Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Top 10 of 2016 (zumbly's list)
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="zumbly, post: 2588619, member: 57495"]I've been really enjoying everyone's lists... it looks like it's been a good year all around! My final list ended up being a good representation of my collecting interests - some silver, some bronze, a bit of Greek, and a mix of Roman Republic, Provincial and Imperial. I really surprised myself with some of the coins I had to leave off this list of ten, and maybe sometime later I'll get around to posting those also-rans because I honestly love them as much as many of these...</p><p><br /></p><p><b>#10. GAUL, Nemausus. Augustus & Aggripa. </b>AE As. 12.0g, 26.4mm</p><p>[ATTACH=full]563343[/ATTACH]</p><p>It's slightly crude and crusty, but I do love this coin without qualification. Two distinctive features - the crocodile's horned snout and the reverse legend reading COL NIM rather than COL NEM - helped to nudge it into my Top 10 of the year. In hand, the surfaces appear less rough, but photographs do not lie, they just tend to accentuate every wart and blemish. It's a good thing then that I really like this coin's warts and blemishes <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>#9. COMMODUS. </b>AR Denarius. 3.33g, 18mm</p><p>[ATTACH=full]563342[/ATTACH]</p><p>This Commodus denarius is average in every way except one, its rarity. In and of itself, rarity is no big deal when it comes to ancients, but this one is a little more special for being a rare issue with a reverse type rare for its period. Fairly common on coins of the Republic, Juno Sospita was very infrequently featured on coins of Imperial rulers. This was her last appearance on Roman coinage, struck to recognise her patronage of Commodus's birthplace, Lanuvium. It was really this small numismatic detail that struck my fancy and made the coin a 'must win' for me.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>#8. MACEDONIA, Eion. </b>AR Obol. 0.83g, 12.4mm</p><p>[ATTACH=full]563341[/ATTACH]</p><p>I had wanted one of these charming little Greek obols of Eion for some time, and not only did this example speak to me, I was also able to win it at a price that was a veritable steal. It's nicely toned and the excellent metal quality was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. One of the smaller coins I bought this year, but one that has made an outsized impression on me.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>#7. CONSTANTIUS CHLORUS. </b>AR Argenteus. 3.35g, 19.6mm</p><p>[ATTACH=full]563340[/ATTACH]</p><p>This minty silver argenteus looks and <i>feels </i>like it just rolled off the anvil... but I've decided not to hold its grade against it <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. To my mind, it exemplifies the aesthetics of Diocletian's reformed coinage - simple designs with clean lines, high production standards, and uniformly business-like busts. A bit of a renegade, Constantius managed to get his beard curls featured on some of his portraits for a touch of individuality.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>#6. DIVUS MARCUS AURELIUS. </b>AR Sestertius. 25.61g, 31.9mm</p><p>[ATTACH=full]563339[/ATTACH]</p><p>We have portraits of Marcus Aurelius on coins from the time he was a youth of seventeen to his death at the age of fifty-nine. I've always had in mind that a series showing his gradual aging would be a nice set to put together, with a posthumous issue certainly one to include. This handsome one in everyone's big n' green format came along and I was very happy to add it to my collection for my future set. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>#5. BRUTTIUM, Kaulonia. </b>AR Nomos. 7.97g, 21.8mm</p><p>[ATTACH=full]563338[/ATTACH]</p><p>I've always found these coins of Kaulonia intriguing and attractive... what they may lack in Classical artistry I think they make up for by being distinctive and enigmatic. It's really the small features that make it for me - the little stag on the obverse standing in the background on its own exergual line, the odd stick-man daimon running along the length of Apollo's arm, the name of the town KAVΛ almost playfully replicated in retrograde on the reverse. The <a href="http://numismatics.org/digitallibrary/ark:/53695/nnan128091" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://numismatics.org/digitallibrary/ark:/53695/nnan128091" rel="nofollow">discussion </a>on Kaulonia's relatively short-lived coinage is also an interesting read. I'm hoping next year will bring me one of the earlier incuse types.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>#4. ROMAN REPUBLIC. C. Piso. L.f. Frugi. </b>AR Denarius. 