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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;kazuma78, post: 5149453, member: 17304&quot;]As this year starts coming to a close, I thought I would do my first ever top 10 list of my purchases this year, as I don’t think it is likely I will make any purchases in December, unless by some chance I round up enough cash to competitively bid on 1 more item. I tried to focus more on quality as opposed to quantity and I believe I only bought a couple more coins than the ones on this list. Towards the end of 2019 I started gravitating more heavily towards ancient coins, as I had acquired some earlier in the year and really felt drawn to them. My first purchase in 2020 was an ancient coin and I continued on that trend the rest of the year. I forsee myself really only collecting ancients moving forward, with the occasional purchase here or there in world/U.S. when I run across a type I have wanted since I began collecting or for an eclectic sub collection of mine. I definitely prefer to freestyle that way.</p><p><br /></p><p>These top 10 are listed in order of when I purchased them during the year (I may have a couple out of order). I’ll do a poll too so I can see what others think are the best ones I’ve rounded up this year for just for my own interests sake.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1208352[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>#1) CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 344-340 BC. AR Nomos (20mm, 7.64 g, 1h). Warrior, nude, holding shield and spear, dismounting from horse rearing left; |- below / Phalanthos, nude, holding helmet, riding dolphin left; below, I above waves. Fischer-Bossert Group 47, 653l (V252/R505 – this coin); Vlasto 440 (same obv. die); HN Italy 876. Deep old iridescent tone, overstruck on uncertain type. EF.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1208350[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>#2) Lucania, Metapontion AR Half Shekel. Punic occupation, circa 215-207 BC. Head of Athena to right wearing crested Corinthian helmet / Ear of barley with leaf to right; owl in flight above leaf, META to left. Robinson, Punic p. 50, 3; SNG ANS 549-50; Jameson 329; HN Italy 1634. 3.52g, 17mm, 7h. Mint State; beautiful iridescent cabinet tone.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1208351[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>#3) Kingdom of Thrace, Lysimachus, 323-281 Tetradrachm, Lampsacus circa 297-281, AR 33 mm, 17.04 g. Diademed head of deified Alexander r., with the horn of Ammon. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ – ΛYΣIMAXOY Athena enthroned l., holding Nike and spear in r. hand and resting l. elbow on shield decorated with medusa; in outer l. field, herm and in inner l. field, monogram. Thompson 50. SNG France 2553. A superb portrait of fine style struck in high relief. Light tone and about extremely fine.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1208353[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>#4) ATTICA, Athens. Circa 454-404 BC. AR Tetradrachm, 17.20 grams, Helmeted head of Athena right, with frontal eye / Owl standing right, head facing, closed tail feathers; olive sprig and crescent to left; all within incuse square. Kroll 8; HGC 4, 1597. Lustrous, well centered and struck on a full flan, almost full crest.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1208356[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>#5) KINGS OF LYDIA. Kroisos, circa 560-546 BC. 1/3 Stater (Silver, 15x11 mm, 3.60 g), Sardes, 560-550. Confronted foreparts of a lion, on the left, and a bull, on the right. Rev. Two incuse squares of unequal size. BMFA 2071. Rose 666. SNG Keckman 359. Very well-struck, attractive and lightly toned. Minted on an irregular flan, otherwise, extremely fine.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1208355[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>#6) PERSIA, Achaemenid Empire, temp. Darios I to Xerxes I. Circa 505-480 BC. AR Siglos. Lydo-milesian standard. Sardes Mint.&nbsp; Persian king kneeling right, drawing bow, quiver at shoulder / Incuse punch. Carradice Type II (pl. 11/12); Sunrise 21; BMC Arabia pl. XXVII, 23. Toned Very Fine.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1208354[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>#7) Tetradrachm circa 474-470, AR 17.40 g. Slow quadriga driven r. by charioteer holding kentron and reins; above, Nike flying r. to crown the horses. Rev. ΣV – RA – KOΣ – ION (partially retrograde) Head of the nymph Arethusa r., wearing pearl diadem, single pendant earring and pearl necklace; around, four dolphins swimming clockwise. de Nanteuil 322 (these dies). Randazzo 487 (these dies). Boehringer 320. Wonderful iridescent tone and about extremely fine.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1208360[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>#8) Mysia, Pergamon AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Circa 166-67 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; the whole within wreath / Two serpents entwined around bow and bowcase; monogram and KT above, civic monogram to left, serpent-entwined thyrsos to right right. Kleiner, Hoard 38; SNG Copenhagen 435; SNG France 1741. 12.44g, 27mm, 12h. Near Mint State.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1208361[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>#9) KINGS OF PAEONIA. Patraos, Circa 335-315 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 24 mm, 12.82 g, 4 h). Laureate head of Apollo to right. <i>Rev.</i> Π-[Ο]-ΡΤΑΥ Paeonian horseman, wearing crested helmet and full armor, galloping to right and spearing fallen Macedonian soldier. Paeonian Hoard I, 461. Paeonian Hoard II, 194. SNG ANS 1040 <i>(same obverse die)</i>. Boldly struck, toned and attractive. Extremely fine.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1208362[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>#10) I didn’t quite have 10 ancient coins for this year, so this is the next oldest thing I bought.</p><p><br /></p><p>SPAIN, 1727 F Philip V (KM-297, Calico 961): Segovia (Ag) 2 Reales. Fully struck and sharp details all around; silver-white colour, shimmering lustrous surfaces.</p><p>NGC MS 66[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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