Zumbly's Year-End Favorites List : #10 - #1

I posted the first part of my year-end favorites list two weeks ago and was waiting for one last coin to arrive to post the second part. I was just about resigned to not being able to make this post until next year when the package arrived on my doorstep today (thank you, almighty postal gods!). So, without further ado, here's my Top 10 coins of 2018...


#10
SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS. PONTUS, Herakleopolis. AE28. Herakles & the Cretan Bull.

It's highly unlikely I'll ever have a full set of coins depicting all 12 Labours of Herakles, but I'm still going to try for the ones I don't have, as long as I can afford them. In any case, this nice, hefty Roman Provincial was right up my alley. It depicts Herakles's 7th Labour, the capture of the Cretan Bull. It has a great portrait of Septimius and despite the wear, I really like the statuesque figures of Herakles and the Bull on the reverse.


#9
MARCUS AURELIUS. EGYPT, Alexandria. Billon Tetradrachm. Ex Staffieri Collection.

The portraits of Marcus Aurelius when he was Caesar have always been amongst my favorites in the Roman series. They seem to not only capture his youthful good looks, but also the essence of a young philosopher's enthusiasm and idealism. When he later became emperor, the troubled times that he and the Empire faced seemed to really take their toll and etch the world and war-weariness into his portraits. This was my only win from January's Triton XXI sale of the Staffieri Collection coins of Roman Egypt. It was a tough auction and I was happy to score even one coin from it.


#8
JULIUS CAESAR. AR Denarius. Elephant trampling snake.

I'm sure my finally getting a Julius Caesar elephant denarius has nothing at all to do with @Severus Alexander's exemplary writeup on the subject in this year's Coin Imperator Tournament, but I'm gonna blame him anyway. Seriously, he did call it "a numismatic Darth Vader: the denarius that destroyed the Republic and sowed the seeds of Empire." How could I not get myself one of those?? Anyway, mine has the elephant in the cute n' dumpy style. The previous collector's tag calls it "the later more imitative style". Either way, it has really grown on me!


#7
IBERIA, Ebusus. AE17. Bes, God of Good Times. Ex Stevex6 Collection.

One of my favorite stevex6 coins of all time. On the obverse is really the funniest ever depiction of a deity - we call him Captain Caveman here, but he was known back then as the Egyptian god Bes. The Phoenicians brought the cult of Bes to the western Mediterranean island of Ebusus when they colonized it in the mid 7th century BC. Bes was the god of feasting, dance, and carnal pleasure, and today at Ebusus (the present-day party island of Ibiza), his following clearly remains strong. This coin is not only one of the best examples of the type known, it really is for me the quintessential Stevex6 winner. As Steve would say... good times!


#6
ROMAN REPUBLIC. AR Denarius. M. Junius Brutus. Ex Michael Kelly Collection.

I ended up buying two of this same type this year. Rightfully, both of them ought to be in my year-end Top 20, but in deciding not to show duplicates on the list, I really just made my life difficult because I love both of them almost equally. Many will likely prefer the other one I bought, which isn't damaged and is in slightly better grade, but for me, the holes driven into this one just added a unique appeal to what was already (and still is) a beautiful coin of great historic value.


#5
CRETE, Knossos-Gortyna Alliance coinage. AE19. Labyrinth of Knossos.

The story of the Minotaur was a childhood favorite of mine, and scoring a coin of ancient Crete depicting the legendary Labyrinth of Knossos was always a long term goal. This example came from a Frank Robinson auction, where I e-mailed my bid to him exactly 22 minutes after he sent out the link to the catalogue. Having to wait the next 36 days to find out if I would be the winner was no fun, but the eventual victory sure was sweet. Next on my want list : a coin depicting the legendary Labyrinth of Overlook.


#4
ATTICA, Athens. AR Tetradrachm.

As the year was coming to an end, I decided I'd try to take advantage of the hoard of these currently out there to jump onto the ol' Athens Owl bandwagon. It's not that I never felt like a proper collector of Greek coins without one of them, but they're just so iconic and historically significant that I, uhm... never really felt like a proper collector of Greek coins without one of them? Ok, fine, why even try to deny it. And while I'm in a confessional mood - she just arrived today, she's stunning and plainly out of my league, and yes, she'll be sleeping next to me tonight... as I wear my cheap tourist t-shirt from Athens.



#3
VALERIAN. PHOENICIA, Tyre. AE27. The Founding of Thebes by Cadmus.

