Sometimes a Hole Makes it Cooler...

Awesome!

 

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A denarius in Latin minted in Alexandria in 192 AD? I had no idea the Romans had a mint in Alexandria minting anything other than the usual tetradrachmas and drachmas in Greek at that time.

 

Imperial Alexandrian coins are known for Commodus, Pertinax, Septimius Severus, Clodius Albinus and Julia Domna.

 

I opened the thread ready to disagree with you, as I normally don't like coins with holes in them (unless they are Chinese coins). But yeah, I have to agree, the location of the hole on this coin makes it cooler. It does make me think that an ancient person probably wore it around his neck...or maybe a medieval or 18th or 19th century lady as a charm from her sweetheart. Whatever the answer, it definitely is intriguing.

 

I learned the story of why many drilled holes in their coins and it made me accept the practice better.

I picked up a 1799 2 Reales with a hole in it that I use as a pocket piece. I have come around 180 degrees.

 

Got a few myself...

Empire of Nicaea: John III Ducas-Vatazes (1222-1254) Trachy, Thessalonica Mint (Sear-2124; LBC 445-47)

Obv: AP X/M in field; Bust of St. Michael nimbate, wearing divitision, and panelled loros of simple type; right hand hold sword, resting over shoulder; left hand holds globus cruciger
Rev: IШ ΔЄCΠOTHC in two columnar groups. Emperor seated upon throne without back wearing stemma divitision and jeweled loros of traditional type; right hand holds scepter cruciger; left hand holds anexikakia; In left field, an outstretched wing; Manus Dei in upper right field




Bulgaria: Konstantin I Asen (1257-1277) Æ Trachy (Raduchev & Zhekov 1.4.3-6; Youroukova & Penchev-39; DOC-1)

Obv: IC XC in field; Bust of Christ, bearded and nimbate, wearing tunic and kolobion; right hand raised in benediction, holds Gospels in left; ✝ on either side of Christ
Rev: КО/СТ/ АΔ /N Ц А/С/Ѣ/N in two columnar groups; Full-length figure of tsar, wearing stemma, divitision, paneled loros of traditional type, and sagion(?); holds in right hand labarum-headed scepter, and in left, globus cruciger




Byzantine Empire: Constantine X Ducas (1059-1067) AR ⅔ Miliaresion, Constantinople (Sear-1851; DOC 6d)

Obv: + ӨKЄ ROHӨЄI; Theotokos orans standing facing; MHP ӨV across field
Obv: + ӨKЄ RO/HӨЄI KШN/CTANTINШ/ΔЄCΠOTH/TШ ΔUKAv in seven lines; — • — above and below legend




Sogdiana, Chach: Unknown Ruler (3rd-5th c.) AE Unit (Shagalov & Kuznetsov-1)

Obv: Portrait of a ruler in profile facing left surrounded by a linear rim. The ruler has an almond shaped eyes, a large nose, sloping forehead, pointed chin with a forked beard, and small mustache. Hair is flowing down to his shoulders and individual strands of curly hair is intercepted by a tiara, which ends tied behind his head with two loops back down to his head. The top of the tiara has a crescent-shaped pommel attached. On the neck of the ruler is a jewlery with a round medallion in the middle.
Rev: Tamgra surrounded by Sogdian legend - c'c'n n'pn'c wnwn xw b - Chach people ruler - King Vanvan.

 

Sorry if this is too modern for you all, but here is the latest Spanish colonial coin from the Potosi mint, plugged and holed. Funnily enough it is photographed with some Chinese cash coins surrounding it. The two on the side are Board of Revenue mint, emperor Qianlong, the one on the bottom is Yunnan, Qianlong, and the one on the other side is Board of Revenue, Kiangxi. In other words, nothing special.

 

Hah! I was dead wrong! There apparently is an 8 reales at potosi for the next year as well, but it is too expensive for my liking. Oh well!

