I'm not saying I specialize in ancient butts, butt there's this. Bun fun post

Of course, first and foremost, when it comes to really getting excited about finding a rarity or some new information on is Macedonian shield coins.
Butt I'm starting to notice another pattern emerge
Received my second order from Marc Breitsprecher in as many weeks today. In the order was one sweet MSC rarity, and then not one butt #2 thicc Venus coins.
First, an INCREDIBLY robust-cheek that, like the MSC, I'd let sit in my watched coins far to long:

Julia Domna
AR Denarius, AD 193-195, 19.10mm, 2.94 grams.
Obv: IVLIA DO-MNA AVG, draped bust right
Rev: VENER-I - V-ICTR, Venus standing right, naked to waist and seen from behind, holding palm branch and apple
RIC IV 536 Rome VF.
Ex-Marc Breitsprecher purchased Jan 2022. Ex-Pegasi

Then WE HAVE THE BUNS OF THE BALL
A VERY rare Salonina Venus reverse, with an incredible provenance, toning, strike, artistry and an even more incredible reverse on the reverse:

Salonina
(AD 254-268) AR Antoninianus / Venus
AD 257-260, 22.30mm, 3.38 grams,
Obv: SALONINA AVG, draped bust right, wearing stephane, set on crescent
Rev: VENVS VICTRIX, Venus Victrix standing right, seen from rear, leaning on column and holding palm branch and apple
RIC Vi 8 Cologne, XF
Ex-Marc Breitsprecher purchased Jan 2022. Ex-Phil Peck sold as the Morrison Collection at Heritage.


I would be remiss not to share the SaWeet MSC in this magical package I received:

MACEDON, Koinon of Macedon. Pseudo-autonomous issue. temp. Claudius to Nero, AD 41-68. Æ Assarion (13.1mm, 2.30 g, 12h). Beroea mint. Nike, holding wreath and palm frond, alighting left / Macedonian shield. RPC I 1621. VF
Ex Marc Breitsprecher purchased Jan 2022

However, I do have this well toned cutie on its way:

Julia Domna
Denarius Fouree. Obverse: bust of the empress in drapery, facing right, along the edge legend:
IVLIA DOMNA AVG. Reverse: Venus is facing right, holding an apple and a scepter, with a legend along the edge:
VENRI VICTR, 18 mm, 2.79 g, 6 hours.
Reference: RIC 564
Grade: VF. Purchased from RDA Jan 2022

And then more buns than a hotdog stand would need in a week...


Julia Domna

Denarius . 193-196 AD . Rome . (Ric- 536 ). Ob .: IVLIA DOMNA AVG, Bust draped to the right . Rev .: VENERI VICTR, Venus standing to the right, leaning on a column, holding a palm and an apple . Ag . 3.18 g. Displaced. Tone . EBC . Tauler & Fau Jan 2021



Nero
CAPPADOCIA (1,77g, 15mm) Caesarea, (54-68), AR Hemidrachm
Obv: NERO CLAVD DIVI CLAVD F CAESAR AVG GERMANI; laureate head of Nero, right.
Rev: Nike standing, right, with foot on globe and inscribing shield set on knee
S 83, BMC 411, Walker 470–2, RIC 618, Ganschow 60, RPC I №: 3646
Purchased from Demos December 2021


JULIA DOMNA (WIFE OF SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS). AR Denarius, Rome Mint, struck under Septimius Severus, ca. A.D. 193-196. ANACS AU 50.
RIC-536 (Severus); RSC-194. Obverse: Draped bust right; Reverse: Venus standing right, with back facing, holding apple and palm frond, and resting upon column to left. A popular type, this example presents a solid overall strike with subtle toning and brilliance. Purchased from Stack’s Bowers Gallery Aug 2021


Julia Domna
(193-217 AD). AE Sestertius (27 mm, 14,60 g), Roma (Rome), 193-194 AD.
Obv. IVLIA DOMNA AVG, draped bust right.
Rev. VENERI VICTR / S - C, Venus, naked to waist, standing right, holding apple and palm and leaning on column.
RIC IV, 1, p. 207, 842 (R). Per Curtis Clay new die comb., o400/r578



Vespasian
(AD 69-79), AR Denarius
(19mm, 2.95g), struck AD
73. IMP CAES VESP AVG
CENS , laureate headfacing
right / PONTIF MAXIM ,
Nemesis advancing right,
pointing a caduceus at a
snake below.


