Jumping into the Nile - new collecting interest!

For most of my collecting career I've been focused on large, bronze Roman provincials. I never really considered the Alexandrian tetradrachms seriously before. The few I saw tended to be rather small, uninspired, and sort of generic.


Carinus.

I purchased a few of those generic tetrarchy ones, and realized that they have an interesting character all of their own, and often come with beautiful colors.
Diocletian.


I then recently happened upon a nice batch of very interesting, pre-tetrarchy tets. These were much larger, more artistic, and often had rather fine style engraving, sometimes better in quality than comparable imperial issues!

Gallienus.


Some of them are about the cheapest way to get some rather rare characters such as Vabalathus.


Aurelian and Vabalathus



And some have some rather uniquely Egpytian motifs, such as mummies and canopic jars.

Hadrian.


And some are just really pretty in general.


Salonina.




Please post your story on how you found a new collecting interest!

 

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...in the ancient coin field, there are many a rabbit hole one can go down..but they are still all connected in some way...its interesting to hear what motivates us to collect who & what we do...last year my goal became, later in the year, to get all of who i could of Rome 3rd century...it was a challenge..of course, i didn't get them all in the time i allotted meself, but i came purdy close..and it is still a goal for me to get them all that i'm able a few weeks back, i believe it was @akeady (?) posting about getting coins of all the emperors and he was at 155 i believe..but he talked of the year of the 5 & 6 and he already had most, if not all of them...it inspired me to conquest those which i still lacked, in those years and others too.. the 26th of July i purchased Clodius Albinus(while also filling the tetarchy with Const. Chlorus...along with a Maximius Diai) the 10th of august i bought a coin of Pertinax(i'll post it whens i gets its)...and last nite i won a rough, but inexpensive for him, bronze Moisa Superior of Aemilian(et.al)...the last of which i'll have to have authenticated by our good Peeps here at CT

 

Not I!

 

...oops.....a 1000 pardons sir...i sometimes get confused with who posted what...but the gist of it is..well, whoever it was made an impression on me...and most everyone here does and that would include you too

 

..perhaps it was @GregH then..hey Greg...you got 155 of the emperors coins??..>

 

Yep that's me. I have all the Year of Five/Six Emperor ruler (unless you count Titiana and Pertinax Jnr who appear on provincials - i don't have those yet).

 

ah, very good sir! ..you're an inspiration...

 

h.w.earl, You've got the start of a nice collection of Alexandrian tets . I sold most of the ones in my collection but kept a few high grade examples. The coin pictured below is my favorite .

 

Hah, no worries I occasionally add a new Roman ruler, but have nowhere near 155. Congrats on your recent acquisitions - I don't have a Pertinax or Aemilian or a lot more more!

Collecting all the coins of the Republic, one grotty quadrans at a time is more my thing

To reply to the original post - I got into this because a few years ago I entered our society's display competition and decided to try a display of Republican coins. So, I needed some more... that led to a talk, which needed more and so it kept going. I've got somewhere close to 800 RR coins now (of about 2000 of all categories) and it has become my main collecting area/addiction.

I actually got a medal for the display, so it worked out OK - I never got around to getting it engraved.



ATB,
Aidan.

 

While we really do not need more competition for the Alexandrian coins, I would think that someone with a special interest in AE provincials would be more interested in the Alexandrian bronzes - especially the full size drachms. They do cost more than the tets but there are some really spectacular ones including several hundred by Antoninus Pius ranging from more or less ordinary to absolutely spectacular. Starting with the Severans, Alexandrian bronzes stopped being made in quantity so any coin is rare but any Alexandrian collection will need a few silver dollar size drachms as long as you can deal with the fact that very few of the best types exist in high grades. My examples are ordinary in every sense but they are big.
Trajan - EIPHNH KAI OMONOIA L IS


Assorted Antoninus Pius - You can get them with less wear, with pretty surfaces or with interesting types. Getting all three on one coin is neither easy or cheap.


Another way to keep the budget down is to buy one sided coins. This would be 'some coin' if Aurelius Caesar had a nose.


Finally, my best drachm is also my latest. There were very few coins of this denomination after Caracalla. You can hold the cracks against this one. What will be harder is finding better ones this late.


Enjoy Alexandrians. There are several people her quite into them.

 

I agree, I love those drachms! Here’s my fav. I’ll post some more later.

Trajan - Emmett 581

And a straight ugly one I wish was nicer because snakes are the coolest.

Marcus Aurelius - Emmett 1900

ok, one more:

Antoninus Pius - Emmett 1621

 

I just got my first Claudius II!

Had a tough time reading the obverse so I scrolled a million listings on Wildwinds till I found something that looked right. Milne 4265

 

Great coins @hotwheelsearl . I don’t have too many Alexandrian coins but the ones I do have are special to me.


Egypt, Alexandria
Antoninus Pius
AE Drachm, Alexandria mint, struck RY 13 (AD 149/50)
Dia.: 34.2 mm
Wt.: 23.9 g
Obv.: ΑVΤΚΤΑΙΛΑΔΡΑΝΤωΝΙΝΟCEBEVC; Laureate head right
Rev.: TPIKA (date) IϚ (16); Nilus reclining left holding reed and cornucopia from which emerges a pekheis; crocodile below; L in left field
Ref.: Emmett 1621.13
Ex Theodosius Collection


Egypt, Alexandria
Elagabalus (AD 218-222)
BI tetradrachm, struck RY 4 (AD 220/21)
Dia.: 23.9 mm
Wt.: 12.56 g
Obv.: Α ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΜΑ ΑΥΡ ΑΝΤⲰΝΙΝΟϹ ƐΥϹƐΒ; Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: L Δ; Homonoia standing left, raising hand and holding double cornucopia
Ref.: Emmitt 2937.4, RPC online 10082
Ex zumbly collection; Ex CNG Auction 407, Lot 460 (Oct. 11, 2017); Ex Hermanubis Collection.


Egypt, Alexandria
Antoninus Pius
BI Tetradrachm, Alexandria mint, RY 11 = AD 147/8.
Dia.: 24 mm
Wt.: 13.81 g
Obv.: ANTωNEINOC CEB EYCEB, Laureate bust right
Rev.: L ENΔEKATOV, Elpis standing left, lifting hem of skirt and holding flower
Ref.: Dattari-Savio pl. 111, 8160 (this coin illustrated); Emmett 1383.11; RPC Online IV temp #13607 (this coin cited).
Ex Robert L. Grover Collection of Roman-Egyptian Coinage, previously held by the Art Institute of Chicago (1981.511); ex Giovanni Dattari Collection (1853-1923)

 

Hi @hotwheelsearl,

My first thought was



But I think I can get over it and say



Welcome!



- Broucheion

 

What a lovely oi, and it appears to have high silver content to boot!

I always wondered why coins with Egyptian iconography are so uncommon, especially considering the incredibly long and pervasive history and culture of Egypt even in the Roman period. I love your coin

 

Whoa, neat! Never thought I'd see the Green Man on a tetradrachm. So cool

 

Ah yep, that's me!

 

Oh, indeed - we're classy!

http://www.numismaticsocietyofireland.com/

ATB,
Aidan.