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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Roman Collector, post: 3911207, member: 75937&quot;]Okay, okay … perhaps I’m getting a little ahead of myself, but it’s now officially December and I am pretty sure I’ve already acquired my top ten for the year. I reserve the right to amend this list, though. That doesn’t mean narrowing the list down to ten was easy. I hope you find these ten to be enjoyable and interesting, too.</p><p><br /></p><p>10. This antoninianus of Trebonianus may not look special, but it is scarce to rare and unlisted in Sear, Cohen, or Hunter. There are no examples at Wildwinds and no properly-attributed examples at acsearchinfo, either. That’s not the most interesting thing about it, though. The interesting thing is its obverse inscription and what implications it might have for where it may have been struck, with scholarly disagreement on where it may have been minted. The issues raised about the circumstances and location of its mintage resulted in a <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/one-of-the-scarcer-trebonianus-gallus-antoniniani.348139/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/one-of-the-scarcer-trebonianus-gallus-antoniniani.348139/">thought-provoking discussion</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1030852[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>9. I’m combining two coins into one because they belong together. These barbarous imitations of Elagabalus and his mother were likely produced in Sarmatia, though there is scholarly disagreement about whether they are truly ancient. The subject was deemed interesting enough for it to be chosen as a <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/barbarous-four%C3%A9e-denarii-of-elagabalus-and-soaemias.350571/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/barbarous-four%C3%A9e-denarii-of-elagabalus-and-soaemias.350571/">featured article</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1030868[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>8. This cool provincial of Gordian and Tranquillina from Mesembria made my top ten because it was very hard to attribute and <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/gordian-iii-and-tranquillina-mesembria-provincial-help-needed.339210/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/gordian-iii-and-tranquillina-mesembria-provincial-help-needed.339210/">I had to ask for help</a>. Fortunately, <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/members/57495/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/members/57495/">@zumbly</a> <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/gordian-iii-and-tranquillina-mesembria-provincial-help-needed.339210/#post-3529186" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/gordian-iii-and-tranquillina-mesembria-provincial-help-needed.339210/#post-3529186">came to the rescue</a> with his copy of Varbanov (who cites Karayotov), because there are no other examples anywhere online. Another cool thing is that this obverse die was used to strike <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/one-damaged-obverse-die-eight-different-reverse-types.339606/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/one-damaged-obverse-die-eight-different-reverse-types.339606/">eight different reverse types</a>!!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1030858[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>7. This common Antoninianus of Trajan Decius is one of my favorites. Why? Because it <u><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/this-is-not-a-donkey-head.336071/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/this-is-not-a-donkey-head.336071/">taught me all about the Dacian draco battle standard</a></u>!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1030860[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>6. I acquired this middle bronze of Faustina I simply to fill a hole in my Faustina collection. However, when I started researching the subject of its reverse type, I learned that a generations-old numismatic theory had been debunked. <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ara-pietatis-augustae-the-altar-that-never-really-existed.334277/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ara-pietatis-augustae-the-altar-that-never-really-existed.334277/">This</a> was one of the more educational numismatic research projects of 2019.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1030863[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>5. This Gallienus zoo coin made my top ten. Why? Because this tigress is just plain cool!! Not only that, but, as Jim Phelps notes while <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Liber%20Pater" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Liber%20Pater" rel="nofollow">writing about the coins of this issue</a>, I learned there are two varieties -- an unmarked cat with a sleek build (the panther type) and this tigress type.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1030864[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>4. This dupondius of Faustina I with a veiled bust may not look like much, but that doesn&#039;t matter when it may be only the second known example of the coin. The <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/when-grade-condition-doesnt-matter-faustina-dupondius-with-veiled-bust.334230/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/when-grade-condition-doesnt-matter-faustina-dupondius-with-veiled-bust.334230/">original thread</a> was chosen to be a featured article, too.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1030865[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>3. I have always wanted one of these “Apollo Sauroktonos” coins. However, when I researched the coin, I learned that – contrary to the title of the statue – Apollo isn’t trying to kill the lizard, but to heal the lizard! And that made for a <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/apollo-sauroktonos-no-lizards-were-killed-in-the-making-of-these-coins.346519/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/apollo-sauroktonos-no-lizards-were-killed-in-the-making-of-these-coins.346519/">very fun discussion</a> here on CT.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1033624[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>2. I love the reverse on this sestertius-sized provincial of Trajan Decius from Tarsus. As a plus, I had a lot of fun deciphering the cryptic Greek abbreviations on its obverse and reverse legends. That my efforts were cause for <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/by-law-of-the-council-of-the-number-one-greatest-most-beautiful-city-of-tarsus.350260/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/by-law-of-the-council-of-the-number-one-greatest-most-beautiful-city-of-tarsus.350260/">the post</a> to be featured was a nice pat on the back, too!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1030867[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>1. An affordable example of a Matidia coin with an attractive portrait has long eluded my collection of Roman empresses, so I was happy to add this one to my collection. Its acquisition also offered me the opportunity to learn more about Anazarbus and <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/finally-got-a-matidia.346484/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/finally-got-a-matidia.346484/">share what I learned</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1030870[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Happy coining, everyone! And may your 2020 be blessed with good health, good friends, abundant love, and – of course – with interesting and beautiful acquisitions to your collections![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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