Julia Titi, daughter of Titus (died 90 AD). AR Denarius, 80-81. Obv. Bust right, draped. Rev. Venus standing right, resting elbow on column and holding scepter and helmet. RIC II-p. 1 (2nd ed.) (Titus) 388. AR. 2.83 g. 20.00 mm. R. Rare type. F. Purchased from Artemide May 2021

... and those are just some of my Romans



As my pop once told me, after finding out that he'd streaked through Central Park, "Boy, if ya got it flaunt it."
So, please, flaunt those flashy fannies or anything bootiful

 

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Venus here is on the scrawny side, but one of my biggest scores of 2021 was this long-sought-after denarius, the VENERI VICTRICI reverse type featuring the cult image of Venus Victrix from Pompey's Temple of Venus. It's one of Faustina's scarcer reverse types.


Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman AR denarius, 3.23 g, 18.7 mm, 5 h.
Rome, c. AD 164-167.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Beckmann type 9 hairstyle.
Rev: VENERI VICTRICI, Venus standing right, resting right arm against column and holding transverse spear in right hand and helmet on extended left hand.
Refs: RIC 713; BMCRE 161-162; Cohen/RSC 240; RCV 5265; MIR 41-4/10b; CRE 223.

 

Here is a similar one to RC's example.
Faustina II denarius.


and another one similar to @Ryro's coin.
Julia Domna denarius.

 

A thread worthy of CoinBoy

 

There must be a mistake in the description and identification. This antoninianus is not the Venus Felix type (RIC V Salonina 7) as described, but the Venus Victrix type (RIC V Salonina 8, MIR 904c).

On the other side this thread reminds me of the Miss Bum-Bum pageant in Brasil.

 

My number 1 from last year, after popular vote.


Even Titus looks quite pleased about the view

 

Wow, that's a fine lot of booty you've managed to amass, @Ryro! I would be lying if I said I'm not feeling some posterior envy. I have just one Domna Venus at the moment, which is sadly a little lacking in the dorsal department.

JULIA DOMNA
AR Denarius. 2.84g, 17.3mm. Rome mint, circa AD 193-196. RIC IV 536. O: IVLIA DOMNA AVG, draped bust right. R: VENERI VICTR, Venus standing right, seen from behind, resting elbow on column and holding palm frond and apple.
Ex Estate of Thomas Bentley Cederlind

Three Graces on the below coin, but only one has her derrière viewer facing, and that one censored by a centration dimple. I'm just totally failing at this theme...


COMMODUS
AE25. 7.69g, 25mm. MOESIA INFERIOR, Marcianopolis. H&J 6.10.26.4 (this coin illustrated); RPC IV online 4319; AMNG I 540; Varbanov 702 corr. (direction of heads). O: ΑΥ ΚΑΙ Λ ΑΥΡΗ ΚΟΜΟΔΟС, Bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right. R: ΜΑΡΚΙΑΝΟΠΟΛƐΙΤΩΝ, the Three Graces standing facing, heads left, right, and right, respectively: the left holds oinochoe over dolphin, the center drapes arms over others, and the right holds wreath over oinochoe.
Ex Dr. George Spradling Collection; ex Alexandre de Barros Collection (CNG E143, 12 July 2006, lot 115); ex CNG 47 (16 Sep 1998) lot 833

 

@Ryro Two for the musically inclined.
Fat Bottomed Girls: Queen
Baby Got Back: Sir Mix A Lot

 

I would be interested in knowing how many times this thread has surfaced on Coin Talk. There are hundreds of dies for these in three metals. Almost no one cares that there are a few minor variations in details and legends. I have several better in some ways but my favorites were not all selected for the feature most popular. Each is different in some way. Anyone interested in how can search Coin Talk past posts where some have been explained. I doubt my favorites will be yours.

 

Oops! That's an other Salonina of mine. OP fixed. Ty.
And now I need to look up miss bum-bum...

