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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;jb_depew, post: 3934023, member: 88227&quot;]Here are my top 10 coins of 2019, presented in no particular order. As you can see, I&#039;m a bit of a generalist… I buy anything that catches my eye and has a story to tell.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over the past year, I made a little progress on my 12 Caesars set. Meanwhile, the Greek coins kept calling to me, and a spastic bidding finger landed me more of those than Romans, by a slight margin.</p><p><br /></p><p>I learned a lot from the CT community in 2019 and am looking forward to the year ahead!</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ZAIxeGq.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><b>Sicily, Syracuse Æ Hemilitron of Hieron II</b></p><p>275-215 BC</p><p>Obverse: Diademed head l.</p><p>Reverse: Horseman riding r., holding spear.</p><p>References: CNS II, 195 Rl 22; SNG ANS 924; HGC 2, 1548</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/E83bEH9.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><b>Sicily, Syracuse, Æ Hemidrachm</b></p><p>339/8-334 BC</p><p>Obverse: Laureate head of Zeus Eleutherios</p><p>Reverse: Upright thunderbolt; to r., eagle standing r.</p><p>References: CNS II, 72; SNG ANS 477-88; HGC 2, 1440</p><p><br /></p><p>I really like ancient representations of thunderbolts. And coins of Sicily in general.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/IVX97HK.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><b>Commodus AR Denarius</b></p><p>192 AD; Emperor 180-192 AD</p><p>Obverse: L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL, Portrait of Commodus as Hercules right, wearing lion skin</p><p>Reverse: HERCVLI ROMANO AVG, Downward club between bow and quiver</p><p>References: C 195. BMC 343. RIC 253.</p><p><br /></p><p>Commodus sure did like himself. He ordered the months renamed after his own titles, and later the city of Rome itself to &#039;Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana.&#039; It was shortly after adopting the name Hercules and issuing coins with this likeness that the emperor was murdered. Gee, I wonder why?</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/5cxmi6y.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/oIBq0tF.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><b>Caligula Æ As</b></p><p>37/8 AD</p><p>Obverse: C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT, bare head left</p><p>Reverse: VESTA above, S C across field, Vesta seated left on ornate chair, holding patera and sceptre.</p><p>References: RIC I 38; BMCRE 46; BN 54; Cohen 27.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/vPqkGEx.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><b>Vespasian AE As</b></p><p>71 AD</p><p>Struck in Rome</p><p>Obverse: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS III, laureate head right.</p><p>Reverse: AEQVITAS AVGVSTI, Aequitas standing facing, head left, holding scales and palm branch. S-C across lower fields.</p><p>References: RIC II 483</p><p><br /></p><p>Why I bought it: I was drawn by the portrait. Also, the reverse is a rare variant where Aequitas is holding a palm branch instead of the usual rod.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ifzja22.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/qwsdiBs.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><b>Maximinus II Daia. Anonymous Æ 1/4 Follis</b></p><p>Circa 312 AD</p><p>Officina 6 (S)</p><p>Obverse: GENIO AN-TIOCHENI, Tyche of Antioch, turreted, wearing cloak and veil, seated facing on rock; at her feet, river god Orontes swimming right</p><p>Reverse: APOLLONI SANCTO, Apollo standing facing, head left, pouring libations from patera in right hand, kithara in left hand, S right, SMA in exergue</p><p>References: McAlee 170(c), Van Heesch 3(a), Vagi2954, SRCV IV 14927</p><p><br /></p><p>The &quot;persecution&quot; coinage of Maximinus II Daia caught my eye after seeing a discussion about the officina variants here on CT. This example is full of detail for such a tiny coin.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/4Cp90wx.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><b>Thrace, Thasos AR Tetradrachm</b></p><p>Circa 148-90/80 BC</p><p>Obverse: Head of Dionysos right, wearing ivy wreath</p><p>Reverse: HPAKΛEOYΣ / ΣΩTHPOΣ / ΘAΣIΩN, Herakles standing left, holding club and lion skin. Control: Monogram to inner left.</p><p>References: SNG Copenhagen 1040-5; HGC 6, 359</p><p><br /></p><p>Someday I&#039;d like to own a barbaric imitation as well.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/QtUlMrI.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><b>Pamphylia, Aspendos AR Stater</b></p><p>Circa 380/75-330/25 BC</p><p>Obverse: Two wrestlers grappling; KI between.</p><p>Reverse: EΣTFEΔIIYΣ, Slinger in throwing stance right; triskeles to right; all within pelleted square border.</p><p>References: Tekin Series 4; SNG BN 104.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/gHupR9j.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/bWGtIRa.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Islands of Thrace, Thasos AR Stater</b></p><p>480-463 BC</p><p>Obverse: Nude ithyphallic satyr advancing right, carrying off protesting nymph</p><p>Reverse: Quadripartite incuse square</p><p>References: Le Rider, Thasiennes 5; HGC 6, 331</p><p><br /></p><p>I could be wrong, but this coin seems to be a transitional example between earlier and later types. What do you think?</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/bGvgXeF.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><b>Kings of Macedon, Alexander III AR Tetradrachm</b></p><p>336-323 BC</p><p>Minted at Tarsos in Cilicia</p><p>Obverse: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin.</p><p>Reverse: AΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus seated left on throne, holding eagle and sceptre. Controls: Plow in left field, pellet below throne and to inner right.</p><p>References: Price 3018; HGC 3.1, 910h[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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