This was a very difficult process this year. I had to make some brutal decision to get this down to a top 10. There are many others that deserve to be on the list as well. In short, it has been a good year for my collection imho. I hope that you agree. 1.Vespasian (69-79). AR Denarius (18.08mm, 3.50g, 6h). Rome, AD 75. Obv: Bare head l. R IMP CEASAR VESPASIANUS AUG Rev: Pax seated l., resting l. elbow on throne and holding branch. PON MAX TRP COS VI RIC II 773 (this coin); RSC –. Extremely Rare variety, near VF. Ex Vecchi sale 13, 1998, 757. Ex: St Paul Antiques auction 7 Lot 285 June 11, 2017 Coin depicted in the Wildwinds.com database. This is my #1 this year. I was very fortunate to get this one. It was in an obscure auction where I only had one other bidder who knew what it was competing with me. If this was in a more popular auction it is quite possible that the bidding would have been beyond me. It is a special coin because it is mentioned in RIC II Part 1. It is designated as R3-the only one known. There are only 2 types of denarii of Vespasian with a bare head. The other type has about 7 known examples, and the type below is only known from this example pictured. 2.Eleanor of Aquitaine (1137-1204) Anglo-Gallic Aquitaine Denier (17.93 mm 0.69 g 12h) 12h (E 11; W 9; S 8011 Obv: two cross patt‚e divided by a pellet, m above, a below, +dvcis it, Rev. +aqvitanie, cross patte Coins and historical medals from the collection formed by the late Revd. Charles Campbell Dix Noonan Webb Online Auction September 13, 2017 Lot 163 I searched for a coin of Eleanor for more than a year. When this one popped up it was buried in a group lot. I have no idea why, it is in excellent condition for the issue. Eleanor was the husband of 2 kings and the mother of 2 kings. She is one of the most fascinating women of medieval history. 3.GALBA, A.D. 68-69. AR Denarius (3.38 gms), Rome Mint, ca. A.D. July 68-January 69.. Obv: "IMP SER GALBA CAESAR AVG PM" Laureate bust of Galba facing right; Rev:: Virtus standing facing, holding parazonium upwards and leaning on vertical spear. NGC Ch F, Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5. RIC-236 Provenance: From the Graywood Collection. Coin depicted in the Wildwinds.com database. I am always on the lookout for rare or interesting coins for my 12 Caesars collection. This one appeared in a Stack's Bowers auction and I did not have much competition for it. The outstanding feature of this coin is the very distinctive portrait of Galba. The other interesting feature is the VIRTUS reverse. This is a rare coin and I am very happy that it is part of my collection. 4.Nero. A.D. 61. AR denarius (18.40 mm, 3.37 g, 7 h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Obv: NERO CAESAR AVG IMP, bare head right Rev: PONTIF MAX TR P VIII COS IIII P P, EX S C across field, Roma standing right, holding and inscribing shield supported on knee, foot on helmet; dagger and bow at feet to right. RIC 34 (R3); RSC 231. aVF, toned. Rare. From the D. Thomas Collection; Ex Hohn Leipziger Munzhandlung. Auction 85 June 2-4 2016 Lot 1832 Ex: Agora Auctons sale 68 Lot 195 August 15 2017. In my 12 Caesars collection I have a really nice Nero with the standards reverse. However, for the last year I had wanted to acquire a pre-reform denarius of Nero. When this can up for sale I knew I had to have it. Yes I know the surfaces are reticulated, but I love the look of it. Like all pre-reform denarii of Nero, it is not easy to find one of these on the market. When they do appear there is plenty of competition for them. 5.Roman Empire, Vespasian 69-79, Denarius, (17.49 mm 3.24g) Obv: Laureate head of Vespasian right "IMP CAESAR VESPAS AVG COS II TRPPP" Rev: "AVG" within an wreath, Phi-Alpha monogram above ties. "AVG" in the center. RIC 1414(R3). Ephesos mint, Some roughness on the reverse. Ex Savoca Auction #9, lot 533 8/21/16, realized 350 Euro + buyer's fee Lot 152 Aegean Nuismatics Agora Auctions July 20. 2017. Coin depicted in the Wildwinds.com database Yet another rare Vespasian denarius. I had to have this one because I wanted one minted in Ephesus. I really like the portrait style of the Ephesian denarii. This one is in very nice condition with what I believe to be a standout portrait. I have 5 coins of Vespasian, and probably will not stop with this one. There is plenty of variety in both the obverse and reverse types of his coins. 6.Valentinianus I, 364-375. AV Solidus 364/367, Antioch. Offizina Z. ( 20.70 mm 3.90 g) Obv: D N VALENTINI - ANVS P F AVG Draped, cuirassed bust with pearl diadem to r. Rev. RESTITVTOR REI PVBLICAE Emperor standing facing with labarum and victory on globus. In exergue ANTZ•. RIC 2a. C. 28. Thin graffito on obv. Edge slightly clipped. Fine. Sincona Auction #41 October 23, 2017. I was genuinely surprised when I received this coin in the mail. In the auction house photo the coin is dull, looks quite worn, and has graffiti. The photo is probably why I got it at the price I did. Upon examining the coin i realized that it has a beautiful soft lustre to it that cannot be captured in a photo. I also noticed that the graffiti was much lighter in reality than in the photo. It was was also clear to me that the wear was not as pronounced as it appeared in the photo. To be honest, the graffiti did not bother me anyway because imho it adds interest to the coin. The overall condition was however a pleasant surprise. 