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<p>[QUOTE="SeptimusT, post: 8136005, member: 91240"]It’s been a very busy year, not to mention the difficulties and losses that we have all, no doubt, faced. I haven’t had much time to post here, but I have made sure to check in at least every few weeks. I didn’t even get around to participating in Secret Saturnalia this year! In August, I started classes for my Ph.D. in Roman Art History, which has taken up most of my time since then. This was something that I was very fearful to start, seeing as it isn’t the most marketable skill, but it’s also something that has brought me a lot of fulfillment thus far.</p><p><br /></p><p>I achieved some of the goals that I listed in <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/septimusts-top-10-coins-of-2020.372465/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/septimusts-top-10-coins-of-2020.372465/">last year’s Top 10 list</a>: I added new Alexandrian coins, coins with images that blend multiple cultural styles, and acquired my first Ptolemaic coin (though not the big drachm I was hoping for). I did not, however, acquire a pre-Roman or Early Medieval British coin; until a good bargain comes along, my Romano British coins will have to suffice. I didn't do a great job of paring down the collection, either...</p><p><br /></p><p>Due to both the general business of the year and the ballooning price of coins, I haven’t made quite as many purchases as in the previous years. A lot of the coins that I acquired this year are cherrypicked from group lots that I picked up for resale, something that I also haven’t had much time for. Despite these challenges, I want to share ten of my favorite acquisitions of the year. As always, take the specific ordering with a grain of salt, since I’m not good at such judgments. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1417695[/ATTACH] <b>#10: Japanese Tora-Sen</b></p><p><b>Obverse</b>: Stylized tiger to left; <b>Reverse</b>: 富国強兵 (<i>Fukoku Ryohei</i> – “Rich country, strong soldiers”); <b>Cast at Hosogaya Mito, ~AD 1868 </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>I enjoy Japanese and other Asian art, but the lack of visuality means that coins from those regions don’t typically capture my imagination in the same way. Although calligraphy can be quite visual, it’s just not the same. I’ve remedied this somewhat this year by acquiring a number of Japanese ‘e-sen’ (literally, ‘picture coins’). In some cases, these were cast as private currency, while others functioned as tokens or religious amulets. I chose to share this one, called a ‘tora-sen’ (literally, ‘tiger coin’) as an example because I find the art quite attractive, and because it is fitting to highlight the tiger as we prepare to enter 2022, the <u>Year of the Tiger</u>. It was apparently struck under local authority and valued at 50 Mon.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1417696[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>#9: Marcus Aurelius Tetradrachm</b></p><p><b>Obverse</b>: Μ ΑVΡΗΛΙΟϹ ΑΝΤƱΝΙΝΟϹ ϹƐ, radiate bust right; <b>Reverse</b>: L Ϛ, Harpokrates seated on lotus flower to left, crowned with skhent(?), raising fingers to lips, holding flail; <b>RPC IV</b>.<b>4 14724 (temp.), struck at Alexandria, AD 165 – 166</b></p><p><br /></p><p>This is a pretty rare type that I have been on the look out for for a while. They rarely come up, and when they do they are rarely affordable. Although it clearly has some rough surfaces that don't photograph so well, I think I got lucky with this one: the price was fair, and all of the important details are present and immediately recognizable. </p><p> </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1417697[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>#8: Maximinus Thrax from Ashkelon</b></p><p><b>Obverse</b>: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right; <b>Reverse</b>: Bust of Horus left, wearing hem-hem crown, holding scepter and flail [three lion heads in exergue; HLT (date) in legend)]; <b>SNG