Top Ten 2020

Acquired some interesting coins this year even while taking a short break from collecting. Mostly Provincial with some Greek and Imperial in no particular order.


Attica, Athens. Double-bodied owl Æ12
Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right.
Rev: Α - Θ - Ε. Double-bodied owl standing facing.
340-322 BC.

Galatia, Tavion. Julia Domna AE23.
Obv: IOYΛIA CEBACTH, draped bust right.
Rev: TAOYIANΩN, Nemesis standing left, holding bridle and raising right hand to her face.

Julia Paula, AR denarius
Obv: Draped bust of Julia Paula to right, around IVLIA PAVLA AVG.
Rev: Concordia seated to left on throne with patera and arm on throne, star in left field, around CONCORDIA.


Thrace, Byzantium. Geta AE14
Obv: Laureate bust of Geta r., wearing paludamentum.
Rev: Winged caduceus.
14mm., 1.57gm.
BMC 88.


Taras, Calabria AR Triartemorion.
Obv: Bridled horses head right.
Rev: Bridled horses head right, bird before.
10mm., 0.43gm.
380-228 BC.

Pontus Amasea. Lucius Verus AE28
Obv: Laureate-headed bust of Lucius Verus wearing cuirass and paludamentum, r. / ΑVΤ Κ Λ ΑΥΡ ΟVΗΡΟϹ ϹƐΒ.
Rev: Tyche standing, l., wearing kalathos, holding rudder and cornucopia. / ΑΜΑϹ Τ ΜΗΤ Κ ΠΡΩ ΤοΥ ΠοΝΤ ƐΤ ΡΞƐ.
RPC 3411.

Judaea, Askalon. Titus AE24
Obv: ΣEBAΣTOΣ, laureate head right.
Rev: AΣKAΛΩ, Tyche standing left on prow, holding standard and aphlaston, altar to left, dove standing left over ΔΠΡ (year 184) in right field.
RPC II 2209; BMC 117.
Dated AD 80-81.

ELIS, Olympia. 131st-135th Olympiad. 256-240 BC. Fouree
Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right.
Rev: Thunderbolt within olive wreath.
AR(fourre) Hemidrachm

Bithynia, Nicomedia. Severus Alexander AE16. Galley
Obv: Laureate bust right.
Rev: ΝΙΚΟΜΗΔƐΩΝ ΔΙϹ ΝƐΩΚΟΡΩΝ, Galley with three oarsmen cresting waves r.
Unrecorded in major references.


Mysia, Parion. AE22 Gallienus
Obv: Emperor bust r.
Rev: Capricorn r. with globe, ladder below, CGIH.
Celtic unofficial issue. Same rev. as Cornelia Supera, SNG von Aulock 7448.

 

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Some outstanding coins there, love the Taras, Calabria excellent quality and your Athens two bodied owl is quite different....I suppose two owls are better than one. Congrats on some great buys.

 

Great job on the Double Owl, those are hard to get. The double Horse head Taras is cool. Great job on the whole bunch, @ancientone

 

ancientone, Nice variety of interesting coins . My favorite is tiny Calabria silver coin . Amazing detail on both sides for a coin with a 10 mm dia .

 

Great coins @ancientone !!! Your Julia Domna and Gallienus are my favourites, the capricorn on the latter's reverse seems to evoke the much earlier denarii of Augustus and Vespasian.

 

That is a solid top ten. I am partial to the Gallienus with the Capricorn reverse. Thanks for sharing!

 

Wonderfull coins, I am glad you did not take a total break from collecting! Hope you go full bore in 2021!
John

 

I especially love the Double-Owl and Double-Horse!

 

Interesting list. I like that quirky portrait of Lucius Verus!

 

Excellent list, I really like the Severus Alexander galley in particular.

 

love the Taras

 

Nice additions, congratulations! I really like the Taras Triartemorion, and the AE 28 of Lucius Verus is also impressive.

 

Great coins, I like winged caduceus and capricorn.

 

While I like the double owl the ones that stand out to me are the Taras and the Titus.

 

Neat selection! I would choose Julia Paula

 

Really interesting Roman Provincials in the group, @ancientone! I like the Celtic imitation of the issues of Parium in Mysia, the Domna tetrassarion from Tavion, and the galley type from Nicomedia.

 

The ELIS, Olympia fouree is my favorite. Very interesting group!

 

I love the Olympia fourree. That it was a counterfeit circulating during one of the ancient Olympics makes it such a neat piece of unreported history. I'm very fond of the little one from Taras as well.

 

...very impressive!