Saturday Night Free For All

Pretty bad surfaces, but nicely patinated orichalcum, pretty well centered on the flan and magnificent lettering. And that is what I like.


RIC Vol. I, CLAUDIUS, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 109, 42-43AD (38mm, 28.0gm)
Obverse depiction: Nero Claudius Drusus, bare head facing left
Inscription: NERO CLAVDIVS DRVSVS GERMANICVS IMP
Reverse depiction: Claudius seated left on curule chair holding olive branch, weapons and armor beneath
Inscription: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP PP - S C (exergue)
Nero Claudius Drusus was the father of Claudius and this coin pays homage to him as a great warrior on the northern frontier who Claudius wished to emulate.

 

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I have been working on some of my coins. I bout this coin over three years ago. It is part of the Stoecklin Collection L. Scribonius Libo Ar Denarius 62 B.C. Obv.Head of Bonus Eventus Right. Rv. Putteal Scribonianum Crawford 416/1a 3.97 grms 18 mm Photo by w. Hansen

 

While I'm understanding of the reasoning behind a desire towards mint(or near mint)-state coins, I'm of the opinion that flaws that don't severely obscure the majority of the fine details on a coin; display character.

I like my old stuff to look its age.

Despite the flaws of time that you've disclosed, that is a mighty fine specimen in my eyes. The detail on the face of the emperor Claudius on the reverse is fantastic. The legend is nothing to sniff at either.

These large AEs from the Julio-Claudian dynastic era are some of the most eye-appealing for me.

Excellent coin.

 

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Thank you for your remarks, they sum up my own sentiments very well.

 

That is a mighty fine sestertius. I would be more than pleased to add that to my collection. The reverse especially is very detailed! One can clearly see the face features of Claudius.

The colouring and surface of your coins reminds me of my dupondius of Trajan. With pitting, a nice orichalcum colouring, but less details in the lettering though. I really like the portrait and the aegis is clearly visible.

Very nice! I like that you can easily access the coins, and take them in hand.

 

Just going through some coins after many months in storage... I had forgotten how much I like this oddball creation


Description
13.47g
24mm
6h

Celts in Eastern Europe AR Tetradrachm. Doppelkopf Type. Circa 3rd century BC. Janiform bearded head of Zeus / Rider on horseback to right, wearing helmet with long crest; rosette before. Göbl, OTA pl. 19, 223/1 (same dies); Kent/Mays, BMC I pl. 7, 111 (same dies); Lanz 540 (this coin).

 

Isn't it more fun to appreciate all the good points of our coins than to nitpick the faults?

That is a really great coin. Oddball? Perhaps, but if it were any less so, that would be a fault. It has strong personality and is not something we see every day. Thanks for sharing.

 

Big +1. Excellent oddball, @Nvb!

 

Fantastic coin! Nice find, I really like that one.

 

Sweet coin, I like it too.

 

In between hushing the baby to sleep, I've been playing around with my coin photo's and presentation, adding sharpness and a shadow. Here's an example. Before:


After:

I took new pictures of some of my other coins, too. I'm currently editing and adding them to the background. Here's an example:

Before (with old photo's):


After (with new photo's - and this is more how the coin looks in hand, with a bit of reddish on the obverse, and darker fields. Oh, and I had to change the references of this coin too!):


Since absolutely nobody cares, I thought I'd share it here Which one do you like more, the 'before', or 'after'?

 

The deniers of Henry II Plantagenet and Richard Plantagenet as Dukes of Aquitaine, likely both from Bordeaux and struck in alloy made from the silver of Melle (Metallo):

 

Here's a tiny bronze I came across recently. Had never even heard of this type:

Chalke, (Islands off) Lesbos Ae; 4th century BC (8mm, 0.6gms)
Obv: Head of Artemis right
Rev: X - A; Spearhead

Not mentioned in Wildwinds and this seems to be the only coin associated with this area

 

It does seem to be absent from wildwinds. I've seen a few of this type in auctions recently and I like the "spearhead". Reference to Lesbos confuses me - an island further north? These are from the Carian Islands - Chalki off the southwestern coast of modern Turkey, just west of Rhodes:

4th century BC

Here's a 3rd century coin from Rhodes AE 19mm 6.31g that I picked up not long ago:

Islands off Caria, Rhodos, Rhodes, circa 229-205 BC, Æ Tetrachalkon
Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right
Rev: Rose with bud to right; P-O below, to left monogram

 

Big ups on the after photos! I continue to phumble my way through photography.

 

I am sorry, it is PHUMBEL. As in phumbel the bal. Plz git it rite.

 

Interesting reverse type on this new addition to my collection. It bears much similarity to the FECVND AVGVSTAE types of Faustina Jr. The existence of this coin demonstrates that Faustina's FAVSTINA AVGVSTA obverse legend in conjunction with descriptive reverse types began before Pius' death.

Antoninus Pius, AD 138-161.
Roman AR denarius, 3.11 g, 17.5 mm, 11 h.
Rome, AD 160-161.
Obv: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XXIIII, laureate head, right.
Rev: PIETATI AVG COS IIII, Pietas standing left, holding a child on each arm; at each side of her, a child standing looking towards her and raising hand.
Refs: RIC 313c; BMCRE 1013-14; Cohen 631; Strack384; RCV 4098.
Notes: This coin was issued to honor the birth of Pius' 4th grandchild, the little princess Cornificia.*

Compare to:


Faustina Junior, Augusta AD 147-176.
Roman AR denarius, 3.41 g, 18.1 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 160-61.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: FECVND AVGVSTAE, Fecunditas facing, head left, between two children (thought to represent Faustina III and Lucilla), holding two more in hand (thought to represent Fadilla and Cornificia).
Refs: RIC 676; BMCRE 89; Cohen 95; RCV 5251; Van Meter 12.

*Mattingly, Harold, Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. Introduction, indexes and plates. London, BMP, 1968, p. lxxv.

 

One other unusual little ae coin I came across tonight:

Athens Attica ca. 80-70 BC, Ae (14mm, 3.4gms)
Obv: Laureate bust of Apollo right within circle of dots
Rev: Cicada; A - Θ / E

 

On a bottom-feeder's Saturday night, I've been working on attributions for this $11.50 lot from eBay.

I think I'm catching Probus fever - what an interesting, and very confusing run of coins that guy issued. Top row is a VICTORIA GERM with a bad wax job (good slogan for COVID-19) and a very worn VIRTVS PROBI with Probus on a horse (right). Second row left is a CONCORD MILIT and two SOLI INVICTO forward-facing chariot types (both RIC V 861 var. - mine both have only P, not PF in the obverse legend, which seems to be not normal - or I am misattributing again!). Serdica, Cyzica, Rome and Sisica mints.

The bottom row is a hodge-podge of stuff. The City Commemorative Roma (Trier) and the Constantine campgate (Thessalonica) are perhaps the best of the bunch, in terms of condition. The wolf has beady little eyes. The campgate appears to be silvered somewhat? Or just a weird patina.

The Tetricus and Claudius II both elude me - I can't make out enough to nail down the attributions.

That awful burnt potato chip on the bottom left is a DIVO CARO posthumous commemorative for Carus from the Rome mint. That's an eagle on the reverse, trust me.

Well, this and the plague kept me out of the taverns tonight. But maybe it is time for a beer...



One of my favorite things about ancients is the colors: