Your dream ancient/medieval coin(s)

Hmmm... I'll keep that excuse in mind the next time I act like an attention-seeking, bombastic, blowhard...

 

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Ahaha => man, you always sound like such a fun-lovin', great guy ...
I hope that you have a fantastic day spreading that special sunshine of yours around the ol' neighborhood!!



Oh and Windchild, thanks for trying to step-up and defend my squeaky-clean reputation ... you my young friend, are a class act and a great coin-comrade!!


=> Break it up fellas, nuthin' to see here ... carry-on with your day of coining!

 

Ummm, ok.... moving on...

I forgot another dream coin of mine: a coin of Charlemagne would be beyond awesome to have in my collection:

 

someday in the far far future... I want 1 of these for my "coins with insects" collection. This 1 on Ebay right now going for only $4,150.00 only lol
IONIA: EPHESOS
Silver Tetradrachm (24mm, 15.19 gm) Ephesus, c. 390-325 B.C. Demagores magistrate.
Reference: Pixadorus, Class C (021); BMC 37.
Bee with straight wings; E-Φ in upper field.
Forepart of stag right, its head reverted, a palm-tree behind, magistrate's name

 

SICILY, Syracuse. Gelon. Tyrant, 485-478. AR Tetradrachm (23mm, 16.99 g, 12h). Head of the river god Alpheios facing, with a moustache, long beard, small horns (their tips off the flan) and non-human ears / ΣVRA, Two large grains of barley; all within a deep incuse square.

We all have goals I suppose. No matter how far out of reach this $700,000 USD coin may seem, it's still an excellent goal to aspire to.

 

Nice, iamtiberius!! => that coin rocks!!

 

When these coins were up for auction, I went to the convenience store and bought a couple of lottery tickets. I may usually collect the ugliest little things, but I do have very expensive tastes.


Tetricus I. Romano-Gallic Emperor, AD 271-274. AV Aureus (21mm, 4.45 g, 6h). “Victoria Germanica” issue. Mint City II (Cologne). 1st emission, December AD 271. IMP C G P ESV TETRICVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right / VICTORIA GER M, Tetricus, holding globe and scepter, standing left, being crowned by Victory, holding wreath and palm frond; to left at feet of Tetricus, bound captive seated left with head right. RIC V 38 var. (bust type); Schulte 2 (dies 3/- [unlisted rev.die]); Sondermann 1.2 = D. Hollard, "Un aureus inédit de Tétricus Ier découvert en Afghanistan," BSFN 58.10 (December 2003), pp. 225-9 = L. Dussubieux and B. Gratuze, "Nature et origine des objets en verre retrouvés à Begram et à Bara," De l'Indus à l'Oxus: Archéologie de l'Asie centrale (2003), 285 (this coin); Calicó -. EF, pleasant river patina. Rare.


SICILY, Syracuse. Agathokles. 317-289 BC. AR Tetradrachm (16.99 g, 10h). Struck circa 310/08-306/5 BC. Head of Kore right, wearing grain ear wreath, single-pendant earring, and necklace; KOPAΣ behind / Nike standing right erecting trophy to right; [AΓ]AΘOKΛEOΣ to left, monogram to lower left, triskeles to right. Ierardi 104 (O21/R65); BAR issue 23; SNG ANS -; SNG Lloyd 1489 (same obv. die); Dewing 947 (same rev. die); SNG Fabricius 259 (same dies). EF, attractive gray toning with slight iridescence.

 

Ok I collect all the ancient empires, so I will make it easy and say, I will take one of each.

 

No pictures, but a Queen Mary of Scotland Three Pound piece from 1557 in gold. I do have a 22/- in gold from 1553, but would really like a larger portrait coin.

 

http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=429281

I have to wonder why they didn't go ahead and fill the holes but that would have caused more people to look closely at the other details and come to the opinion that I hold that some of them are enhanced. We would not want to lessen the appeal of a $16,000 holey coin. While wishing, the coin I would like would show clearly all three letters of Noah on the side of the box of which the last 'E' almost never shows because it is the highest part of the coin. Finally I'll wish it shows up in a junk box because the seller does not believe it is genuine since everyone knows that Noah was a long time before coins were invented so it must be a fake.
http://www.theshekel.org/article_noahs_ark.html

 

Cool coin, Doug ... I love the two birds that are perched above the human couple!

