At the Central Staes Convention, I got these two from HJB's pick-bin. I just love searching through pick-bins and find coins to attribute Obviously they are not in great condition, nor are they rare or valuable, so you may think that getting those is really not worth it, but I do enjoy very much the research to find the attribution (which I hope is right): Æ 20, Troas, Alexandria Troas, 253-260 AD, struck under the reign of Valerianus and Gallienus 20 mm; 4.719 g, 11 h BMC, Troas, 170 -173 (pp. 30-31, with obverse legend IMP LICIN GALLIENV); RPC X, number unassigned, ID 63976; Bellinger A451-2; SNG Copenhagen 203-4; SNG von Aulock 7576; SNG Rhigetti 789; McClean 7785; Ob.: IMP LICINI GALLIENVS, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to r. Border of dots. Rev.: COL AVG horse grazing to right; below TRO; border of dots. And this one has a hole - nevertheless I find it interesting that someone must have worn it maybe on a chain: AR Hemidrachm Macedon, Neapolis, late 5th – 4th century BC, ca. 424 – 350 BC 11 x 12 mm, 1.629 g SNG ANS 430 – 454; HGC 3.1, 588; SNG Berry 41; BMC Macedonia p.85, 17; SGCV I1417; SNG Copenhagen 227; Ob.: Facing gorgoneion, with staring eyes and a fat tongue protruding from a gaping mouth Rev.: Head of the nymph of Neapolis to r., her hair coiled around her head and with a bun at the back; N-E-O-Π around Please share coins that you found in a pick-bin or anything you deem relevant.
I don't think I have anything photographed from pick bins. What kind of stuff does HJB have in the pick bins (or junk boxes, as we called it back then), nowadays? Back in the 1990's, there were oodles of Azes tetradrachms, rusty Gordian III Ant's, 12 nummi of Constans II, etc. I got what I think is Menander, a very decrepit small Indo-Greek tet.
Please be aware that the Neapolis hemidrachm is commonly faked. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/thumbnails.php?album=10&page=76
yes, I have been checking the fakes and didn't find one that matches the OP. Since I am very hesitant to buy a more expensive one, the one that I got was just $20 and I think it is good (even though it has a hole)
At the coin show I didn't have much time to thoroughly look through all the coins in the pick-bins. There were many worn As, LRBs, some anonymous nummi but the two I posted just caught my attention. Last year I found in the pick bin: a Triassaria, Boule – Aequitas from Phrygia, Prymnessos, Pseudo-autonomous coinage, time of Septimius Severus; a Dichalkus, Melqart – Club, Tyre, Pseudo-autonomous coinage, from the time of Trajan; a nice barbarous imitation of Constantine the Great and several others. I also buy "normal" coins from HJB; when I go downtown to pay and pick them up I just can't resist to go through the pick -bin
Last time I was at HJB was in the early, early 90's. Bought a couple of cheap Hungarian pieces from him. He had a small 2 gallon bucket of foreign silver coins. Around 25 lbs. Bought that as well. Had fun going thru it.
There were three tiers of pricing in those days. The $30 ones generally weren't great deals, unless you got a tet or something uncommon. I pulled out a Justinian II deca (or maybe 20, can't remember) from one of the bins. It's funny how I remember the junk boxes better than the regular stock. I also remember Jon Subaks trays very well, too. I loved going there. Young me couldn't resist bursting out in Beavis and Butt-head-like giggles when we passed the artsy theater, which was playing 'Spank the Monkey.' There was a place with the best lemonade next door.