7.Valens, 364-378 Solidus Nicomedia circa 364-367, AV (20.5mm., 3.93g.) Obv: Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. Emperor standing facing, head right, holding labarum and Victory on globe. In exergue, SMNS. RIC IX Nicomedia 2c; Sear 19556; Dep. 18/2; Cohen 32. Naville Numismatics Auction 31 Lot 559 Coin depicted in the Wildwinds.com database. I knew months ago that I wanted solidii of a pair of brothers who ruled opposite ends of the empire. I thought their story was interesting. This coin is the one I bought first. I liked the graffiti and the normal wear on the coin reminded me that actual people handled and used these coins almost 1700 years ago. I am glad now to have both of these coins in my collection. I may in the future try to pick up more solidii from this time period. 8.Heraclius (AD 610-641) & Heraclius Constantine (AD 613-641). AV solidus (14.27 mm 4.46 gm). XF. Carthage, Indictional Year 9, 1st cycle (AD 620/1). OBV: D N ЄRACLIO ЄT ЄRACOS P P Θ, facing busts of Heraclius, with short beard (on left) and Heraclius Constantine, smaller and beardless (on right), each wearing chlamys and crown, cross in field above Rev: VICTORI-A AVGG Θ, cross potent on three steps; CONOB in exergue. Sear 867. Ex: Heritage Auctions September 14, 2017 The reason for buying this coin was simple-I wanted a gold coin minted in Carthage. I really like this little chunk of gold. It is the weight of a normal solidus but the diameter is only 14 mm. This means the flan in much thicker than that of a normal diameter solidus. I also bought this coin because I wanted to add another Byzantine gold coin to my collection. 9.MAURICE,GOLDSolidus, AD 582-602 (21.16 mm 4.55 g) Obv: Facg bust, DN MAURC TIB PP AUG Rev: Angel stg, VICTORIA AVGGB; EF, not badly struck with only minor crudeness, sharp portrait details. Sb 478, Frank Robinson Auctions August 15 2017 Lot 443 When I bought this coin I was on the hunt for another Byzantine solidus. This time I wanted one with a nice strike and very clear details. So, when this one popped up in one of Frank Robinson's auctions I put in a bid. I was not disappointed when I received the coin. As usual Frank was very accurate in his description. 10.France; François I (1515-1547) gold Écu d'or au soleil. Attractive lustrous issue Nice lustre with minor nick and scratch. 3.3gr .917 gold. Duplessy 775; Fr. 345 The Canadian Numismatic Auction Company. November 2017 public TOREX Auction, Lot 518 I have looked at many listings for French Hammered gold. I just received this one in the mail today and knew immediately it would be one of my top coins of the year. I bought this in a Canadian auction and got it for what I think was a very good price. I have wanted a coin of Francois I for my historical figures collection for a while. However, I had a difficult decision to make, did I want the silver portrait coin or the gold coin with no portrait. As it turned out the price of this gold coin was much less than that of the silver portrait coin so it was an easy decision in the end. Thanks for reading my list. Please feel free to post any relevant coins.
I'm sure many will pick the gold, but I have to say the Eleanor of Aquitaine is my favorite. That is something I would love to own, especially since I like medievals as much as ancients. Good year for you otherwise, congrats.
All great coins, but I love number 5 Vespasian with it's fantastic detail and rareness. Congrats on ten coins all with great eye appeal.
I love the artistic style of #5! That has a great feeling to it. The obverse really deserves a reshoot to get a more focused image. John
Nice! I like 1 and 5 the best. Not because I'm more into Vespasian that mother emperors but because I just think they are both winners. Well played sir.
Cool! That is a very well executed portrait, especially when you think it is denarius size and not life size. I like the wreath on the reverse as well. I would have left off the outer border of dots. It seems a little redundant after the bold wreath framing the design. They probably had to follow iso-mmmmmmmmm standards back then which required the dots.
Thanks Mat. The Eleanor was almost #1. Strictly speaking these are not rare coins. However, they rarely appear for sale.
Thanks Nicholas. The Valens is definitely one of my favourites. It has just enough wear to make it obvious that this coin passed through some hands and was spent on something.
Boy, it's hard to pick a favourite from these, a "brutal decision" you faced indeed! Although I must say I don't feel too badly for you... I especially covet the bare-headed Vespasian, the Ephesian Vespasian, the Galba, the Eleanor, and the Valentinian solidus. (Only half, I restrained myself...)
