This just came in yesterday and is something I'm very excited about, plus quite happy with the budget price I got it at. It's a silver full unit coin from the Pyu city-state of Sriksetra in upper Burma, probably circa 600-700 AD. I've been on a Southeast Asian coin deep dive for a couple years now and this makes my third large silver coin of the region. I'm very happy about this new addition. Pyu city-state of Sriksetra c. 600-700 AD AR Full Unit | 9.87 grams | 30mm wide Obv: Bhadrapitha with five lamps above within a border and outer dots Rev: Srivatsa center with nine dots within, above a sun right and moon left, to the left a detailed vajra and to the right a conch (sankh), below two wavy water lines Ref: Mahlo #14a Here's a grouping of some of my ancient and early Southeast Asian coins. The two medium sized coins at the top are Javanese silver sandalwood coins (the left one a later debased example), the paper thin silver coins are from the Mon city-states around the Gulf of Martaban (only 0.03g, the world's smallest standardized coins in the ancient period), the small gold coin near the top center is a Srivijayan gold sandalwood coin, the two dark round beads are Srivijayan tin coins (one bearing a Ma letter and the other with five dots), the reddish large silver coin is the beforementioned eastern imitation (probably from the Dvaravati) of a silver rising sun coin which was first minted at the Pyu city-state of Halin, the left large silver coin is a seated bull Harikela coin from Bengal (particularly the Comilla region), and the bottom right large silver coin is the new one from Sriksetra.
I just have to say thank you to @The Meat man for starting this thread. It's nice to have a place to post a new coin that one would like to "show and tell" the group about, but doesn't seem quite worth starting a whole new thread for. I'm actually surprised that there hasn't always been a thread that serves that purpose.
Exactly! I enjoy posting photos of new coins, and seeing other's, but I didn't want to clog the main page up with a new thread each time. Glad you and others enjoy it!
Thanks for your thread, @The Meat man. This coin just arrived in the mail today from Germany. An addition to my snake-themed coin collection. Theme criteria: coins with large snakes that are not held by Salus. THRACE. Philippopolis. Caracalla (196-198 AD). Ae. Obv: M AV KAI ANTΩNЄINO. Bare headed and cuirassed bust right. Rev: ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ. Serpent coiled left on altar. 3.42 g. 18 mm. Numismatik Naumann auction. April 2022.
Happy to join the club with a 'new' coin I just got. This was meant to be a coin to justify the shipping on the other coin I was really after, but that one- surprise, surprise- got shipwrecked in the competition with overzealous bidders. Still, I'm more than happy with it. It's my first double-header (I've always wanted one), and my first RR coin in almost two years. Attributing an obv/obv brockage can be tricky. Legend and distinguishing types are usually found on the reverse. And obverses alone can be pretty generic: lots of helmeted Roma's. Fortunately, the Roma on this issue has a distinct style, making an ID easier. The (tentative) attribution to L. Appuleius Saturninus is from the seller, and after going through many pages of photographs comparing the different styles to mine, I can only agree with that. In case you're wondering: in an ideal world, this is what the coin would have looked like: Saturn in quadriga Pic Wildwinds. These coins are a testament to the work pressure of mass production at the mint. I read somewhere (where?) that during the Republic around 4% of the coins were brockages, a stunning number! Greek brockages, by comparison, are exceedingly rare (with the exception of Dyrrachion, where they were common. I can only guess why). Does anyone have a rev/rev brockage? They're really rare, I'd love to see one!
That's a cool coin, and a nice score even if the main one got away. Not too long ago, @David Atherton posted about his rare, Titus denarius reverse brockage: An Astounding Brockage | Coin Talk
I threw in a couple of starting bids on the latest Roma e-sale. With the prices we have been experiencing lately, I didn’t think any of them would be successful. But lo and behold, one did: Baktria, Sophytes AR Drachm. Uncertain mint in the Oxus region, circa 246/5-235 BC. Obverse: Head of Seleukos(?) to right, wearing laurel wreathed Attic helmet decorated with spiral pattern on crest and eagle wings on cheek-guard; M on bust truncation Reverse: Cockerel standing to right; kerykeion behind, ΣΩΦYΤΟΥ to right. Reference: Jansari 47; Bopearachchi, Sophytes Series 3A, pl. I, 3; SNG ANS 21-23; Mitchiner 29b; HGC 12, 14. , Size: 16mm Weight: 2.72g, 6h. Conservation: Good Very Fine; edge chipped in two places, accounting for the lighter weight. Very Rare. From the Professor Shir Mohammad Collection. This is a coin I find quite interesting. I really love the portrait. It looks like there is some horned silver on it, though. Would you have tried to remove it?
