A week ago I picked up a bargain batch of five coins. It included these two Roman coins. NERO & wife POPPAEA Alexandria, Egypt Billon Tetradrachm A.D. 62-65 11.63 gms, 24.5 mm Obv: Rad. Head of Nero facing right. Rev: Bust of wife Poppaea facing right. Grade: Good to Very Good details with dark chocolate color including some corrosion & sizeable planchet split at 1:00. Other: Sear 713. Poppaea was Nero’s second wife. She died from the effects of a kick to the stomach by Nero. From Ken Viets Coins September 2013.
Constantine I (The Great) AE3 A.D. 307-337 3.43 gms, 18.3 mm Obv: Laur. Bust r. wearing imperial mantle CONSTANTINUS.AVG Rev: Altar with globe atop inscribed with VO/TIS/XX. BEATA TRANQVILLITAS with STR in exergue. Other: a good Fine. Sear 3870. From Ken Viets Coins Sept 2013.
Good stuff! I've bought a few high-end pieces (for me), but I get just as much collecting satisfaction finding decent bargain bin coins. Those have strong portraits, legends, pleasing color - nice finds.
Nice, congrats, I believe this is the easiest way you can get a coin with Poppaea's image on a coin too. I have been eyeing these more and more just so I can have an example with her image for my empresses. Ive seen AEs with her from LYDIA, Thyateira & Thrakien, Perinthos, but they are expensive.
Poppaea did not wear an elephant skin headdress and had her name on the reverse left. This is the personification of Alexandria. My Poppaea really is a junker but you can see the two pi's at the left. The reverse legend on Alexandria's coin read AVTO KPA (autocrator). Obviously, acsearch has a better one than mine: http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=659482
I like the Nero coin very much. Perhaps it is because I own one very much like it. Nero/Alexandria AR Billon Tetradrachm
Not sure if your missing some of the date on your Nero coin. I believe that the regal date reads year 1. So struck 54AD.
Year 1 would be LA. LI is ten; LIB is 12. I believe my Poppaea is LI but there are some LIA coins and mine is weak there.
I'm sorry, I don't understand completely. Are you saying that the lady on my coin is not Poppaea but rather she is the personification of Alexandria? I don't see a listing in my Sear book for a Billon Tetradrachm of Nero with a personification of Alexandria. Is there a Sear number or perhaps it is not in the single Sear book. (I suspect I can't find it because I'm looking around the pages for Nero & Poppaea). I appreciate your help.
These are the references I have listed in my catalog: Köln 172-174; Curtis 36-54, Dattari 204, SGI 633, RPC 5289.
If you have Sear Greek Imperial Coins, your coin is #633. The Poppaea is #664. Both are illustrated with good photos of absolutely gorgeous coins. You never see these this nice. If you believe Sear, the Poppaea is worth twice the Alexandria so I'd ask the seller for a correction or return it for refund.
Thanks for the information. This coin is one of five unatributed coins that I got for a couple dollars each. Now I'm just trying to determine what they are. The only book I currently have for Roman coins is "Roman Coins and their values by David R Sear. It depicts Poppaea number 713 which is how I incorrectly identified my coin. The Poppaea portrait (which I now understand is really the personification of Alexandria) & the LI seemed to match my Sear book's photo. Of course, I had no clue that I was looking in the wrong Sear book. BTW, I think I can see the AV on my coin which may be part of the AVTO KPA you say is on the Alexandria coin. Thanks again.
Sear's Roman book has rather few provincial coins for most periods but he does list several 12 Caesars provincials. That was obviously his time period of interest. His Greek Imperial book usually only has a coin or two from a city for each ruler so it is not to be expected that you will find exact matches for many coins but he did make a good effort to select common coins you are likely to see so the book is more useful than you might think if you read between the lines a bit. A 'complete' book of provincials has been started and will eventually make a huge shelf full with several rulers (Septimius Severus and Gordian III included) being hard to fit in one book each.