 

Thank you. I researched that myself this afternoon and found out that they are somewhat scarce and were not even recognized as Alexandrian issues until fairly recently. Do you happen to know why they were issued for those four emperors? From Augustus to Diocletian, Roman Egypt was a closed off and sealed off monetary economy with only the Alexandrian drachmas, multiples and fractions permitted to circulate and these coins not allowed to circulate outside of Roman Egypt. I wonder why the exception and what they were used for since regular imperial coinage was not supposed to circulate within Egypt.

 

My only Hole Coin:


RImp Spain Lepida-Clesa Lepidus - mon C Balbus L Porcius Colonia Victrix Ivlia Lepida Victory - Bull holed RPI 262 plate 19

Lepidus was Consul with Caesar in 46 BCE
Lepidus was a Triumvir with Octavian and Marc Antony 43-36 BCE

 

I was in a museum in Strasbourg yesterday, and they had a whole bunch of Roman burial artifacts. Among these were some holed Roman coins. Maybe there was a practice to be buried with money on a string or something of the like?

 

Very interesting about the burial objects. I'm curious enough that I might try to do some more research and see whether it was common or not. Really cool either way. Having never visited Europe so far, I envy you for getting to see all of those awesome museum displays!

 

Loving this thread! So, I paid a good little bit for this Hannibalianus a while back (you gotta plug those holes in your collection, pun slightly intended). Once I received it immediately I felt burned. The seller did some crafty photo work in the listing and did not mention he "hole" in the coin. I thought this was just some kind of "plug" they had placed in the coin to make the hole not so obvious. Thanks to @dougsmit posting his coin and explaining that it could be a nail, I feel like the coin aint so bad and my mind now percolates with the possibilities of how and why this was nailed all those years ago...

 

I love holed coins for one specific reason - they can be very cheap. Yes, the hole detracts, but I have a lot of coins in my collection otherwise unaffordable with a hole (or mount mark).

I hope this isn't annoying, but here follows the most famous holed coin in all of literature (I'm guessing) - from Herman Melville's Moby Dick, a gold doubloon nailed to the mast, described in splendid (some might say excruciating) detail. (I copied this from bartleby.com - the book is out of copyright it is Chapter XCIX "The Doubloon"):

"...When he halted before the binnacle, with his glance fastened on the pointed needle in the compass, that glance shot like a javelin with the pointed intensity of his purpose; and when resuming his walk he again paused before the mainmast, then, as the same riveted glance fastened upon the riveted gold coin there, he still wore the same aspect of nailed firmness, only dashed with a certain wild longing, if not hopefulness. 1

But one morning, turning to pass the doubloon, he seemed to be newly attracted by the strange figures and inscriptions stamped on it, as though now for the first time beginning to interpret for himself in some monomaniac way whatever significance might lurk in them. And some certain significance lurks in all things, else all things are little worth, and the round world itself but an empty cipher, except to sell by the cartload, as they do hills about Boston, to fill up some morass in the Milky Way. 2

Now this doubloon was of purest, virgin gold, raked somewhere out of the heart of gorgeous hills, whence, east and west, over golden sands, the head-waters of many a Pactolus flows. And though now nailed amidst all the rustiness of iron bolts and the verdigris of copper spikes, yet, untouchable and immaculate to any foulness, it still preserved its Quito glow. Nor, though placed amongst a ruthless crew and every hour passed by ruthless hands, and through the live-long nights shrouded with thick darkness which might cover any pilfering approach, nevertheless every sunrise found the doubloon where the sunset left it last. For it was set apart and sanctified to one awe-striking end; and however wanton in their sailor ways, one and all, the mariners revered it as the White Whale’s talisman. Sometimes they talked it over in the weary watch by night, wondering whose it was to be at last, and whether he would ever live to spend it. 3

Now those noble golden coins of South America are as medals of the sun and tropic token-pieces. Here palms, alpacas, and volcanoes; sun’s disks and stars; ecliptics, horns-of-plenty, and rich banners waving, are in luxuriant profusion stamped; so that the precious gold seems almost to derive an added preciousness and enhancing glories, by passing through those fancy mints, so Spanishly poetic. 4