3.72g, 17.6mm</p><p>[ATTACH=full]563337[/ATTACH]</p><p>I'm a total dabbler when it comes to RR coins, but that doesn't stop me from eagerly looking out for interesting pickups in this area. The next two coins were easy inclusions in my Top 5 this year. This C. Piso Frugi is plenty worn, but also plenty eye appealing and plenty rare (for the leftie bust of Apollo)... a combination of irresistible and in-budget <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>#3. ROMAN REPUBLIC. L. Plautius Plancus. </b>AR Denarius. 4.03g, 18mm</p><p>[ATTACH=full]563336[/ATTACH]</p><p>Since I first saw one, a nice Plautius Plancus has been very high on my want list. I love how the the design on each side occupies almost every bit of available flan space, and also find interesting the various theories offered for why these types were chosen. A well-centered and well-struck reverse was important to me, and even though this coin has some slight faults, I don't see an upgrade anywhere in the near future, nor am I even looking for one, actually. Now an example of the variety with a snake-tressed Medusa, that'd be another story...</p><p><br /></p><p><b>#2. CALABRIA, Tarentum. AR Nomos. </b>7.75g, 22.3mm</p><p>[ATTACH=full]563335[/ATTACH]</p><p>This is one of those coins in my collection that just awes me with its beauty... I still occasionally think it's too nice to be one of mine <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. It's gorgeously toned, almost perfectly centered (not at all a given for coins of Tarentum!), and wonderfully detailed. I bought my first Tarentum nomos earlier this year, but this second one wasted no time bumping that one off my favorites of the year list. Fortunately, this is a series with a good many variations to collect - my third one just arrived last week. I believe Doug says you're allowed to buy a dozen or so of these for good coverage, so I still have at least nine to look forward to collecting <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. </p><p><br /></p><p>aaaand lastly....</p><p><br /></p><p><b>#1. CRETE, Gortyna. AR Stater. </b>11.77g, 29.8mm</p><p>[ATTACH=full]563334[/ATTACH]</p><p>Yep... this Beast beat out the Beauty to the #1 spot. I'm sure that it looks like a plain ugly mess to most, but it's really a perfect mess to me. It combines a type that was right at the top of my want list (Gortyna stater with Europa sitting in a tree) with an undertype that's at the top of my unattainable dream list (Knossos stater with Minotaur and Labyrinth). Maybe next year (or the next decade?) will bring me one with a less worn Europa, or a clearer Minotaur head and Labyrinth, but as it stands, this is already two coins that came together in one that I never expected to own, and it's the sort of find that thrills me to no end.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="zumbly, post: 2588619, member: 57495"]I've been really enjoying everyone's lists... it looks like it's been a good year all around! My final list ended up being a good representation of my collecting interests - some silver, some bronze, a bit of Greek, and a mix of Roman Republic, Provincial and Imperial. I really surprised myself with some of the coins I had to leave off this list of ten, and maybe sometime later I'll get around to posting those also-rans because I honestly love them as much as many of these... [B]#10. GAUL, Nemausus. Augustus & Aggripa. [/B]AE As. 12.0g, 26.4mm [ATTACH=full]563343[/ATTACH] It's slightly crude and crusty, but I do love this coin without qualification. Two distinctive features - the crocodile's horned snout and the reverse legend reading COL NIM rather than COL NEM - helped to nudge it into my Top 10 of the year. In hand, the surfaces appear less rough, but photographs do not lie, they just tend to accentuate every wart and blemish. It's a good thing then that I really like this coin's warts and blemishes :). [B]#9. COMMODUS. [/B]AR Denarius. 3.33g, 18mm [ATTACH=full]563342[/ATTACH] This Commodus denarius is average in every way except one, its rarity. In and of itself, rarity is no big deal when it comes to ancients, but this one is a little more special for being a rare issue with a reverse type rare for its period. Fairly common on coins of the Republic, Juno Sospita was very infrequently featured on coins of Imperial rulers. This was her last appearance on Roman coinage, struck to recognise her patronage of Commodus's birthplace, Lanuvium. It was really this small numismatic detail that struck my fancy and made the coin a 'must win' for me. [B]#8. MACEDONIA, Eion. [/B]AR Obol. 0.83g, 12.4mm [ATTACH=full]563341[/ATTACH] I had wanted one of these charming little Greek obols of Eion for some time, and not only did this example speak to me, I was also able to win it at a price that was a veritable steal. It's nicely toned and the excellent metal quality was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. One of the smaller coins I bought this year, but one that has made an outsized impression on me. [B]#7. CONSTANTIUS CHLORUS. [/B]AR Argenteus. 