Gavin Richardson

I won a coin in a Bertolami E-Auction 245 on December 16 and, to my knowledge, have not received an invoice. I just sent them a note but am not sure how responsive they are. (An unrelated query a few weeks ago went unacknowledged.) I understand Bertolami can be a bit slow to get invoices out, especially with European holidays running well into mid-January. But I didn't want to assume too much. Should have I been invoiced by now?

Yes, that purchase and the other scarce FTR demonstrate the value of these discussion boards. Valentinian—Warren Esty—posted about these a few years ago on another board. So when I saw this one at Incitatus Coins, I recognized it and snapped it up. And the very next week the other one appeared on eBay. Boom boom.

Sorry; I didn't see that there's a forum dedicated to Top 10 lists. If a mod wants to move this post, go for it. Also, not sure why the pix are a little blurry. I think because I copied and pasted them. Will try proper attachments next time. Still learning this interface.

Hi Folks. Here are ten coins that I really enjoyed acquiring and learning about this year! 10. GALERIUS GPR FOLLIS, ANTIOCH. Nothing special here, just an attractive tetrarchic follis. I'm trying to complete as many mint “sets” of tetrarchs as budget allows. Only need Constantius now for Antioch. 9. BRONZE PRUTAH OF PONTIUS PILATE. This coin had been on my want list for a while. These coins are pretty common but tough to find in nice shape. Mine is middle of the pack, but I did want one that showed the lituus clearly. David Hendin has argued that the appearance of the lituus, a Roman religious implement, on this coin was either a deliberate insult to the Jews or a demonstration of imperial indifference. Pilate had been trained as an augur, so he might have been especially keen to include the lituus on his coinage. 8. CONSTANTIUS I AS CAESAR ANT., WITH SOL REVERSE. I'm interested in the relationship between Sol Invictus and the House of Constantine. I don’t think Constantius I had any great solar devotion, but this scarce coin might suggest some affinity. RIC dates this coin to 295 A.D. Some date this coin earlier, to 293, though the rationale is unclear. Example: “Scarce coin, struck during the few months between his enthronement as Caesar (March … 293) and the monetary reform of Diocletian (second half of 293) when the antoninian (together with the rest of traditional Roman coins as sestertius, denarius, etc.) was removed from the cash Roman system.” 7. CONSTANTIUS II FEL TEMP REPARATIO WITH EMPEROR RIDING DOWN CAPTIVE. One could probably handle a thousand FEL TEMP REPARATIO coins before encountering this one. It’s one of two scarce FTR reverse types. 6. CONSTANTIUS II FEL TEMP REPARATIO WITH “SPURNED CAPTIVE” REVERSE. The other is this one. 5. DOMITIAN DENARIUS WITH MINERVA I don’t have too many Twelve Caesars denarii, but I decided that if I were to get one for Domitian, it would be with a Minerva reverse. Not too hard to find. 😉 4. RR DENARIUS; RAPE OF THE SABINE WOMEN So according to legend, Romulus, the first King of Rome, believed that he did not have enough women in his nascent kingdom to develop the population. So he invited Tatius, King of the Sabines, to bring his people to a celebration in Rome. Once they were there, Romulus gave the signal, and the Romans abducted their women. This event is known to history as the “Rape of the Sabine Women.” The term “rape” might be better termed “abduction,” from the Latin word rapio, which means “to seize.” But since these women were seized for sex, perhaps that’s a non-distinction. At any rate, you might expect the Romans to be a bit ashamed of this dark episode in their history. This denarius, struck in 89 BC, featuring King Tatius on the obverse and two Roman men carrying away Sabine women on the reverse, suggests otherwise. 3. CARTHAGE; TANIT WITH HORSE REVERSE. I am breaking with my custom to post only coins that I have in hand. This was a recent auction win, and I hope I'm not tempting the postal gods as I go ahead and list it here. I teach the Aeneid regularly, and the opening to that epic makes clear that Carthage is Juno’s beloved city. There’s some speculation that Virgil is aware that Carthage worships the goddess Tanit, syncretized with Juno. The horse head likely alludes to the legend that Dido found a horse head at the spot where she was to establish her city. These Tanit coins are common but command a premium to be well centered with detail. 2. PROBUS; SOL IN QUADRIGA. If one were to have one coin from the reign of Probus, I suspect this would be it. I love how the quadriga fills the space on the reverse. Though there’s no trace of silvering left, the coin is well-centered with a sharp strike, showing Probus’s fancy (consular?) robe. At $54 shipped, I regard it as one of my better bargains on the year. A nice coin of an underrated emperor. 1. NERO AE AS; NERO AS APOLLO WITH LYRE I had been wanting one of these for a while, but I think they are scarcer than many think. For every twenty “Victory with Shield” reverse coins, you might see one of these. The patina and surfaces are a bit mottled, compromising eye appeal. But I am happy with the strike; you can count the lyre strings. The reverse is conventionally thought to be Nero in the guise of Apollo playing the lyre, though the graceful figure on the reverse does not seem to have the same physique as the fleshly figure of the obverse. The traditional identification comes ultimately from the ancient Roman historian Suetonius. In his LIFE OF NERO, Suetonius describes a Neronian procession through Rome, ultimately referencing the coin: “[T]hrough the arch of the Circus Maximus…he made his way across the Velabrum and the Forum to the Palatine and the temple of Apollo. All along the route victims were slain, the streets were sprinkled from time to time with perfume, while birds, ribbons, and sweetmeats were showered upon him. He placed the sacred crowns in his bed-chambers around the couches, as well as statues representing him in the guise of a lyre-player; and he had a coin too struck with the same device.” [NERO §25] Thanks for looking. Happy new year! GTR

I agree that the reverse iconography of the solidus is close. I also see some similarities, though, in the reverse lettering to this follis of Justin II and Sophia.