It so chanced that the doubloon of the Pequod was a most wealthy example of these things. On its round border it bore the letters, REPUBLICA DEL ECUADOR: QUITO. So this bright coin came from a country planted in the middle of the world, and beneath the great equator, and named after it; and it had been cast midway up the Andes, in the unwaning clime that knows no autumn. Zoned by those letters you saw the likeness of three Andes’ summits; from one a flame; a tower on another; on the third a crowing cock; while arching over all was a segment of the partitioned zodiac, the signs all marked with their usual cabalistics, and the keystone sun entering the equinoctial point at Libra. 5

Before this equatorial coin, Ahab, not unobserved by others, was now pausing. 6
‘There ’s something ever egotistical in mountain-tops and towers, and all other grand and lofty things; look here,—three peaks as proud as Lucifer. The firm tower, that is Ahab; the volcano, that is Ahab; the courageous, the undaunted, and victorious fowl, that, too, is Ahab; all are Ahab; and this round gold is but the image of the rounder globe, which, like a magician’s glass, to each and every man in turn but mirrors back his own mysterious self. Great pains, small gains for those who ask the world to solve them; it cannot solve itself. Methinks now this coined sun wears a ruddy face; but see! aye, he enters the sign of storms, the equinox! and but six months before he wheeled out of a former equinox at Aries! From storm to storm! So be it, then. Born in throes, ’tis fit that man should live in pains and die in pangs! So be it, then! Here ’s stout stuff for woe to work on. So be it, then.’"

http://www.bartleby.com/91/99.html

 

It was the hole that made it possible for me to afford this bad boy:



Erin

 

It is the HISTORICAL significance of this coin, not the condition, as to why I am so glad you got this coin! I always enjoy it when you post this little guy! I am looking for one myself... someday, would love to post a version of mine! Way cool Erin!

 

Man that's a beautiful coin. I've always been interested in ancients, but with so many counterfeits in the market and not having the "eye" for legit strikes it's hard for me to buy any. This looks so nice I'd assume it's a counterfeit that's how little I know haha. Truly a beautiful piece regardless of the hole though.

My second thought, is there clear evidence these holes were struck during the time of their minting or could they have been made in recent years by people wanting to wear them as necklaces?

 

Thanks Alegandron! The right one will come along.

I will admit that I had some help from my brother to help me get it. But, man, it was worth it!

I remember looking at the others for sale and being discouraged because of the prices. But, that ended with this dude.

Erin

 

I too envy the Divus Julius denarius.

Anyway, I hope this isn’t too much information, but in light of @TypeCoin971793’s museum find I did some research (I’m lucky to have access to lots of academic databases) that I think partially answers the question of whether they were holed in antiquity, and whether they were often grave goods.

Short answer: They were often amulets or clothing decorations that were often incorporated into burials, and generally seem to have been holed within a few centuries of minting. Would the metal be strong enough to hole without breaking centuries later?

Holed coins indicate the repurposing of coins for decorative or jewelry purposes. This is based on the observation of the placement of holed coins within a burial or in association with jewelry objects. As @TypeCoin971793 suggested, they were sometimes put on a string, and laid in a grave. Coins with multiple holes were either strung or sewn into fabric. Since they were jewelry objects, we can assume they were used in life too, and wouldn’t just show up in burials. The Portable Antiquities Scheme shows lots of holed coins that don’t seem to be from graves. One study suggested they might sometimes have been passed down as family heirlooms.

Someone tried to figure out when coins were holed in relation to when they were minted, based on grave finds (so as to have something to date them against). The short answer is that it varies, but many of them seem to have been turned into jewelry 1 or 200 years after they were minted. Other times relatively new coins were used.

One interesting article I found talked about finding holed provincial coins far from their source cities, and speculated that they were devotional objects for soldiers from those cities.

Here’s a plate that shows patterns of holed coins from a single cemetery (click to enlarge):

 

Thanks! Just buy from vcoins or some other trustworthy source and you don't have to much to worry about as far as fakes are concerned. Go to vcoins and type in "Sassanian drachm" and you'll see all sort of nice looking coins of the type. That's where I got that coin, I think it was 45 bucks or so.

I'm not sure who to tell when it was holed. On the bronze coins you can see the metal in the hole has a patina on it, which means it has to be pretty old.