Here’s a pile-on thread for election day in the US. We shan’t discuss politics in this thread but perhaps some of you would like to share your two-faced coins? I’ve got some ancients with two faces that I can post. This Roman coin is mirror brockage so one side is exactly the opposite of the other. If this reminds you of one of your local candidates, please keep it to yourself. This Stator of Tarsos in Cilicia includes a face on each side of the coin. Again, if this reminds you of any election race, please keep it to yourself. And here is another little one from Tarsos. This one is an obol: Here is an interesting coin from the early days of Rome. This one might speak from both sides of its face at the same time. Please post ‘em if you got ‘em.
Gordian III and King Abgar X Phrahates MESOPOTAMIA, Edessa. Gordian III, with Abgar X Phrahates. 239-244 AD. Æ 23mm (9.49 gm, 5h). Struck 242-244 AD. AV[TOK K MANT [GO]RDIANOC CEB, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian right; seen from behind; star before [ABGAROC] BACILEVC, mantled bust of Abgar right, bearded, wearing Parthian-style tiara with rosette; star behind. BMC Mesopotamia 153; SNG Copenhagen 226.
All Republicans (I guess the Democrats did not issue Roman coins?), all jugate The first has Honor and Virtue. I'm not sure how that applies here. Two with the Dioscuri: Two kings of old ( Numa Pompilius and Ancus Marcius): Two Dei Penetes:
LOL @Collect89 GREAT subject for Tuesday!!! NAILED it! TWO-FACED BROCKAGE: RR AR Denarius ERROR BROCKAGE ROMA Helmeted Head-Incuse and reverse of obverse - 2nd-1st C BCE OVERSTRIKE of MERCURY and POSEIDON! RR Anon AE Sextans-Hieron II Overstrike 214-212 BCE S1211 Cr69/6 DOUBLE-STRIKE of a TWO-FACED JANUFORM!!! SUPER Double-faced! RR M Furius ERROR DOUBLE-STRIKE AR Den119 BC Janus Trophy Carnyx S 156 Cr 281/1 AE JANUS: RR Atili Saran AE As 148 BC Janus ROMA Prow S 399 Cr 214/2a RR Anon AE As after 211 BC Janus I Prow Cr 56-2 Sear 627
JUGATE: RR Cordius Rufus 46 BCE AR Den Jugate Dioscuri Venus scales S 440 Cr 463/1 AE DIOSCURI: RR Anon AE 23 Quincunx 6-96g Apollo P behind Dioscuri Luceria 5 pellets Cr 99/4 Syd 309 S 910 AR DIOSCURI: RR Servilius 136 BCE Roma Dioscuri galloping S 116 Cr 239/1 RR Anon AR Quinarius 211-208 BC Roma Dioscuri S 42 Cr 47/1a RR Anon AR Quinarius 211-208 BC Roma Dioscuri S 42 Cr 44-6
ROMAN REPUBLIC AES GRAVE: RR AE Aes Grave Sextans 270 BCE 37mm 55.28g Dioscuri R and L ROMAN REPUBLIC AES GRAVE - TWO KNUCKLES!!! (or kinda like two "birds..."?) RR Aes Grave Uncia 269-240 BCE Astragalus knuckle-bones
Here's a cute Republican mascot & a Biga of the Democratic: Mules are half donkey so that works right?
And, yes, the Roman Republic QUADRIGATUS: RR Anon Quadrigatus - DIDRACHM Janus 225-215 BCE Cr 28/3 S 31 RR Anon AR Quadrigatus - DIDRACHM 215-213 Janus Roma Relief tablet S 32 Cr 29/3 RR Anon 225-214 BCE BILLON Quadrigatus-Janus DIDRACHM Janus-Jupiter galloping quadriga r 18.2mm 4.1g Cr 28/3 S 33 THIS one is a little harder to find... Quadrigatus DRACHM RR Anon Quadrigatus AR Drachm 216-214 BCE Janus ROMA Jupiter Victory Quadriga LEFT Cr 29/4 S 35
EMPIRE TWO-FACED? RI Poppea-Nero BI tetradrachm of Alexandria LI yr10 63-64AD Milne 217 RPC 5275 These two won't even LOOK at each other! Although they are best-buddies! RI Agustus oak crown -Agrippa rostral crown L AE Dupondius 26mm 12-6g 10-14 CE Nemausus chained Croc wreaths RIC I 158 Aurelian KILLED this guy later on... RI Vabalathus 271-272 CE and Aurelian RI Didumenian and Macrinus 217-218 CE AE28 Markianopolis mint Serapis RI Nero and Drusus Caesar under Tiberius Carthago Nova mint AE As 14-37 CE RI Otho 69 CE BI AR Tet 23mm Egypt Helmeted Roma
IMPERATORIAL: RImp Brutus-Ahala 54 BC JBrutus cons 509 BC ServAhala mstr hrse 439 BC S398 Cr433/2 GREEK: Iona-Ephesos AR Obol Bee - opposing stag heads 340 BCE Seaby (STAG PARTY!)
my most recent two faced coin... HERMOCAPELIA, LYDIA: TIME OF HADRIAN 117-138 AD O: Bust of Senate. R: Turreted head of Roma. SNG Cop 165. 17 mm, 2.5 g
Antony and Octavia cistophorus: Augustus and Livia from Hispalis Calligula and Caesonia: Antiochus VIII and Cleopatra Thea: Elagabalus and Julia Maesa, Marcianopolis: Gordian III and Tranquillina, Anchialus: Hermaios and Calliope drachm:
Actually, most accounts have Aurelian sparing the lives of Vabalathus and Zenobia after they were paraded in his triumph. He did the same with the defeated Gallic usurper Tetricus, even giving him a cushy official job in southern Italy. Not all the emperors were savages!... only most of them . These two guys on the other hand...
