Post your best ugliest ancients

And there was me thinking this thread was about ugly coins! I think that one is beautiful... Although I grant you that most of your others are even more so!

 

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I typically avoid “ugly” coins, but then again beauty is in the eye of the beholder or at least the one holding the coin. Here are a few of my less attractive coins. Now don’t judge a book by its cover, but by the content within. For each of these “beauties” has a story to tell:

• Marcus Aurelius of Odessos, Moesia Inferior. AD 161-162 AE 22mm, 6.89g
• Obverse: ΑV ΚΑΙ ΜΑΡ ΑVΡΗ ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝOC; bare head to right
• Reverse: ΟΔΗϹϹЄΙΤΩΝ; Herakles standing to right, resting arm on club and holding lion skin
• References:
  • Varbanov, 4314 and 4317 var.
  • Berlin 1902, 1064
  • RPC Online IV.1, 8205
• Did you ever regret not purchasing a coin? Come on admit it, we all experienced distress over the one that got away. About 20+ years ago I had the opportunity to purchase a higher grade version of this coin. It was listed as extremely rare (1of 4 known - all die matched) but I thought for sure another copy would show up for auction. We’ll I was right, it only took about 20 years, but another one finally came up for action (precious, my precious). This is probably the most warn, ugliest coin I own.

• Pamphylia, Perge - Herennia Etruscilla Augusta (249-251 AD) AE 23mm, 5.7 g
• Obverse: ƐΡƐΝ ΑΙΤΡΟΥϹΚΙΛΛΑΝ ϹƐ; diademed and draped bust of Etruscilla, right
• Reverse: ΠƐΡΓΑΙΩΝ; Tyche standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia.
• References:
  • Lindgren Vol 1, plate 1132
  • RPC Online IX, 1105 (specimen #2)
• This coin has a ragged, course texture with a deep green patina. However you might find it more attractive if you knew that it is an extremely rare coin. There are only two known specimens, mine and the one that belonged to the great Henry Clay Lindgren (Lindgren Vol 1, plate 1132). Both coins are a perfect die match.

• Pontos, Amisos (Time of Aemilian) (284 AD) AE 22mm, 7.74 g
• Obverse: AMICOY ΕΛEYΘEPAC; Head of Dionysos right wearing ivy leaf crown
• Reverse: ETOYC CΠΔ; Vertical filleted thyrsus
• References:
  • SNG France VII, 1467 (specimen #1)
  • RecGen Vol 1, Part 2, page 59, no. 63
  • Imhoof KM Vol 1, page 2, no. 6, plate I.2 (specimen #2)
  • RPC Online IX, 1233 (specimen #3, this coin)

• Oh boy does this little lady have a story to tell. At first glance she doesn’t look like much, a bit worn and rough around the edges. She has definitely seen better days. But considering there are only 3 known copies (all die matched), one at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) (SNG France 7), one at Staatliche Museen Berlin (Imhoof KM 1), and the one in my private collection she’s beginning to look a lot better. I believe the coin located at the BnF museum, and shown in SNG France VII (referenced as Michailovitch 1223), was previously owned by the Russian Grand Duke Georgii Michailovitch before he was executed in 1919 as part of the Bolshevik Revolution. I've been corresponding with BnF and Julie Dalaison (author of SNG France VII) to verify and confirm the BnF coins lineage. I purchased mine from well known coin dealer Kenneth W. Dorney and have not been able to determine it's lineage. Based on the coins rarity it seems like it should have been in a European museum. How I was able to acquire it is still a big mystery. I told you she had an interesting story.

 

I don't buy ugly coins, ancient or not.

 

For my collecting interests, I couldn't get by without buying ugly coins.

Here's my newest ugly "plate coin," published in David Sear's (1974/1987) Byzantine Coins and Their Values (No 1612). And my first coin of this ruler:

Nicephorus I, with Stauracius, Æ Follis (20mm, 3.34 g, 6h), struck in Syracuse c. 803-811.





I've shown some of my others from the Byzantine series too many times already.
But my John Ducas Vatatzes AE Tetarteron is a favorite. First photographed by Goodacre (from a cast) around 1931, but had been illustrated by Leon Dardel (admittedly not his best work!) for de Saulcy (1842) and Sabatier (1862).




a few others posted not long ago here: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-artistic-beauty-of-byzantium-coins.355508/page-2#post-24875513