Post your latest ancient!

I like your Justinians, Robinjojo!

That's pretty cool that the Galba's the Narbo mint, The Meat Man. I only have one or two Galbas, both AE's. I managed to get my Otho when coins were cheaper.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

An imperial issue from Antioch, from a time when the city was still minting its own Greek coinage.

 

I recently picked up a left-facing Sabina.

Sabina 128-134 AD. Rome. AR Denarius
Obv: Diademed and draped bust l.
Rev: draped and veiled Juno standing l., holding patera and scepter.
18mm, 3.18g, 6h
RIC II.3 2540; RIC II 401b (Hadrian); RSC 37a

 

Lovely! Here's my left-facer, which is not a die-match to yours.

 

Auction win this morning

 

Congrats to your auction win! It is a very nice coin with great details.

 

Thanks!

 

I've been doing some research on a couple of Alexandrian tetradrachms, late third century AD. These coins came out of the box of mixed ancients at my local coin dealer. I've been told that there's at least another box of them.

This coin, I believe, is a tetradrachm of Aurelian (270-275 AD), typically crude and encrusted. It is regnal year one, but with the eagle facing left on the reverse. I don't know if this is an unusual variety. Give the rough nature of the coin the eagle is mostly quite bold and the portrait on the obverse not too bad as these coins go.

7.76 grams




The other coin is even cruder, but I think it is one belonging to Diocletian (284-305 AD), regnal year two.

8.84 grams

 

Happy to share a new coin. Usually, it takes a week or two to get here, but this one made it from the UK in a neck-breaking five days.
I have always wanted one of these. And really, wouldn't you want a satyr that politely offers you a kantharos of wine, with the promise of more to come from the amphora on the back? I, at least, couldn't resist.


It's a common coin and it has its flaws. Of course, all my coins do. Still, there was enough here that charmed me. You can just make out a hoof in the right bottom, the tail is all there, and he delicately offers up the kantharos to anyone willing to drink from it. The part of the left handle of the kantharos off-flan doesn't bother me. Also, it looks better in hand, always a pleasant surprise. The only downside in my eyes is the strange hairdo, and yes, perhaps I would have liked the foot of the amphora. But then I probably would have to spend the quadruple or more to get it.

It's also nice to see a satyr not chasing nymphs or playing with himself for a change. Serving wine really should be their core business.

Incidentally, this purchase completes my Thasos set (for now): the stater with nymph, the trihemiobol with a satyr being stupidly happy with himself, and now this one. I'm still looking for a nice portrait coin of Silenos, but that's for another day. For now, I'm more than happy with this trio.

 

My turn to toss in a 'recent' win.

One of just four coins added so far this year, this is an upgrade of the specimen I sold via AMCC last year. I already added this coin to my collection in February, but lacked the time to properly photograph and attribute it. The other three coins I believe deserve their own thread, and I will do so somewhere in the future...

 

This "folded flan" owl arrived today. The primary reason why I acquired this coin from Tom Vossen through VCoins is the strong folded flan features of this coin. The folding is especially evident on the obverse, where I believe some of the original coin's design is still present, to the right of the profile. I'm still analyzing the coin, but there appear to be some letters.

As these intermediate owls go, this coin is quite nice, with a very well centered owl on the reverse. The flan itself is quite narrow, at 20mm and quite round, giving this owl a "dumpy" appearance that one would expect from, say, some of the silver coinage of India, but this owl is clearly of Athenian origin.

Athens, circa 350-297 BC
Tetradrachm
Bingen Pi V

17.14 grams



Edit: I have examined the obverse closely and the letter to the right of the portrait might be ΣΥΡ. Since the flan was folded and heated the letters are flat and distorted to a degree. But, if they are ΣΥR, then it is possible that the original coin that entered the Athenian Mint to be reprocessed into an owl was a tetradrachm from Syracuse. This is just a conjecture, but an interesting one.

Possibly a tetradrachm of the Second Democracy?

