The 1st coin pictured below is Lot 230, a follis of Constantius I as Caesar. Although I've got a number of folles from this emperor this is the 1st example from the Rome Mint, so it's a happy addition . Constantius I as Caesar, AD 293-305, Rome Mint, Officina #3, AE 10.57 gm, 27 mm. Despite being a weak strike the coin retains most of the silvering & is full weight. The engraving of Genius on the reverse looks like the work of a journeyman, & I find the placement of the mintmark in the left field rather odd . The 2nd coin, from the collection of Severus Alexander, is completely out of my collecting realm but I was intrigued with the artwork, calligraphy, & translation of the inscriptions. The coin has an attractive sandy patina too. I've seen a number of these coins before but rarely with complete inscriptions . I was also surprised no one else bid on this coin ! Zangids of Mosul: Sayf al-Din Ghazi II, Dated AH 567 (AD 1171-2), AE dirham: 11.1 gm, 28 mm. Reverse inscription translation: "The King, the Just, the Wise, King of the Commanders of the East and of the West, Falcon Knight, Atabeg."
Both are great looking coins but that 2nd one...WOW! I've never seen anything like it before. That is a great looking portrait, the sandy patina is nice, and the translation of the inscription is awesome! I want to be described as a "Falcon Knight"! lol
Congratulations on your wins! The first one was an ex. Caesar_Augustus Glad you won it. I wanted to replace it with one that has the mintmark in the exergue to compliment my collecting theme of Constantius I Chlorus from all mints.
Caesar Augustus, Thanks for the seller ID . I like your photo of the coin too, it gives the portrait a higher relief .
I'm glad your coins arrived so quickly, Al! Those Zangid/Zengid and Artuqid figural AE dirhams are an excellent introduction to Islamic coins. I highly recommend Richard Plant's book Arabic Coins & how to read them. Reading Arabic isn't quite as hard as it looks... though I have yet to master it from memory. Zangid: Badr al-Din Lu'lu (1233-1259), AE dirham (overstruck), Mosul, dated AH 631 (1233-34) My notes: "Badr al-Din Lu'lu' (Arabic: بدر الدين لؤلؤ) (died 1259) was successor to the Zangid rulers of Mosul, where he governed in variety of capacities for half a century. He was the first mamluk to transcend servitude and become sultan in his own right, anticipating the rise of the Bahri Mamluks in Egypt by twenty years. Lu'lu' was an Armenian convert to Islam, in the household of the Zangid ruler Nur al-Din Arslanshah I (1193-1211). Recognized for his abilities as an administrator, he rose to the rank of atabeg and, after 1211, served as regent until the death of the last Zengid, Nasir al-Din Mahmud in 1233. From this time on, he ruled independently. Mosul was spared destruction in the Mongol invasion (the sack of Baghdad was in 1258) because Lu'Lu' helped Hulagu in his campaigns in Syria."
S.A., Thanks for the info on Richard Plant's book . At my age (71) it's probably futile to try & pickup another language like Arabic , although I admire the written language, especially the cursive script . My present reading backlog is so huge I'll never get it under control . Tonight I'm going to finish a fantastic novel by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, a story of friendship, betrayal, & the price of loyalty. The book gives a vivid picture of Afghanistan from the 1970s to the present. In regards to the early arrival of the coins from AMCC 2, I was surprised too . Customs did inspect the package, opening up everything including the sales receipt , & then taping everything shut. I wonder what they expected to find in the sales receipt, white powder or an espionage code .... BTW, the overstrike dirham is a gem, the cavity in the die at the head shows the under-type clearly.
Great silvering on that Constantine and I love that dirham! I have this similar dirham I have always liked... Nasir Al-Din Artuq Arlsan, 1201-1239 AD, AE Dirham O: Facing male head (helios?), R: 5 line Kufic Legend. 20 mm, 5.3 g.
