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Message:: [QUOTE="ValiantKnight, post: 2952397, member: 44210"]Originally, I didn't really feel like making a Top 10 thread of my coins for 2017. But then I figured that I'd be doing a disservice to the two or three people on here that would be interested in seeing my best coins of the year. In general, it was like years past; didn't get all that I wanted of course, but I still made off with a pretty decent haul, including a few surprises. Only purchases are included (no gifts or freebies). I didn't keep track but if I had to guess I probably bought between 20 and 30 coins, possibly a little more than 30. 10) Justinian, Byzantine EmpireAE follisObv: D N IVSTINI-ANVS P P AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, holding cross on globe and shield, cross to rightRev: Large M, ANNO to left, cross above, regnal year XX (20) to right and star, Γ belowDate: 546 ADMint: Theopolis (Antioch)Mintmark: 9HЧΠ (• above Π)Ref: SB 220 [ATTACH=full]721488[/ATTACH] Since nice large Justinian folles can be around $100 or more, it was on my to-do list to save up the cash for one. Fortunately JA came to the rescue with this example for half the price. Despite a few minor imperfections, it is definitely a keeper. 9) In the name of Alexander III, MacedonAR drachmObv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skinRev: Zeus Aëtophoros seated left on throne without back; aphlaston in left fieldMint: (Uncertain mint in Greece or Macedon).Ref: Price 862 [ATTACH=full]721494[/ATTACH] It was seeing a tempting lesser-grade Alex III drachm at the FUN show in Ft. Lauderdale that prompted me to try and find a better example for around the same price, and I was successful. 8) Hieron II, Kingdom of SyracuseÆ27Obv: Laureate head of Hieron II leftRev: ΙΕΡΟΝΩΣ; Horseman galloping right, holding spear; below horse, Φ.Mint: SyracuseDate: 274-216 BCRef: HGC 2, 1547; CNS II 193 <img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/hieron-jpg.617463/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> My interest in Greek coinage has increased exponentially in the last two years, even though my knowledge about Greek history and the various cities, deities, etc. hasn't quite caught up. This one had a large, Hellenistic bust, a fascinating reverse, is a nice shade of brown, and is somewhat hefty, so naturally I couldn't say no to this one. It actually was a replacement for another coin (not the same type) that was lost in the mail. 7) Anonymous, Abbasid Governors of TabaristanAR hemidrachmObv: Crowned Sasanian-style bust right; “strong” before”, “excellent” and “good” in Arabic in 2nd and 3rd quarters of marginRev: Fire altar flanked by attendants; star and crescent flanking flamesMint: (Tabaristan).Date: 787-788 ADRef: Malek 172; Album 73 [ATTACH=full]721498[/ATTACH] I love transitional and imitative coinage, such as the Byzantine-Arab series and the Byzantine-Sassanian coinage of Egypt, so this was right up the alley for me. This type was from the only part of the entire Persian Empire to successfully hold off the Arab armies during the initial conquest. It became a vassal state, and was allowed to strike its own coinage, albeit with Arabic added to acknowledge Arab overlordship. I also got this for a steal: $17 shipped as the only bidder. 6) Khosrau II, Sassanian EmpireAE 12 nummiObv: Facing bust of Khusru II, beardless, wearing chlamys and crown surmounted by a cross; star to left, crescent to rightRev: Cross potent on globe, I to left, B to rightMint: AlexandriaMintmark: ALEZDate: 618-628 ADRef: SB 855 [ATTACH=full]721499[/ATTACH] When the Sassanian Persians themselves were doing the conquering, against the Byzantine Empire, the mint in Persian-occupied Alexandria decided to strike Byzantine-style coinage depicting the Persian king, Khosrau II. Even though he was Zoroastrian, he is still depicted with a cross-tipped crown, which is proposed to show him as a friend and ally of his Christian subjects (his wife was a Christian). It was another very good deal; around $13 it cost me. 5) Tiberius II Constantine, Byzantine EmpireAE half-follisObv: Dm TIb CONSTANT PP A, crowned, cuirassed bust facing, holding cross on globe and shieldRev: Large X-dot-X, cross aboveMint: RomeMintmark: ROMDate: 574-582 ADRef: SB 476 [ATTACH=full]721503[/ATTACH] As I mentioned in the past, one of my specialties in coin collecting is Byzantine coinage from Italy. Since these are rare and highly sought after by Byzantine specialists, they tend to command higher prices as a whole than their counterparts from other mints and regions of the empire. One of my crown jewels of this area of collecting is a Justinian Rome-mint follis, which I unfortunately do not have yet. At least I managed to snag this decently-sized half-follis from late 6th century Rome (which was a very different place than classical Rome, to say the least). I got a bargain for this also at around $65. 