This one arrived from last month's Künker eLive auction. It came with an interesting collector "tag." It's a thick piece of cardboard with a round cut out area meant to go inside a cabinet tray. The collector had made a number of notations on it, some of which I can decipher but others are cryptic. I'm hoping someone can help me figure out what they mean. Here's the coin: Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman orichalcum sestertius, 24.69 g, 32 mm, 11 h. Rome, AD 161-165. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust of Faustina II, right, with a double strand of pearls in the hair. Rev: LAETITIA S C, Laetitia standing facing, head right, holding vertical scepter in right hand and wreath in left hand. Refs: RIC --; BMCRE --; Cohen --; RCV --; MIR 22-6/10b. The coin is quite rare and unlisted in the standard references with Laetitia facing right. The coin with the mirror-image reverse is RIC 1654; BMCRE 924-27; Cohen 149; Sear 5279; MIR 21-6/10b. Here's the tag it came with: I have been able to find the following examples/references: Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzhandlung (Auction 200), 10.10.2011, lot 2612 Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzhandlung (Auction 164), 17.3.2008, lot 411 Auktionshaus H. D. Rauch GmbH (Auction 81), 21.11.2007, lot 426 MIR (p. 284) cites a specimen in Paris. Mention of "Fittschen, Faustina S. 42 (8. Bildnistypus)." So, I'm able to make out much of the notes on the tag, but not all. Still cryptic to me are the following: The meaning of •BKK in the cut out hole for the coin. The meaning of "03-10 Aukt. ruus(?) + Med. nr. 517." I take it that's an auction (perhaps the one from which the coin was purchased) but I don't recognize the name of the firm. The meaning of "Ask (k with a squiggly thing) •LIR pd. •LNR•". The meaning of "same as K •ARK" Any help with deciphering these notations is greatly appreciated. Anyone who has Fittschen and can photograph the listing/reference on p. 42 would be doing me a huge favor! Thanks!!
"03-10 Aukt. ruus(?) + Med. nr. 517." = 03-10 (probably March 2010) Münzen & Medaillen nr. 517. Münzen & Medaillen was in Basel for a long time, but since 2004 in Germany in Weil am Rhein. They also had a branch in Washington, M & M Numismatics, might be still functioning.
Lovely coin, great patina, a rarity, it's your girl aaand who doesn't love old collectors tags!? Do you know if that BKK could be the previous owners initials?
Thanks! Probably so. I can't find an archive of that auction on line with a Google search. Anyone have a link to that auction lot?
The original, famous M&M firm folded in 2004. The newer firm of that name, M&M GMBH did not issue a catalog dated March 2010. I wonder if that "03-10" refers to October 3 of some year not given?
Nice one, RC. I can't help you with the decipherment process, but I can add the common "mirror image" of yours, Laetitia standing left (RIC 1654): Faustina II Æ Sestertius (161-176 A.D.) Rome Mint [FA]VSTINA AV[GVSTA], draped bust right, double circlet of pearls / L[AETITI]A S C, Laetitia standing left holding wreath and scepter. RIC 1654; Sear 5279 (26.54 grams / 31 mm)
The label is difficult to decipher, especially in the catalog references, but that is one gorgeous coin!
@Kiaora: If K=0, what is B, L, N and R ?? If the letters are numbers "ask" might be starting price, "pd": what he or she paid, and BKK just a collectors number. Just a weird guess.
I think you're on to something. Remember the old ancient coin inventory computer program Moneta? It recommended a cost code and illustrated it with a word that had 10 letters and didn't repeat any: REPUBLICAN, where R=1, E=2, etc., up to N=0. It could be something like that, which would matter to the collector but have no relevance for establishing provenance or a census of known coins.
I think I recognize the collectors tag! A private seller I regularly buy coins from uses the same collectors tag, and I think the writing is similar ... The seller is Ton Nuij, living in the Netherlands. Though I don't know him personally, he owns a (very) impressive collection of Roman and Greek coins, bought between 1970-2010ish. As he is getting older, he sells a good deal via Catawiki and other sources. See for similar coins and coin holders by him: https://www.catawiki.it/l/8782981-r...stina-senior-faustina-junior-hadrian-elagabal
