I keep getting distracted

I set myself a goal of only buying coins within my focus areas. I regularly fail in this goal and am too easily distracted by things I see along the way. This coin falls into this category.

I really don't chase after coins of empresses and haven't deliberately bought a Maesa since 2002. I have obtained a few in mixed lots and put them one side. I saw this one however and before I had even thought about it I had bought it. I think it was the portrait that grabbed my attention. There are two Pietas types that occur, one holding box of incense and the other with both hands raised. The Wildwinds example of RIC 266 (both hands raised) is wrongly attributed as are a few RIC 266s currently for sale on VCoins.

Julia Maesa denarius

Obv:– IVLIA MAESA AVG Draped bust of Julia Maesa to right, her hair bound in a bun at the back
Rev:– PIETAS AVG Pietas standing facing, her head turned to left, raising both hands in prayer; at her feet to left, altar
Minted in Rome. A.D. 218-220
Reference– Cohen 34a. RIC 266

3.88g, 20.04mm, 180o

Dark (nearly completely black) toning.



Share anything that distracted you from your main collection.

 

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Ah, gee Martin, I dunno, that pretty much sums up my whole collection.

Actually, I just added an item that fits. I sold off most of my Roman Republican coins nearly 20 years ago and mostly stopped buying them. However, this item came up for sale at about the same time as a Bible Class I attend began a study of the Easter pericopes from the book of Revelation. In chapter one the writer tells of an image in a vision he had which featured a figure holding seven stars in his hand (seven churches of Roman Asia). Having later coins with a seven-stars motif, and a side interest in coins with astral imagery, I started asking what Roman seven-star iconography on coins existed when that image was set down by the Scripture writer at the end of the first century AD (probably reign of Domitian). This coin came to mind and it just happened to be offered right then at auction.



L. Lucretius Trio (ca. 74 BC).
Rome. Radiate head of Sol right /
TRIO / L•LVCRETI, crescent moon surrounded by seven stars.
Crawford 390/1. Sydenham 783. Lucretia 2.


So, one more for the pile.

 

A fantastic portrait Martin. Congrats on adding this one to your collection. Here is one of mine outside of my focus. I liked the look of this one and the fact that this is a well documented rarity. The link in the attribution explains the importance of this coin and the other it sold with in the auction.





L. Censorinus. AR Denarius, 82 BC. Pair number: 15. D/ Laureate head of Apollo right. On right, [fish] off flan. R/ L. CENSOR. The satyr Marsyas standing left, with right arm raised and holding wine-skin over left shoulder; behind, column bearing statue on top. On right, letter D. Cr. 363/1a. B. (Marcia) 24. AR. g. 3.85 mm. 16.50 RRRR. Of the highest rarity, only 5 specimens known. Old cabinet tone. VF.The gash across the reverse surface is an 'adjustment al marco'. (C. Stannard 'The adjustment al marco of the weight of Roman Republican denarii blanks by gouging' in 'Metallurgy in numismatics vol 3' Royal Numismatic Society, 1993).
Ex: Artemide Aste Auction L Lot 246. November 3, 2018.
"An Unprecedented Important Collection of Cr. 363/1a-b"

 

These Greeks distracted me from my Roman Empire collection:

 

This one, though, is well within the bounds of my collection. I like the style of yours better, @maridvnvm .

 

Ditto

 

To me, they are all distractions. First off I started getting off course by collecting coins of Roman Egypt in addition to Imperials - I hadn't purchased any until 2018. Now they make up more than half my purchases. So now I don't know if I am on course or off course. I think I started off with this Nero tet.

 

A beautiful addition, Martin. Love the toning & see it's fairly overweight for her too. Nice.


Julia Maesa (218 - 225 A.D.)
AR Denarius
O: IVLIA MAESA AVG Draped bust right.
R: IVNO Juno standing facing, head left, holding scepter and patera.
3.3g
20mm
RIC 254 RSC 016


Julia Maesa (218 - 225 A.D.)
AR Denarius
O: IVLIA MAESA AVG, Draped bust right.
R: FORTVNAE REDVCI Fecunditas standing left, raising hand over child and cornucopia.
Rome
18.8m
3.1g
RSC 14

Rare Engravers Error:

This coin features Maesa's Fecunditas type, RIC 249 = RSC 8, and should have been labeled FECVNDITAS AVG.

It implies that Maesa's FECVNDITAS AVG type and Elagabalus' FORTVNAE REDVCI type were being produced simultaneously, that is in 219 AD, the known date of the FORTVNAE REDVCI type.

This error is not unpublished: Cohen 14 reports a specimen in Paris, RIC 252 takes it over from Cohen.

About the 6th known of this type, found two other specimens with the same combination of type and legend, both from the same reverse die but feature a young Maesa bust. This type features the older bust type.

Possibly unique to feature this particular bust.


