Finn's 2021 Top 10 Lists

You succeeded in finding some spectacular rarities! Well done .

Faves: The Gordian I, A-Pi's son, and the 2nd Triumvirate. Wow!!

 

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So many interesting and rare coins , my preferred are #5 and #1. Congratulations !

 

Both lists have some rare and very interesting pieces! My favorites are the Second Triumvirate, the Gordian I and the Divus Trajan.

 

Thanks all!

Given that the foremost portrait is smaller than the other two, I'd wager that one is Octavian. It's anyone's guess which is which for the other two, however

 

And thanks @curtislclay for the thoughts on the Geta! I really need to shore up on Severan history; my knowledge is mostly just surface-level. I also made a low effort meme of my artist's impression of the scene:

 

I enjoyed both of your lists immensely @Finn235 . That Gordian I is the real standout. Wow!

That is a very nice looking beardless Julian also. Here is my example. Ex Harptree Hoard.

Roman Empire
Julian II, AD 360-363
AR Siliqua, Lugdunum mint, struck ca. AD 360-361
Wt.: 2.23 g
Dia.: 18 mm
Obv.: FL CL IVLIA NVS P P AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: VICTORIA DD NN AVG, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm frond
Ref.: LVG. RIC VIII 212; Lyon 259; RSC 58†c, IRBCH 1424
Ex Harptree Hoard (1887)

 

Great and very special coins @Finn235 ! From your first list my favorites are:

#3 - Statilius Libo, very interesting
#4 - Paulina, extraordinary! and she looks like Maximinus Thrax
#6 - Second Triumvrate - wow!

from your second list: #1,#3, #4
#1 - perfect bust of Lucius Verus
#3 - Claudius & Nero, very nice
#5 - Divus Trajan & Divus Augustus temple - love it!

 

Congratulations on acquiring these rare and interesting pieces! Both lists contain great coins. My favorites are hard to pick, but forced at gunpoint, I'd say the Godrian I sestertius, and the Divus Claudius drachm. I also like the family-portrait coin with the childer of Claudius!

I was lucky to acquire this worn Divus Claudius denarius not that long ago, when Kunker's e-sale still was a sale for the poor and unfortunate. Oh how things have changed fast...!

 

Lost steam for a bit, but next list!

"Aw, gee, I dunno honey - they just followed me home!"
(Miscellaneous Impulse buys, lot bycatch)

10. Kingdom of Hatra, AE unit


(Seller's pics - apparently I don't have this one imaged yet!)
Hatra wrestled free from Parthian control during Trajan's Parthian campaign of 117, and established itself as an autonomous kingdom after repelling a Roman seige the same year, and maintained independence until falling to Shapur I in 241. The coin itself spoke to me because
1. It is a rare example of an autonomous coin-issuing kingdom of the middle east that isn't Persian, Greek, Nabataean, or Jewish
2. The coin itself is a mockery of Rome, placing the triumphant eagle over the inverted SC (Antiochene bronzes probably would have been the pre-eminent Roman coin in the area)
3. The inscription HTR DSMS is in Hatran, a regional Aramaic dialect with its own distinct script, and I believe this is the only coin type in existence to utilize this script
4. Although the type is anonymous, it features and names Shamash, an ancient Mesopotamian sun God roughly analogous to Helios/Sol.

9. Kings of Numidia, Masinissa or Micipsa(?) AE unit



As was the case with the above coin, the Numidian Berber kingdom's coinage is dwarfed by those of Carthage and the Ptolemies, and can be difficult to find in nice condition. As a lot find and with a very old flip with it, this fit the bill nicely!

8. Yueh-Chi (proto-Kushan) Sapadbizes, AR unit (hemidrachm?)

Although Indo Sassanian is my focus as far as Indian numismatics go, I also enjoy building my dabbling and eclectic collection of *other* Indian states and kingdoms - and this is a pivotal coin issued right before the balance of power in India tipped from the Scythians and Indo-Parthians over to the new kids on the block - the Yueh-chi, who would later be unified into the Kushan Empire. This is also a strange paradigm shift, as the more Bactrian Sapadbizes types (exclusively silver) were replaced by the Heraeus types (also exclusively silver) and then by proper Kushan coinage (exclusively bronze and gold; never silver).

7. Gupta Empire, Chandragupta II AR drachm


Aside from the dashing bust, this coin bears the name of Chandragupta Vikramaditya, who presided over the Gupta Empire at its zenith and initiated what is now considered to be the golden age of Indian art and culture. Paradoxically, his coins are very scarce to rare across the board, especially compared to his son Kumaragupta. Icing on the cake - this was actually mis-identified as a Kumaragupta, which meant I snagged it for much less than half of what a Chandragupta II ought to fetch.

6. Ptolemy VI-VIII AE28, 'Isis Bust' type


I intended to sell this one, I really did. But the high relief portrait in the finest artistic style, coupled with visible flan prep marks all over the coin said otherwise.

5. Syracuse, 3rd Democracy AE Dilitron


I just felt the itch for a chunky Greek AE that wasn't from Egypt, and I loved the portrait.

4. Achaean League AR hemidrachm, Megara


Achaean league coins can be pretty wonky in terms of style, but I was immediately drawn to this one, which came as a complete surprise, as it remained hidden in its flip - a ca. 1950s/60s flip from Hans Schulman's shop on 5th Ave, NYC. With the egregious list price of $1.50!

3. Syracuse, Hieron II imitating Ptolemy II AE


A charming and mysterious issue - why would Hieron II issue an entire series in the name and types of Ptolemy II? This one came unattributed, and is in particularly nice condition for the type - I am becoming increasingly drawn to large bronzes with an excellent, even patina.

2. Ptolemaic Egypt, Cleopatra VII, AE 80 Drachmae


Squint your eyes and move back from the screen a bit. Squint harder. There - see it? That's the mug of THE Cleopatra. Easily the ugliest coin on this list, I'm still beside myself that this one showed up in a more or less junk lot.

1. Babylon, AR Dishekel under Seleukos I


Another unattributed lot find, this thing is THICK! I love the historic significance of being minted under Seleukos I before the Seleucid Empire was a thing. I love the juxtaposition of Persian iconography with the Seleucid anchor. I love that the entire lot cost less than I believe this coin to be worth. This was just an all-around exciting find!