I am paying more attention to Alexandrian coins this year. These coins lack high details, but I really like their large size and chunky feeling. Here is a recent pickup from Sphinx Numismatics. A large 33mm coin, but just a drachm. Antoninus Pius is one of my favorite Roman emperors, and snake biga is my favorite coin theme. A great combination! EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. Year 14. AD 150-151. AE Drachm (33mm, 26.52 g, 12h). Obv: Laureate and draped bust right Rev: Triptolemos driving biga of winged serpents right; L IΔ (date)above. Köln 1662; Datt ari (Savio) 2908; K&G 35.517; Emmett 1683.14.
I picked up a few scarce pentanummium of Maurice Tiberius and Phocas that was missing from my collection. Both of these are not listed in Sear nor DOC, but is listed under MIBE... Byzantine Empire: Maurice Tiberius (582-602) Æ Pentanummium, Antioch (MIBE V105) Obv: Monogram of Maurice Tiberius Rev: Large Є, cross to the right Dim: 15 mm, 1.29 g Byzantine Empire: Phocas (602-610) Æ Pentanummium, Antioch (MIBE N89) Obv: Sear Monogram 20 of Phocas Rev: Large Ч, pellet within, cross above Dim: 13 mm, 1.39 g
A new one from Savoca, good condition but a very nice large flan. 22mm 4.78gm Isaac II first rule (Before blinding) tetarteron. Arch Angel Michael is the Saint he used. Sadly, much of the face details are gone.
Some small Syracusan bronze coins I've had for a couple weeks, but only now got around to photographing and labelling: Thanks again to those CT members who helped me in researching and attributing them!
Since my main interest (the denier tournois) is presently unreachable, I have ventured into the great unknown:
A couple of coins came this week - this is one of them: Moneyer: T. Vettius Sabinus Obv.: TA / SABINVS / S·C - Head of King Tatius right Rev.: Togate figure in biga left, holding reins in right hand and magistrate's staff in left hand - IVDEX Exergue: T·VETTIVS Mint: Rome (70 BC) Wt./Size/Axis: 3.93g / 20mm / 6h References: RSC 2 (Vettia) Sydenham 905 Crawford 404/1 BMCRR Rome 3370 Provenances: Ex. Augustus Brown, November 1970 Acquisition: DNW Online auction #1305 13-Apr-2022 ATB, Aidan.
My latest - and my first from Rhodes, I think. A heads-I-win-heads-you win coin; it is fairly common, from what I can tell. If anybody else has one of these, please share it. Antoninus Pius Æ 18 Caria, Rhodes (c. 138-161 A.D.) ΚΑΙCΑΡ ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟC, laureate head of Antoninus Pius right / ΡΟΔΙ-ΩΝ, radiate and draped bust of Helios right. RPC IV.2 Online 925 (temp.); BMC 419; SNG Keckman 785-7; SNG Copenhagen 910. (3.97 grams / 18 mm) eBay April 2022
As I mentioned in my post today, of the Sassanian drachm, I visited my favorite coin shop yesterday. I always need to call in advance to be sure that Sal will be there. He's a retired teacher, and he spends a lot time away from the shop, leaving his son, Vince, in charge. So, yesterday I asked Sal if he had any ancients that need attribution. He went in back and returned with a small box of mostly LRBs, along with some Greek and RPBs, most quite worn. I must have spent a couple of hours going through the box, kibitzing with Sal, Vince and Barbara, Sal's wife, while examining the contents of the box. I set aside a group of coins I was interested in purchasing, and was finally able to whittle the group down to five coins, not including the Sassanian drachm, which I am still deciding on. The first coin is a dupondius of Antonia. At 9.01 grams it is light, but there is some corrosion, which might explain the low weight. I think the coin is legit, but I am always interest in your input. It seems that this coin was over cleaned at some point. The original surface is still intact in areas of the reverse. The second coin is a crude one that appears to have been struck over another coin. It is an AE 23 of Zeugtana, 221-210 BC. I believe this coin is SNG COP 137-18, with Tanit facing left on the obverse and with the reverse horse facing right and a palmette to the left. There might be a countermark on the obverse, lower right on the neck, but it is hard to say for sure. 5.80 grams The third coin is a large AE 28 of Caracalla. I think this coin is from Pautiulia but I am not sure, so if anyone can nail down the mint for this coin, I'd really appreciate it. 15.30 grams The last two coins are late Roman AE tetradrachms from Alexandria - no great rarities here, but both are in nice condition. Diocletian, 242-311 AD, Tyche reverse, RY 1. I like the blue (azurite) deposits, different from the usual green deposits (malachite) that are normally seen. 5.38 grams Carinus, 283-285 AD, Elpis reverse, RY 2. The reverse on this coin is absolutely charming. 7.22 grams
This came today. It's such an iconic coin, but I'll never be able to afford a real one. This replica looks better than most, and supposedly it's real silver too.
Recently picked up my second snake biga denarius in auction. This one has a different control mark as compared to my first one (an owl, see below). Let the biga racing begin!