Saturday Night Free For All

This is officially the 1000th post to this thread!

Great Success!

Here is the man who was emperor at the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Rome.

 

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That’s a cool coin! And to think that much of Western Europe was making coins like this while the Byzantines were still plugging away with a lot of scrappy bronze. I have yet to buy any medieval silver… I need to change that!

That’s a great coin with a great portrait! I went to see what I have for Philip and much of what I have is pretty common and underwhelming. Philip has been a “buy em if you seem em cheap” emperor. I need to buy some nice coins from his reign. I do have this sesterius and many budget and common reverse ants.

Philip I, RIC 150c
Æ Sestertius
Rome mint, Struck AD 244-249
Obv.: IMP PHILIPPVS AVG, laurate, draped bust of Philip I facing right.
Rev.: PM TR P IIII COS III P P (around) S C (in field), Felicitas standing left, holding a long caduceus and cornucopiae.
RIC 150c (S); Cohen 140

As for the thread, and it’s 1000 posts, thanks everyone for participating!

I’ve always like this thread for this reason… I often see amazing, well researched, and insightful threads here. I have little kids and just don’t have the time to build the type of post I’d like to for each coin. This thread gave me, and others a place to post our new and old coins without the (self-generated) pressure associated with a stand-alone thread.

Anyway, thanks again everyone, let’s see your coins!

 

That is a great portrait on that Sestertius. In my opinion Philip I has the best bang for buck when it comes to affordable high-style portraits. After his reign the art of coin portraits starts to degenerate rapidly IMO.

My favorite Philip coin has a solid portrait and type but is really interesting for the provenance.



Roman Empire
Philip I the Arab (AD 244-249)
AR Antoninianus, Rome mint, struck ca. AD 245
Dia.: 23 mm
Wt.: 4.36 g
Obv.: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG; Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: ADVENTVS AVGG; Philip on horseback left, raising right hand and holding spear
Ref.: RIC IV 26b
Ex David Kallai (ca. 1908-1924) with old tag; Ex arnoldoe Collection, AMCC 2, lot 194 (Nov. 9, 2019).

I have bought a few D. Kallai catalogs hoping to decode the way the numbering scheme on the tag worked but I still haven’t figured it out. I’m not sure what the 94 and 76 stood for. I’ve seen other tags where the number in blue has been crossed out and another number written. I’ve been meaning to make a FORVM post asking for help but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Either way there is a lot of story behind this provenance but it’s a sad one.

 

Ok, this is "free for all" thread, and that's what I need. Free. Everybody can express an opinion, because it will certainly be better than mine. As Sgt. Schultz would say, "I know nothing". I've looked and so far I'm not even getting enough to "draw a blank". I picked this one from a fellow coin collector, for close to nothing. He didn't know what it was, and I'm curious as to what it is? I've not found it yet, but, I know there are people on CT that can glance at it and probably tell me the last place it was spent. Ok, I'm maybe stretching the truth just a little, but, can someone please tell me what I've got? I don't know enough about it to, well, you fill in the blank. Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks very much, Kenneth

 

Hey Kenneth!
We’ve got you here. This coin is one commemorating Constantine I! These were made by many mints and I can’t read the mark for this one but check out this link for many examples: https://www.acsearch.info/search.ht...de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1&currency=usd&order=0

 

Here is a Husband and Wife, on separate coins, who always made a fine pair.
Antoninus Pius AR denarius, Rome, AD 152-153. 18 mm, 3.35 g. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP TR P XVI, laureate head right. / COS IIII, Annona standing left, holding corn-ears in left hand and resting right hand on modius set on prow to right. RIC 221; RSC 290; BMCRE 520


Faustina Sr AR Denarius, RIC 361, RSC 101a, BMC 417, SEAR 4583. DIVA FAVSTINA, with elaborate hairstyle and draped bust right / AVGV-STA, Ceres standing left, long hair tied behind, raising right hand & holding long torch with left.
Rome mint, A.D. 141. 3,0 g - 15 mm

 

An interesting type. I have one but it’s. Much uglier and does not have the provenance. I can’t add anything but I
like the toning and how short the horse is compared to the rider. They must have started carving the die at the top of the coin. In any case a top notch coin!

 

Here’s one I added about a year ago to my Alexandrian Tetradrachm collection… a scarcer Claudius II:

Claudius II, AE Potin tetradrachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Year 2. AYT K KΛAYΔIOC CEB, laureate, cuirassed bust right / L-B to left and right of Alexandria, draped and turreted bust right, wearing close fitting cap, curls of hair down the neck. Maerkl Coll. 29; Mionnet VI 3427, Pl. III 56. Kampmann 104.19; Milne 4246; BMC 2330; Emmett 3869.