Hmmm? ... although the Noah theme is obviously correct, it looks a bit like they're about to go for a spin on the Ferris-Wheel

=> again, great coin!!

 

Part of the appeal of this coin is the format which approaches a 'moving picture'. The reverse details are shown twice. Noah and his wife are shown in a box (the Ark) which as an open lid behind them but still floating on waves beneath it. A dove sits on the open lid awaiting his role in the story. This version has rather little room for a pair of Giraffes. In the second half of the scene and after seeing the branch brought by the second appearance of the same dove, the same two people are seen full length leaving the ark on dry land (no waves under them). The art form is a bit less than might be desired so it is not obvious that the lid is not a handle on a basket but I believe the idea was that the couple were crowded into the closed box and just opened the lid before the photographer snapped the first view here.

Considering Apameia had a considerable Jewish population, I would have thought that the designers of the coin might have been aware of the Biblical description and measurements of the ark but what we see is more a packing crate than a boat. These are rare coins and were issued for half a century in the name of various emperors. While there are minor variations on the scene, the basic design of two views of the same two people remains consistent. I have to wonder if it copies a larger piece of art located in the town and now lost. If these coins existed by the thousands, they would be require items in Coins of the Bible collections right there with Tribute Pennies and Shekels of Tyre but existing in a handful makes them unknown and not commonly on a want list. After all, if a holed one brings $16k, how many people doe you think are working on filling out the emperor set (Septimius through Trebonianus, I think)?

 

=> awesome background-info ... I didn't realize that we were looking at two seperate scenes of Noah and his wife

 

Great choices everyone. Really interesting coin Doug, never seen that type before. Learned something new.

My dream ancients are pretty simple. An aureus of lucilla & crispina. Simple as that. They arent rare but they are expensive.

Dream medieval? A coin of charlemagne or gold Henry VIII.

 

ROMAN EMPIRE, Carausius, Diocletian & Maximianus - Antoninianus
CARAVSIVS ET FRATRES SVI
Jugate, radiate & cuirassed busts of Maximianus, Diocletian & Carausius left
PAX A-VGGG
Pax standing left, holding olive-branch & vertical scepter
S - D
C in ex.
Mint Camulodunum.
Struck circa 292-293 AD

 

Woah Wind. Sign me up for that coin as well. That is really cool.

 

Wonderful coin Windchild.

 

Well, I suppose I've got to go with a nice Julius Caesar denarius. The portrait on this one is pretty. I like the reverse too.

Julius Caesar Denarius. CAESAR IMP, laureate head right, lituus & simpulum behind / M METTIVS, Venus standing left with Victory & scepter, shield resting on globe; control letter to left. Cr480/3; Syd 1056.

 

Cool coin. Wouldn't mind a coin of the big JC also.

I know it was just historical fiction on TV... but I'll never forgive him for what he did to Gannicus (Spartacus fans should know what I'm referring to ) .

 

Two more, from the collection of AncientJoe (Amazing coins!)

Sicily, Syracuse

Agathokles
AR Tetradrachm
Struck ca. 310/08-306/5 BC
Wreathed head of Kore right, wearing single-pendant earring and necklace
Nike standing right, and erecting trophy; to left, triskeles; between Nike an trophy, monogram
Ierardi 98 (O20/R59); Gulbenkian 334 (same rev. die); Kraay-Hirmer 137 (same rev. die); SNG Munich 1267 (same obv. die); SNG Manchester 508 (same obv. die).
16.9g
Superb Extremely Fine
Ex Goldburg Auction 24, lot 3408; Nelson Bunker Hunt Collection, part II (Sotheby's, 21-22 June 1990), 286.

Extra: Wonderful dies of particularly charming style. Attractively toned and well struck


Septimius Severus

AR Denarius
Rome
AD 206
SEVERVS PIVS AVG
Laureate bust right
LAETITIA TEMPORVM
The spina of the Circus Maximus decorated as a ship facing left, with the turning posts at its prow and stern, a sail mounted on the central obelisk, and the spina’s other monuments visible in between; above the ship, four quadriga’s racing left; below, seven animals: an ostrich at left and a bear at right; between them a lion and a lioness chasing a wild ass and a panther attacking a bison
2.78g
20mm
6h
RIC 274; BMC 343