I've had an extraordinary coin collecting year this year. 2018 marked my return to the hobby after a hiatus of about a decade, and my first time collecting as an adult. I've acquired enough coins within my Renaissance speciality to fill (nearly) an entire top ten on their own (which I will post within the next week or so), but I thought it would be a shame not to showcase some of the other great coins I've purchased. So, in the meantime, here are two top-fives of my two main side collections: Low-End Coins of High-End Women Although they're not uniformly hideous, these coins were collected primarily for the historical value of their awesome issuers. These are some of the most powerful, fascinating, and revolutionary women of antiquity and the early modern period. Most of them are pretty hard to come by. 1. Cleopatra VII Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Double Portrait Plated Denarius. Autumn 34 BC Alexandria mint. Obv: CLE[OPATRAE REGINAE REGVM FILIORVM REGVM] legend with diademed and draped bust of Cleopatra VII right, stem of prow before. Rev: [ANTONI ARME]NIA DE[VICTA] legend with bare head of Mark Antony right; Armenian tiara behind. 2.48 grams. Fine; some areas of plating missing. Rare issue. RRC 543/1; CRI 345; BMC East 179; RSC 1; Sear 1515. The allure of Cleopatra is unbeatable, right? I've always wanted a fouree, too, and this coin presented an opportunity to get a relatively detailed portrait (chin and neck notwithstanding) for a decent price. Having Antony on there as well is a pretty sweet bonus. 2. Galla Placidia Galla Placidia, mother of Valentinian III (died 450 AD).AE 12.5 mm. Rome mint.Obv. [DN GALLA PLACIDIA PF AVG]. Pearl-diademed and draped bust right.Rev. SALVS REIPVBLICE. Cross; in right field, P; in exergue [RM].RIC 2112 (R4).AE.g. 1.08 mm. 12.50RRRR.Very rare. Dark green patina with lighter highlights.F/VF. My interest in Galla Placidia started when I went to the impressive eponymous mausoleum in Ravenna (which may or may not in fact be hers). She was the wife, daughter, and mother of emperors in addition to ruling outright as regent for 14 years. Her coins are very rare and also widely faked. I've posted about this before but snagging a real one was particularly thrilling after getting a fake from Emporium Hamburg earlier this year. Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (from wikipedia) 3. Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine. ANGLO-GALLIC. 1189-1204. AR Denier (17mm, 1.01 gm, 3h). + DVCISIT, M A and two crosses around central pellet / +AGVITANIE, cross. Elias 11b; Poey d'Avant 2546; Roberts 3886 var. (pellet on reverse). VF, toned. This is perhaps the one coin of this set that's really gorgeous to look at. It's darkly toned with hints of irridecense. Eleanor needs no introductions, and as soon I as learned she minted coins I knew I had to have one. 4. Tamar of Georgia Queen Tamar, King of Georgia.( თამარმეფე) Kingdom of Georgia. Bagratid dynasty. BC 1184-1213. 2.6gr. Obverse: Signature of Tamar in the centre of a wreathed frame. Asomtavruli marginal legend: ႵႱႾႪႨႧႠႶႧႠႨႵႬႠႽႣႠႨႥႺႾႪႱႨႠႫႱႵႰႩႬჃႦ In the name of God, Reverse: Arabic legend in five lines: الملكةالمعظمة/جلالالدنياوالدين/تاماربنتكيوركى/ظهيرالمسيح/اعزاللهانصاره The great queen, glory of the world and faith, Tamar, daughter of Giorgi, champion of the Messiah, may God increase her victories. Circle around and marginal Arabic legend: ضاعفاللهجلالهاومدّظلالهاوايداقبالها May God increase her glory, and lengthen her shadow, and strengthen her prosperity. If you don't know about Tamar, this makes a great read. Her coins don't appear to be that rare, but are hard to find in the US. I got a good deal on this one using international ebay. 5. Mary Queen of Scots Mary Queen of Scots, Lion or Hardhead, issue of 23/24th alloy of One and a Halfpence value, 1558, large crowned M, MARIA D. G. SCOTOR. REGINA., rev crowned Scottish lion rampant left, date in legend surrounding, VICIT VERITAS 1558, (SCBI 58:907-924; S 5445). Another queen who looms large in the popular imagination. Since I'll never be able to afford a portrait of her I was happy to snag this little guy on british ebay. Runners up: Jadwiga of Poland, Catherine de' Medici, Radiyya, Sati Beg Gay Themes and Gay Rulers This second set is dedicated to openly gay (or more or less, given the anachronism of the term) rulers and to coins and euxonomia featuring gay myths and themes. 1. Satirical Medal Italian, Venetian School, 16th Century. Two Satyrs, erotic cast Bronze Medal, bust left with mantle, the head formed of the features of a lion, toad, and dolphin, etc , rev bust left formed of male genitalia, 40mm (Att 416; Pollard, Bargello III, 813; Waddington, The Medal, 14, pp 12-23). Pierced, very fine. Ex. Michael Hall I bought this spectacular medal from my LCS (or rather traded some rather nice pieces for it). There's a great article on its history here (in Italian). The reverse is very similar to a medal of Pietro Aretino referencing his homosexuality. This medal reproduces that reverse with a similarly composite satyr head made up of various animals (clearer in the British Museum's copy) on the obverse. These medals were long thought to be after designs by the delightful Giuseppe Arcimboldo, but they actually predate his work, and may well have contributed to the genesis of his style. It's also ex. Michael Hall, which is about as good a provenance as there is for a renaissance medal. Vertumnus, a portrait depicting Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor painted as Vertumnus, the Roman God of the seasons, c. 1590-1. Skokloster Castle, Sweden. (wikipedia) 2. Elagabalus Elagabalus (218-222), 221. Denarius. 