Various Baltimore Newps

Well here's my Baltimore thread. The highlight of my trip was seeing Doug Smith in person (it's been a couple of years) and getting his autograph on a couple of books for which he was the photographer. Thank you Doug! I carpooled down with another friend named Doug (dougmeister on CT) and had a great time talking coins and coins, and also coins, and for a bit of variety...coins.

So, just a few highlights as I get a chance to take pictures. This first piece charmed its way into my heart for a number of reasons, and it's the sort of coin that truly raises the question of why we bother to grade ancient coins at all. These 4th-century BC staters of Arados are quite rare, so it starts out with a lot of points for scarcity. The flan is oval-shaped, and quite chunky, almost like an over-sized siglos. In fact, the Achaemenid influence is unmistakable. Many of the flans on these coins have weird shapes.

So with round dies and irregular flans, one is always resigned to missing detail, but on this example, I loved how the face of the deity is present in good style and commanding expression - he is described as a male marine deity - evidently that's all we know of him. And the reverse was struck in such a way as to capture a good part of the galley and waves below.

All in all, the extant detail, fabric, rarity, and feel of this coin won me over instantly.

 

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Sounds like a great trip Doug. Now when is this one going up for bid?

 

Horse... horse... horse... we want to see the HORSE coin.

 

I'm always on the lookout for these and it seems to be impossible to fine one on an even moderately roomy flan. This one certainly has its merits

 

This week, but please PM me for questions about buying/selling. Let's keep the mods happy!

 

Ok, I'll take a pic of that one next. Spoiler: it's hands-down one of the most beautiful bronzes of Carthage I've ever bought. Stay tuned.

 

Ruh Roh. I smell blood in the water for your next Thursday event!

 

Well, it's not a rare coin (if you want to call any Punic Carthaginian issues common), but the strike and centering are perfect and the coin has one of those very uncommon gem-like turquoise patinas, which also happens to be perfectly uniform. Tough to image because of the glossiness, but this gives you an idea...

Knight to F6 Checkmate...

 

Lovely!!

 

I'm a big fan of any and all furniture types, and I found this very sharp denarius of AP with thunderbolt-over-throne reverse (some sources say thunderbolt over altar). What a strike on this coin, wow...bam, take that you piece of flan! I think the ragged edges are a result of the hard blow...

 

Here's an anonymous RR denarius that was sitting in a discount box wondering why nobody loved it. I couldn't find anything wrong with it at all - just normal wear. Otherwise, the strike is very nicely-centered and the surfaces are very smooth and clean, and the style is excellent...

 

I love Carthaginean coins too!

 

... and I can personally testify that the coin looks even nicer in hand.

 

To put it politely, Salonina may not have been the best subject for portraits - her busts are always rather drab, and this coin offers no exception. But I loved the style of the reverse - one of the joys of collecting ancient coins is in the fact that all the dies are engraved by hand, and occasionally you find that engraver that added a bit of his own style or pizzazz. On this antoninianus, Felicitas looks curiously languid and haughty at the same time, and fortunately the coin was struck hard enough to bring out the fine details.

 

I'd buy it just because of those delightful and accurate adjectives

 

When you said this I thought you were going to add it to your personal collection. I'll be watching the auction.

 

I like the obverse portrait of "Salonina After Sucking on a Lemon."

 

Yeah, lol! Except that's how she always looks. She's the Church Lady from Saturday Night Live, remember her? Hmmm...having a little romp in the park with the Beast Master are we?

 

Remember there are those who believe she was a Christian.
http://www.numisology.com/Early_Christian_coins.htm