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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Severus Alexander, post: 2965964, member: 84744&quot;]And check out the relief on this sucker:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]726927[/ATTACH]</p><p>As a major naval power in the 3rd century BC, a historical collector needs something from Rhodes in that period.&nbsp; I’ve wanted a classic Rhodian didrachm for a long time, but the really nice ones get insanely pricey, considering how common they are.&nbsp; I knew I wanted a nice style Helios (tough) <i>with irises &amp; pupils </i>(tougher)… the blank-eyed stare on most of these just looks kinda freaky and unappealing to me.&nbsp; Unfortunately, all the examples I thought were nice ended up going for astronomical prices… until this one.&nbsp; It fit the bill, and I didn’t get totally outclassed in a bidding war.&nbsp; Maybe partly because it’s o/c, but also I think it slipped under the radar a bit.&nbsp; Phew!</p><p><br /></p><p>5) Denarius of Plautius Plancus, issued 47 BCE:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]726928[/ATTACH]</p><p>If I thought superior examples of the Rhodian didrachm got pricey, that’s nothing compared to this type, which depicts Medusa and (allegedly) a famous Greek painting of Aurora owned by the moneyer.&nbsp; As there seem to be no perfect examples of this type in existence, every owner of one has to make compromises, even with an infinite budget.&nbsp; On my budget, well… major compromises are inevitable.&nbsp; That said, I’m extremely happy with this coin. A spectacular scary Medusa, a beautiful Aurora IMO (surely more important than beautiful horses?!?), no apparent die rust (seems to be a common problem with these), and I can live with the o/c.&nbsp; (I’ve noticed that I seem to be less bothered by o/c than others on this board.&nbsp; Amiright?)</p><p><br /></p><p>4) And now we get a grotty little lrb?!?&nbsp; Crispus AE3, Trier, RIC 372. Issued 322-23.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]726929[/ATTACH]</p><p>While I’m not religious myself, I’m fascinated with the influence of religion on politics, and in particular with Constantine and his family’s shift of the state religion to Christianity, surely one of the most momentous events in world history.&nbsp; This coin is an important piece of evidence for that shift. The key detail here is the chi-rho on Crispus’s shield.&nbsp; This coin was minted only ten years after the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, in which Constantine directed his soldiers to paint a symbol on their shields.&nbsp; (Or at least that’s the story he later wanted to circulate.)&nbsp; It’s disputed what the symbol actually was, but this coin is an important piece of evidence that it was indeed a chi-rho.&nbsp; Not only that, the earliest written evidence for the symbol comes from Lactantius… who was tutor to Crispus in Trier!&nbsp; Prior to that, Constantine had encouraged the Christian community there, and it was the site of one of the early churches Constantine built. I don&#039;t know if Crispus had a hand in the production of this coin, but I’m not surprised that one of the earliest instances of the chi-rho on a coin came from the Trier mint, and on a Crispus coin.&nbsp; I should add: it seems there are only five or six of these in existence.&nbsp; Thanks so much to [USER=44316]@Valentinian[/USER] who located one for me!!&nbsp; (He has a truly spectacular example, which you can see <a href="http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Christian/ChristianSymbols.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Christian/ChristianSymbols.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.)</p><p><br /></p><p>3) To refresh your eyes after that ugly piece of history, here is my coin from @Curtisimo’s <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/anonymous-coin-1-–-cehgg-2017-guess-the-owner-of-this-coin.306508/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/anonymous-coin-1-–-cehgg-2017-guess-the-owner-of-this-coin.306508/">“guess the owner” contest</a>. Tetradrachm, Rhodes mint, struck c. 201-190 BCE, in the name and types of Alexander III. 32mm, 16.77g.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]726930[/ATTACH]</p><p>My description from the contest: “You know that coin with an absurdly low estimate whose real life price you can&#039;t possibly afford, but you&#039;re forced, absolutely FORCED, to put in an insultingly cheap bid because otherwise it simply won&#039;t let go of your throat? This coin&#039;s death grip on me came from its sheer size and artistry. In addition, I found that it was nothing like Price 2512 (as listed by the seller), but was instead a dead ringer for 2513 and 2514: 4-figure stunners signed ΔΑΝ by the Rhodian engraver Danaos(?) just behind the ear. (I have since discovered it is an obverse die match for the Ashmolean&#039;s 2513, which shares with the British Museum&#039;s example an unclear &quot;N&quot;.) I laughed in the live auction as my final increment got blown away... except WAIT, it didn&#039;t get blown away...what, nobody else is bidding?!... only a few seconds left!.. OMG it&#039;s mine?!? <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie57" alt=":jawdrop:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />”&nbsp; I’ll just add a bit of historical context: this was minted just when Rhodes appealed to Rome for help against Philip V of Macedon (201 BC), sparking the Second Macedonian War which ended in 196 BCE with Rome’s triumph and Rhodes’ independence reconfirmed.&nbsp; (Well, as long as they didn’t tick off their benefactors, now the undisputed superpower of the Mediterranean.)</p><p><br /></p><p>2) Ptolemy III Euergetes (246-222 BC), AE octobol, <b>93.27g, 46mm.</b></p><p>[ATTACH=full]726931[/ATTACH]</p><p>Absolutely huge, absolutely beautiful, and ex Dattari.&nbsp; What’s not to like?&nbsp; This one would have headed my IHBCT list.&nbsp; In the years BCT (before Coin Talk), I shamefully neglected Egyptian coins, both Ptolemaic and Roman.&nbsp; When [USER=56859]@TIF[/USER] and [USER=19463]@dougsmit[/USER] posted their Ptolemaic monsters, my eyes popped and my checklist grew yet again.&nbsp; I was amazed to land this coin about a month later, and it was great to <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ptolemy-iv-ae40-hockey-puck.292552/page-2#post-2675667" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ptolemy-iv-ae40-hockey-puck.292552/page-2#post-2675667">share it with my new coin buddies</a>. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>1) Hmmm… I think I will take a leaf out of @Sallent’s book and save my #1 for later.&nbsp; Watch this space…</p><p><br /></p><p><b>EDIT: #1 has now been revealed in this thread, here is a direct link:</b></p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/sas-favourites-2017-top-15-overall-4-never-posted.309286/page-3#post-2968488" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/sas-favourites-2017-top-15-overall-4-never-posted.309286/page-3#post-2968488">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/sas-favourites-2017-top-15-overall-4-never-posted.309286/page-3#post-2968488</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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