Post Your Best !!!

Hello everyone. I have procrastinated a while about attempting this post, and finally decided to go for it. After looking at the pinned "post your" topics, I didn't see one that had this theme. I hope it is found worthy of contributing to.
I have seen so many gorgeous ancients posted here by too many members to mention, and thought it would be nice to have a thread dedicated to simply the best coins our members care to show the world.
I'm talking about the best condition, strike, theme/subject, toning/patina, etc...
Not necessarily the rarest, or most expensive.
The ones you would show to make folks drool on their keyboards.
A thread to revisit occasionally, and add to with new acquisitions.
Our tastes can vary greatly i know, but usually, we appreciate beautiful coinage that may be outside our taste/preference/wheelhouse.

While I do possess a few ancient coins, none of mine would belong here. Unfortunately for me, my taste far exceeds my wallet.

Edit: Without further ado... please feel free to make us say "WOW"

 

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I think I have two that could be considered “wow” Coins. For me these are well preserved and beautiful designs. One of historical significance, and the other a rarity.


Kingdom of Bactria
Menander I r. c. 165/55-130 B.C.
AR Drachm, 15.71mm x 2.5 grams
Obv.: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ / ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΥ. Diademed bust of the sovereign right, coat fastened on the right shoulder
Rev.: (Maharajasa tratarasa / Menamdrasa). Athena Alkidemos standing left. Monogram 'H' in right field
Ref.: Bopearachchi, Ménandre (I) Sôter, 67


Provincial Rome - Phrygia
Caracalla, r. 198-217 A.D.
Hieropolis, AE30, 30 mm x 12.36 grams
Obv.: AV K M AVP ANTΩNΕINO/C. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: ΙΕ POΠ ΛEITΩN. Nemesis, wearing polos, standing facing, head right, holding rein or halter. To right Serapis, enthroned left with Cerberus at feet.
Ex Group CEM

 

This is harder than one might originally think. I have coins that are beautiful to me, and perhaps the best example I've seen; however, members may think otherwise. With that in mind, here are a couple of coins I think could qualify:

MACRINUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, laureate & cuirassed bust with short beard right
REVERSE: PONTIF MAX TR P COS P P, Securitas standing left, holding scepter & leaning on column
Struck at Rome, 217 AD
3.15, 20mm
RIC 24, RSC 62, BMC 40

SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right
REVERSE: FVNDATOR PACIS, Septimius, togate and veiled, standing left holding olive branch
Struck at Rome, 202-210 AD
3.3g, 18mm,
RIC 265, RSC 205, BMC 330

SEVERUS ALEXANDER
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: P M TR P X COS III P P, Sol, radiate. standing left with raised hand and globe
Struck at Rome, 231 AD
3.4g, 20mm
RIC 109

VOLUSIAN
AE30
OBVERSE: AVTOK K G AFIN GAL OVEND OVOLOCCIANOC CEB, radiate and draped bust right
REVERSE: ANTIOXEWN MHTRO KOLWN D-e, SC below, Tyche seated facing within tetrastyle temple, the river-god Orontes swimming beneath her, ram leaping right above
Struck at Syria-Antioch, 251-253 AD
17.1g, 30mm
SNGCop 295

CRISPUS
AE3
OBVERSE: D N FL IVL CRISPVS NOB CAES Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: PROVIDEN TIAECAESS Jupiter stg. l., chlamys across l. shoulder, leaning on scepter, holding Victory on globe. In field to l., palm branch; in field to r., dot A; in exergue, SMN
Struck at Nicomedia 317 - 320 A.D
2.92g, 18mm
RIC VII 32

MN. FONTEIUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS FONTEIA
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: Jugate heads of the Dioscuri
REVERSE: Galley under oar
Struck at Rome 108-109 BC
3.9g, 20mm
Cr.307/1, Fonteia 7

 

That Republican is gorgeous @Bing!

 

Excellent coins. I agree that our tastes vary, but a gorgeous coin will usually transcend preferences. IMHO anyway.
Great start, keep em coming...

