I finally had a chance to open and post my SS gift! And, boy, did Saturn smile upon me! I've had it, this brown padded envelope, for a couple weeks, but I wanted to wait to open it until my own SS recipient received and opened their's. Inside this unassuming package was a very Saturnalia-y festive card! And this card had 2 (TWO!!!) coins taped inside along with a very nice personal note from my Secret Saturn, our one-and-only @FitzNigel! Though he mentions being worried about coin choice for me, I almost feel like he peered inside my head... You see, I don't have any Owl coins in my collection yet, so I've been keeping an eye out for one that speaks to me... This one does, with it's beautiful face peering back, one can't help but make eye contact and feel connected. (Seleukid Syria Antiochos VII, Athena/Owl) And I'm a big fan of Augustus coinage, and there is a coin type that I've seen posted by many others here on CT, and similar to the above, I don't have one in my collection and had been keeping an eye out, but now I do! Augustus with the Thracian King Rheometalkes! (Thrace, King Rheometalkes/Augustus) I want to say and send a BIG THANK YOU to @FitzNigel for knocking it out of the park! You chose two great coins that I will cherish! Very thoughtful and I appreciate it so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you! -"Io Saturnalia!"
Whew! What a busy time of year! So in finding out about my new Byzantine Saturnalia loot, I came upon this thread from the not-too-distant past. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/just-won-this-interesting-lot.318725/ A great lot, and clearly it was very important to you, @Orfew. I’m always amazed at the generosity of all of our members. Byzantine coinage is completely new to me, so having 5 coins to start with is crazy! I love the religious subject matter, and it will be fun to learn. These coins spent time in the collection of Rodolfo Spahr, a well known provenance! Thank you!!!’
Sorry to hear that. I hope your SS sees your msg and will PM you to let you know something. Let us know what happens and I can GUARANTEE you you'll get something.
Mine finally arrived today and was hand delivered by my postman who claimed to have forgotten to deliver it in yesterdays mail. Thanks @Severus Alexander Demetrios I, (200 - 185 B.C.) Bronze trichalkon Baktrian Kingdom O: head of elephant right, bell around neck. R: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ∆HMHTPIOY, caduceus in center, monogram in inner left field. 8.71g 27mm Bopearachchi Série 5E, Mitchiner IGIS 108b, SNG ANS 209 ff., SNG Cop
An elephant! Awesome!!! Big bronze, too! I was browsing Baktrians last night (I'm also light on them- have never owned one), and I noticed that type.
Phew, I'm glad it finally got there! I just happened to pop onto CT for the first time in a while and saw this. Again, my apologies for the delay! My thanks to my Secret Saturn & photo of my excellent new coin will be coming the next time I log on. (I have pm'd him already.)
My gift arrived on the 19th, but I had to pick ot up yesterday, and I am finally writing about it today! And somehow Saturn decided that I would be the giftee of @AnYangMan who happens to know my collecting interests well. According to his letter, he initially tried to hide his identity, but gave up knowing that I would deduce his identity from the package’s origin and the goodies inside. Speaking of the goodies inside, I just now took some rough-and-dirty pics of everything (each item is listed in chronological order). 1. Titus Cloelius denarius (128 BC). I had mentioned a while back that I had no bi/tri/quadrigas in my collection, and Mika felt it prudent to change that. Plus I really like Roman Republican coinage and plan on expanding my collection in the future, so this is a great start in that direction. 2. Marc Anthony legionary denarius. I actually did not have an example of this iconic type for some reason. This example has a nice galley and great surfaces and old collection patina. However, the legion number has been worn away. @Bing can you deduce the legion number, or is it too far gone? 3. I saw this Wu Zhu in a J. P. Righetti lot on CNG, but I did not have the money to bid on it at the moment. Mika won the lot and I considered buying this coin. But then school happened and decided to focus on more pressing matters. Upon seeing this coin in hand, I dare say this is the finest Wu Zhu I have ever seen, and that should say something. The coin is uncirculated, sharp, and has a slight glaze of a patina. The fun provenance is just icing on the cake. 4. Roman provincial AE from Perinthos, Thrace. The obverse depicts Apollo, and the reverse features a lyre. This is my first coin with an ancient musical instrument on it! The fact that a musical instrument was so prominently featured on this coin drew me to it when I visited Mika earlier this year. It is also a fairly rare variant of the type. Mika originally did not have any intention selling this coin, making this gift even more special. 5. Lead Kai Yuan Tong Bao. This coin is from the same lot and collection as the Wu Zhu, and it is a rather nice example of the type. I had also expressed an interest in buying this coin but didn’t for the reasons outlined above. 6. Lastly a book on ancient Chinese coins from Mika’s personal library. Unfortunately I do not read German, so Google Translate is going to be my friend when I use this book. All in all, I was very surprised with @AnYangMan ’s generosity and am very happy with this year’s loot.
So many of the MA Legionary denarius are worn from habitual use. They were a poor grade silver denarius that people used rather than hoarded. In the case of this coin, I'm afraid it may be impossible to ever know. Perhaps with a computer-connected microscope someone might make out faint details. But just think of the people that possibly held this coin. Sorry, I'm not much help.
I would like to thank my Secret Santa for two very nice coins. One is a Fel Temp Reparatio falling horseman of Constantius II and the other is a small bronze from the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Thank you again SS for the cool coins. Unfortunately I have had almost no time to attribute or photograph the coins. My second child arrived a little while ago and I am a sleepless zombie barely able to function without coffee.
My SS gifted me some legit Byz coins, very large and very cool!!! Romanus III 1028-1034 A.D. Class B 12.4g Obverse: Jesus Reverse: IS XS/BAS | ILE/ BAS | ILE And second is one from 'ol Justin I 518-527 A.D. 17.87g Obverse: Justin facing right Reverse: M monogram, CON in exergue I can't thank you enough Secret Saturnalia!!!!!!!!
WOW! Great coins, Aidan! The Byzantine period Roman coins are amongst my favorites. Lucky you! I'll post back once I receive mine. Still waiting on several packages from the States, including my SS gift.