TCHeesman top 10 Greek and top 10 Roman

The last year for me was very good for numismatics though really quite dreadful otherwise. I hardly managed to leave the city I live in at all and thus spent a lot of time working on the collection. As noted that at least was good. During 2020 I managed to purchase over 50 coins and thus I cannot reduce my new acquisitions to just 10 so I have created two top 10 one Greek the other Roman. As usual they are in no particular order.
Greek
1. Antigonos III Doson Ar Tetratrachm Obv. Head of Poseidon right. Rv Apollo seated left on galley. HGC 1051 227-221 BC 16.95 grms 29 mm Photo by W. Hansen. This is a coin I have been looking for since I started to collect Greek coins. The big problem associated with this coin is that both obverse and reverse are so very interesting that I had to locate a coin that was at least satisfactory on both sides.
2. Syracuse Ar Tetradrachm 466-460 BC Boehringer 438 Obv Slow quadriga right Rv Head of Arethusa right 17.40 grms 26 mm Photo by W. Hansen This coin was completely unplanned. When I was in New York I had actually planned to purchase another coin from the same mint. When |I saw this one I knew I had to make an attempt to purchase it and I did.
3. Larissa Ar Stater 356-342 BC Obv Head of Larissa 3/4 facing left. Rv Horse prancing right HGC 409 12.12 grms 25 mm Photo by W. Hansen In my mind this has to be one of the most iconic Greek coins and one of the more successful attempts at creating a 3/4 facing head on a mass coinage. I have owned some of the drachms before but again in New York I had the opportunity to purchase the much larger image on the stater. I just had to do it.
4. Nagidos Ar Stater 333-323 BC Obv, Head of Dionysos right Rv Head of Aphrodite right SNG Levant 2 11.14 grms 18mm Photo by W. Hansen This coin surprised me. I really was not aware of its existence until I saw it in the highly illustrated Leu catalogue last October. I just was so impressed with the obverse. The image of Dionysos is just so rich in detail especially with that rather tipsy looking eye. Looks like he had spent just a little too much time with the fermented grape juice. This coin is rather small but the relief if very high.
5. Ptolemy IV Ar Tetradrachm Alexandria CPE 892 Obv Jugate busts of Serapis and Isis right Rv Eagle standing left head right 219-217 BC 13.99 grms 25 mm Photo by W. Hansen This is quite an interesting coin as it shows a break with the standard Ptolemaic coinage that preceded it. I had seen this particular example for about a year before I had purchased it but it hung in there and I now got it. Very early depiction of Isis
6. Taras Ar Nomos 340-335 BC Obv. Nude youth on horseback right below youth crouching right removing stone from horse's hoof Rv Phalanthos riding dolphin left Fischer Bossert 696 e This coin illustrated 7.73 grms 21 mm Photo by W. Hansen The love affair of the Tarentines with their horse culture has created one of the most fascinating series of coins ever minted. What I like about this one is its spontaneity. You can almost believe that this actually happened. As the jockey came in victorious, one the handlers went out to clean the horse's hoof. I am having a minor issue so I will take a break. Issue was one of my coins is missing
7. Populonia Ar XX Asses Obv Diademed Head of Metus with protruding tongue Rv Blank Vecchi XII 58.11 This coin. 8.19 grms 18mm Photo by W. Hansen These were never coins that I had much interest in but this one kind of spoke to me I like the style of this one it appears to be very bold.

 

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All of yours are great, @Terence Cheesman ! I would take them all. Naturally, I really enjoy Metus. Your Taras, Syracuse, Nagidos, Larissa, are just super.

 

Terence, all of your coins are magnificent. I don't think I could possibly pick a favourite, but I will say that I'm especially fond of your coins from Syracuse and Larissa. I cannot wait to see your top 10 Roman coins!!!

Update: I now see you've added your Roman coins The Aegypto Capta and the aureii are simply spectacular

 

Wow, every one of these is spectacular in artistic appeal. But I think I will pick #7 as my favorite, as the expression on this coin is what I (and almost everyone else) feel about the year 2020

 