 

Still sadly lacking a Venus booty coin. Maybe that will be a retirement gift to myself? Mrs. Frog may not sign off though haha.

This is the only coin that might possibly pass as booty-licious.

Gordian III
AE24
Markianopolis, Moesia Inferior
Obverse: M ANT ΓOΡΔIANOC AYΓ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Reverse: MAΡKIANOΠOΛITΩN, The Three Graces standing together; one holding wreath and another a kantharos

 

Well well well, some seriously flashy fannies
Thanks for all the kind words and posts-eriors so far.
Here's a few more that I didn't have room for:

 

@Ryro, as the leading expert on this subject, have you considered writing a book? It would have wide appeal, and might bring a whole new group of people to collecting ancient coins.

I'm afraid I've got nothing to contribute. It's not a particular interest of mine. I do have this depiction of Athena on a Republican Provincial coin from Thessaly, but there's no rear end showing at all.

You had to be young in the spring of 1974 to get it, @Ryro. One of my great retrospective embarrassments -- although it seemed like a good idea at the time -- was streaking with a group of friends on the Old Campus at Yale when I was an undergraduate there. It's somewhat difficult for me to believe I actually did it.

 

It's like I tell my kids, do as I say not as I did! I am just a bit more tight lipped about some of my youthful (mis)adventures.

 

This thread strikes me as having few "ifs" or "ands", but it definitely has plenty of butts!

Tyche, reclining on a bed is probably the most suggestive ancient that I have:

 

What a fun(dament) thread -

Salonina and Venus, two of them, both cruddy in different ways, like so many of my duplicates:

 

It's apples and oranges with forvm and CT.
How awful it would be to be thought of as the insightful and FUN place vs the boring and hard to navigate place. Hopefully they think we're the later
Though, with some of the shenanigans they have had going on with some of their posters...

 

@dougsmit, your Domna/Venus collection is fabulous!

I bought this Domna for the well-proportioned Venus:


Julia Domna
Augusta, 193-217 CE
AR denarius, 17 x 19 mm, 2.72 gm
Rome mint; struck under Septimius Severus, circa AD 193-196
Obv: IVLIA DOMNA AVG; draped bust right
Rev: VENERI VICTR; Venus standing right, back facing, leaning upon column to left, holding palm frond and apple
Ref: RIC IV 536 (Septimius Severus); RSC 194
Formerly slabbed


Here's another extremely shapely deity-- Athena looking very toned but who throws a thunderbolt while standing on tippy toes? Such a girlie girl . Maybe she was trying to dislodge that mega-wedgie.


KINGS OF MACEDON, Antigonos II Gonatas
277/6-239 BCE, struck after 270 BCE, Amphipolis mint
AR tetradrachm, 31mm, 17.06 g
Obv: head of Pan in center of Macedonian shield, lagobolon over shoulder; shield decorated with stars within crescents
Rev: BASILEWS ANTIGONOU, Athena Alkidemos walking left, brandishing thunderbolt and shield; helmet left, EMP monogram right
Ref: SNGCop 1200v, EMP (maybe); R. Martin, "A Third-Century B.C. Hoard from Thessaly at the ANS," ANSMN 26, 536 (same obv. die).
ex Demetrios Armounta Collection

My Commodus Three Graces suffers the same centration censoring as Z's coin.

MOESIA INFERIOR, Marcianopolis. Commodus
AE 25mm, 8.5 gm
circa CE 177-192
Obv: ΑΥ ΚΑΙ Λ ΑΥΡΗ ΚΟΜΟΔΟС; bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev: ΜΑΡΚΙΑΝΟΠΟΛЄΙΤΩΝ; the Three Graces standing facing, heads left, right, and right, respectively: the left holds amphora over dolphin, the center drapes arms over others, and the right holds wreath over amphora
Ref: Hristova & Jekov 6.10.26.4; RPC IV online 4319; Varbanov 702 corr. (direction of heads).

That coin cracks me up and really deserves to become an animated gif .

 

..i'm late for the party.. butt... you knew i'd be here.....hehe...i have to pay tribute to @Ryro 's booty thread for he gifted me mine