Featured Follow the coin theme GAME - ancient edition - post ‘em if you got ‘em

Lydia, Nacrasa. Hadrian, AD 117-138. Æ15 (2.46g, 12h). Obv: AY TPAI AΔPIANOC; Laureate bust of Hadrian right in cuirass and paludamentum. Rev: NAKΡACITΩN; Draped bust of Demos of Nacrasa right. Ref: BMC Lydia 19; SNG Cop 300; SNG von Aulock 3037; RPC III, 1804. VF, dark green patina, small flan.

Next: RPC Online coin

 

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next: bow & arrow
too late, RPC on line it is

 

Philip II, AE Tetrassarion, 247-249 AD, Moesia Inferior, Tomis [now Constanţa, Romania]. Obv. Bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear, Μ ΙΟΥΛ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟC ΚΑΙCΑΡ / Rev. Griffin seated left with right paw on top of wheel [representing Nemesis*], ΜΗ-ΤΡΟ-Π-ΠΟ, continued in exergue in two lines: NTOΥ ΤΟΜΕ/ΩϹ (ME ligate), Δ in right field [signifying the denomination, 4 assaria]. 27 mm., 12.22 g. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] VIII Online 28171 [temporary ID number] (see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/28171) [this coin is Specimen 7, used as primary illustration for type, see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coin/156187 ]; Varbanov 5781 [Varbanov, Ivan, Greek Imperial Coins And Their Values, Volume I: Dacia, Moesia Superior & Moesia Inferior (English Edition) (Bourgas, Bulgaria, 2005)]. Purchased from Herakles Numismatics, Jan. 2021; ex. I-Nummis, Paris, Mail Bid Sale 6, Nov. 7, 2008, Lot 399 (see https://www.coinarchives.com/a/openlink.php?l=239902|348|399|a3b582d0b87f863b39d084dd851a7a89). [“Scarce”: 11 specimens in RPC (including this coin), 6 examples in ACSearch (including this coin).] [Footnotes omitted.]




Next, another griffin.

 

Ionia, Phokaia, c. 350-300 BC. Æ (15mm, 4.36g, 11h). Phokleon, magistrate.
Obverse..Head of Hermes facing left wearing a Petasos hat tied at the back.
Reverse..Forepart of a griffin springing left. ΦΩKAEΩN (PHOKAEON), name of the magistrate below.
SNG Copenhagen 1039ff (magistrate); BMC 101.
Next..Hermes

 

aka Mercury



next: Mercury/Hermes

 

Macrinus Augustus and Diadumenian Caesar, AE Pentassarion [5 Assaria], 217-218 AD, Marcianopolis Mint, Moesia Inferior [now Devnya, Bulgaria] (Pontianus, consular legate). Obv. Confronted heads of Macrinus, laureate, right, and Diadumenian, bareheaded, left, [AVT K OΠE]Λ CEV MAKPEINOC K M OΠEΛ ANTΩNEINOC [bracketed portion off flan][ = Imperator, Caesar, Opellius Augustus Macrinus, Caesar Marcus Opellius Antoninus ] / Rev. Hermes standing facing, head left, holding purse in extended right hand and caduceus in left hand; chlamys hanging over left arm; E [mark of value for “5”] in right field, VΠ Macrinus ΠONTIANOV MAP-KIANOΠOΛEITΩN (ΩN ligate) [ = Consular Legate Pontianus, (coin) of the people of Markianopolis]. AMNG I/I 740 [Pick, Behrendt, Die antiken Münzen von Dacien und Moesien, Die antiken Münzen Nord-Griechenlands Vol. I/I (Berlin, 1898) at pp. 240-241]; BMC 3 Thrace 35 [R.S. Poole, ed. A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 3, The Tauric Chersonese, Sarmatia, Dacia, Moesia, Thrace, etc. (London, 1877) at p. 32]; Hristova & Jekov 6.24.10.3 [Nina Hristova & Gospodin Jekov, The Local Coinage of the Roman Empire - Moesia Inferior, I - III c. A.D., MARCIANOPOLIS (Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria 2006)]; Diadumenian.com /marcianopolis5.html, No. Mar5.33d. 25 mm, 12.89 g. Purchased from Kirk Davis, Cat # 75, Fall 2020, Lot 62; ex. Dr. Paul Rynearson (ca. 2003). (Coin is double die match to Lot 696, CNG Triton XII Auction, Jan. 5, 2009.)



Next, another Roman Provincial with facing busts of two people on the obverse. (No deities!)

 

Our boy Gordie and his lovely wifey.