3.02g Obv: Rom. IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG. Draped, laureate bust with horn. Rev: // PM TR P IIII COS III P P. Elagabalus as high priest making offering, star in field left. RIC 46, BMC 256, Cohen 196, Kampmann 56.43.4. 3,02 g. Finely toned. EF. I've long had a soft spot for this most scandalous and storied of Roman Emperors. I fell in love with the toning and style of this example as soon as I saw it and, well, I'm still in love with it! 3. Jeton with Ganymede Charles IX, 1570. Jeton. 27mm, 4.10 gr. Obv : JUPITER ET GANYMEDES. Ganymede and the Eagle. Rev: VENERANDA MINERVA. Minerva seated left. By Hans Krauwinckel (1562-1586). Hans Krauwinkel was one of the most prolific jeton producers in Nuremberg in the 16th Century, supplying the demand for tokens all across Europe. Most of the pieces you see have very mundane symbols and are quite worn (but they are all signed, as that was apparently mandated by law). However Hans Krauwinkel also executed a wonderful series of jetons with mythological scenes, including many drawn from ovid. It's very rare to see jetons in high condition, and I absolutely love the depiction of Ganymede on this one, clearly copying a lost and very influential Michelangelo drawing of the subject. Giulio Clovio, after Michelangelo. Ganymede and the Eagle. The Royal Collection. 4. Jeton with Cyparissus Brass Rechenpfennig/Jeton, Nuremberg. 1586-1635 O: VOLCANVS Mars and Venus standing next to a Vulcan, sitting and hammering in front of an anvil, Cupid beside / R: CIPARISSVS Kyparissos, turning into a cypress, with bow in hand, deer killed by his arrow in front. Stalzer 321 Neumann 32268. Dies by Hans Krauwinckel 1586-1635. This jeton is from the same series as the previous one, but is in much worse condition. The story, though, is one of my favorite Greek myths: Cyparissus was a lover of Apollo's who had a beloved tame pet stag; after accidentally shooting the stag Cyparissus begged Apollo to let his tears fall eternally, and so was turned into a cypress tree-- the sap of which appears like tears. I love having a depiction of such a beautiful and tragic myth. 5. Babur Babur (1525-1530), mitqal Mughal Empire, India. Mintless/dateless badshah ghazi type. Kalima in three lines across field; all within ornate circular frame; titles in outer margin / Name and titles within circular frame; invocation around. NM, ND. 23mm, 4.0 grams. Rahman 70-01-05; Album 2462.3; ICV –. Poorly struck Babur was the founder of the Mughal empire. He was the great-great-grandson of Timur, and the grandfather of Akbar. He was a fairly brutal and militaristic leader, as most empire builders are. His coins are uncommon and I've been on the lookout for one, in a large part because he also wrote an autobiography (an early exponent of the genre) which happens to tell the story (with poetic flair) of his first love: '...during this time there was a boy from the camp market named Baburi. Even his name was amazingly appropriate. I developed a strange inclination for him - rather I made myself miserable over him. Before this experience I had never felt a desire for anyone, nor did I listen to talk of love and affection or speak of such things. At that time I used to compose single lines and couples in Persian. I composed the following lines there.' May no one be so distraught and devastated by love as I; May no beloved be so pitiless and careless as you. More here Part II coming soon
I really enjoyed looking at this fascinatingly themed assortment of yours. The Elagabalus is an excellent example for the reasons you state, and the Cleo fourree is pretty cool as well. I love mythological types and both of those jetons really appeal to me.
That same Elagabalus coin is making my Top 10 list, coming soon. The toning on that coin sets off the features of the obverse quite nicely, especially the “horn.”
@ycon, you have one of the most entertaining and thoughtful collections on CoinTalk! What a great year .
As I think you know, I always look forward to your posts, and this fantastic list shows why. The Aretino-ish medal is amazing(!), also for its potential influence on Arcimboldo, I particularly like the artistry on the jeton of Cyparissus, that detail of Babur's life is fascinating, and I'm very glad you managed to find a replacement for the Evil Emporium Placidia. If you don't have one already for your gay theme, you'll want a coin of al-Hakam II, the Umayyad Caliph in al-Andalus from 961-976. He was not only openly gay (amazing for an Islamic ruler), he employed a female mathematician as his personal secretary, was an excellent scholar himself, and his nurturing of knowledge lies in a direct path from antiquity to the Renaissance, your main collecting theme. (But none of this is probably news to you!) AR dirham of al-Hakam II, AH 356 (=966-7) Medina Azahara mint.
