TIF's 2017 Year in Review and Top Ten

What a year… it has been challenging on many fronts and I haven’t had as much time for coining… and then hurricanes Irma and Maria came along. I’m just now getting back into a semblance of normal but I still have no internet and rare/weak cell signal at home.

The year was heavy with Roman Provincials. Naville has been selling a huge selection of coins from the famous Dattari collection and since I’m an avid collector of Roman Egypt, that took most of my budget. Many of the Dattari coins are low grade and corroded but there are a large number of rarities and extremely interesting reverses. The interesting reverse coins brought exuberant bidding so acquiring the more exotic types was difficult. I managed to get a few over the course of the year

@zumbly already mentioned our little Alexandrian joint venture and he summed it up pretty well: a ton of fun, but ultimately both of us ended up with a bunch of coins that aren’t in our top tier. I’d probably do it again though because it was fun

Now that the hurricanes have taken away most of my coin budget for the foreseeable future, I’m using the time to organize and appreciate the coins I already have. My organization went out the window a year or two ago so that is long overdue. New boxes, new labels, everything tidy and organized… and easy to protect should another hurricane target this island! The first part of 2018 will be devoted to updating and adding to my website. Maybe I can get a coin or two in the first quarter of the year. [whimper] Triton’s Alexandrians are killing me . What bad timing!

Coins are wonderful but the sharing of the hobby with my CoinTalk friends is a huge part of the enjoyment, so living without daily CoinTalk (hourly? ) has been depressing. Hopefully in a few months I'll have internet again can rejoin the CoinTalk party!

The 2017 stats:

77 coins acquired (includes one group lot of 40 coins)

• 12 Greek (a lower percent than past years due to my increasing love of provincials)
• 63 Roman Provincial (53 from Roman Egypt, 10 from other provinces)
• 0 Roman Republican and Imperatorial! (wow, really??)
• 2 Roman Imperial
• 0 Byzantine, medieval, etc (no surprise there... not my thing)

Main sources:

• Naville Numismatics
• John Anthony
• Leu Numismatik
• Numismatik Naumann
• Nomos/Obolos
• CNG (only four coins from them this year, a big drop; other companies have had a better selection of interesting Provincials lately)

Number of plate coins acquired: 14 (13 in Dattari-Savio, 1 in Lindgren)

Number of coins not found in existing references, to the best of my knowledge: 2

Pedigrees include coins from:

• Dattari
• Robert L. Grover
• Art Institute of Chicago (40 coins)
• Keith Emmett
• BCD
• E. E. Clain-Stefanelli
• Dr. P. Vogl
• Hopper Collection
• Hermanubis Collection
• Tom Cederlind
• stevex6
• @dougsmit
• @Eng

Picking a top ten is of course difficult, except for the #1 slot which was a major find. Many of the rest of the coins will leave some of you cold, but that’s the beauty of collecting ancient coins— there’s something for every taste and budget! Many of the coins have only hastily taken images but it's all I can do for now.

So many cool coins didn't make the list: a centaur biga (and Dattari plate coin), Agathodaemon serpent riding a horse! (also a Dattari plate coin), Isis-Sothis... and more.

1. Punic tetradrachm. Finding this particular obverse die with great strike and superb condition, at a price I could live with, was thrilling


SICILY, Entella. Punic issues
c. 300-289 BCE; AR tetradrachm, 24 mm, 16.8 gm, 12h)
Obv: head of Melquart-Herakles right, wearing lion skin
Rev: head of horse left; astragalos (cut over poppy) to left, palm tree to right, Punic MHSBM (approximate meaning is "quaestors" or financial controllers) below
Ref: Jenkins, Punic 366 (O115/R298), series 5b
Ex Gorny & Mosch 138 (7 March 2005), lot 33

2. A magnificent Apollo on griffin


TROAS, Alexandria. Trebonianus Gallus
CE 251-253
AE 21 mm, 4.76 gm
Obv: IMP VIB TREB GALVS AV; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: COL AV / TROA; Apollo, head right and holding kithara, seated facing on griffin springing right, head left
Ref: RPC IX 407; Bellinger A403
Only three others found in ACsearch. Sure, T-Bone's portrait is messed up but who cares when glorious Apollo is riding on a griffin?

3. This little piggy came flying home. In 2013, before Steve and I became such good coin friends, and before I could imagine spending more than a few hundred dollars on a coin, Steve and I privately arm wrestled about this coin and I conceded to him. I suspect he fibbed about his max bid but he probably would have topped me anyway. I'm delighted to have this coin, having failed to acquire the few which have appeared at auction in subsequent years


MYSIA, Kisthene
Orontes, satrap of Mysia, c. 357-352 BCE
AR Half Siglos or Tetrobol; 13 mm, 2.75 gm
Obv: Nude hoplite crouching left behind shield, spear at ready
Rev: Forepart of winged boar right
Ref: Troxell, Orontes 4; SNG France 1164A (Lampsakos); SNG von Aulock
Very rare.
ex SteveX6 Collection
Hasty image... need to reshoot when I can do it properly.