ANS 742, struck at Ascalon, AD 334 – 335</b></p><p><br /></p><p>While the figure on the reverse is sometimes identified as Isis, I believe it depicts Horus instead, based on the hem-hem crown and the presence of crook and flail. What’s interesting is that the style of this depiction is closer to ancient Egyptian art than most Alexandrian coins. Whereas we are more used to seeing Horus’ Greek adaptation, Harpocrates, as a child with his finger to his lips (forming the Egyptian hieroglyph for child), here we are getting a much more traditional, martial depiction of Horus. The style is crude and condition leaves something to be desired, but I had to have it.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1417698[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>#7: Faustina the Younger from Neapolis</b></p><p><b>Obverse</b>: ΦΑΥϹΤƐΙΝΑ ϹƐΒ ƐΥϹƐ ϹƐΒ ϹƐΒΑ ΘΥΓΑ, draped bust right; <b>Reverse</b>: ΦΛ ΝƐΑϹ ΠοΛƐ(ⲰϹ) ϹΥΡΙΑϹ ΠΑ ƐΤ ΠΗ, turreted Isis-Tyche-Fortuna facing, head left, wearing headdress, holding rudder and cornucopia; <b>1 RPC 9054 (temp.), struck at Neapolis, ~AD 130 – 175</b></p><p><br /></p><p>I don’t think much explanation is needed for this one. Quite simply, this is a beautiful coin. The reverse depicts Isis-Tyche (identifiable by her unique headdress), once again capturing my imagination with hybrid iconography.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1417699[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>#6: Gordian III from Carrhae</b></p><p><b>Obverse</b>: ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΑΝΤ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟϹ ϹƐΒ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right (double struck); <b>Reverse</b>: ΜΗΤ ΚΟΛ ƐΔƐϹϹΗΝⲰΝ, draped, veiled and turreted bust of Tyche left; statue on pedestal in front, altar before; <b>RPC VII</b>.<b>2 2829, struck at Carrhae, AD 241 – 243 </b></p><p><br /></p><p>At first glance, this is a pretty typical provincial coin with the emperor on one side and Tyche on the reverse. What makes it stand out is the little figure in the left field of the reverse, clearly a statue on a pedestal. While some catalogues identify this as Marsyas, the pose isn’t quite right to my eyes. With more research, I hope to solve the mystery of who this mysterious figure might be. For now, the mystery alone is enough to earn it a place in my Top 10 list. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1417700[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>#5: A Hoard from Etenna</b></p><p><b>Obverse</b>: Nymph advancing right, entwined with serpent; vase to left OR Nymph entwined with serpent; <b>Reverse</b>: Sickle-shaped knife flanked by ET–EN OR sickle-shaped knife with long handle flanked by E-T; <b>Struck at Etenna in</b>… <b>well, it’s complicated. </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Okay, so it’s not <i>exactly </i>‘one’ of my Top 10 coins, but I think it’s fair enough to include these. I love coin hoards, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to buy 17 Hellenistic coins from the Anatolian city of Etenna. As I have discovered, the iconography on these coins is as fascinating as it is obscure. There’s some <a href="https://www.academia.edu/8309452/Zur_Geschichte_der_Stadt_Etenna_in_Pisidien_Mit_einem_Exkurs_zur_Interpretation_von_Götterdarstellungen_auf_den_kaiserzeitlichen_Stadtmünzen_Kleinasiens_in_Forschungen_in_Pisidien_Bonn_1992_61_141" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.academia.edu/8309452/Zur_Geschichte_der_Stadt_Etenna_in_Pisidien_Mit_einem_Exkurs_zur_Interpretation_von_Götterdarstellungen_auf_den_kaiserzeitlichen_Stadtmünzen_Kleinasiens_in_Forschungen_in_Pisidien_Bonn_1992_61_141" rel="nofollow">good German scholarship on it</a>, but little in English. I hope to publish the hoard, along with a summary of prior findings about the coin type (now in English) in the future. Suffice it to say, we see local influences dating back to the time of the Hittites coming out on these coins, which apparently depict Etenna’s founding myth, involving a nymph, a spring, and a serpent.