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<p>[QUOTE="Marsyas Mike, post: 8101444, member: 85693"]Very nice selection, as always Doug. Your reasons for purchasing a particular coin I always find compelling - the debate between appearance-interest-affordability makes collecting ancients especially engaging, if sometimes frustrating. I'm too lazy to put together a top 10 list, but your inspired me to tag on a few from '21 that have something to do with your list. </p><p><br /></p><p>Here's one of those Pergamum owl countermarks on a snake; I found information hard to find on these (the reverse is oriented towards the countermark; the snake's head is at 4-5 o'clock). Most of these countermarks are on the Zeus obverse types like yours; I only found one on an Athena type: </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1408732[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Pergamum, Mysia Æ 14</b></p><p><b>(c. 159-138 B.C.)</b></p><p>Helmeted head of Athena right / [ΦI]ΛETAIΡ[OY], coiled serpent, head raised right.</p><p>M in left field.</p><p>BMC 78; Sear Greece 7228.</p><p><b>Countermark: </b> Owl standing right, head facing, within 6 mm circle (see notes).</p><p>(3.63 grams / 14 mm)</p><p>eBay April 2021 $14.99</p><p><b>Attribution Note:</b></p><p>"For Pergamon, 6 of the bronze found coins minted in Pergamon with counterstamps with owl standing to the right are recorded as the most frequent</p><p>counterstamps (Voegtli 1993: 7). Two more belong to a canal coin find in</p><p>Pergamon (Chameroy 2012: 162)".</p><p>Dr. Busso Peus Nachfolger</p><p>Auction 423, Lot 109, 07.11.2018</p><p><a href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5414827" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5414827" rel="nofollow">https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5414827</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks to a wrong description on eBay (I often get my best bargains this way), I managed to land a Gordian III sestertius "as Caesar." The price was about double of what I pay for the typical low-grade sestertius in my collection, but the "interesting type" (and scarcity) factor <i>made me</i> pull the trigger:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1408733[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Gordian III Æ Sestertius</b></p><p><b>Late April-July 29, 238 A.D.</b></p><p><b>Rome Mint</b></p><p>M ANT GORDIANVS CAES, bare-headed, draped bust right / [PIET]AS AVG[G] S C in exergue, jug between lituus, secespita and patera left, simpulum and aspergillum right.</p><p>RIC 3; Cohen 183; BMC 64-66.</p><p>(21.33 grams / 29 mm)</p><p>eBay June 2021 $40.00 BIN</p><p><b>Notes:</b> "In response to popular pressure shortly after their own elevation to imperial status, the emperors Balbinus and Pupienus adopted Gordian as Caesar. This scarce coin was part of a limited and formal coinage produced for Gordian." Wildwinds</p><p><br /></p><p>Only a couple Julia Domna came my way in '21, and this is by far the best (despite my washed-out photos). Again, spent more than usual on a sestertius, and I already had one of these to boot, but I really liked the portrait, the patina and, to some extent the price (the Three P's of bottom-feeding). That it is quite heavy is a bonus too - I like this one a lot:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1408734[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Julia Domna Æ Sestertius</b></p><p><b>(c. 196-211 A.D.)</b></p><p><b>Rome Mint</b></p><p>[IV]LIA AVG[VSTA], draped bust right, hair in bun behind / [MAT]ER [DEVM], S-C, Cybele seated left, between two lions, holding branch and resting arm on drum.</p><p>RIC 859; BMC 772</p><p>(26.92 grams / 29 x 27 mm)</p><p>eBay June 2021 $41.00</p><p><br /></p><p>Not a denarius, but I did get a Trajan "ALIM ITAL" type sestertius. I agonized over this one a long time (it was a "buy it now" eBay listing) - it is worn almost slick and not fully attributable because of missing legends. Seller photos were good and clear, the price reasonable given the scarcity of the type, so I have no reason to complain, but I think I feel a bit of buyer's remorse on this one. As low as my standards are, at a certain point, some coins are just too poor for me to fully warm up to: </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1408735[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Trajan Æ Sestertius</b></p><p><b>(103-111 / 112-117 A.D.) </b></p><p><b>Rome Mint</b></p><p>[IMP CAES NERVAE] TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P[M TRP COS (V or VI) P P], laureate bust r. / [SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI] S-C, Abundantia standing l., with corn-ears & cornucopiae, child left, ALIM ITA[L] in exergue.