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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 1627559, member: 19463&quot;]Today the mail brought what I consider an amazing envelope.&nbsp; Amazing not so much for the contents as for the fact that I bought the item from a dealer in France only four days ago.&nbsp; The dealer and the two post offices conspired to give me amazing service.&nbsp; I have another coin enroute from a source on this side of the Atlantic that I hope comes soon but it has already been in the mail twice as long which still could be good service if it comes soon.</p><p><br /></p><p>The coin?&nbsp; This is only my second arrival of 2013 (I don&#039;t buy as many as some of you) but, technically speaking, it is only half a coin.&nbsp; It started life as a provincial dupondius for Nemausus (Nimes, France) but was cut in half to make small change (an as).&nbsp; This was commonly done with this issue which showed adversed (back to back) heads of Augustus (shown here) and Agrippa (absent here).&nbsp; The reverse showed a crocodile chained to a palm and commemorated the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra (Egypt = crocodile) by Agrippa and Augustus.&nbsp; This was special in this city since it was founded by veterans of the battle.&nbsp; I suppose you could point out that this coin retains the south end of the north facing crocodile but I wanted it because it had Augustus.&nbsp; The large P under Augustus&#039; chin shows that this coin was from the last (after 10 AD) series of these which were inscribed PP on the obverse unlike the earlier coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is a fact that these coins were struck with little regard to die axis so it is possible to get any combination of parts on various coins.&nbsp; There are even some with the entire crocodile (or none of him) on the reverse.&nbsp; It was common practice to cut between the portraits so it is rare to see one with two necks or parts of both portraits.</p><p><br /></p><p>Of course, most of you will want the entire coin but they cost much more than twice the halves in otherwise equal condition.&nbsp; These coins saw a lot of circulation and are not easily found in good condition on both sides and whole.&nbsp; I do have a whole one but the coin still enroute is an upgrade so I&#039;ll hold off now and invite others to show their crocs (Whole, half or the rare quarter).</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH]231998.vB[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Below is my old half featuring Agrippa and the croc jaws.&nbsp; If is from an earlier series without PP.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH]231999.vB[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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