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1417703[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>#4: Helios from Rhodes</b></p><p><b>Obverse</b>: Radiate head of Helios facing; <b>Reverse</b>: AΘANOΔΩPOΣ (magistrate), Rose with bud to right; flanked by P and O; in left field, caduceus; <b>SNG Cop. 841, struck at Rhodes, ~170 – 150 BC</b></p><p><br /></p><p>I have wanted a Rhodes facing Helios coin since I first started collecting. Although I’ve pined after drachms, the price and quality were right for this one, which I got in Frank Robinson’s most recent auction. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1417704[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>#3: A Rare Triton Surprise</b></p><p>o <b>Obverse</b>: Corn-wreathed head of Kore Soteira to right; <b>Reverse</b>: ΚVΖΙΚΗИΩИ, Triton left, holding fish and rudder; <b>1 RPC IV.2 791 (temp.), struck at Cyzicus, ~AD 186 – 192</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>I had no idea exactly what this was when I purchased it in a poorly photographed eBay auction, but I could tell that it was something out of the ordinary. Further research revealed that it was a quite rare Roman provincial coin from Cyzicus during the reign of Commodus, depicting a Triton on the reverse. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1417702[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>#2: A Domitian Crocodile</b></p><p><b>Obverse</b>: Laureate bust right; <b>Reverse</b>: L E, crocodile with sun disk right; <b>RPC II 2747, struck at Alexandria, AD 85 – 86</b></p><p><br /></p><p>My photo may not quite do it justice (it looks crisp when viewed at a smaller size, as intended), but this coin is a perfect example of the kind of hybrid iconography that draws me to Alexandrian coins. And it’s not just any crocodile: the Solar Disk above the head identifies this as a symbol of Sobek or Sobek-Re, an Egyptian deity associated with warfare and the sun. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1417706[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>#1: Goddess of the Crossroads</b></p><p><b>Obverse</b>: AΠAMЄIA, Turreted and draped bust of the city-goddess to right; </p><p><b>Reverse</b>: CΩTЄIPA Hekate Triformis: the left and right one holding torches in each hand; the middle one a phiale in her right hand; </p><p><b>BMC 110-3. SNG München 131, etc; Struck at Apameia, ~AD 193 – 235</b></p><p><br /></p><p>I don’t have this one in hand yet, and perhaps my euphoria over its recent purchase has pushed it into the first spot for me. Still, I’m smitten with the iconography on this one. Hekate’s image is just weird and unique, yet also very well executed here. That’s to say nothing about its subject’s association with magic and dark deeds.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="SeptimusT, post: 8136005, member: 91240"]It’s been a very busy year, not to mention the difficulties and losses that we have all, no doubt, faced. I haven’t had much time to post here, but I have made sure to check in at least every few weeks. I didn’t even get around to participating in Secret Saturnalia this year! In August, I started classes for my Ph.D. in Roman Art History, which has taken up most of my time since then. This was something that I was very fearful to start, seeing as it isn’t the most marketable skill, but it’s also something that has brought me a lot of fulfillment thus far. I achieved some of the goals that I listed in [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/septimusts-top-10-coins-of-2020.372465/']last year’s Top 10 list[/URL]: I added new Alexandrian coins, coins with images that blend multiple cultural styles, and acquired my first Ptolemaic coin (though not the big drachm I was hoping for). I did not, however, acquire a pre-Roman or Early Medieval British coin; until a good bargain comes along, my Romano British coins will have to suffice. I didn't do a great job of paring down the collection, either... Due to both the general business of the year