3.35g, 19.6mm [ATTACH=full]563340[/ATTACH] This minty silver argenteus looks and [I]feels [/I]like it just rolled off the anvil... but I've decided not to hold its grade against it :). To my mind, it exemplifies the aesthetics of Diocletian's reformed coinage - simple designs with clean lines, high production standards, and uniformly business-like busts. A bit of a renegade, Constantius managed to get his beard curls featured on some of his portraits for a touch of individuality. [B]#6. DIVUS MARCUS AURELIUS. [/B]AR Sestertius. 25.61g, 31.9mm [ATTACH=full]563339[/ATTACH] We have portraits of Marcus Aurelius on coins from the time he was a youth of seventeen to his death at the age of fifty-nine. I've always had in mind that a series showing his gradual aging would be a nice set to put together, with a posthumous issue certainly one to include. This handsome one in everyone's big n' green format came along and I was very happy to add it to my collection for my future set. [B]#5. BRUTTIUM, Kaulonia. [/B]AR Nomos. 7.97g, 21.8mm [ATTACH=full]563338[/ATTACH] I've always found these coins of Kaulonia intriguing and attractive... what they may lack in Classical artistry I think they make up for by being distinctive and enigmatic. It's really the small features that make it for me - the little stag on the obverse standing in the background on its own exergual line, the odd stick-man daimon running along the length of Apollo's arm, the name of the town KAVΛ almost playfully replicated in retrograde on the reverse. The [URL='http://numismatics.org/digitallibrary/ark:/53695/nnan128091']discussion [/URL]on Kaulonia's relatively short-lived coinage is also an interesting read. I'm hoping next year will bring me one of the earlier incuse types. [B]#4. ROMAN REPUBLIC. C. Piso. L.f. Frugi. [/B]AR Denarius. 3.72g, 17.6mm [ATTACH=full]563337[/ATTACH] I'm a total dabbler when it comes to RR coins, but that doesn't stop me from eagerly looking out for interesting pickups in this area. The next two coins were easy inclusions in my Top 5 this year. This C. Piso Frugi is plenty worn, but also plenty eye appealing and plenty rare (for the leftie bust of Apollo)... a combination of irresistible and in-budget :). [B]#3. ROMAN REPUBLIC. L. Plautius Plancus. [/B]AR Denarius. 4.03g, 18mm [ATTACH=full]563336[/ATTACH] Since I first saw one, a nice Plautius Plancus has been very high on my want list. I love how the the design on each side occupies almost every bit of available flan space, and also find interesting the various theories offered for why these types were chosen. A well-centered and well-struck reverse was important to me, and even though this coin has some slight faults, I don't see an upgrade anywhere in the near future, nor am I even looking for one, actually. Now an example of the variety with a snake-tressed Medusa, that'd be another story... [B]#2. CALABRIA, Tarentum. AR Nomos. [/B]7.75g, 22.3mm [ATTACH=full]563335[/ATTACH] This is one of those coins in my collection that just awes me with its beauty... I still occasionally think it's too nice to be one of mine :). It's gorgeously toned, almost perfectly centered (not at all a given for coins of Tarentum!), and wonderfully detailed. I bought my first Tarentum nomos earlier this year, but this second one wasted no time bumping that one off my favorites of the year list. Fortunately, this is a series with a good many variations to collect - my third one just arrived last week. I believe Doug says you're allowed to buy a dozen or so of these for good coverage, so I still have at least nine to look forward to collecting :D. aaaand lastly.... [B]#1. CRETE, Gortyna. AR Stater. [/B]11.77g, 29.8mm [ATTACH=full]563334[/ATTACH] Yep... this Beast beat out the Beauty to the #1 spot. I'm sure that it looks like a plain ugly mess to most, but it's really a perfect mess to me. It combines a type that was right at the top of my want list (Gortyna stater with Europa sitting in a tree) with an undertype that's at the top of my unattainable dream list (Knossos stater with Minotaur and Labyrinth). Maybe next year (or the next decade?) will bring me one with a less worn Europa, or a clearer Minotaur head and Labyrinth, but as it stands, this is already two coins that came together in one that I never expected to own, and it's the sort of find that thrills me to no end.[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Top 10 of 2016 (zumbly's list)
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...