After a long delay, here is another coin I bought at FUN back in January. I do not care much for Roman Republic history or coins (crucify me RR fans), but at $5 in a junk pile I felt like it was a pretty fair deal. Plus I don't have too many BC-era coins (working on that through mainly going for Greek coins). I'd rather it didn't have the hole but I'm not obsessive over it; gives it a bit of character. Also, comparing it to one of my Rome-mint Byzantines it's interesting that even though they are from the same city and struck by the Roman state, they couldn't be much more different from each other (and I don't mean by appearance). One was made when the city of Rome was a rising player in Europe, destined to rule over a powerful and prosperous empire; the other when Rome was a backwater town full of reminders of its past beauty and glory; a victim of war and economic decline. So much history behind and between these two Roman coins. Please feel free to post anything you think is relevant, or post coins from the same mint that were struck centuries apart. AE uncia struck from 217-215 BC in Rome, during the Second Punic War: My Justinian half-follis from Rome, struck from 537-542 AD during the Gothic War: (an old acquisition, not from FUN)
Hearsay! The era that was the ground work for all that followed in Roman history? Not mention some beautiful artwork. I guess we all have the era's we enjoy. I have no interest in LRBs or Byzantine coins, so it all works out for us, eh?
Cool snacks!!! It seems the older the coin the more interested I am and prefer the more artistic over the crude, but I always find the history of all of them fascinating, especially as they defined all that was yet to come This was a 'snack' that I grabbed mostly because it was cheap and struck during the 2nd Punic War. Ae-23mm (Uncia) of Roman Republic, 215-212 BC., Rome mint. Av. helmeted head (attic helmet) of Roma right Rv. prow right; 8.03gr. brown patina! Cr. 41/10 And another 'bargain' that I grabbed because it featured Odysseus and his dog. Denarius of Roman Republic C.M. LIMETANVS, 82 BC., Rome mint. Bust of Mercury right; Odysseus with his dog Argos, --- 3,23gr., Cr. 362/1
@ValiantKnight - Like the Holey Uncia and the nice maps... I feel as @Bing on this: I enjoy the Republic as it was the crucible of a people building a great City, the State, then Empire along with all the troubles, problems, solutions, enemies defeated, civil wars lost (Social War). It was that 500 years of struggles which created an unparalleled Empire that everyone focuses THEIR attention on... I have an Uncia like yours... (hey YOURS has a cool bankers mark on it!) RR Anon AE Uncia 217-215 BC Roma Attic Prow Craw 38/6 Sear 615 And, I have a Hole... This is from the Imperatorial Period, JUST before Imperial... Roman Imperatorial Spain Lepida-Clesa Lepidus - mon C Balbus L Porcius Colonia Victrix Ivlia Lepida Victory - Bull holed RPI 262 plate 19
Good. When buying coins we can avoid situations like this : Yeah, my knowledge of RR history pretty much goes like this: kings were kicked out, then a couple of centuries pass by, then the Punic Wars, then a century of expanding(?), then wars against Mithridates, Spartacus, and Gauls, then assassination of Caesar and the wars from that, and Octavian. Oh yeah, and that Caesar was held captive by pirates but he later repaid them for it, with interest (love this story ). Thanks for pointing that out! I noticed it before but didn't really think much of it. And while many here aren't really into most of what I collect, I appreciate the open-mindedness and acknowledgement towards what I have to bring to the table (coining gets real lonely in the real world). Thanks guys!
It might just be the first place where whoever holed the coin started drilling into it. It would be very strange for a bronze to have a banker's mark. Here's my favorite uncia and probably one of my favorite bronzes in my collection, from the slightly later series struck circa 215-212 B.C. like MZ's. This one has an interesting stylistic variation where the keel is decorated with dolphins instead of the usual wave or line patterns:
GOOD POINT! I thought it ODD that an AE would even think of having a BM... I agree: False start - start of a drill hole, @ValiantKnight And, that is a GREAT Uncia!!! Well done... love that one... if you ever consider parting with it...
I reckon the OP coin is a bargain buy I would have at $5, also love that Uncia of your's red_spork great coin. I don't have any plans to expand my bronze RR at this stage as got my hands full with other buys, I do have this 217-215 Uncia which keeps me satisfied.