Julia Maesa (218 - 225 A.D.)
AR Antoninianus
O: IVLIA MAESA AVG, Draped bust right, wearing stephane and set on crescent.
R: PIETAS AVG, Pietas standing facing, head left, extending hand and holding acerrum; lighted and garlanded altar to lower left.
Rome Mint
23mm
4.58g
RIC IV(part 2), pg 50, #264 (Elagabalus).

 

That is a neat coin maridvnvm! I have a list of coins i see, or saw in auctions, or anywhere else, that i like and i thought one day i will want one. The list keeps groing and groing, so im not sure its distraction, or that my knowledge of what is out there on offer keeps expanding. And the list contains coins that i in theory can afford, so not a eid-mar denarius...
I dont have a specific focus yet, but tend to focus on late republic up to Severus Alexander. That i have learned so far. In the beginning i wanted a coin of every emperor/consul on my list. But when looking at a very very nice coin of an emperor i already have, i still couldn't resist. Does it matter? No, i dont think so. And there is enough time left in life to further the collection and tick of the list. I will get there some day!

My happy distraction:

 

A lovely coin Martin, I can see why it 'distracted' you.

Alas, I'm too focused on my speciality to be able to show off anything outside my area. Like you, I really don't concentrate on empresses ... however, this one I couldn't resist.

Domitia
AR Cistophorus
Rome mint (for Asia), 82 AD (Domitian)
RIC 847 (R). BMC 256. RSC 19. RPC 870 (8 spec.).
Obv: DOMITIA AVGVSTA; Bust of Domitia, draped r., hair massed in front and in long plait behind
Rev: VENVS AVG; Venus stg. r., leaning on column, with helmet and spear
Ex CNG E424, 11 July 2018, lot 471.

 

I collect two very narrow areas, but occasionally I too wander away and get something else. I always tell myself that the new buy is trading stock, but there are no other collectors in my area and no opportunities to trade!

 

..i've been collecting 15 years and never seen another ancients collector in the flesh...")

 

I try to stay focused; collecting Roman Imperial is a daunting enough task without the added Gadhaiya on the side. Sometimes my inner magpie gets the best of me and I buy something that doesn't fit into either:

Khwarezm, AR Dirham/Tetradrachm of Sawashfan, c. 750's


India, post-Gupta AV 10-masha of Prasannamitra


Vijayanagar AV 1/2 pagoda of Hari Hara I


Kashmir AR Rupee of Pratap Singh, 1889 AD


Celtic Iberia AR Denarius of Bolskan

 

Roman Republican: Shogunate, Mutsuhito (Meiji), 2 Shu (1853-1865)

 

While I don't own any of these beauties, I am a bit of a history guy and like what I see from that standpoint. Are counterfeits a problem with these?

 

My distraction that carried me into a whole new area: CARTHAGE

Super-power Empire, Rival of the Roman Republic.



Carthage 300-264 BCE
AR 2/3 Shekel
Tanit-
Horse
Sear 6491 SNG COP 143var

 

Shogunate coins are fun - they were actually my first main focus; ancients pulled me away before I worked my way up to the > $100 ones.

Your shu is actually from Meiji's father; pretty sure Ansei era without looking it up. It is also a 1 shu; 2 shu were made from "electrum". Japanese mint engravers were not allowed to change the inscriptions on the coins, but they could change the typeface, which they did as a sort of secret privy mark system. Isshu gin minted under Meiji from 1868-69 are actually common enough (Bu are very rare) and have three vertical strokes on the crown of the character Jo on the reverse - yours has an angled right stroke, which would make it either Taisho or Ansei - need to reference Hartill for the tables.

But since I did open that can of worms, I did cheat on my Romans for my first love recently

Ryukyu Kingdom 100 Mon, 1860s


Sendai Tsuho 1 mon, 1780s


Hakodate Tsuho 1 mon, Ansei era, 1850s?


The earliest series of denominated silver; a 2 shu from the 1810s or 20s, with instructions: Take 8 pieces to exchange for 1 ryo gold


And a few months ago a friend helped me upgrade some WWII era coins for my type set - they are common as dirt over there, but nearly impossible to get here in top condition
1944/45 emergency tin 1, 5, 10 sen - they literally turn to dust (tin pest) if not kept in a climate controlled environment and sheltered from the cold.

 

Thanks for the info @Finn235!

 

If you are going to stray, that is a good coin to pick. The coin was well struck from good dies!
As many know, I collect Roman Republican coins, Italian cast bronze and more recently Roman scales and scale weights.
I know next to nothing about scale weights and want to learn more. To this end, I joined ISASC, International Society of Antique Scale Collectors, and attended a scale convention in Austin. While at the convention I bought some books and two scales. Both were produced in the 1900's. Has anyone here seen an egg scale?


My grandson had great fun comparing weights. We weighed a dozen eggs on the scale above. I have some weights in grams, ounces and Roman Libra (As) and VNCIA.




We will keep the two pan scale and give the egg scale to a friend who sells eggs at the Pasadena Coin Club.

 

Pretty much all of my Roman/Greek coins fall into that category. They were impulse buys.