and the ballooning price of coins, I haven’t made quite as many purchases as in the previous years. A lot of the coins that I acquired this year are cherrypicked from group lots that I picked up for resale, something that I also haven’t had much time for. Despite these challenges, I want to share ten of my favorite acquisitions of the year. As always, take the specific ordering with a grain of salt, since I’m not good at such judgments. [ATTACH=full]1417695[/ATTACH] [B]#10: Japanese Tora-Sen Obverse[/B]: Stylized tiger to left; [B]Reverse[/B]: 富国強兵 ([I]Fukoku Ryohei[/I] – “Rich country, strong soldiers”); [B]Cast at Hosogaya Mito, ~AD 1868 [/B] I enjoy Japanese and other Asian art, but the lack of visuality means that coins from those regions don’t typically capture my imagination in the same way. Although calligraphy can be quite visual, it’s just not the same. I’ve remedied this somewhat this year by acquiring a number of Japanese ‘e-sen’ (literally, ‘picture coins’). In some cases, these were cast as private currency, while others functioned as tokens or religious amulets. I chose to share this one, called a ‘tora-sen’ (literally, ‘tiger coin’) as an example because I find the art quite attractive, and because it is fitting to highlight the tiger as we prepare to enter 2022, the [U]Year of the Tiger[/U]. It was apparently struck under local authority and valued at 50 Mon. [ATTACH=full]1417696[/ATTACH] [B]#9: Marcus Aurelius Tetradrachm Obverse[/B]: Μ ΑVΡΗΛΙΟϹ ΑΝΤƱΝΙΝΟϹ ϹƐ, radiate bust right; [B]Reverse[/B]: L Ϛ, Harpokrates seated on lotus flower to left, crowned with skhent(?), raising fingers to lips, holding flail; [B]RPC IV[/B].[B]4 14724 (temp.), struck at Alexandria, AD 165 – 166[/B] This is a pretty rare type that I have been on the look out for for a while. They rarely come up, and when they do they are rarely affordable. Although it clearly has some rough surfaces that don't photograph so well, I think I got lucky with this one: the price was fair, and all of the important details are present and immediately recognizable. [ATTACH=full]1417697[/ATTACH] [B]#8: Maximinus Thrax from Ashkelon Obverse[/B]: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right; [B]Reverse[/B]: Bust of Horus left, wearing hem-hem crown, holding scepter and flail [three lion heads in exergue; HLT (date) in legend)]; [B]SNG ANS 742, struck at Ascalon, AD 334 – 335[/B] While the figure on the reverse is sometimes identified as Isis, I believe it depicts Horus instead, based on the hem-hem crown and the presence of crook and flail. What’s interesting is that the style of this depiction is closer to ancient Egyptian art than most Alexandrian coins. Whereas we are more used to seeing Horus’ Greek adaptation, Harpocrates, as a child with his finger to his lips (forming the Egyptian hieroglyph for child), here we are getting a much more traditional, martial depiction of Horus. The style is crude and condition leaves something to be desired, but I had to have it. [ATTACH=full]1417698[/ATTACH] [B]#7: Faustina the Younger from Neapolis Obverse[/B]: ΦΑΥϹΤƐΙΝΑ ϹƐΒ ƐΥϹƐ ϹƐΒ ϹƐΒΑ ΘΥΓΑ, draped bust right; [B]Reverse[/B]: ΦΛ ΝƐΑϹ ΠοΛƐ(ⲰϹ) ϹΥΡΙΑϹ ΠΑ ƐΤ ΠΗ, turreted Isis-Tyche-Fortuna facing, head left, wearing headdress, holding rudder and cornucopia; [B]1 RPC 9054 (temp.), struck at Neapolis, ~AD 130 – 175[/B] I don’t think much explanation is needed for this one. Quite simply, this is a beautiful coin. The reverse depicts Isis-Tyche (identifiable by her unique headdress), once again capturing my imagination with hybrid iconography. [ATTACH=full]1417699[/ATTACH] [B]#6: Gordian III from Carrhae Obverse[/B]: ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΑΝΤ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟϹ ϹƐΒ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right (double struck); [B]Reverse[/B]: ΜΗΤ ΚΟΛ ƐΔƐϹϹΗΝⲰΝ, draped, veiled and turreted bust of Tyche left; statue on pedestal in front, altar before; [B]RPC VII[/B].