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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Shea19, post: 8115942, member: 90981&quot;]My last coin of the year finally arrived, so I&#039;m happy to be able to post my Top 10 of the year.&nbsp; I did surprisingly well this year, considering the tough coin market.&nbsp; I made the wise decision to take advantage of the high prices by selling off some of my older coins that I&#039;d either upgraded or otherwise no longer fit my collecting interests, and I quickly spent the money from those sales on new coins.&nbsp;&nbsp; I was especially happy with a large consignment I made to our friend Severus Alexander at AMCC, where a lot of my coins ended up going to other CT members.</p><p><br /></p><p>Overall, it was a nice haul this year, mostly focused on Roman Imperial and provincials (I was shocked to see that I&#039;d only bought two Greek coins all year!).&nbsp; Hope you enjoy the list, and I&#039;m interested to see which of these you like the best.</p><p><br /></p><p>10.&nbsp; Caracalla Tetradrachm- Antioch</p><p>I didn&#039;t really <i>need </i>another Caracalla tet from Antioch, but I just absolutely loved this portrait, and I couldn&#039;t resist. Just a big, bold portrait of a very tough-looking emperor...I especially like the detail on his brow/forehead.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1412439[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4">Caracalla, Syria, Antioch, BI Tetradrachm (26 mm, 13.95 g), 215-217 AD, ΑΥΤ Κ Μ Α ΑΝΤΩΝЄΙΝΟC C ЄΒ, Laureate head of Caracalla to right./ </font><i><font size="4">Rev.</font></i><font size="4"> Eagle with spread wings standing facing on club, head to right and holding wreath in beak; between the eagle&#039;s legs, star. McAlee 686</font></p><p><br /></p><p>9.&nbsp; Severus Alexander/Jupiter Denarius</p><p>A well-struck, bright denarius of the young emperor with a nicely detailed reverse of Jupiter hurling a thunderbolt.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1412448[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4">Severus Alexander. A.D. 222-235. AR denarius (20.6 mm, 3.18 g). Rome mint, struck A.D. 232. IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander right / IOVI PROPVGNATORI, Jupiter standing right, hurling thunderbolt and holding eagle. RIC 238</font></p><p><br /></p><p>8.&nbsp; Julia Domna denarius</p><p>This was my last new addition of the year, and I had been waiting on this one before posting my list.&nbsp; I thought it was a great depiction of Julia Domna from late in her reign.&nbsp; It has very nice detail on her famous hairstyle, and I think she even has a little bit of a Caracalla-like scowl on her face.&nbsp; I also like this interesting reverse type with Cybele depicted as the &quot;Mother of the Gods&quot;.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1412517[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4">Julia Domna, AR Denarius, (19mm, 3.73g), IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG Bare and draped bust of Julia Domna to right; hair waved vertically and fastened in large bun on back; six ridges./ Rev. MATRI – DEVM Cybele, towered, draped, standing front, head left, holding drum in right hand and sceptre, nearly vertical, in left, legs crossed, resting left elbow on column; at feet, lion seated left. RIC 382</font></p><p><br /></p><p>7.&nbsp; Numerian Antoninianus with Mercury reverse</p><p>I thought this was a great example of an interesting and somewhat mysterious ruler.&nbsp; I think that this antoninianus (in my opinion) is about as good as it gets for coins of this era...nice style, strong portrait, struck from fresh dies, well-centered, good metal, and full, clear legends.&nbsp; I especially like the detail in the cuirass/armor, as well as the nice depiction of Mercury on the reverse.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1412453[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4">Numerian, Antoninianus, 283 A.D., (22 mm, 3.91 g), Rome mint, Δ = 4th officina, IMP C NVMERIANVS P F AVG Radiate and cuirassed bust of Numerian to right./ <i>Rev.</i> PIETAS AVGG / ΚΑΔ Mercury standing facing, head left, holding purse in right hand and caduceus in left. RIC 414.</font></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/numerian-antoninianus-a-well-struck-coin-of-a-short-lived-emperor.381934/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/numerian-antoninianus-a-well-struck-coin-of-a-short-lived-emperor.381934/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/numerian-antoninianus-a-well-struck-coin-of-a-short-lived-emperor.381934/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>6. Galba tetradrachm</p><p>This coin was my first from the &quot;Year of the 4 Emperors,&quot; and I just absolutely love the portrait of Galba.&nbsp; When he took over as emperor, Galba was 69 years old, well past his prime, and in failing health...I thought this was a nice, realistic-looking depiction of Galba as a grumpy, tired old man. Though there is obviously some circulation wear, I like that this coin saw a lot of action in one of the craziest years in the history of the Empire. I also like that despite the wear, the obverse legend still clearly shows ΓΑΛΒΑC ΚΑΙCΑΡ (&quot;Galba Caesar&quot; in Greek).