I had a problem as one of my coins is missing so I had to take a break to find it. Needless to say things were happening to my machine so I felt it necessary to put what i had up onto the CT site and continue a bit later.
8.Himera Ar Tetradrachm 409-408 BC Mai artist Obv The nymph Himera reigning in an unruly quadriga right. Rv Himera standing facing head left sacrificing over altar to right Satyr taking bath HGC 436 17.46 grms 23 mm Photo by W. Hansen What I find fascinating about this coin is that this coin was minted just before the city fell to the Carthaginians. One of the more unfortunate byproducts of the interminable wars between the Greeks and the Carthaginians was that the magnificent experimental coinages so much a part of Greek Sicily were in most part terminated.
9. Aegina Ar Stater 445/4-430 BC Obv Tortoise seen from above Rv Skew pattern HGC 437. 12.27 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen This has to be one of the most iconic early Greek coins. I have been lucky over the last few years to complete a more or less basic set of these coins. When I saw this one I knew it was going to be spectacular and I am so glad I got it.
10. Rhodes Ar Stater 340-320 BC Obv. Head of Apollos 3/4 to the right Rv Rose Ashton 98 HGC 1433 6.88 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen This has to be one of the best dies ever created for this coinage. Though some of the tetradrachm dies are much superior for a stater this must be one of the nicer ones.
Now I am going to do the Roman. Last year I had acquired quite a number of Greek gold coins This year I ended up buying a number of Roman gold. Again no particular order
1. Galba Ae Sestertius Rome RIC 339 68 AD Obv Head left laureate Rv Concordia seated left 26.40 grms 32mm Photo by W. Hansen In my mind this is one of the best portraits of Galba ever created. To me it captures the essence of the man a tough hard bitten military man. You can see how the skin is so stretched over the boney structure of his face. This image is so different from that of Nero
2. Antoninus Pius Ae Sestertius 141-143 AD RIC 746a Obv Bust right laureate and draped Rv Italia seated left on celestial globe. 27.14 grms 32mm Photo by W. Hansen This coin is incredible What i particularly like about it is that for the first time Italia is given top billing.
3. Hadrian Ae Drachm Alexandria Obv Bust right laureate draped and cuirassed. Rv Nilus recling left. Datarri 1794 This coin. 25.83 grms 32mm Photo by W. Hansen I have featured this coin a number of times already. It has to be one of my favorites. I remember many years ago seeing one like it in a CNG auction and bidding on it and as usual being out bid. It certainly is great to finally get it.
4.Octavian Denarius 29-27 BC Obv Bare head right. Rv Crocodile Advancing right RIC 275a CRI 430 AEGYPTO CAPTA. 3.71 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen What can I say I wanted one of these for many years and now I got one
5. Tiberius Av Aureus No date RIC 29 Obv Head right laureate Rv Pax seated right 7.79 grms 19mm Photo by W. Hansen To me this looks like one struck towards the end of his reign. He looks like he could use a vacation
6. Trajan Av Aureus 108-110 AD Obv bust right laureate draped and cuirassed seen from back. Rv. Ceres standing left RIC 109 7.33 grms 20mm Photo by W. Hansen Do the celators during the reign of Trajan ever not design a really great coin?
7. Severus Alexander Av Aureus 229 AD Obv head right laureate. Rv Romulus advancing right RIC 96 5.84 grms 20mm Photo by W. Hansen I was trying to get an aureus of Vespasian and the competition was really tough. I managed to get this guy instead. Severus Alexander does mint some very nice coins.

 

All are truly lovely coins/ would be hard to pick a favorite. To me they are all truly spectacular and show your exceptional taste in coins. Congratulations on a fine 2020 collecting year.
John

 

Such beautiful coins! Both Roman and Greek.
All of them are my favorites. Love the Syracuse tetradrachm most.

 

All excellent choices! Particularly love the greek.

 

@Terence Cheesman

Outstanding... all of it!

 

The last three
8. Marcus Aurelius Av Aureus 165-166 Obv Head right laureate Rv Felicitas standing left. RIC 153 Calico 1899 This coin Faces of Power 276 This obverse. 7.30 grms 20 mm Photo by W. Hansen I wanted to create a group of Aurei in order to teach students about the Roman coinage. This year i was lucky in being able to find a number of these coins
9. Gallienus Av reduced Aureus. 266-267 AD. Obv Head right laureate Rv Securitas leaning on column. RIC 118 Gobl MIr 670b This coin Apostolo Zeno Collection 1.43 grms 18mm Photo by W. Hansen I haven't tried yet but I wonder if this guy could float. This one has a long history of detective work but where I managed to discover that a mistake in cataloging meant that I got this coin with this great pedigree. This is a really cool coin/
10. Last but not least and right now i am getting a bit punch drunk. I finally found my missing coin. As usual it was hiding in plain sight. This isn't it though Constantine I Av Solidus Treveri 314 AD Obv Head right laureate Rv Emperor seated left in curule chair RIC 21 This coin noted, 4.47 grms 19mm Photo by w. Hansen. This coin was once in the collection of Arthur J Evans Well this is it. I had planned to include the coin that I had lost and will do so when I publish a couple of also rans. I do plan to put out a group for the decade. As i have only done this for three years 2020 2019 and 2018 What I will do is look through my coins which I had purchased between 2010 and 2017.

 

Spectacular coins, Mr. Cheesman.
I did not think gold would have a flan crack. Live and learn

 

All top drawer coins! Lovely. Just lovely!

 

These are all superb. I can't possibly pick a favorite, or come up with appropriate superlatives. (Although that Galba portrait, and the portrait of Dionysos, are really something!)

 

An astonishing list of coins. The exquisite portraits in your collection really hang together nicely. And I have no idea who W. Hansen is. But I love the photographic style and background.

 

Well, Terence, they are all outstanding and worthy of the finest collection. I looked through them five times to try to choose a favorite or favorites and could not. Almost all of them are close to perfection for what they are.

I have one coin that could be regarded as one of those types:



Hadrian (117-138) with the river god Nilus reclining on a crocodile, year 18.

Yours are coffee-table-book-quality coins. What a year!

 

A truly phenomenal year with quite the haul of uniformly wonderful coins!

It's impossible to pick a favorite because of the breadth but mine are your Antigonus Doson, the Apostolo Zeno aureus, the gorgeous Nilus provincial, and your exceptionally detailed and struck Aegypto Capta (which also previously sold in 2017 at NAC 101 lot 49) for its superb detail.

Congratulations, and I'm greatly looking forward to what 2021 brings!

 

My goodness, what gorgeous coins! Museum quality, all of them!

 

Tops for me is Greek 8 and Roman 2.

 

It's always a treat to see one of your coins Terence, it's an event to see twenty.