Saturday Night Free For All

..a coveted older(her that is), longer haired coin of her...very good Warren!

 

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That is an odd scenario, @Valentinian. Attractive orichalcum color indeed.

Mine has the unusual accusative case IVNONEM reverse inscription but is otherwise very similar.

 

A scarce denaro scodellato immobilized in the name of Holy Roman Emperor Frederic I Barbarossa at the mint of Milano ca. 1185/1200-1240 acquired a lustrous patina:

 

Saturday night and these just in the mail today from eBay - a couple of cheapies that are a bit better than I'd hoped:


The Valerian is, I think, from Viminacium, RIC 227 and it seems to be a bit scarce; at least I couldn't find many of them. Most descriptions (including OCRE) describe the bust as draped only, but I think I see a cuirass at the shoulder (some auctions note this too). Valerian experts' opinions welcome!

The Carinus is RIC 156 (NOB C rather than CAES). I'm fond of these "sacrificial implements" types in general, and this is my very first Carinus of any sort.

 

Gallienus Ar (Billon) Antoninianus Antioch 257-258 AD Obv Bust right radiate and cuirassed. VICTORIA GERMAN Victory presenting wreath to emperor. RIC 452 Gobl 1603b 3.39 grms 22 mm Photo by W. Hansen This coin was struck in the east during the joint reign of Gallienus and Valerian I. The message on this coin is unusual as it is celebrating a specific victory over a foreign foe.

 

This is a Claudius II SPQR series type that I got from @Brian Bucklan 5yrs ago ---- Smyrna end of 268:

 

its showtime...

as promised, tonite we're gonna have a "magic lantern' picture show the way the did it back in 1898...kinda ...tonites show will be 'six degrees of kevin bacon (or @Ryro)' or Vergil reading a Aeneid to the purple and there will be more than just one picture (cause the slide was made for a different magic lantern most likely the on used on Green Acres, season 5, episode 14, which is where i remember seeing or hearing about one for the 1st time, pic included i've always remembered that one cause he was showing Abraham Lincoln upside down) )...ladies and gentlemen, ominus1's nite at the picture show...of course, i am going to use a modern day invention not available in'98, an apparatus called a 'flashlight' for photons...the little lamp is cute but doesn't throw out enough lite..but you will see the whole shebang and tonites episode is 3 pictures long and will be shown in its entirety *for 1st time customers* at the usual one picture rate....now get your tickets and come on in ..now this was toy...can you... (continued bottom) imagine sending your young children off to the bedroom with matches so they could light the lamp in the magic lantern?!?(and check out those two shady characters behind Augustus...never noticed'em B4 )

 

Hey everyone!
Getting a late start on Saturday night here... into Sunday morning. Not many new additions here but I did recently get this Claudius II from Alexandria at an OK price. I liked it because it was different than the common eagle and victory reverse of this time and features Hermanubis the combination of (the Greek God) Hermes and (Egyptian God) Anubus.

Claudius II - Alexandria
29 Aug 269 - 28 Aug 270 A.D.
Obverse: AVT K KΛAV∆IOC CEB, laureate and cuirassed bust right
Reverse: bust of Hermanubis right, wearing modius with lotus-petal in front, himation over shoulder, date LB (year 2) in left field, winged caduceus over palm in right
Dattari 5392; Geissen 3038; BMC Alexandria p. 303, 2327; Milne 4240; Curtis 1701; SNG Cop 847; Kampmann-Ganschow 104.25; Emmett 3883

Anyone else up coining this late?

 

I always have a preference for Alexandrian types that refer to the 'old' Eqyptian gods over the ones imported from Greece (Zeus and friends). This Claudius is a nice intermediate type. It reminds me of this obol of Hadrian showing Harpocrates holding a pomegranate. Both were gods formed by merging attributes of Greek and Egyptian roots.

 

A couple of years ago I started a project to see which coins I used when answering posts on CT. In doing this I attempted to stick to a few parameters, the principle one being that I would restrict featuring a coin to about once a year. The first year was basically a wash out. My system was much too complicated and I was unable to see what I had been doing at the same time the previous year. In the second year I simplified it. Thus I can say that last year I featured about 320 coins. I featured something like 130 Greek coins and about 190 Roman coins. Thus i showcased roughly a little over a third of my Greek and almost two thirds of my Roman.
Recently I saw a post on coins featuring the image of Tyche. I responded to that post but as I was looking for something suitable I saw this coin.
Laodikeia Ar Tetratrachm 63-62 BC Obv Turreted and veiled head of Tyche right. Rv. Zeus Nikephoros seated left. HGC 1348 15.12 grms 28 mm Photo by W. Hansen
Unlike the autonomous issues minted in the south the civic coinage in the north employed what could only be called a reduced attic standard. Again the reverse on this coin does pay homage to the royal Seluekid issues which were minted at the same standard.