 

There are some real beauties in this post. I just got this one, so I am particularly beguiled by it:



Calabria, Tarentum AR Nomos
Hippodanos Magistrate
(c. 280-272 B.C.)
Naked youth on horseback right, crowning self; ΣΩ to left, ZAΛO & Ionic capital below / Phalanthos riding dolphin left, holding distaff & aphlaston; TAΡA[Σ] below; ANO to right. Vlasto 803–7.
(6.30 grams / 19 mm)

I've already posted this lifetime Faustina I, but it is recent, and I'm really taken with it - it has problems, obviously, but depending on what the problem is, I often find I prefer the damaged stuff (or maybe I'm justifying bottom-feeding habits!). In this case, I like the green/brown coloring, and the rather elegant portrait and a sexy Venus reverse.



Faustina I Æ As / Dupondius
(c. 138-141 A.D.) Lifetime
Rome Mint
FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG PII PP, draped bust right, hair bound w. pearls / VENERI AVGVSTAE S C, Venus draped standing right, drawing drapery and holding apple.
RIC 1097; BMC 1132.
(11.54 grams / 25 mm)

 

I would say the coin pictured below is the most important historically in my collection. The coin is not rare by any standard. Robert Deutsch in his book Jewish Coinage During the First Revolt Against Rome 66 - 73 CE, copyright 2017, has documented 439 Year 2 Shekels, and there are probably 50 more he hasn't documented. Despite the large number of these coins extant, they are popular and choice examples sell for high prices at auction.



The Year 2 Shekel pictured below was auctioned by Heritage last September for $11,000.00. The light weight of the coin & the wear evident on both dies indicates it was struck late in Year 2. As the slab insert indicates it was once owned by antiquities dealer Joel Malter.

 

Sorry just can't do it. OK, I do have quite a bit of dross but I see beauty in many of my coins, perhaps others wouldn't. I am quite happy with this situation. But I love to see other people's coins.

 

..i reckon you mean in the best shape....so i'd reckon these are in my collection..silvers of the 'good emperors'..two of Marcus and ein of Lucius

 

ditto Pish...

 

Like Pish.

ALL of mine would be posted.

 

Nice. There are no restrictions to what you consider your best.
Please feel free to post what you consider to be your "lookers" or most precious pieces of history.

 

..my favs are still of Nero in mine auch...(just to name a few )

 

There's plenty of space. (Cyberspace)

 

I keep my coins in Tantaluscoins under the username Pishpash if anyone wants to look, but it isn't up to date unfortunately.

 

well, since you asked.....these would be the last i'd sell ...and then it would be high..

 

Everytime I look at this Pius Sestertius, although having a flan flaw at 3 o'clock the portrait in my eyes is WOW.
Antoninus Pius AE Sestertius 22.5gm, RIC 598b, Sear 4199. Rome 142 AD.
Date AD 140 - AD 144
Denomination Sestertius
Mint Rome
Obverse ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III: Bust of Antoninus Pius, laureate, draped, right
Reverse APOLLINI AVGVSTO S C: Apollo, laureate, draped to feet, standing front, head left, holding patera in right hand and lyre at shoulder in left

 

..that is a WOW coin AA..(imma sucker for lyres anyway).i wouldn't consider those flaws at all either...

 

I collect historically, so I really do not focus how purdy a coin is. However, coins that touch critical junctures in history, or important peoples, important persons, etc. appeal to me. Sometimes, just cool coins are fun for me!

I am careful not to post this, as this is @dougsmit 's FAVORITE coin in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD of Coins!

Me? It is one of my favorites. 5/12ths of an As! Now THAT is a denomination!


RR Anon 210 BCEAE 23 Quincunx 6.96g Apollo P behind Dioscuri Luceria 5 pellets Cr 99-4 Syd 309 S 910 Very Rare


PUBLIUS QUINCTILIUS VARUS

AE OF ANTIOCHEIA, SYRIA
RPC 4252, SNG Cop. 92, 20.4mm, 8.03 grams, Dated year 27 = 5/4 B.C.E.
Obverse: Laureate head of Zeus to right
Reverse: Tyche of Antioch seated to right, holding palm branch; below, river-god Orontes swimming right, in right field, date ZK (year 27 = 5/4 B.C.E.)

This rare coin was struck during Varus' assignment as Governor of Syria from 7 - 4 B.C.E. Varus guarded the borders from Parthia and violently quelled unrest in Judaea and Samaria. Josephus records an incident wherein after the death of Herod., Varus occupied Jerusalem and crucified 2,000 Jews.

Later Varus was transfered to the Northern front, where he met disaster fighting the Germanic tribes in the Teutoburg forest. Three legions under his command, legions XVII, XVIII and XIX were completely annihilated. This caused emperor Augustus great grief and he was said to have cried out on occasion "Quintili Vare, legiones redde!" or "Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!"



