Worst and ugliest Roman coin portrait ever?

Elagabalus from Carrhae. There are uglier ones, but this one is endearing for some reason. 14.0mm, 2.56g, 5h.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I always like my Wild-Man Cato!


RR AR Quinarius 89 BCE M Porcius Cato Crawford 343-2. Sear 248

The Wild-man Cato (probly Imitating - a very Celtic look)

RR Porcius Cato AR Quinarius 89 BC Bacchus Liber Victory seated S 248 Cr 343-2

 

Not one but TWO uglies, one of Trajan like DonnaML's:

Trajan. 96-117 AD. Amastris Paphlagonia. Æ (22 mm, 4.76 gm, 6h. Obv: AYT NEP TRAIANOC KAICAP CEB (ΓΔ?), radiate and draped bust right. Rev: AMACTPIC MHTPOΠΟΛΙON [ΛΙC?], turreted bust of Tyche left. RPC__; von Aulock__; SNG Cop__; BMC__; Sear__; CNG Research__; acsearch__; asiaminorcoins.com__; Isegrim__. Apparently UNIQUE. To be added to RPC as #1204A, so I am advised.

 

I can't beat Donna's chimp-faced "Trajan," but I have a couple that are real stinkers.

My personal favorite is this disgusting long-necked, alien-y, bug-eyed barbaric (or maybe Arles) Constans


Then we've got the washboard-flat-faced Constantine.

Finally an official Licinius. He's pretty much what I envision when I heard the term "meat head." Jupiter's head on the reverse doesn't fare much better either.

 

I love the way you present the coin with the two of them staring at each other!

 

I'd say this provincial of Caligula from Carthago Nova is the ugliest rendition of an emperor in my collection:


Caligula AD 37-41.
Roman provincial Æ 28 mm, 11.17 gm.
Carthago Nova, Spain, AD 37-38.
Obv: C. CAESAR AVG. GERMANIC. IMP. P.M. TR.P. COS., laureate head of Caligula, r.
Rev: CN. ATEL. FLAC. CN. POM. FLAC. II. VIR. Q.V.I.N.C., head of Salus r., SAL AVG across field.
Refs: SGI 419; Heiss 272, 35; Cohen 247, 1; RPC 1, 185; SNG Cop 503.

 

I know they are not directly Roman, but the Roman copies of the original Thasos types led to the Thracians copying the copies. So the Romans are responsible for these artistic representations.
The top one artist was a ace at the obverse but got bored with the reverse and the second was vice versa.







I might be NewStyleKing but if I ever collected another "series" it would have to be the latter "Thasos Imitatives" They are so wild. Propokov and Paunov seem to be the experts on these.

Now back to Rome.

 

There are not all that many coins of Clodius Albinus dated to 193 (COS withot II). Why did I buy the die with the roaming eye?


It really is not fair to be hard on some of the latest of the Provincials other than Alexandria. This Claudius II was the best Antioch, Pisidia, could do under the circumstances?

 

Despite the high mastery of portrait sculpture, Gallienus coins are plagued with awful faces.

 

This one came in a lot of 4 coins. The only thing I like is the patina

 

YIKES! This is the "ugliest" thread of all time on CT. I love it. Keep 'em coming.

Bruce

 

FRANKENSTEIN FAMILY


RI
Tiberius
Nero Julius Caesar and Drusus Caesar adopted grandsons, b. of Germanicus
Carthago Nova mint
AE As 14-37 CE
sinister left

 

I do have a scary Trajan too (Tyche isn't bad either....)



Q

 

That's a coin of neanderthal king Og.