</p><p>RIC 459 (V) or RIC 604 (VI).</p><p>(26.00 grams / 32 mm)</p><p>eBay May 2021 $25.00 BIN</p><p><b>Notes:</b> "This coin celebrates the Alimentia, a public loan program intended to aid orphans and other needy children. The state loaned money to farmers to purchase land, the interest being used to feed the children. The program was initiated by Nerva and greatly expanded by Trajan."</p><p>(Wildwinds)</p><p><br /></p><p>However, I can get pretty fond of something horrible if I know I paid very little for it. My Aelius for 2021 was under $2. I have a slightly nicer one, but this one is on my desk at work, something to remind me of the ravages of time and yet also giving me a little hope (SPES) at the same time <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie87" alt=":sorry:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1408736[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Aelius (Caesar) Æ As</b></p><p><b>(137 A.D.)</b></p><p><b>Rome Mint</b></p><p>[L A]ELIVS C[AESAR], bare head right / [T]R [POT] C[OS II], S C, Spes walking left, holding flower and raising hem of skirt.</p><p>RIC II.3 2700 (RIC 1067a (as)).</p><p>(9.65 grams / 23 mm)</p><p>eBay May 2021 Lot @ $1.42</p><p><br /></p><p>I'll sign off with another Julia Domna and a Septimius Severus. Both of these came in a monster lot of ancient, most of them damaged with filled holes (but with a dozen or so un-holed). The price per coin was minuscule and I had hours of fun attributing them. The SS is my very first "Eastern Mint" type (and only has one hole - at the tip of the laurel wreath). The JD has a very pretty look to it - a kind of greeny "hoard patina" I think, which somewhat hides the fact it has been holed <i>four times</i>! What a mess. But I like it anyway:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1408740[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Septimius Severus Denarius </b></p><p><b>(194-195 A.D.)</b></p><p><b>Emesa/Uncertain Eastern Mint</b></p><p>IMP CAE L SEP [SEV PERT] AVG COS II, laureate head right / VICT[O]R AVG, Victory walking left, holding wreath and palm.</p><p>RIC 425; RSC 697.</p><p>(2.67 grams / 15 mm)</p><p>eBay April 2021 Lot @ $1.24</p><p> </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1408739[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Julia Domna Denarius</b></p><p><b>(196-211 A.D.)</b></p><p><b>Rome Mint</b></p><p>IVLI[A] AVGVS[T]A, bust right, bareheaded and draped / [P]IE[T]AS P[V]BL[IC]A,</p><p>Pietas standing left, veiled, both hands raised, altar at left.</p><p>RIC 574; RSC 156; BMC 69.</p><p>(3.22 grams / 18 x 16 mm)</p><p>eBay April 2021 Lot @ $1.24</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Here's to a happy and coin-filled 2022, Doug.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Marsyas Mike, post: 8101444, member: 85693"]Very nice selection, as always Doug. Your reasons for purchasing a particular coin I always find compelling - the debate between appearance-interest-affordability makes collecting ancients especially engaging, if sometimes frustrating. I'm too lazy to put together a top 10 list, but your inspired me to tag on a few from '21 that have something to do with your list. Here's one of those Pergamum owl countermarks on a snake; I found information hard to find on these (the reverse is oriented towards the countermark; the snake's head is at 4-5 o'clock). Most of these countermarks are on the Zeus obverse types like yours; I only found one on an Athena type: [ATTACH=full]1408732[/ATTACH] [B]Pergamum, Mysia Æ 14 (c. 159-138 B.C.)[/B] Helmeted head of Athena right / [ΦI]ΛETAIΡ[OY], coiled serpent, head raised right. M in left field. BMC 78; Sear Greece 7228. [B]Countermark: [/B] Owl standing right, head facing, within 6 mm circle (see notes). (3.63 grams / 14 mm) eBay April 2021 $14.99 [B]Attribution Note:[/B] "For Pergamon, 6 of the bronze found coins minted in Pergamon with counterstamps with owl standing to the right are recorded as the most frequent counterstamps (Voegtli 1993: 7). Two more belong to a canal coin find in Pergamon (Chameroy 2012: 162)". Dr. Busso Peus Nachfolger Auction 423, Lot 109, 07.11.2018 [URL]https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5414827[/URL] Thanks to a wrong description on eBay (I often get my best bargains this way), I managed to land a Gordian III