I didn't know this rare type existed until I saw it come up in a CNG auction, and then I just really really wanted it. The Provincial coins of Tyre have some of the most interesting reverses, drawing from the city's long history and fascinating myths. This one depicts the founding of Thebes by Cadmus, a prince of Tyre. Cadmus journeyed from Tyre to Greece in search of his sister, Europa, who had been abducted and taken to Crete by Zeus. On reaching Greece, he taught the Greeks writing and the alphabet, and later, also founded the city of Thebes. Going after this coin in the auction was absolutely nerve-wracking, because I knew that if I didn't win it, it might be years before I'd get another shot at the type. Thanks must go to @TIF and Clio for letting me get away with this one.


#2
LOKRIS, Opuntii. AR Stater. Demeter / Ajax the Lesser.

I wouldn't have won this coin except that I made the absent-minded mistake of coming up with a max bid for it in USD, and then entering the same figure in EUR without making the necessary adjustment for currency difference. After I received the coin, I decided it was a happy mistake. I really love the contrast of feminine beauty on the obverse and the masculine, martial pose of Ajax on the reverse. The artistic rendering of Demeter's head, the graceful proportions of Ajax's body, and the intricate details on the inside of his shield also really add to the coin's appeal for me. I won this coin in early March, and for almost 8 months, no other coin I bought came close to topping it as my favorite of the year, until the next one came along...

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

#1
PTOLEMAIC KINGDOM, Kleopatra VII Thea Neotera. AE Diobol - 80 Drachmai.

My favorite coin of 2018... which right off the bat has its obvious issues. I might have waited longer and saved up more to try for a Cleopatra VII portrait coin in higher grade and with better surfaces, but to be honest, it's hard for me to ever imagine owning one that I'd be happier with. The portrait has good relief, is rendered in the naturalistic style I prefer, and the earthy colours and sandy patina strike me as perfect for the issue. So many of these Cleo bronzes of Alexandria have been tooled or otherwise messed with that looking for an honest coin honestly portraying the face of one of the most famous women in history has felt like navigating a minefield. This wasn't the priciest coin I bought this year (the three preceding ones were all more expensive) and certainly not the prettiest, but it really was a dream score in more ways than one, and certainly the year's most satisfying.

And that ties up the loose ends for my coin year... I look forward to more good coins and great company here on CT in 2019. Happy New Year, everyone!

 

Fantastic end to your list Z! #1 and #2 are utterly outstanding!

 

Great coins, zumbly. May your 2019 be equally fruitful.

 

I love # 7 and 5....

 

Great list Zumbly, my fav. #9 and certainly #2

 

That Demeter portrait is stunning! great coins

 

Nice list and additions. I like #9 & #7 best.

 

Your coins are scrumptious, as always, Zumbly!! Thanks for showing them and may the new year bring oodles of more beautiful ancient coins!

 

I remember ignoring that Cleo assuming it would go sky-high because of the fantastic portrait... doubly sweet to score your #1 for a song! Congratulations again on that awesome coin. Other than that, I especially love your #2 (coin of the year!), #4 (coin of the year!), your other #6 (coin of the year!), Captain Caveman (great bull too!), and #9 (what a portrait!). 10, 5, and 2 are oh so very zumbly, and I'm proud to have maybe helped speed up your acquisition of a very nice Caesar elephant. Now you need to get a non-dumpy one though.



What a year!!!

 

A wonderful selection @zumbly. That Brutus has a lot of charm. I can see why it made your list. Your #1 would be mine as well. There is so much competition for these when they appear that I have unable to grab one...yet.

 

Awesome additions @zumbly I am really jealous on your coins and I wonder if I will ever be such a good picker as you. The Lokris stater looks amazing but that Cleopatra bronze is a fine rarity. But I can't say no to that beautiful Knossos and Athens tetra as well. What a great additions this year, congrats.

EDIT: By the way Zumbly happy new year, I think that is happening anytime soon there in Indonesia.

 

Great stuff, the Marcus tet is a beauty

 

As I scanned down your list of images, I thought, this has to be my favorite until I saw the next image. It is impossible for me to pick out just one. They are all great coins. Congratulations.

 

Awesome, my favorite two are that Brutus and Ajax the Lesser!

 

Wow wow wow @zumbly !!! Everyone of those beauties I would REALLY like to add to mine! I am boarding a plane, so I will come back to reread and further GAPE at your treasures! Nice!

 

wow #4. I liked thee elephants too.

 

All are worthy. I prefer #5 and #7 but would love to have the set.

 

#1 and #4 are my favorites for the obvious reason, but,
WOW that Lokris stator at #2 is a jaw dropper.
All are some great coins that just makes your mouth water. Congrats @Zumnly

 

Absolutely fantastic ten zumbly, your Athens Tet is just about perfect I can see why you wanted to wait, and your Crete Knossos are very hard to come by with such good rendering of the Labyrinth as yours. I will never forget my visit to Knossos in 2015, one of my pics below.