 

My new Plautilla denarius arrived safely, all the way from Pennsylvania; here it is with my write-up:

Plautilla (wife of Caracalla; issued under Septimius Severus & Caracalla), AR Denarius, AD 202-205 [Sear: AD 204], Rome Mint. Obv. Draped bust right, hair in nearly vertical waves* and drawn into coiled plait at neck, PLAVTILLA AVGVSTA / Rev. Venus Victrix standing half-left, holding apple in outstretched right hand and palm frond in left hand, resting left arm on large oval shield set on ground; to left, Cupid standing left, holding helmet in outstretched left hand, VENVS VICTRIX. RIC IV (Caracalla) 369, RSC III (Plautilla) 25, Sear RCV II 7074 (ill. p. 549), BMCRE V (Septimius Severus & Caracalla) 429 (p. 238). 19 mm., 3.65 g., 5 h. Purchased from Classical Numismatic Group, LLC (CNG) E-Auction 515, May 4, 2022, Lot 589.



*Another variety of the same type shows Plautilla's hair in horizontal waves.

 

That is a great looking coin!

Here is one I won from the same auction, arrived today:

 

Impossible as these coins were struck on spread flans of 25 to 30mm.

 

I avoid using the word impossible, but I agree that it is extremely unlikely. Looking at the coin, it seems that there was folding but also a narrowing of the flan and that would entail, I think, some hammering of the edge to achieve the desired roundness and thickness. Could any of the original surface survive? Probably not, but there is something there on the obverse, and I don't think it is related to the die.

As I said, this is a conjecture on my part and is in no way anywhere near being definitive.

 

So I guess everyone was correct in saying that Savoca delivers quickly. I bought two coins in their auction on Sunday, and they arrived in NYC via Fedex today, 48 hours later. I've had coins from a couple of European retail dealers arrive that quickly before, but never from an auction house.

Here's one of the two:

Lucius Verus AR Denarius, Rome Mint AD 165-169 [RSC] / AD 165 [Sear RCV II]. Obv. Laureate head right, L VERVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX / Rev. Captive Parthia, wearing breeches and peaked cap, seated right on ground with hands tied behind back; to right in front of captive, quiver, bow, and shield; TRP V IMP III COS II. 19 mm., 3.26 g. RIC III 540, RSC II 273 (ill. p. 231), Sear RCV II 5358, BMCRE IV 385. Purchased from Savoca 133rd Silver Auction, 15 May 2022, Lot 370.



The authorities generally agree that the captive is the personification of Parthia rather than simply a captive Parthian soldier, which I believe means that like other national personifications, it's intended to be female.

 

It's certainly an interesting and pleasant Lucius Verus.

Savoca's from Spain, aren't they? I guess they aren't hampered by the export permit delay?

I'd like to report a latest ancient, but I recently found an unnoticed email in my junk folder from London Ancient Coins, enquiring what my phone number was for the DHL Express courier. I think that might have delayed things. NeroNumi needed no such info. I went for the more expensive shipping because I'm off this week.

The reason it was in the junk folder; they seem to have more than one email address. This one came from the unwanted new additions email.

Coins like to arrive during driving rainstorms, so it's sure to arrive tomorrow if there wasn't a delay.

Annoying, but things will work out. I tend to go through streaks of ordering from a certain dealer, and I rather like their wares.

 

I believe Savoca is in Germany. So no worries re export permits.

 

Nice!

 

I recently won this!
Michael II Comnenus-Ducas, with John III Ducas (Vatatzes). Despot of Epiros, 1237-1271. BI Aspron Trachy (27mm, 2.90 g, 5h). Thessalonica mint. Struck 1248. Facing bust of the Archangel Michael / John standing facing, holding labarum and akakia, being crowned by Archangel Michael standing left. S. Bendall, "The Coinage of Michael II, Angelos of Epirus, 1231-1265," in NumCirc CIV.1 (February 1996), 5; DOC 2; CLBC 15.5.1; SB 2235. Dark brown patina, flan crack.

Its a very rare coronation issue for Despot Michael II of Arta! One of the few coins from this era which we can precisely date, the trachy was minted in the year 1248. Michael II of Arta, then claimant to title of emperor, submitted to Nicaean Emperor John III. In exchange or an imperial bride, fancy crown, and official recognition, Michael II submitted and downgraded to the rank of Despot. He is depicted on the left in the garb of a despot. Notice his round crown, the kamelaukion, and his holding of a Palmfrond.

To his right, emperor John III needs no such humility. The emperor appears in the bejeweled splendor of the imperial outfit. Rather than the lower palmfrond, the emperor holds a cross tipped scepter. It sure is good to be king!