Hi all! This is my top 10 list of ancients that I have acquired in 2021! This is my first time making one. Lots of these coins were bought from budget auctions and eBay. As some of you know, I collect antoniniani, so that's what all but one of these coins are. I've ordered them in chronological order. Hope you enjoy 1. Hostilian (As Augustus) Antoninianus Obverse: IMP C MES QVINTVS AVG - Radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right Reverse: PIETAS AVGG - Mercury stg l., holding purse and caduceus Rome mint Surprisingly scarce antoninianus of Hostilian as Augustus, combined with the shorter obverse inscription from Rome mint. Only one other on acsearch. Bought from eBay (misdescribed as Probus) 2. Postumus Antoninianus (Bust of Postumus as Hercules) Obverse: POSTVMVS AVG - Radiate bust left, holding club over right shoulder, lion's head on left shoulder Reverse: ORIENS AVG - Sol advancing left holding raising right hand and holding whip in left. Cologne mint (?) Possibly an irregular imitation, as the coin appears plated and is very light (1.58g). Unpublished bust type with ORIENS AVG reverse Bought from eBay as part of a large lot (I didn't know this coin was in there when I bought it lol) 3. Aurelian Antoninianus - AETERNIT AVG (Unpublished) Obverse: IMP AVRELIANVS AVG - Radiate, cuirassed and draped with paludamentum, seen from rear, facing right. One pellet below bust Reverse: AETERNIT AVG - Sol standing left, raising right hand, globe in left hand Cyzicus mint. Unpublished. Not in ric.mom.fr Bought from Roma Numismatics 4. Claudius II Gothicus - Wolf & Twins Obverse: IMP C MAVR CLAVDIVS AVG - Bust right, radiate, cuirassed and draped with paludamentum, seen from front. 2 pellets (?) below bust Reverse: P M TR PO P P - She-wolf standing right, head turned left, suckling the infant Romulus and Remus. SPQR below. Smyrna mint. Bought from Demos Auctions as part of a large lot 5. Claudius II Gothicus - VICTORIAE GOTHIC Obverse: IMP CLAVDIVS P F AVG - Bust right, radiate, cuirassed and draped with paludamentum, seen from rear. Two pellets below bust Reverse: VICTORIAE GOTHIC - Trophy of arms, with a bound captive on each side Cyzicus mint A relatively common coin in pretty fantastic condition Bought from Roma Numismatics as part of a large lot. 6. Claudius II - MARS L VLTOR (Unpublished) Obverse: IMP CLAVDIVS AVG - Radiate, cuirassed bust right Reverse: MARS L VLTOR - Mars walking right, holding transverse spear pointing forward in right hand and trophy over left shoulder in left hand. Rome mint Unpublished reverse legend Bought from eBay as part of a large lot 7. Tetricus II "As Cesar" Obverse: C PI ESV TETRICVS CESAR - Radiate bust facing right Reverse: SPES AVGG - Spes walking left, holding flower in right hand and raising skirt with left hand Uncertain mint (probably barbarous) The only example of an antoninianus I can find with the fully spelled out title of "CESAR" (sic) Bought from eBay 8. Probus Antoninianus - TEMPR FELICI (sic!) Obverse: IMP C PROBVS P F AVG - Radiate, cuirassed bust right Reverse: TEMPR FELICI (sic!) - Felicitas standing right, holding caduceus and cornucopiae, I below bust Lugdunum mint. Ex Linchmere Hoard (1924) Bought on eBay, ex. Lawrences Auctioneers 9. Carausius Antoninianus - Bust Left Obverse: VIRTVS CARAVSI AVG - Radiate, bust wearing imperial mantle and facing left, holding eagle-tipped sceptre Reverse: PAX AVG - Pax standing left, holding olive branch and vertical sceptre. F-O in field, ML in exergue London mint. This coin is in pretty horrible condition, but is at least identifiable. Bought on eBay as part of a large lot. 10. Decentius Centenionalis *Not my coin any more* Obverse: D N DECENTIVS NOB CAES - bare-headed and cuirassed bust to right Reverse: VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE - two Victories standing facing each other, holding between them a wreath surmounted by a Chi-Rho and inscribed VOT V MVLT X in four lines; AMB(pellet in crescent) in exergue Ambianum mint I bought this on eBay as well, and the seller's photos were terrible. I ended up selling this at a Roma Numismatics auction, as it doesn't fit in my collection of antoniniani. It went for £480 :O (bought it for £12) I hope you enjoyed this list! Feel free to share any relevant coins in the comments
Harry, My favorite is #10, the Decentius Centenionalis, & congrats on the slick turnover . My 2nd favorite is #5, the Claudius II victory ant., followed by #8, the Probus ant. from the 1924 Linchmere Hoard .
Lets hope the buyer is not a member of this forum I voted for coin no. 5, (the Claudius II, which is of fantastic quality) and no. 7, Tetricus II.
Voted for #5 (it is THE coin of Claudius Gothicus to have, after all, and it's in excellent condition); #10 (because of the superb portrait and the Amiens mint); and #1 (because I find it funny that Pietas is symbolized by Mercurius holding a purse full of cash).
You had a great year, @Harry G! This period of the "barracks emperors" is very interesting numismatically and historically. You have found some interesting varieties and made some discoveries. I hope 2022 is good to you and your collection.
@Harry G congrats on your year, and first Top 10! I chose #3, #5, and #10 - it is always interesting to see where the crowd leans. Best wishes for 2022!
Some excellent examples, although they're not as spectaculars as some we usually see at this time of the year. That's what one gets when specializing : absolute rarities ! My vote goes to #4 as I have a soft spot for the wolf and twins theme, and a similar one should be in my trays at the moment, awaiting to be in my 2021 Top too Thanks for sharing Q
Very fine choice. I'll vote for Decentius. It's scarce and in pretty condition for the type. Cheers..
