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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Finn235, post: 5353750, member: 98035&quot;]2020 has been a crazy year, on one hand it feels like a lifetime ago that I was able to go grocery shopping without wearing a face mask, but on the other hand it seems like it ought to still be about mid-summer. I don&#039;t know where this year has gone.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have been blessed this year not only to be the only member of my work team to still have the same job they had in January, but also with a particularly fruitful year of flipping on eBay - this has been one of my busiest years yet, and as such I simply can&#039;t choose just ten, so I will present my top 10 in several categories I have been pursuing this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>First up - <b>Newcomers to my Roman Portrait Set</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>10. Pythes, Magistrare of Laodicea</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1226885[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Why it made the top 10:</p><p>I have felt an inexplicable fascination with the appearance of non-Imperial Romans on 1st century provincials, and Pythes is not only one of the last to enjoy this honor (he apparently served under Tiberius) but he is quite rare, and this coin displays both the portrait and full name well against a sandy patina.</p><p><br /></p><p>9. Caligula, with wife Caesonia, AE &quot;As&quot; of Carthago Nova[ATTACH=full]1226882[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Why it made the top 10:</p><p>Even though this coin doesn&#039;t say &quot;CAESONIA&quot; anywhere on it, &quot;Salus&quot; feels like a very personal portrait, strongly indicating that this is the elusive wife of Caligula.</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Fulvia, wife of Marcus Antonius AR Quinarius, Lugdunum mint</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1226880[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Why it made the Top 10: This is a type I have been wanting for a while, and despite the small size and cleaning scratches, the portrait is still quite pleasing.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Zeno AV solidus</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1226879[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Late last year I sold my Zeno tremissis for about double what I had paid for it; I used that money to buy a nice, shiny solidus which looks much better in the album page!</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Matidia, niece of Trajan, mother of Sabina, posthumous AR denarius, struck under Hadrian</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1226875[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Why it made the Top 10: Despite their rarity, Matidia was not only a prominent public figure of her day, but also served as the foundation stone of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty - she was the daughter of Trajan&#039;s sister, the mother in law of Hadrian, the grandmother of Faustina I, and by marriage the great-grandmother of Marcus Aurelius. I still need to hunt down a lifetime issue, but this consecration issue by Hadrian is actually scarcer.</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Annia Faustina, 3rd wife of Elagabalus, AE of Hierapolis, Phrygia, minted for the Actian Games</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1226877[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Why it made the Top 10: Although historically just a blip on the radar, Annia Faustina was one of the last surviving members of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty, and the last to appear on coinage</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Marciana AR denarius, consecration issue by Trajan</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1226876[/ATTACH] </p><p>Why it made the Top 10: See above for my commentary on how she fits in to the dynasty as a whole; Marciana is the matron of just about the entire dynasty, related to every member by either blood or marriage. Plus, this one has a really great eye appeal!</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Pompey the Great, AE of Soloi-Pompeiopolis[ATTACH=full]1227007[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Why it made the Top 10: My coverage of the Imperatorial period leaves much to be desired, and is an area I will probably have to dedicate a years&#039; budget to. This one struck me as having a particularly pleasing eye appeal with a bold portrait, although there is some debate about whether these coins date to Pompey&#039;s lifetime, or whether they could be posthumous, possibly as late as the Flavian era. Regardless, Pompey&#039;s contribution to the political instability that ultimately destroyed the Republic is worthy of recognition.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Pescennius Niger AR denarius</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1226878[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Why it made the Top 10: This was one of the few planned purchases of the year; finally acquiring a Pescennius Niger leaves only Gordian I and II to complete my set of all emperors from Augustus through Theodosius II and Valentinian III. This was just about the nicest I could afford while still remaining a $1k coin virgin.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Publius Quinctilius Varus, as governor of Africa, with Augustus, Gaius, and Lucius, AE30 &quot;As&quot; of Achulla[ATTACH=full]1226874[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Why it made the Top 10:</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="6"><span style="color: #ff0000"><b><i>QVINCTILIVS VARVS, LEGIONES REDDE!!!</i></b></span></font></p><p><font size="6"><span style="color: #ff0000"><br /></span></font></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><font size="4">Stay tuned for the next part soon!</font></span>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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