4. Serapis & Dioscuri strutting on the runway. Another X6 Collection coin


EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius
Regnal year 8, CE 144/5
AE drachm, 33 mm, 23.2 gm
Obv: [legend]; laureate draped bust right
Rev: Serapis, wearing modius, standing facing; flanked by the Dioscuri who are also standing facing, heads turned towards Serapis, and each holding a flagellum ; [L] H in exergue
Ref: Dattari 2864 (RY2); Dattari-Savio plate 148 coins 2864 and 8724; Emmett 1670.8; Not listed in Milne.
ex Stevex6 Collection

(from the Totally Looks Like thread...)


5. Another great provincial reverse: Europa, bull, eros, Triton (with a crab headdress, although I can't appreciate that on my coin), dolphin... and Domna on the obverse? Score!


CILICIA, Seleucia ad Calycadnum. Julia Domna
AE 22 mm, 7.3 gm
Obv: IOVΛIA ΔOM CЄBACT; draped bust right
Rev: CЄΛЄVKЄΩN KΛAVKA; Europa, holding billowing veil, riding bull right being guided by a flying Eros; below, Triton with crab headdress, holding rudder and dolphin
Ref: SNG BN 984; SNG Levante 742
Ex Dr. P. Vogl collection; ex Bankhaus Aufhäuser (sold 18.09.1992, with dealer's ticket)
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-coin-before-the-storm.304101/

6. Elagabalus tetradrachm, marriage issue. But who is it? He had so many wives during that regnal year...


EGYPT, Alexandria. Elagabalus
tetradrachm, 24 mm, 13.27 gm
regnal year 4
Obv: laureate head right
Rev: Elagabalus standing right and empress (Aquilia Severa) standing left, each holding scepter, clasping right hands; L ∆ across field
Ref: Köln –; Dattari (Savio) 4098; K&G 56.43; Emmett 2929.4 (R4)
ex Hermanubis Collection

7. There were a few candidates for the top ten in the A-Pi Extravaganza lot that Zumbly and I shared. This is my favorite of my 40 coins from that lot. Agathodaemon ("the good snake")? Cool. Agathodaemon with the head of Serapis? *head exploding*. I love these Serapic syncretics!


EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius
Regnal year 17
AE drachm, 33mm
Obv: laureate bust right
Rev: Serapis-Agathodaemon standing erect right
Ref: Dattari 2829; Emmett 1678.17
Ex Robert L. Grover Collection of Roman Egyptian Coinage, previously held by the Art Instituteof Chicago (1982.1988, G.781)

8. The ittiest bittiest Ptolemy bronze, and what a spectacular example! @John Anthony found this little gem and the moment I saw it, I knew it would be mine These pictures do not do it justice.


PTOLEMAIC KINGS OF EGYPT, Ptolemy III Euergetes
246-221 BCE, Asia Minor (possibly Halicarnassus* in Caria)
AE chalkous; 14 mm, 1.7 gm
Obv: head of Zeus-Ammon right, wearing tainia.
Rev: ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ; eagle standing left on thunderbolt; trident to left.
Ref: Svoronos 840
*Modern Bodrum was, in ancient times, Halicarnassus in Caria so I've made the assumption that Halicarnassus was therefore the likely site of this coin's origin. I could be wrong

9. This drachm (if that is the correct term) is one of the largest of the Klazomenai winged boar/incuse coins struck during that period. The denomination gets pretty pricey and I didn't feel the need for a high-condition example (translation: it would cost way too much) yet I want to have a full denomination set. The price of this drachm was too good to pass up. Hmm... I can't find images and might not have time to shoot it before the end of the year. Instead, here's a group shot of my 12 Greek coins for 2017. The pigasus drachm is at 5:00 position:


IONIA, Klazomenai
c. 500 BCE
AR drachm, 6.77 gm
Obv: forepart of winged boar flying right
Rev: quadripartite incuse square
Ref: Rosen 563; Jameson 1492; Asyut 615; Traité II 487; SNG Copenhagen 1-2
ex Numismatic Fine Arts Mail Bid Sale, 18 October 1990, lot 310

10. What a toss-up! Hover goats vs cow surfing on a dolphin vs nymph kissing a snake? I'm going to go with the cow surfer because the obverse is so nicely centered and struck. I remember when I first saw this type-- @Ancientnoob received one in trade (and I think he got the better end of that trade). The type immediately went on my wish list and soon thereafter I bought the larger version. This year I was happy to add the little brother.

THRACE, Byzantion
Circa 340-320 BCE
AR; Half Siglos; 14 mm, 2.53 gm
Obv: ΠY Bull standing left on dolphin left
Rev: Quadripartite incuse square of mill sail pattern
Ref: Schönert-Geiss 291. SNG BM Black Sea 36–41

...

