there are worse. There is discussion whether the cross hatched texture on the elephant is cloth/armor or just the way they depicted rough elephant hide. There are several variations of head/trunk position but I see no reason to suggest this means any more than individual die variation. Philip I antoninianus Rome mint AETERNITAS AVGG same but Eastern (Antioch?) mint Note these two have different obverse legends but that alone does not separate the mints. Some have portraits that look young and are attributed to Philip II but I am not fully convinced as to what the intent of the die cutter was in every case. My Titus denarius is too worn to be of much help. I recall seeing discussion that suggested the rounded ears on these might indicate the extinct European elephant but I have never researched that beyond seeing that once long ago. For one thing, you need a better coin to see the ears but even if they are round we can't prove this means the die cutter actually saw animals with small, round ears. There are elephants on Greek coins and those of the East not to mention Provincial Romans if we are to expand the list beyond Imperials.
That is a really nice coin @Valentinian ! I never realized that they had a DIVUS issue for Augustus in this type of design. I like it! ELEPHANTS - Managerie - Etrurians, Greeks, Romans, Baktrians, Indians, Makedonwn: Etruria 3rd C BCE AE 18mm 4.76g Hd African r Elephant r letter below SNG COP 48 HNI 69 SNG Paris 138-140 SNG Morcom 44 RARE Seleukid Demetrios I Soter 162-150 BCE AE 17 serrate 16.8mm 3.9g Antioch on Orontes mint Horse Hd L - Elephant Hd R- SC 1646 SNG Spaer 1299-1304 RR Caesar AR Denarius 49 BCE Traveling Mint Elephant-Pontificates Sear 1399 Craw 443-1 INDIA Sunga Dynasty 187-78 BCE Cast Copper 1-2 Karshapana 15mm 2.5g Elephant flag swastika taurine symbol - Tree 3-arched hill hollow cross MACW 4378 Baktria Apollodotos I 180-160 BCE Square AR Drachm 20mm 2.4g Elephant Zebu SNG ANS 324-327 Seleucid Seleucus I 312-280 BCE AE 20 Athena-Elephant Spaer 129 Seleucid Seleucus I 312-280 BCE AR Tet 14.46g Seleucia on Tigris. Zeus - Athena driving a quadriga of 4 horned elephants SC 130
Wonderful posts everyone!! My best elephant example is.... AR Denarius of Titus, struck at Rome 80 AD 3.21 grams, 18 mm Laureate bust right IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG PM Elephant advancing right TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P RIC 115
TITUS AR Denarius OBVERSE: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M, laureate head right REVERSE: TRP IX IMP XV COS VIII PP, elephant walking left Struck at Rome, 80 AD 2.5g, 17mm RIC 115