4) Ptolemy IV, Ptolemaic KingdomÆ octobolObv: Head of Zeus-Ammon right.Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ , eagle standing left on thunderbolt, cornucopia to left.Mint: AlexandriaSize: 40 mm, 71.64 gr.Ref: SNG Milano 216 [ATTACH=full]721504[/ATTACH] Another wonderful coin from JA. Easily the largest coin in my collection, by far. Of course, these large Ptolemaics grabbed my interest from the moment I first learned about them, but after looking at a few the itch got too strong this year and I just had to have one of these improvised weapons for my collection. 3) Ptolemy II, Ptolemaic KingdomAR tetradrachmObv: Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegisRev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt; S monogram in left fieldMint: AlexandriaDate: 285-246 BCRef: Svoronos 548 [ATTACH=full]721507[/ATTACH] My Seleucid tetradrachm of Demetrius I Soter made me look for other affordable large Greek silver coins to add to my collection. With the Ptolemaic tets I preferred to get one of the more early ones like this Ptolemy II, since I like the general style of those better. I also like that it has a counterpunch on the obverse by Ptolemy's mouth and chin. I'm currently playing Assassin's Creed: Origins, which takes place in Ptolemaic Egypt, so my interest in Ptolemaic coins has grown even more lately. 2) Tiberius, Roman EmpireAR denariusObv: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head rightRev: PONTIF MAXIM, Livia (as Pax) seated right, holding long scepter in her right hand and olive branch in her left; plain chair legsMint: LugdunumDate: 14-37 ADRef: RIC 26 [ATTACH=full]721516[/ATTACH] This and my Carolingian denier from Venice are my most successful cleaning ventures. I bought it for relatively cheap thinking it looked like it could improve nicely. I started with lemon juice (mixed with distilled water IIRC) to remove the black crud caked all over the coin. The juice did not negatively affect any exposed silver surfaces but it did not have much impact on the black crud. So I decided to soak it in an ammonia-water mix, and most of the hard gunk turned a pale blue color and was easily brushed off after a 10 minute soak. Another soak and brushing got it to how it looks now. This was during the summer and since then the coin has darkened a little, mostly on the reverse. 1) Theodosius II, Eastern Roman EmpireAV solidusObv: D N THEODOSIVS P F AVG, diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, holding spear and shieldRev: IMP XXXX II COS XVII P P, Constantinopolis seated left, with foot on prow, holding cross on globe and sceptre, star in left fieldMint: ConstantinopleMintmark: CONOBDate: 442 ADRef: RIC X 286 [ATTACH=full]721517[/ATTACH] This solidus is my first and so far only Roman gold coin, so a major milestone for me. For the price it was pretty good, and so, like with my other gold coins, reserved it and made a serious effort to save up money for it (with the help of selling off some of my coins). I was not too particularly picky with the emperor or time frame, but for me the closer to 476 AD the coin was, the better. That being said, I like that it can be dated to a specific year: 442 AD. In that year, the Western Roman emperor Valentinian III recognized the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, a huge deal since now the Romans no longer controlled the whole Mediterranean, and Italy would now suffer barbarian raids from the sea as well. Also in that year, the Huns destroyed the city of Naissus, and as a result, Theodosius's court agreed to pay a yearly tribute of 700 pounds of gold to the invaders.[/QUOTE]

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