</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1412456[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4">Galba, Seleucis and Pieria, Antioch., AR Tetradrachm (27 mm, 14.30 g), ΑΥΤΟ]ΚΡΑΤⲰΡ ΓΑΛΒΑC ΚΑΙCΑΡ CЄΒ[ΑCΤΟC] Bare head of Galba to right./ </font><i><font size="4">Rev.</font></i><font size="4"> [ΕΤΟΥC Β] Eagle with spread wings standing left on wreath, holding wreath in beak; palm frond to left. McAlee 308. RPC I 4198.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>5.&nbsp; Caracalla- &quot;Providence of the Gods&quot; denarius</p><p>This denarius was struck within a year after Caracalla infamously had his younger brother Geta assassinated.&nbsp; It has the reverse legend PROVIDENTIAE DEORVM (“Providence of the Gods”), which is an especially interesting and fitting reverse type for Caracalla, who had attributed his murder of Geta to &quot;divine providence.&quot;&nbsp; I was able to buy a companion piece of Geta with the same Providentia Deorum reverse legend, which I thought was a perfect pair...obviously, the Providence of the Gods was not as kind to Caracalla&#039;s little brother.&nbsp; The coin also has a bold portrait of an angry, unhinged-looking Caracalla, which I always enjoy.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1412484[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4">Caracalla, AR denarius, circa 212 A.D., Rome mint, (18mm, 3.08 g), ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head of Caracalla to right/Rev. - PROVIDENTIAE - DEORVM, Providentia standing left, holding wand over globe at feet and sceptre. RIC 227.&nbsp; Ex. Harlan J. Berk.</font></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/denarius-pair-of-caracalla-and-geta-providence-of-the-gods.384264/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/denarius-pair-of-caracalla-and-geta-providence-of-the-gods.384264/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/denarius-pair-of-caracalla-and-geta-providence-of-the-gods.384264/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>4.&nbsp; The City Goddess Tyche with a nice &quot;turreted&quot; bust</p><p>This fun provincial bronze from Laodicea has a nice bust of the city goddess Tyche wearing a fairly elaborate “turreted” crown. Turreted crowns depict the city walls or towers on top, and city goddesses are often shown wearing this kind of crown to symbolize their protection of the City and their associations with its fortunes.&nbsp; While some turreted crowns show more vague outlines of the city walls on top, I was especially drawn to this coin because it shows a nicely detailed city &quot;landscape&quot; on top of Tyche&#039;s crown.&nbsp; I can make out a city-gate with a full door, multiple walls, and a large watchtower...definitely an impressive piece to wear on top of her head!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1412463[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4">Antoninus Pius, Syria, Laodicea ad Mare. AE Diassarion (26 mm, 13.18 g), circa 142-143 A.D., ΑΥΤΟ ΚΑ ΤΙ ΑΙ ΑΔΡ ΑΝΤΩΝЄΙΝΩN CЄ Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Antoninus Pius to left, seen from behind./ <i>Rev.</i> IΟYΛΙЄΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΛΑΟΔΙΚЄΩΝ / KΡΑ / YP Turreted and draped bust of the city-goddess to left, wearing bunch of grapes. RPC IV.3 online 8589.</font></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-nice-turreted-bust-of-the-city-goddess-shes-got-the-whole-city-on-her-head.387166/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-nice-turreted-bust-of-the-city-goddess-shes-got-the-whole-city-on-her-head.387166/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-nice-turreted-bust-of-the-city-goddess-shes-got-the-whole-city-on-her-head.387166/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>3.&nbsp; Macrinus- &quot;long beard&quot; denarius</p><p>I&#039;ve wanted a denarius of Macrinus with a &quot;long-bearded&quot; portrait for a long time, and I was so happy to land this one.&nbsp; After conspiring to assassinate Caracalla and taking over as emperor, Macrinus soon began to grow an absolutely majestic beard, which resulted in (in my opinion) some of the best Imperial portraits of the 3rd Century. For many reasons, Macrinus was clearly not a successful ruler, but if nothing else, he definitely looked the part.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1412460[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4">Macrinus, AR Denarius (20mm, 3.13g), Struck March-June 218 A.D., Rome.</font></p><p><font size="4">IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG., Laureate and draped bust of Macrinus with long beard, right/ Rev. P M TR P II COS P P, Macrinus seated left on curule chair, holding globus and sceptre. RIC 27. Clay Issue 3.