Some that haven't been posted in this thread yet Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, Denarius minted in 43 BC M ANTO IMP RPC, Head of Mark Antony right, lituus behind him CAESAR DIC, Head of Caesar right, jug behind him 3.76 gr Ref : HCRI # 123, RCV #1465, Cohen #3 Lepidus and Octavian, Denarius minted in Italy, 42 BC LEPIDVS PONT MAX III V R P C, bare head of Lepidus right (NT and MA in monograms) C CAESAR IMPIII VIR R P C, bare head of Octavian right (MP in monogram) 3.78 gr Ref : HCRI # 140, RCV # 1523, Cohen # 2 The following from forum catalog : "Lepidus was a faithful follower of Julius Caesar, and he served as Praetor and Consul. When Caesar was assassinated, Lepidus was in charge of the cavalry and commanded a legion. This position secured him a place in the Second Triumvirate along Marc Antony and Octavian. His cut was Africa. When Octavian attacked Sextus Pompey's Sicily, Lepidus' ships and troops supported him. In an uninspired move, Lepidus thought he could force Octavian to leave him the island. The two armies separated and isolated skirmishes occurred, but soon the soldiers sick of yet another civil war, acknowledging Octavian's superiority deserted Lepidus en-masse. Lepidus left the island as a simple civilian, retaining only his priesthood, but he was the only defeated Imperator not to suffer a violent death." Mark Antony and Lucius Antonius, Denarius minted in Ephesus in 41 BC M ANT IMP AVG III VIR RPCM NERVA PROQ P, Bare head of Mark Antony right L ANTONIUS COS, Bare head of Lucius Antonius right 3.58 gr Ref : HCRI # 246, RCV #1509, Cohen #2 Following description taken from NAC auction 40, #617, about an other example of the same coin : "This denarius, depicting the bare heads of Marc Antony and his youngest brother Lucius Antony, is a rare dual-portrait issue of the Imperatorial period. The family resemblance is uncanny, and one wonders if they truly looked this much alike, or if it is another case of portrait fusion, much like we observe with the dual-portrait billon tetradrachms of Antioch on which the face of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII takes on the square dimensions of Marc Antony. When Antony fled Rome to separate himself from Octavian and to take up his governorship in Gaul, Lucius went with him, and suffered equally from the siege of Mutina. This coin, however, was struck in a later period, when Lucius had for a second time taken up arms against Octavian in the west. Marc Antony was already in the east, and that is the region from which this coinage emanates. Since Lucius lost the ‘Perusine War’ he waged against Octavian, and was subsequently appointed to an office in Spain, where he died, it is likely that he never even saw one of his portrait coins." Octavian & Agrippa, AE Dupondius Arausio mint (Orange), 30-29 BC (Colonia Firma Julia Secundanorum Arausio) IMP DIVI F (IMPerator DIVI Filii), bare heads of Augustus (right) and Agrippa (left), back to back Prow of galley right, ram's head (?) enclosed in a medaillion above 17.61 gr - 28 mm. Ref : RPC # 533 Ex. CNG e-auction #181/28, from the Patrick Villemur collection Following comment taken from http://www.asdenimes.com/ : "Un très bel exemplaire du dupondius d'Orange. Têtes adossées d'Agrippa (à gauche) et Octave (à droite). Très beaux reliefs. L’as (ou dupondius) d’Orange est très rare et nombre d'exemplaires connus (quelques dizaines) sont souvent de médiocre conservation. Le dupondius d'Orange préfigure le dupondius de Nîmes frappé à partir de 28/27 av. J.-C. et qui reprendra l’avers quasiment à l’identique (y compris les légendes), avec les profils d’Octave devenu Auguste et d’Agrippa. Le revers sera interprété de façon parodique sur l’as de Nîmes, puisque la galère sera remplacée par le crocodile qui garde à peu près la forme générale du vaisseau et dont l’oeil prophylactique (pas visible sur cet exemplaire : voir les as de Vienne page suivante) deviendra l’oeil du crocodile. On y ajoutera la palme pour former le mat et quelques autres accessoires tout aussi symboliques. La tête de bélier représentée dans le médaillon du revers serait l’emblème des vétérans de la légio II Gallica qui a fondé la colonie d’Arausio vers 35 av. J.-C. On distingue 2 types de dupondius d'Orange : ceux dont les portraits occupent la plus grande partie de l'avers et ceux qui montrent des têtes plutôt petites." Q
ROMAN EMPIRE, TRAJAN Tetradrachm, Prieur 1495 Tyre mint, c. AD 110-111 ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΚΑΙC ΝΕΡ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟC CΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ ΔΑΚ, Laureate bust of Trajan right, eagle in field ΔΗΜΑΡΚ ΕΞ ΥΠΑTΕ, Laureate bust of Melkhart right 15.34 gr Ref : Sear #1088 var, Prieur # 1495_179 Trajan, Bronze struck in Laodicea, c114-115 AD AUTOKR NER TRAIANOC ARICT(KAIC CEB), laureate head of Trajan right IOULIEWN TWN KAI LAODIKEWN BXR, Turreted bust of Tychee right, IOU in field 9.97 gr Ref : Sear #1080 Aurelian and Severina, Double sestertius Rome mint AD 274-275 IMP AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust of Aurelian right SEVERINA AVG, diademed and draped bust of Severina right, on crescent 11.18 gr Ref : Cohen # 1, RIC # 2, RCV # 11696 Constantine the Great, Follis No mint mark, attributed to Treveri CONSTANTINVS PF AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right SOLI INVICTO COMITI, radiate and draped bust of Sol right 3.63 gr Ref : Cohen # 514, Roman coins IV # 3867 Q