TypeCoin971793's Top 10 for 2017!

It seems everyone else is making their lists, so I guess I will too since I have no more ancients coming my way this year. My year has been quite quiet with relatively few purchases on the ancient front. But where I lacked in quantity I made up in quality.

So without ado, my top 10 in no particular order:

1. Large Pointed-Foot Hollow-Handle Spade. H-2.181 (ca. 600-400 BC). Ex Bob Reis. This is a large and very impressive coin in hand. I never thought I would get one. Condition is not the best, but it is rare, genuine, has attractive patina, and was relatively inexpensive. What more could you ask?



2. Arch-Foot Flat-Handled Spade from the Liang State, possibly "Liang Chong Jin Wu Dang Lie Shi Er" ("Liang Money to be used as 5 Jin and equal to 12 Lie"). H-3.48 (ca. 400-300 BC). I had been wanting one of these for years when I found it for a great price. I love the inscription and the mystery of the correct reading of the inscription. It occupies a very interesting spot in Warring States China's history.



3. Long-legged square-foot flat-handle spade. "Zi Shi Ban" H-3.438 (ca. 350-250 BC). Ex Bob Reis. I bought this as it is a transition type between the pointed-foot spades and the square-foot spades, which are hardly common. This example is EF/UNC with lovely patina.



4. Arched-foot flat-handle Spade. "Yu Yi Jin" ("Yu One Jin"). H-3.38 (ca. 400-300 BC). Ex Bob Reis. I never thought I would get to own one of these as the whole type is so rare. But Bob had one in his inventory for a reasonable price, so I jumped on it. 'Twas a bit spendy, but it was worth it.



5. Wang Mang "Huo Quan" coins still connected by casting sprues. These are likely illicit casts, meaning the counterfeiter risked the lives of himself, his family, and likely his neighbors as well to make these coins. We can only guess as to why they were never finished. I love the Wang Mang era and will buy any affordable interesting numismatic artifact from that era.



6. Roman Republic denarius struck by Lucius Hostilius Saserna. Gallia is depicted as a forlorn woman on the obverse (which I think is the goddess Pallor), and Artemis is on the reverse. The banker's marks give this coin character. This coin is one of my favorite coins of all time with the great detail and haunting illustrations.



7. Roman Empire, Tiberius. Augustus on the obverse with a funeral altar on the reverse with "PROVIDENT". Ex Tom Wood. I liked the large size and the story behind this coin.



PART II COMING SHORTLY!!

 

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I like the Chinese coins!



Thanks,
Jacob

 

8. Roman Empire, Nero. Denarius. It is in poor condition, but it was a denarius of Nero for really cheap. I had been wanting a coin from Nero for some time, and the opportunity presented itself at a coin shop that I have become great friends with. This was my second purchase from them.



9. Antioch, Bohemund III. Denier. Ex Tom Wood. This is another coin I had been wanting for years, but I never had a convenient opportunity to get one until a coin show a month ago. An iconic coin from the Crusades always has its allure (my first Crusades coin), but the real reason I bought it is because the obverse design makes the knight look like a duck.



10. Russia, Ivan "The Terrible." Wire money Kopek. This is another coin I had been wanting for years. I found some for sale a month ago in my price range, and I bought one. I loved the story about Ivan ever since my 6th-grade history teacher told it in a captivating way.

 

You're #6 has been on my want list atleast a year now. Most I see are pretty bad, maybe if I could find one like yours it could be added to the collection at the right price anyway.

 

Cool coin mix! Love that haunting RR denarius and a BIII coin is on my list as well. One of these days I'm going for some of stranger Chinese stuff like the knives and spades, I'll likely hit you and some of other folks for help when I go for it.

 

As far as I know, I am the only one on CoinTalk that has one. I know some others have the other two of the trio, but not this one. I was really surprised to get mine for about $150.

 

I hope I eventually manage to snag examples of those spades, which are just amazing. And I think your #6 has spoiled these for me as I never see one I like as well as yours! Great year, thanks for showing these.

 

I was really envious of the bargain you got on the Hostilius Saserna. Still am! It's a really fine example of the type.

 

Awesome coins. I really like 6.

 

They don't come around very often, for what I know.
It's been a while but pretty sure I've seen one on CT, maybe it was @Ancientnoob has/had one at one time.

 

Love the Sapdes (awesome) and your incredible VALUE on that Hostillius @TypeCoin971793 ! Super collection. The Huo Chuans with attached runners are so cool!

I will toss a spade on, but it is pretty common:


CHINA - ZHOU Dynasty, 1122-255 BC square foot spade 350-250 BC AN YANG - 3 lines rev bronze 31x52mm 7.45g H3.184 S13+

 

Some great coins there. I had a Bohemund III in my collection but it turned out to be a cast fake.

 

Wow, I think I may have bid on this very same coin sometime in September, did you purchase it from an online auction? If it was, I applaud your win. Time got the better of me in that one. Congrats.

 

I bought it at a coin shop in January for $19.

 

The hollow point spade is really neat. Great top 10 @TypeCoin971793! I'm still a newbie when it comes to eastern coins but here is one of my only photographed Chinese coins. (Soon to be gifted as part of my holiday game)

 

#6 is a great coin with excellent luck. The 'character' marks fell in places where they did no damage and that one under the eye adds to the forlorn expression better than I can imagine. It is some coin!

 

Great list @TypeCoin971793
The RR denarius, Bohemund denier, and large spade are my personal favourites. Being unfamiliar with the Chinese spades I've always wondered would they actually circulate in the economy as a medium of exchange or were they more of a token, representing some other commodity of value?

 

#6 any day for me aswell, please....

Q

 

You did well! I have a more worn example of #6, but yours is better and was cheaper than I paid in 2012.

Aidan.

 

The exact nature of how the earliest spades circulated is unknown, but since "Bu", or "spade", became a monetary unit at some point and since the type evolved into a definite form of coinage and since the design of these spades prevented them from having any agricultural use, it is certain that they were treated as money in commerce to some degree.