Post a coin that caught your eye and made you buy it even though it's not in your collecting area

My example for this thread is the same as yours... and Steve was responsible for it too .


ISLAMIC, Seljuks. Rum. Ghiyath al-Din Kay Khusraw II bin Kay Qubadh.
AR Dirham. 2.98g, 23mm. Qunya (Konya) mint, Dated AH 639 (AD 1241/2). Broome 166; Izmirlier 403; Album 1218. O: “Name of the Caliph”, Lion walking to right; above, radiant sun with human face; to left and below lion, star. R: “Titles of Kay Khusraw, mint and date”, inscription in central square and around.

 

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Well heck. Now I must post one too I don't remember whose influence caused this purchase. Steve's? Anoob's? I don't plan on buying more from this period of time but do not regret this particular purchase. It's a very cool coin


SELJUKS OF RUM, Ghiyath al-Din Kay Khusraw II bin Kay Qubadh
Konya mint, CE 1241/2 (AH 639)
Silver Dirhem
Obv: lion advancing right; facing sun and star above, two stars below
Rev: legend across field
Ref: Broome 243G; Izmirlier 403; Album 1218
formerly slabbed

 

Remember to bring your tigers to the SRC meeting next week.

Or you can dress as the face of the sun if you prefer.

 

Well, I'm flattered that you dudes liked my coin ...

=> ummm, as per usual, I'm pretty sure that Mentor posted the example that lured me onto that coin-ledge?




Hey, if you liked that coin, then you'll probably also be intrigued by the hawk-type as well? (again, Mentor told me about this type ... it took me a while to find it, but I did!!)

ISLAMIC, Mongols. Ilkhanids. Arghun.
AR Dirham
AH 683-690 / AD 1284-1291
Astarabad mint
Diameter: 17 mm
Weight: 2.75 grams
Obverse:
Reverse: Hawk type



Meep-meep!!

 

I have 2 that I bought at the same time so I consider it one , both are medals



Both are Dutch medals, and although they are restrikes these things are huge (about 70mm) and are high relief.

 

Hi,

I do specialize in the "scetta" and "styca" coinage of Northumbria, and would be happy to discuss your coin.

FitzNigel is correct, this is an irregular issue thought to be of the time of civil war and the breakdown of effective control of the minting of coins by the political institution. Political strife was frequent in Northumbria during the late 8th and early-mid 9th century. After 793, Viking attacks became more frequent as well, which contributed to the mess. Stycas were presumably a domestic currency, as they lacked considerable amounts of precious metal and would likely have been of little interest to Viking raiders or European merchants. It is not clear when the irregular coins were manufactured- most favor a mid-9th century date, but probably there were imitative coins produced throughout much of the early 9th century

The coin imitates known stycas of earlier times. Your example has some wear, but I was able to identify a die match in one of my references- Pirie 2056- which exists at the Yorkshire museum. There are 10 stycas of the same die pair in the Yorkshire museum. One is pictured in the Pirie book. The Pirie book is not an inviting reference, and it's usually not so cheap, so unless you are looking to specialize in this field I do not recommend picking it up.

Its obverse shows what appears to be +ECEVAID (retrograde)
Its reverse shows +EADVINI (retrograde)

This coin is likely an imitation mashup of two earlier coins-
The obverse mimics the stycas of Aelfwald II which are typically spelled out FLEVALDVS
The reverse mimics the moneyer Eadwine, usualls spelled out EADVINI

Eadwine the moneyer only coined for King Eanred, Aelfwald's successor (as far as we know) so that's why it likely is a mashup.

I have examples of Aelfwald II and Eanred/Eadwine coins in my Northumbrian gallery if you'd like to see:
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5403

Your coin was probably produced in the 840s or 850s, though it could be earlier.