[B]2 2829, struck at Carrhae, AD 241 – 243 [/B] At first glance, this is a pretty typical provincial coin with the emperor on one side and Tyche on the reverse. What makes it stand out is the little figure in the left field of the reverse, clearly a statue on a pedestal. While some catalogues identify this as Marsyas, the pose isn’t quite right to my eyes. With more research, I hope to solve the mystery of who this mysterious figure might be. For now, the mystery alone is enough to earn it a place in my Top 10 list. [ATTACH=full]1417700[/ATTACH] [B]#5: A Hoard from Etenna Obverse[/B]: Nymph advancing right, entwined with serpent; vase to left OR Nymph entwined with serpent; [B]Reverse[/B]: Sickle-shaped knife flanked by ET–EN OR sickle-shaped knife with long handle flanked by E-T; [B]Struck at Etenna in[/B]… [B]well, it’s complicated. [/B] Okay, so it’s not [I]exactly [/I]‘one’ of my Top 10 coins, but I think it’s fair enough to include these. I love coin hoards, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to buy 17 Hellenistic coins from the Anatolian city of Etenna. As I have discovered, the iconography on these coins is as fascinating as it is obscure. There’s some [URL='https://www.academia.edu/8309452/Zur_Geschichte_der_Stadt_Etenna_in_Pisidien_Mit_einem_Exkurs_zur_Interpretation_von_Götterdarstellungen_auf_den_kaiserzeitlichen_Stadtmünzen_Kleinasiens_in_Forschungen_in_Pisidien_Bonn_1992_61_141']good German scholarship on it[/URL], but little in English. I hope to publish the hoard, along with a summary of prior findings about the coin type (now in English) in the future. Suffice it to say, we see local influences dating back to the time of the Hittites coming out on these coins, which apparently depict Etenna’s founding myth, involving a nymph, a spring, and a serpent. [ATTACH=full]1417703[/ATTACH] [B]#4: Helios from Rhodes Obverse[/B]: Radiate head of Helios facing; [B]Reverse[/B]: AΘANOΔΩPOΣ (magistrate), Rose with bud to right; flanked by P and O; in left field, caduceus; [B]SNG Cop. 841, struck at Rhodes, ~170 – 150 BC[/B] I have wanted a Rhodes facing Helios coin since I first started collecting. Although I’ve pined after drachms, the price and quality were right for this one, which I got in Frank Robinson’s most recent auction. [ATTACH=full]1417704[/ATTACH] [B]#3: A Rare Triton Surprise[/B] o [B]Obverse[/B]: Corn-wreathed head of Kore Soteira to right; [B]Reverse[/B]: ΚVΖΙΚΗИΩИ, Triton left, holding fish and rudder; [B]1 RPC IV.2 791 (temp.), struck at Cyzicus, ~AD 186 – 192 [/B] I had no idea exactly what this was when I purchased it in a poorly photographed eBay auction, but I could tell that it was something out of the ordinary. Further research revealed that it was a quite rare Roman provincial coin from Cyzicus during the reign of Commodus, depicting a Triton on the reverse. [ATTACH=full]1417702[/ATTACH] [B]#2: A Domitian Crocodile[/B] [B]Obverse[/B]: Laureate bust right; [B]Reverse[/B]: L E, crocodile with sun disk right; [B]RPC II 2747, struck at Alexandria, AD 85 – 86[/B] My photo may not quite do it justice (it looks crisp when viewed at a smaller size, as intended), but this coin is a perfect example of the kind of hybrid iconography that draws me to Alexandrian coins. And it’s not just any crocodile: the Solar Disk above the head identifies this as a symbol of Sobek or Sobek-Re, an Egyptian deity associated with warfare and the sun. [ATTACH=full]1417706[/ATTACH] [B]#1: Goddess of the Crossroads Obverse[/B]: AΠAMЄIA, Turreted and draped bust of the city-goddess to right; [B]Reverse[/B]: CΩTЄIPA Hekate Triformis: the left and right one holding torches in each hand; the middle one a phiale in her right hand; [B]BMC 110-3. SNG München 131, etc; Struck at Apameia, ~AD 193 – 235[/B] I don’t have this one in hand yet, and perhaps my euphoria over its recent purchase has pushed it into the first spot for me. Still, I’m smitten with the iconography on this one. Hekate’s image is just weird and unique, yet also very well executed here. That’s to say nothing about its subject’s association with magic and dark deeds.[/QUOTE]
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