ETRURIA

ETRURIA, Arretium (?). The Chiana Valley. Circa 208-207 BC. Æ Quartunica . Head of African right; monogram to left / Indian elephant standing right, bell around neck; monogram below. HN Italy 69; SNG ANS 41 (same obv. die); SNG Copenhagen 48 var. (no monogram on obv.). rare.

This enigmatic issue has been much discussed. It was Sestini in 1816 who first indicated their area of circulation in and around the Chiana (Clanis) valley and lake Trasimeno, dominated by the cities of Arezzo, Chiusi and Cortona. The traditional attribution of the issue to 217 BC, as representing the propaganda of Hannibal’s approach to Etruria, was modified by Robinson (op. cit.), who saw it as a provocative seditious type of Arretium, which was in a state of high tension with Rome in 209/8, in the hoped for arrival of Hasdrubal from Spain with reinforcements. However, the reverse depicts an Indian rather than African elephant with a bell around its neck reminiscent of the elephant/saw aes signatum issue (Crawford 9/1) of about 250-240 BC and associated with the battle of Maleventum (soon to be called Beneventum) in 275 BC when the captured elephants of Pyrrhus were brought to Rome in triumph. A similar Indian elephant is also depicted as a symbol on the Tarantine nomos issue (Vlasto 710-712), indicating the presence of Pyrrhus in the city in 282-276. The Barcid coinage of New Carthage (Villaronga CNH, pg. 65, 12-15) and that of Hannibal in Sicily (SNG Cop. 382) clearly depict African elephants belonging to the elephant corps from about 220 BC. As Maria Baglione points out in "Su alcune parallele di bronzo coniato," Atti Napoli 1975, pg.153-180, the African/elephant issue shares control marks with other cast and struck Etruscan coins of the region, she quotes Panvini Rosati in ‘ Annuario dell’accademia Etrusca di Cortona XII’, 1964, pg. 167ff., who suggests the type is to be seen as a moneyer’s badge or commemorative issue in the style of Caesar’s elephant/sacrificial implements issue of 49/48 BC (Crawford 443/1). The elephant, an attribute of Mercury/Turms, is an emblem of wisdom and is also a symbol of strength and of the overcoming of evil


MARSIC CONFEDERATION

Marsic Confederation - The Social War
AR Denarius
3.60g, 20mm
Corfinium mint, 89 BC.
Obv: Laureate head of Italia right, wearing pearl necklace; ITALIA behind, X (mark of value) below chin
Rev: Italia, seated left on shields, holding sceptre in right hand and sword in left, being crowned with wreath by Victory who stands behind; retrograde B in exergue. Ref: Campana 105, Series 7a (same obverse die); Sear 228 w/ control mark inverted B; HN Italy 412a
Comments: Cleaning marks to rev.
18 known Rare


FIRST AR COIN of ROME

In reading Kenneth Harl's book, although this coin does not FEATURE an Aquaduct, it was used to pay for the BUILDING of Via Appia and Aqua Appia. These were the first major projects that Rome embarked, creating their first "super-highway" and first major Aquaduct program. The Censor Appius Claudius Caecus built the Aqua Appia in 312 BCE as well as built the Via Appia. Busy dude.

Tossing this out again, but this was the time that Rome was REALLY getting itself on the map! Legions, Road Systems, Aquaducts, Concrete, Incorporation of Allies and Citizens... HUGE innovations that made Rome a World Empire.

Roman Republic
Anon AR Heavy Denarius / Didrachm
7.3g, 21mm, 310-300 BCE
Helmeted Bearded Mars
Horse head, Grain behind / Romano
Crawford 13-1
FIRST Silver Coin of Rome. Tarriffed at 10 Asses

 

Probably this bad boy:


SICILY, Herbessos. Circa 339/8-335 BC. Æ Litra (29mm, 20.82 g, 12h). Laureate head of Sikelia right / Achelous Herbessos as (the head of) a man-faced bull right. Castrizio Series III, 1; Campana 5b; CNS III, 5/15 (this coin illustrated); HGC 2, 412; MSP I, 33 (this coin illustrated—also, cover coin).

Ex. CNG eAuction 327, lot 407 (Continental Collection); Ex. Titano 14, lot 31