 

This one arrived in the mail today!


Faustina I, AD 138-140.
Roman AR denarius, 2.68 g, 17.1 mm, 6 h.
Rome, AD 138-139.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG P P, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: CONCORDIA AVG, Concordia seated l. on low chair, holding patera and resting l. elbow on cornucopiae which forms arm of chair.
Refs: RIC 327; BMCRE 41; Cohen 146; Strack cf. 394; RCV 4667; UCR 163; CRE 89.
Notes: Strack fails to make clear whether his cited specimens are of the variety with the cornucopiae forming the arm of the chair or with the statue of Spes; he cites Cohen’s references to both types.

 

Beautiful coin Terence! I admire your efforts to see which coins you share and understand where you can share coins that haven't been featured. My approach is a little less refined. Photography is my limiting issue. I have very few of my coins photographed so I share some too much but most of my collection has not been shared at all due to my lack of photos. With my number of purchases dipping, I should really focus on photographing more coins!

I really like the toning on the obverse of that coin. It looks like it has good metal and surfaces! Faustina was a very interesting historical figure and seemed to care about people, I really like her coins. Thanks for sharing.

 

Anyone up? What are you working on tonight?

I recently received this fantastic Julian from Arles from @Victor_Clark . Arles seems to be a scarcer mint for these than the eastern mints. I really like the colors and the eagle at the top of the wreath, I don't remember seeing that on any other VOT coins. Anyway, I've dropped the seller's pic on a black background as I couldn't capture it as well.

I'm going to make a post soon of my slow but moving project to snag one of these from each mint (I think I have 8 or so of about 13 possible).

Julian - VOT X MVLT XX PCONST - Arles - RIC VIII 324

 

Are there eagles on all 13 mints? Most coins just have a medallion --- or did this just wear off the bird?.

 

Some Castilian war money:


ALFONSO VIII "el de las Navas/el Noble" de IVREA (1158-1214)
AR18mm, 0.7g, dinero vellon "bienpeinao" minted by an itinerant war mint, ca. end of 1190-July 1212 (possibly 1211-July 1212).
ANFVS REX; Head to left
+ ● TOLLETA; Cross with stars in quarters 1 and 4.
A. Burgos (80) #21, Cayon (98) #920 (as Alfonso I "El Batallador"), A. Roma #194 (secundo estilo - secundo subgrupo); Mozo Moroy Imperatrix Tipo 32.

Notes: The minting of this coinage was started to finance Alfonso's campaigns during the Reconquista, but the type was in use and was struck time and again (immobilized) until the middle of the 13th century. This specimen appears to be one of the itinerant war mint issues, minted before the battle of Las Navas (July 1212). They were minted in vast quantities and in declining billon quality and style and by 1207/17 the type starts being called 'pepion'. A large quantity was minted just prior and soon after the campaign that lead to the battle of Alarcos (July 1195) and another vast minting process took place on campaign to Las Navas in 1211-12.

Similar specimen on Imperatrix, here (first coin on the left).

 

It seems that only coins of Julian, and only those from Arles, feature an eagle at the top of the wreath. I’d not noticed this detail before, like it very much and wish we could know if it signified anything or if it just looked cool to someone at the time.

 

Here's an article from David Woods--

https://www.academia.edu/8749714/Julian_Arles_and_the_Eagle

 

Ah yes, I’d forgotten that the bull coins (and others) from Arles also were also unique in featuring an eagle. So, the eagle is likely an issue mark and perhaps a play on the name of a high ranking mint official. Thanks for the article Victor, it makes me appreciate the coin more and is worth a read for anyone interested.

 

Another addition to my "beat to death dies" set.

 

Missed Saturday for a couple of weeks now. So what is new for me today. Well a couple of things. The first is unless some disaster intervenes, (read COVID) I will be heading to London England and I hope to attend the London Coin Fair which is 6 November. This will be my first vacay since this whole mess started and I am looking forward to it. I hope to start a thread on the London Coin Fair after I arrive.
The second is my on going work on the coinage of Alexander III. When I bought this coin I assumed it was one of the Basileos issues that started in 325 BC, I have since concluded that the date for this coin is 322-320 BC, The mint is disputed as well however it is most likely Side.
Tetradrachm of Alexander IV in the name and types of Alexander III 322-320 BC Mint of Side? Obv. Head of beardless Herakles wearing lionskin headdress. Rv Zeus Aetophoros seated left. Price 2949 HGC 943b 17.18 grms 26 mm Photo by W. Hansen In particular what interests me about this coin is that it is an example of the fore leg reverted or pulled back style which appeared sometime after the introduction of Alexander coinage in Cilicia and the Levant. This reverse image appears to not have a footstool. The tetradrachms of this style may have have been the inspiration for the drachms issued at the mints in Asia Minor. At present I am studying the tetradrachm issues from Asia Minor attempting to determine when when this style of image commenced.