So I purchased both of these on the 22nd of December from Warren Etsy. He mailed them out the same day and I didn't expect them to arrive until mid January at best and was planning on them being my first coins of 2021. Imagine my surprise when they arrived yesterday. Only 6 short days to cross the country. Whereas it took almost a full month for my wife's Christmas present to travel 800 miles. Regardless, I am happy to have them! They were purchased off of his "inexpensive" page. In my opinion, inexpensive doesn't mean garbage and I think these 2 are definitely not garbage. Please feel free to share anything you deem relevant. Let's finish the last few days of this awful year strong with some great coins! Arcadius AE4 383-408 AD Obverse: DN ARCADIVS PF AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right Reverse: SALVS REI-PVBLICAE, Victory walking left, holding trophy over shoulder and dragging captive behind her. Chi-Rho in left field Ex: Warren Etsy Maximinus II AE Follis 312 AD Obverse: MAXIMINVS PF AVG, laureate head right Reverse: IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter standing left, holding Victory on globe and leaning on sceptre, wreath left, Epsilon right Mintmark dot SM dot TS dot Ex: Warren Etsy
Thanks. The Arcadius is my favorite I think. It's so small but it has great detail and I really like the depiction of Victory. Shame the mint isn't visible.
Nice coins, especially the Maximinus II. To help finish the year, here's my smallest coin, an obol of Bacrtria. Bactria, Circa 171-145 BCE Silver obol Eucratides I (Eukratides) Weight: 0.60 gm., Diameter: 9 mm. Die axis: 11 h Obv. Helmeted and diademed bust of king facing right, dotted border around, Rev. Caps and palms of the Dioscuri Greek legend: BAΣIΛEΩΣ EYKPATIΔOY (of King Eucratides) MIG 181a, Bop 9C
Wow. That is a nice looking coin. I don't think we have anything as small as 9mm in our collection. The die engravers were amazing back then!
Thank you. It's a very nice little coin and there's a story behind it. The obol came as a gift with another coin that I purchased this year. The seller's son seems to have traded the coin I ordered with a friend of his (for a roll of circulated Morgans, as I recall) without his dad's knowledge. That was a really rare imitative tetradrachm of Athens, Sabakes, as I recall. Needless to say I was disappointed, so he sent another tetradrachm, at a reduced price, along with the obol. The seller was in Kabul, Afghanistan as part of his job, and he picked up some ancients while there, including this obol.
That's a great story! I don't know the original coin in question, but I think you ended up with the better part of the deal
Those are both nice coins. It is a shame that your plans for the 2021 list have been foiled but now you will have to apply yourself even more diligently to have ten even better next year.
We certainly will try! FFIVN and I have been looking through our 2020 coins and trying to figure out how to best assemble our "Top 10". He has his top 5 already. I'm still working on all of mine. Our lists may not come out until after January 1st lol.
I got a few coins yesterday from Naville - there should be some more on their way to me, but who knows when they'll arrive - from the US and Italy. Plus, I have to pay for some from Elsen, which I will do tomorrow, but they're not back at work until next Monday, so the coins from there will arrive in 2021 for sure. Anyway, these may be the last arrivals for me for 2020. Bronze of Philip V. Apparently ex-Clain-Stefanelli collection, but it was mis-described as a rare Athens issue in the auction. Sorry about the lighting! Anchor symbol denarius - Cr. 50/2. This coin is actually much darker than it appears here - it looks like my setup is better for taking photos of fairly bright silver coins. I'll try this again. M. Vargunteius denarius - Cr. 257/1. C. Curiatius F. Trigeminus denarius - Cr. 240/1a. This one is depicted in Banti - Curiatia 4/5 - and was in a Ratto Fixed Price List in 1970 (list 4, no. 191). Roll on 2021 ATB, Aidan.
That is an excellent seller you are mentioning: Augustuscoins, very studious and knowledgeable. His name is Warren Esty, not Etsy.
Arcadius are kinda ruddy in my collection. You have a nice one, @furryfrog02 Here is one of my Arc: RI Arcadius AR Siliqua 383-408 CE Roma Seated l holding globe with Victory; VIRTVS ROMANORVM RIC 106b 88 cat no MAXIMINUS II RI Maximinus II Daia 305-308 CE Folles AE 26mm Trier mint GENIO POPV-LI Genius-Serapis stndg RIC VI Treveri 667b