</font></p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/macrinus-denarius-with-a-nice-long-beard-portrait.388289/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/macrinus-denarius-with-a-nice-long-beard-portrait.388289/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/macrinus-denarius-with-a-nice-long-beard-portrait.388289/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>2. Julia Domna provincial with Athena Promachos reverse</p><p>This large provincial bronze of Julia Domna from Cilicia is one of my favorites in my collection.&nbsp;&nbsp; What makes this coin special to me is that the reverse depiction of Athena Promachos brandishing a spear and thunderbolt has a striking resemblance to a famous statue of Athena Promachos that was buried in the Vesuvius eruption in Herculaneum (a few miles down the road from Pompeii).&nbsp; I included a photo of the statue below, and the similarities are very clear.&nbsp; Although this coin could not have been based on that <i>particular</i> statue, a similar statute likely served as the inspiration for the coin.&nbsp; The coin was also struck on a nice big flan, and has a pretty portrait of the empress on the obverse.&nbsp; The photo doesn&#039;t really do it justice, it&#039;s a real beauty in hand.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1412465[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4">Julia Domna, Cilicia, Isaura, AE Tetrassarion (29 mm, 15.06 g), circa 205-211 AD. IOYΛIA ΔOMNA CЄBAC Draped bust of Julia Domna to right./ Rev. MHTPOΠOΛЄΩC ICAY-PΩN Athena Promachos advancing right, wearing aegis over her shoulders, holding spear in her left hand and brandishing thunderbolt with her right.</font></p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/julia-domna-provincial-with-a-strong-athena-promachos-reverse.375904/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/julia-domna-provincial-with-a-strong-athena-promachos-reverse.375904/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/julia-domna-provincial-with-a-strong-athena-promachos-reverse.375904/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>1.&nbsp; Early Macrinus tetradrachm with unique &quot;transitional&quot; portrait</p><p>This coin was an easy choice for #1 for me, and it may be my favorite coin in my entire collection.&nbsp; Though the portrait looks to be of Caracalla, the coin is actually one of the earliest tetradrachms of Macrinus, struck shortly after he helped to orchestrate the assassination of Caracalla.&nbsp; The coin was almost certainly struck before the mint workers had received Macrinus&#039; official portrait.&nbsp; While some of the earliest tetradrachms from this mint have “transitional” portraits of Macrinus which somewhat resemble Caracalla, I’ve never seen one quite like this, and when I saw it, I knew I had to have it.</p><p><br /></p><p>What makes this coin special is that the portrait on this Macrinus tet doesn’t just <i>resemble</i> Caracalla, in my opinion, it <i>is</i> a portrait of Caracalla. The right side of the obverse legend clearly reads &quot;ΜΑΚΡЄΙΝΟC CЄ&quot;, confirming that it was struck under Macrinus.&nbsp; What I believe happened is that the portrait for this obverse die was completed while Caracalla was still in power.&nbsp; Before the obverse legend had been engraved, they received word of Caracalla&#039;s death at the mint, and in a rush to get new coins made for the new emperor (and likely to make sure that Caracalla&#039;s soldiers got paid), the die engravers just kept the old portrait of Caracalla and then added in the obverse legend for Macrinus.</p><p><br /></p><p>The end result is a coin with a portrait of Caracalla and an obverse legend with the name of Macrinus, the man who had him assassinated.&nbsp; How cool is that?</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1412476[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4">Macrinus, Mesopotamia, Edessa, 217-218 AD., BI Tetradrachm (28 mm, 13.00 g). Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of &quot;Macrinus&quot; to right, seen from behind. AY•K•M•ΟΠЄΛ•CЄΥ•ΜΑΚΡЄΙΝΟC CЄ/ <i>Rev.</i> ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ЄΞ ΥΠΑΤΟC Eagle with spread wings standing facing, head to right and holding wreath in beak; between the eagle&#039;s legs, shrine. Prieur 864(var)? Very rare.</font></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/landed-a-grail-coin-early-tetradrachm-of-macrinus-with-a-unique-transitional-portrait.386137/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/landed-a-grail-coin-early-tetradrachm-of-macrinus-with-a-unique-transitional-portrait.386137/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/landed-a-grail-coin-early-tetradrachm-of-macrinus-with-a-unique-transitional-portrait.386137/</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I hope you enjoyed the list (I&#039;ve certainly enjoyed reading all of yours!), and I&#039;m interested to hear which are your favorites.&nbsp; And of course, feel free to share any relevant coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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