Next: Confronted busts (ONLY deities) - is that even possible? If not, then confronted busts of any sort.

 

Deities confronted:


Annia Faustina, 3rd wife of Elagabalus, Augusta, 221 CE.
Roman provincial Æ 25.0 mm, 8.56 g, 6 h.
Pisidia, Isinda.
Obv: ANNIAN FAVCTEINAN, bare-headed and draped bust of Annia Faustina, right.
Rev: Confronted heads of Serapis and Isis, Ι(CI)Ν-ΔΕΩΝ.
Refs: Ex Lindgren I A1322A (Plate coin); von Aulock, Pisidia I 833.
Notes: Busso Peus, Auction 366, lot 888, 29 Oct 2000; ex- Marcel Burstein (Nevada) collection; ex- Lindgren collection.

Next: more Serapis!

 

^most impressive! First I’ve seen of confronted deities

 

Here's a tridrachm of Trajan, from Cappadocia-Caesarea, with Serapis on the reverse, 98-99 AD.

9.9 grams



Next: More Serapis.

 

Are you sure it is Serapis? This Zeus (he holds a thunderbolt) looks more like an Achemenid king. He does not wear a modius, but a Persian tiara.

 

Well, that's the description from on-line. Perhaps it is incorrect. My understanding is that Serapis is a composite deity, comprised of Greek, Egyptian and perhaps Persian elements.

I am not sure if there is a single correct depiction of this deity.

I see the Persian tiara. I'm not sure that this is supposed to be an actual Persian king - I doubt it. He is holding a thunderbolt (very Zeus-like) and not a trident, which is odd, but I don't think this is a depiction of Zeus. I can't imagine Zeus wearing a Persian tiara - Hera would be very upset!

What it is I am not entirely sure, but Serapis is a good guess. It is weird though.

 

I've never seen Serapis portrayed in that manner either, which doesn't mean it can't have been intended to represent him, especially outside Egypt. Anyway, there's no doubt about this being Serapis:

Postumus, silvered billon Antoninianus, Trier [Mairat] or Cologne Mint, 265-268 AD. [Mairat pp. 61, 64: 266-267 AD.] Obv. Radiate & draped bust right, IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG / Rev. Serapis, crowned and draped, standing left, raising right hand and holding transverse sceptre in left hand; in background, prow of galley right, SERAPI COMITI AVG. RIC V-1 329, RSC IV 358, Sear RCV III 10992 (ill. p. 364), Mairat 362 (pp. 532-533) & Pls 143-144 [Jerome Mairat, The Coinage of the Gallic Empire (Trinity, Oxford, 2014), available at https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:5...afe_filename=Volume_1.pdf&type_of_work=Thesis ]. 21 mm., 3.80 g.



Next, another coin of Postumus.

 

Postumus, double sestertius - Cologne, AD 261
IMP C M CASS LAT POSTVMVS P F AVG, Radiate bust of Postumus right
LAETITIA AVG, Galley travelling left
18.12 gr
Ref : Cohen #177, RCV #11049

Next : sestertius with a galley

Q

 

Next: Hadrian denarius with galley

 

12 hours

Southern Song Dynasty of China
1253 AD
AE Cash | 3.00 grams | 24mm wide
Obv: Huang Song Yuan Bao
Rev: Yuan (1st year)
Ref: Hartill#17.813, Z#293819
Recovered from the Musi River of Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia

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Next: Another coin dated to a single year pre-1300AD

 

This one can be dated to a single month. It has been struck at Kurzuwan in June/July of 1221 while the city was under siege by Genghis Khan:

Khwarezmian Empire, struck by an anonymous local governor, AE “jital,” June or July of 1221 AD (Jumada of 618 AH), Kurzuwan mint. Avers "al-malik" ("the ruler") in central circle; around: "tarikh jumada sanat thaman asbar wa sin mi'at" ('dated to Jumada, of the year 618'). Rev: inscription in four lines "kurzuwan / la ilah illa allah / muhammad rasul / allah" ('Kurzuwan. There is no God but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God'). 20mm, 2.78g. Tye 324.2; Album 1971.

Next: A coin datable to a single month or a smaller period of time

 

This is my "genuine" fake Eid Mar so we can attribute this to a single day.
Next, carry on @Orielensis' theme.

 

This new style tetradrachm, circa 131-130 BC, has a visible Γ (gamma) on the reverse's amphora, representing the third month of the Athenian year.



Next: Continue with the theme.

 

Ae quadrans of Caligula struch Jan. 1 - Jan. 23rd , 37 CE.

next, a relative of Caligula...