(Just added a second 10) My Top 10 Roman Imperial & Greek Coins for 2021 (first of 3 lists)

Another 10 nice coins. I'm partial to the two Hadrians (the Asia is a very nice example), the Nero, and the restored Mark Antony.

 

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10 nice coins followed by 10 others, as nice, coins : I completely understand your trouble at deciding for a top ten @DonnaML

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Another great list of runners up! I really like your Julia Titi, MA & LV, Fausty II and Plautilla..aw heck, I just like that whole list!
A couple of my ladies:

but this chin... I mean guy

just needs some shades and he could be a McDowells spokesmoon:

 

Good gawd, Donna! Your also-rans could have been the top 10 too! What a tremendous coin year you've had . The Nero is a type I'd like to have and that Hadrian Asia is unusually nice.

 

I've seen lots of coins of Maximinus Thrax with that (supposedly) acromegalic chin, but there's something about its appearance on this sestertius that makes it looks so solid that you could take a sledgehammer to it and it would have no effect.

 

Thanks, @TIF. I don't think you were around a year ago, when I also posted more than one list, so in case you're interested, here are links to my top 10 non-Roman Republican and Roman Republican coins from last year:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/my...vorite-non-republican-coins-from-2020.370679/

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/finally-my-top-10-for-2020-all-roman-republican.371290/

Another Imperial coin acquired in December of last year, after I posted the first list:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/my...akes-a-pair-with-my-balbinus-denarius.371358/

Regarding the Hadrian Asia coin that both you and @zumbly mentioned as being unusually nice, does either of you have an opinion on what that object is that Asia's holding in her right hand? What with the general maritime theme, including the prow and the rudder, why would she be holding a "reaping hook," as the new RIC II.3 identifies it? Just to throw in a reference to agriculture? On the other hand, I'm a bit skeptical of the acrostolium theory. As I said, it doesn't look very ornamental.

Finally, I don't think I had a single Roman Provincial coin on any of my top 10 lists last year. I know I said that I was going to post a Provincials list this year, including my favorite Roman Alexandrian coins, but I'm beginning to get cold feet. Simply because I don't think there's a single coin I would include on such a list that's "objectively" as nice as any of the coins among my top 19 Roman Imperials (never mind the Aspendos stater), or as any of the 20 or so coins I might pick for my forthcoming Roman Republican list. For even the best of the Provincials, I'm lucky if half the legends are readable. Not to mention the very different design styles. As much as they may appeal to me.

So if I do end up posting a Provincials list, I hope people understand that (except perhaps for coins minted in Antioch and Tyre, etc.) one simply
can't judge most Provincials, and certainly the ones from Roman Alexandria, by anything resembling the same standards that Roman Imperials and Republicans are judged. I know you get it, but I hope others do.

 

All wonderful coins, Donna.

I cannot rank them.

 

Thanks, I'll take a look. Last year I was just overwhelmed with tasks and there were something like a hundred lists. I never made it through all of them. This year I made a spreadsheet so I could keep track of which ones I'd viewed and commented on. Speaking of, looks like I need to catch up on a couple today.

I do indeed get it. I don't even try to judge them in the same way. For me, provincials are all about:

1. The interestingness of the reverse
2. The interestingness of the reverse
3. The interestingness of the reverse
4. (everything else)



In 2016 I had a huge year in terms of acquisitions and the prospect of choosing a top ten was impossible and caused a ridiculous amount of anxiety. I gave up even trying to post top ten favorites for each category and instead just made composite pictures for the year. Man... that was a great year for my collection!

 

Wow!! What a year that was. If every year were like that, you'd be ready to open your own museum. You are already, for Roman Egypt!

And yes, the "interestingness of the reverse" counts for at least 90% in my deciding whether I like a Roman Egyptian coin enough to buy it, with very rare exceptions. It's a big factor with Roman Republicans too -- I'm not a huge fan of "two Dioscuri galloping together" or "Victory in a biga without anything else" reverses, and there are only so many ways of portraying Roma on the obverse -- but counts for very little with Roman Imperials, simply because so few reverses are very interesting. It's mostly about the portraits with them.

 

Agreed. Excellent coin!
He was Septimius Severus favorite soldier for a reason. Dude was a MOUNTAIN of a man.
In comparison mine makes him look like glass jaw Joe!:

 

I voted for 1, 4, and 10. If I had to pick one I would probably pick the Nerva. Those are hard to find with a nice portrait so it takes some patience.

 

I am in the majority here, #1 for the win.

 

While I don't think the symbols need to have a uniform theme, just doing a quick google search for images of reaping hooks, I'm not sure that it looks like one. Also, it would seem to be an odd way to be holding a reaping hook?

On some examples where the object is clear enough, I think it has some resemblance to depictions of an acrostolium.







The last image taken from this article:
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Navis.html

 

Very nice coins and great write-ups @DonnaML.

Regarding your Antoninus Pius with Marcus Aurelius as Caesar Denarius, I have two friends that recently purchased this type within the last 6 months. I also notice one at my local coin shop and have seen them in greater frequency at auctions.

Do you know of a recent hoard of these being found this year? Or is it all just a coincidence?