 

Oooooh, those are nice. Great surfaces and silver quality. I like the obverse on the AP! He looks pensive .

 

THANK YOU! It took me longer to type the post than to find out the answer. That's why I love CT so much. Oh, did I say "thank you"? If I didn't, "THANK YOU"! Thanks to all of you that looked and posted replies. I'm learning more every day. But, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, lol. At least for him to remember them!

 

anytime! Happy to ID anything you have!

 

Hi all, Happy Saturday. What you working on lately? Let’s see your new coins, books, gadgets, interesting findings or just let us see your coin workplace or something. It’s a free for all after all.

Here’s a couple new-ish Tacitus coins from Lyons that I really like:

MARS VICTOR - RIC V-1 30

PAX AETERNA - RIC V-1 33

 

June, so far, has been a good month for me. I am the current curator of this Constantine I VLPP from Siscia with Chi-Rho on helmet and horseman on shield.




Constantine I
A.D. 319
18mm 2.8g
IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG -- high crested helmet with Chi-Rho, cuir., spear across r. shoulder, shield on left arm decorated with horseman leaping over fallen enemy.
VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP -- two Victories stg., facing one another, together holding shield inscribed VOT PR on altar.
in ex. BSIS•
RIC VII Siscia 61



I bought this Maxentius because it is him as Caesar, which is rare, and it is silvered. It is also a plate coin.



Maxentius
A.D. 306
27mm 10.8g
M AVR MAXENTIVS NOB CAES; Laureate head right.
SALVIS AVGG ET CAESS FEL KART; Carthage standing facing, head left, holding fruits in both hands; H in left field.
In ex. Δ
RIC VI Carthage 51a; Drost 14/14 (this coin).

plate coin in "Le monnayage de Maxence" by Vincent Drost

Ex- Terrence Cheeseman


I bought 4 coins from the Carleton St Peter Hoard--



“This hoard was discovered in the UK on three occasions in February 2000 by a metal detectorist searching a cultivated field near the village. The first find was of 53 coins together with fragments of a grey ware pot. Two further searches revealed a further 53 and 21 coins making a total of 127 coins found in all. All the coins were of bronze and from a similar period, all being minted after AD 320."



I got 3 coins of Constantine I with SARMATIA DEVICTA reverses from Lyon, Trier and Sirmium.









I also got an unofficial issue that pairs Constantine I with a Caesar reverse



Constantine I
Circa A.D. 327
15x19mm 2.1g
CONSTA-NTINVS AV; laureate head right.
VIRTVS CAESS; gateway with wide open doors, four turrets, star above; S-F across fields.
In ex. ARLT•
Cf. RIC VII Arles 315



I also got two rarer Maximinus II types.




RIC describes the figure on reverse as “Prince” though the right breast is bare; meaning it has to actually be Virtus.


Maximinus II
A.D. 305- 306
Ӕ follis 28mm 9.4g
MAXIMINVS NOB CAES; laureate head right.
VIRTVS AVGG ET CAESS NN; Virtus holding Victory and spear and shield; bound captive seated left.
in ex. AQΓ
RIC VI Aquileia 72b




RIC describes the figure on the reverse as Virtus; but it is actually Mars.

Maximinus II
A.D. 312
Ӕ follis 21mm 4.2g
IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG; laureate head right.
VIRTVTI EXERCITVS; Mars advancing r., dragging captive by the hair, l. holding trophy and shield; in right, ✶ over Δ
in ex. SMN
RIC VI Nicomedia 78b

Workshop not in RIC


and this coin, which is nothing special, but it is coin #90 in my London trays for Constantine I.



Constantine I
A.D. 314
21x22mm 3.8g
IMP CONSTANTINVS P AVG; laureate and cuirassed bust right.
SOLI INVICTO COMITI; Sol rad., stg. l., raising r. hand, globe in l., chlamys across l. shoulder; across fields S-F.
in ex. PLN
RIC VII London 8; LMCC 8.02.013

 

Thought I’d realive this thread with a dump of 10 purchases from the last few months.

Some are nice, some are ugly but interesting/rare (Theo, Julian Spes as Augustus, Constans Victory, Constantine fraction), and some are just adding to the Gallienus or FEL TEMP pile. I’ll add attribution notes if anyone is interested.