Pictures of the my coin reorganization to follow

 

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a fine group TIF..i'm glad the storms didn't blow away your sense of humor

 

Wow im jealous. That satrap of Mysia kinda gives new meaning to the saying "when pigs fly" lol. Amazing coins.

 

I wanted neat labels so that meant typing rather than printing. Interesting pedigree information is in red; plate coin information in blue, and unpublished in green.



I'd already been using business cards as inserts. It requires trimming a bit, and folding, but it looks nice and the stiffness makes insertion and removal from the flip much easier. Auction and seller ephemera can be safely tucked in the card too.



I was using half-sized colored boxes but a few weeks ago sprung for these Whitman plastic boxes. They are fantastic! Each box has two removable dividers so if a box isn't full it keeps the flips from sliding into disarray.



The extensive Roman Egypt trays are amenable to labeling with Emmett numbers, making it easy to find or file coins:



Some of those Ptolemaic bronzes are too large for 2x2 flips so those are put in 2.5 x 2.5" flips. This slab box also hold a few slabs from pre-ancient-collecting days




Here's the entire 2017 haul. I was going to take them out of the flips for a group shot but man... it was a lot of work putting them in order, so instead you get this:


...

It's going to be a hectic week with work and travel. Still no internet at home. by the weekend I'll finally be able to devote some quality time to catching up on all of your excellent threads. Clearly I've missed some good ones! Looking forward to leisurely browsing everyone's year-end posts

...

Thanks for another great year, CoinTalk friends!

 

O wow.. your are so organized!.. but i can always fine "new" old coins in my piles o stuff i've already got.. it makes being unorganized a pleasure..sometimes^^

 

Love seeing organized coins and how they're stored, sometimes more than the coins themselves.

It's been a crap year for everyone it seems, especially for me. Will be glad to see it end and hope 2018 is better, for all of us.

I have to say #1, #5, &6 are my favorites.

 

I know that in some ways you have had an "Annus horribilis". However, as regards coins you have had an "annus mirabilis".There are some fantastic captures in your post. I hope that your circumstances continue to improve.

Here is a related coin I picked up. Why? Well I was fascinated by the Agathodaemon, and it is a plate coin.


Egypt, Alexandria. Dattari. Antoninus Pius, 138-161 Diobol circa 151-152 (year 15), Æ 22.5mm., 7.45g.
Obv: Laureate bust r., drapery on l. shoulder.
Rev. Agathodaemon erect, crowned with skhent; in field, L-E.
RPC Online 15718 (this coin).
Dattari-Savio Pl. 162, 3066 (this coin).
Good Fine.
From the Dattari collection.
Ex: The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

 

Beautiful coins TIF, your Sicily TET collection never ceases to amaze me with absolutely brilliant quality and your Punic acquisition is no exception. Congrats on some great buys in a difficult year.

 

Wow! That Punic tetradrachm is absurdly stunning (almost as absurd as your Egyptian runway models, haha). Also, great call on your #2. Apollo on the Griffin is a thing of beauty. Very impressive stuff.

 

Roman Egypt is a very cool specialty, well chosen. So many interesting coins.

I need to learn from your organization. Most of my efforts are virtual, the physical coins are not in very good order.

Looks like you had a great coin year even though the rest was such an ordeal.

Here is to a much better 2018 for you!

 

Congratulations on a great coin-year despite the disaster that struck your island. Your choice of coins is exquisite and you've amassed a museum-worthy collection.

Isn't it satisfying to organize your coins in such an easy-to-find manner? An inspiration for us all!

Do I detect a similarity between your label layout and mine?

Yours:


Mine:

 

Awesome coins TIF

 

Punic tet is amazing, but the Apollo/griffon reverse gets my vote for "REVERSE OF THE YEAR" at CT! How cool is that!

I started to reorganize and stalled a couple weeks ago, I hope you've inspired me to get back on it. I kind of need to do printed labels. I sort of feel sorry for who gets my coins after me, they are going to have one hell of a time reading my writing my my labels!

You had an amazing coin year, despite having such a rough 2017 in general.
Hope you have a great 2018!

 

I really liked that 1st coin with the horse. funny animation. I miss stevex6. you are very organized. awesome. thanks for sharing.

 

Great coins TIF! I really like the Byzantion one.

 

As usual, you have some wonderful coins @TIF. I would be hard pressed to pick just one as a my favorite. Really, really nice!!!!!!

 

Lovely coins, all of them!

 

Wow !

Without any other indication I would have recognized your style of collecting. Amazing, despite the issues you've faced all year !

Your #1 would make my coin year, but reverse on #2 is really something special, I love it !!

Congrats and thanks for sharing these wonders with us
Q

 

Those are some great coins @TIF While the Punic tet is quite striking, my favorite of the group is your tiny Ptolemy III Chalkous. The coin is just lovely and I can completely understand why you would be drawn to it.

Your organizational system and labels are also impressive. I feel inspired to get a better system for my coins.

 

You are incredibly organized, TIF. I salute you from the Great White North.