Featured Julian: The Beard and the Bull

I waited for the auction to end before posting this epic translation fail:

I really like that they point out that it was tooled. I wouldn't have noticed I'd they hadn't. A real standup place.

 

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I sometimes wonder how they can tell. It doesn't seem obvious to me.

That translation of Julianus is quite funny. I wonder what they'd do with Pupienus.

 

I assume it's the fields on the reverse that have been smoothed.
Lol, poor pupi. I fear to read THAT translation!
I meant to attach this gif:

 

I was also watching that one. The letters have been worked on too.

 

Speaking of toolies and embarrassing "standup pieces", here's MAIORINA DELUXE that Savoca once offered:

 

Whatever do you mean? Nothing untoward going on her except, just an attractive portrait and a bull with a massive... oh my!

For all my CT fam that don't mind/like tooling, please tell us again how it doesn't ruin the ancient artistry but enhances it...huhuh, I guess they did a male bull enhancement

 

That one has to have been a practical joke...

 

We started out with a Julian II bull. We seen some other bulls and some other Julian II pieces, but not this one.


18 mm. Julian II. Struck as Caesar, 355-361.
SPES REIPVBLICE
SMKΓ Cyzicus 122. Second series of two 6 Nov. 355 - 3 Nov. 361.

The type is not special and not worth much, but is less common than the others and hard to find in nice shape.

 

I have a similar coin to the OP, not quite as nice. Curious how you all are labelling this denomination. I have it as "Bronze".



Julian II. AD 360-363. Æ (26mm, 8.25 g, 12h). Antioch mint, 2nd officina. Struck AD 361-363. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Bull standing right; two stars above; [(palm)]ANTB(palm). RIC VIII 216 (B);

 

Excellent article and a real stunning AE1 (Nummis?) of Julian. I've never heard of one which was silvered nor seen one quite as nice as yours. Here's mine which I bought in Oct., 2018 from Gorney & Mosch. Not as nice as yours and not dirt cheap either. Maybe I just thought it was expensive because I might have bought a whole lot of coins at that sale and all together they were somewhat expensive?

Julian follis/nummis, Gorney & Mosch, auc 257, Oct 15,2018, lot# 986
I guess the mint on mine is Heraclea?

I just got the book on Julian by Gore Vidal and couldn't wait any longer for a fully silvered follis?



In a weird coincidence I live in an area that has occasional power failures. I thought it would be neat to buy a bronze ancient oil lamp to use for emergency lighting. Now that I've got it, it has a perfect untouched patina so I'm not sure that I'll want to use it.

However, it is in the shape of a bull. Attributed by Burk to Anatolia (Asia Minor) from the 1st century BC. I wonder if there was something going on about bulls there that is also where Julian studied when young.
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Thank you @Gallienus ! That is a truly beautiful example from Heraclea that you have. That is also a neat oil lamp. You could probably find a cheap replica of an oil lamp if you wanted to use it as a lamp. Funnily enough I had a power outage issue a few weeks ago and was thinking about trying to find an ancient oil lamp replica to use just for fun.

I appreciate you post!

 

i concur!

 

I should mention that the book on Julian by Gore Vidal is highly recommended by me. It is historical fiction but apparently well researched and very well could be true. It also gives one an appreciation for the late Constantine era and one even develops a foundness for Constantius II.

 

I am sending both of mine off to NGC along with 60 other coins.

 

Very nice. The 2nd one appears to have some silvering at the periphery.

 

Those are both excellent examples. I especially like the Antioch AE1.

Excellent. Thanks for the book review. I just might have to add that one to my library. I also find Julian to a fascinating figure. One wonders how different history could have been if his reign would have been as long as Constantine's.

Okay, I apparently saw this back in 2020 but I must have forgotten. That is two big laughs for the price of one! LOL