 

Wow thank you for the information I appreciate it. Those are some awesome coins you got, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of these sweet little coins

 

I really do try to be disciplined and to limit myself to my focus areas of Elymais and Parthia. But for years I'd been hearing the alluring sound of the Kushan Empire...and, in particular, of Kushan tets. A local coin dealer made me an offer I could not refuse on the Vima Kadphises below. Since then I've picked up about another dozen Kushans, at a leisurely pace. It's very much a third tier collecting interest. Kushan AE's are, of course, often in miserable shape, so I try to bide my time, waiting for slightly above average - but still cheap - examples. Two additional pics below - each showing the better side of two different Kanishka I tets. No eye candy here, but I like them.

 

It never hurts to take a small break from collecting LRBS and Siliquae!

OBVERSE – "Ginza" / "Jouze" ; Ginza is the foundry that makes silver coins; The tokugawa shogunate gave the right to make silver coins to "daikoku jouze"; Cherry blossoms stamped around the edge
REVERSE – "ichibu gin" with the casting date below; Cherry blossoms stamped around the edge
Weight-8.6 grams
Diameter-15 MM X 23 MM
AR Ichibu-Gin

 

I have a couple of oddballs that I consider "outside" my main collecting interests. I'm mostly in the "if it's a coin, I collect it" camp, but this one followed me home from a coin show today. I actually literally went to this show not intending to buy, but this thing found me:



ETRURIA or UMBRIA
Uncertain city. 3rd century BC
AE Aes Grave Uncia
Club / Mark of value (one pellet)
18.34 g, 22-26 mm
HN Italy 55; SNG France 73; SNG Gale 13 var (two pellets)

Normally I don't go for ancient bronze (in part due to an extreme paranoia about bronze disease), and this is my one and only cast coin as well. I think I got a decent deal comparing it to other similar examples at auction. Although I don't know a lot about these coins, the price was good enough and my confidence in the seller high enough that I pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, because of the low contrast on the surfaces, you can't see the reverse pellet very well in the picture, but it's definitely there.

My other outstanding oddball is also an ancient, and my one and only fourrée (a Gordian III denarius). I bought it because I thought it was cool to have a "real fake," and it was only $10. (Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of this one.)

 

Neat coin. You could have gone with an early Caracalla though.

What denomination is that? Obol? I think I've seen that exact coin somewhere. Vcoins mayhaps?

 

Hemidrachm. I've posted it here before.

 

Possibly but I don't know. I got mine in February 2010 which is before we got booted from that other site. I have tried hard to be a good influence of Steve but some of my coins have influenced him more than others. I have seen a few coins of his that made me want one, too. In this case, which came first? I don't know.



Note we have several variations on this theme. Steve has stars under the lion while I have crescents. There are legend differences. I do not know enough about the details to say anything on them.

 

Well, while we're posting coins of @stevex6's that make people want to go out and get one, here's one of his that totally speaks to me (and yes, it's way outside the boundaries of the rest of my collection):

Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine, Theobald II
1303-1312


I love pretty much everything about this coin. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find another one like it, so I had to cheat and repost @stevex6's pic.

 

Glad you like that one (that is one of my favourites as well ... actually, all of the coins from Lorraine are pretty fricken cool)

 

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I wanted a large Seleucid coin and I wasn't picky about who was on it. This one caught my eye.

 

Actually, I disagree- those Kushan AE count as eye candy as far as I'm concerned! But you're right, these coins are usually in such miserable condition that it's hard to work up much enthusiasm. I think another limiting factor in getting collectors enthusiastic about the Kushan series is the lack of silver issues, which means there is no "intermediate" level of collecting- you jump straight from the (often ugly, but at least cheap) bronzes straight to the gold coinage, which, although not quite as pricey as most other ancient gold, is still not what I'd consider cheap by any means.

 

I always grin when I look at this coin and think in 500 BC they probably had nothing much to do but be a bit naughty, no TV or i phones..........I had to have one. Thasos AR Drachm, Copenhagen 1014-16, 3.73gm.

 

I was minding my own business looking at US coins on Heritage when this popped up. No real reason. I wasn't looking for it but just had to have it.

 

That's a fantastic coin! How would I go about finding one like that? Or even a Roman one like that?