sestertius "as Caesar." The price was about double of what I pay for the typical low-grade sestertius in my collection, but the "interesting type" (and scarcity) factor [I]made me[/I] pull the trigger: [ATTACH=full]1408733[/ATTACH] [B]Gordian III Æ Sestertius Late April-July 29, 238 A.D. Rome Mint[/B] M ANT GORDIANVS CAES, bare-headed, draped bust right / [PIET]AS AVG[G] S C in exergue, jug between lituus, secespita and patera left, simpulum and aspergillum right. RIC 3; Cohen 183; BMC 64-66. (21.33 grams / 29 mm) eBay June 2021 $40.00 BIN [B]Notes:[/B] "In response to popular pressure shortly after their own elevation to imperial status, the emperors Balbinus and Pupienus adopted Gordian as Caesar. This scarce coin was part of a limited and formal coinage produced for Gordian." Wildwinds Only a couple Julia Domna came my way in '21, and this is by far the best (despite my washed-out photos). Again, spent more than usual on a sestertius, and I already had one of these to boot, but I really liked the portrait, the patina and, to some extent the price (the Three P's of bottom-feeding). That it is quite heavy is a bonus too - I like this one a lot: [ATTACH=full]1408734[/ATTACH] [B]Julia Domna Æ Sestertius (c. 196-211 A.D.) Rome Mint[/B] [IV]LIA AVG[VSTA], draped bust right, hair in bun behind / [MAT]ER [DEVM], S-C, Cybele seated left, between two lions, holding branch and resting arm on drum. RIC 859; BMC 772 (26.92 grams / 29 x 27 mm) eBay June 2021 $41.00 Not a denarius, but I did get a Trajan "ALIM ITAL" type sestertius. I agonized over this one a long time (it was a "buy it now" eBay listing) - it is worn almost slick and not fully attributable because of missing legends. Seller photos were good and clear, the price reasonable given the scarcity of the type, so I have no reason to complain, but I think I feel a bit of buyer's remorse on this one. As low as my standards are, at a certain point, some coins are just too poor for me to fully warm up to: [ATTACH=full]1408735[/ATTACH] [B]Trajan Æ Sestertius (103-111 / 112-117 A.D.) Rome Mint[/B] [IMP CAES NERVAE] TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P[M TRP COS (V or VI) P P], laureate bust r. / [SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI] S-C, Abundantia standing l., with corn-ears & cornucopiae, child left, ALIM ITA[L] in exergue. RIC 459 (V) or RIC 604 (VI). (26.00 grams / 32 mm) eBay May 2021 $25.00 BIN [B]Notes:[/B] "This coin celebrates the Alimentia, a public loan program intended to aid orphans and other needy children. The state loaned money to farmers to purchase land, the interest being used to feed the children. The program was initiated by Nerva and greatly expanded by Trajan." (Wildwinds) However, I can get pretty fond of something horrible if I know I paid very little for it. My Aelius for 2021 was under $2. I have a slightly nicer one, but this one is on my desk at work, something to remind me of the ravages of time and yet also giving me a little hope (SPES) at the same time :sorry: [ATTACH=full]1408736[/ATTACH] [B]Aelius (Caesar) Æ As (137 A.D.) Rome Mint[/B] [L A]ELIVS C[AESAR], bare head right / [T]R [POT] C[OS II], S C, Spes walking left, holding flower and raising hem of skirt. RIC II.3 2700 (RIC 1067a (as)). (9.65 grams / 23 mm) eBay May 2021 Lot @ $1.42 I'll sign off with another Julia Domna and a Septimius Severus. Both of these came in a monster lot of ancient, most of them damaged with filled holes (but with a dozen or so un-holed). The price per coin was minuscule and I had hours of fun attributing them. The SS is my very first "Eastern Mint" type (and only has one hole - at the tip of the laurel wreath). The JD has a very pretty look to it - a kind of greeny "hoard patina" I think, which somewhat hides the fact it has been holed [I]four times[/I]! What a mess. But I like it anyway: [ATTACH=full]1408740[/ATTACH] [B]Septimius Severus Denarius (194-195 A.D.) Emesa/Uncertain Eastern Mint[/B] IMP CAE L SEP [SEV PERT] AVG COS II, laureate head right / VICT[O]R AVG, Victory walking left, holding wreath and palm. RIC 425; RSC 697. (2.67 grams / 15 mm) eBay April 2021 Lot @ $1.24 [ATTACH=full]1408739[/ATTACH] [B]Julia Domna Denarius (196-211 A.D.) Rome Mint[/B] IVLI[A] AVGVS[T]A, bust right, bareheaded and draped / [P]IE[T]AS P[V]BL[IC]A, Pietas standing left, veiled, both hands raised, altar at left. RIC 574; RSC 156; BMC 69. (3.22 grams / 18 x 16 mm) eBay April 2021 Lot @ $1.24 Here's to a happy and coin-filled 2022, Doug.[/QUOTE]
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