Interesting. I wonder in what context the imitations were produced. On the continent? Or in Anglo-Saxon England? I wish you had gotten a more generous response. That does not seem to be a hard question.

Just recently reading on the Anglo-Saxon Harpole Treasure, which includes a necklace partially made up of "Roman coins." I could not find details beyond the popular press article. Can anyone identify the coins? They look Byzantine to me. Apologies if there's a thread on this already. I searched "Harpole" and did not turn up anything. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/gold-necklace-harpole-treasure-female-burial-scn/index.html

Update: PayPal has refunded the purchase price for the coins from Opisthodomos, whose operators seem to have absconded with no little amount of cash. I am out 10 pounds shipping. Not sure why; I asked to be compensated for it in my discursive notes. But the PayPal protocol simply asks you to list the purchase price of all items; they do not ask for shipping charges. So maybe they just process those inputted costs. At any rate, I’m not happy about being out 10 pounds and going through the hassle. But it could be worse. I got almost all of my money back.

Once I saw a coin with an incorrect date in a VCoins dealer inventory. I had a particular interest in this coin type and thus knew the appropriate dating range. I sent a quick, professional note to the dealer notifying him of the error. I got back a snarky reply commenting that “it must be a slow day” where I was working. So I resolved never again to bother unless I know the dealer will value the correction.

Ah, Maybe that is why I’ve heard others experiencing these import fees. That’s reassuring.

So help me think through some things, folks. I have my eye on an inexpensive coin or two in the upcoming Roma auction. Let’s say I happen to win the coin at 60 GBP. With buyers fee, that comes to about 75 pounds. Add another 20 to ship to the United States. That’s 95 pounds. That’s about $110 US. I can live with that. What becomes a dealbreaker is if I’m charged an additional $45 or so for import fees. Then that $70 coin eventually becomes $155. Such fees may be proportionally negligible for high-dollar coins. But for inexpensive coins, these fees may rival the price of the coin itself. It doesn’t seem to make much sense to bid on a single inexpensive coin in such an auction. I suppose the bottom line is, “Is that coin worth $155 to me?” And maybe it is. But I would be more aggressive in my bidding if I knew I would not be hit with an import fee. Does anyone know if UK coins are subject to the $40 and $50 import fees from Europe that I’ve heard Donna and are experiencing? Any wisdom, economic philosophy, idle speculation, or experience would be appreciated.

Should’ve been stamped “WTF?” I now patiently await my first discussion board administrative demerit.

Donna, I think they were based in London.

Thanks to Prieure de Sion's intercession, I got a quick response from VCoins admins. In a nutshell, the Opisthodomos shop is closed and I should pursue a refund via PayPal. Too bad. I really wanted the coins. G.

Interesting. Now that they are no longer a VCoins dealer, I wonder if VCoins will have any leverage in the matter. 😐

That’s helpful info. Thank you. I’m still hoping for a positive resolution and hoping it’s just bad communication.

If you know them and it wouldn’t be too much trouble, yes, I would be grateful for any information you might find out from VCoins admins.

So back on September 12 I ordered two coins from the Vcoins dealer Opisthodomos. The invoice was marked paid but it was never marked shipped. On October 8th I sent them a note asking if they had shipped the coins yet since there had been no update to the invoice status. I never heard anything. Today I went to follow up and saw that they weren't listed as a Vcoins dealer anymore. I don't have a good feeling about this. Am I missing something? Does anyone know anything about the disappearance of Opisthodomos? Is someone on a beach somewhere drinking ouzo with my 95 quid? I paid with PayPal. Does anyone know offhand if I have any recourse through PayPal or Vcoins? I haven't completely given up yet. It's only been a little over a month for a package from the UK. I'm actually less troubled by the coins not showing yet than by the lack of communication. Any information here would be helpful. Gavin

My first Nero. $107 in 2005. I suspect this coin would cost a lot more than that today. Note Doug Smith quoted in the notes.

In addition to the lovely display, these posters can serve as a kind of checklist if others are inspired to follow suit.

When the picture on eBay shows the super sharp reverse but requires you to click on the entry to see the obverse, you know you might have a corrupted portrait.

Those surfaces are pristine. They almost look like medallions.

I wonder how stylized the instruments are on these coins. I suppose the varieties of lyres abounded. But the lyre on most of these coins seems to have three or four strings. In book 6 of the Aeneid, Orpheus is said to play a lyre with seven strings. I wonder if these are different varieties, or if the die engraver simply felt that three or four strings was enough to get the idea across.

NERO: NERO (?) AS APOLLO WITH LYRE.

So many great examples. This is a coin that’s encountered in the low grades pretty regularly, but it’s nice to see so many high quality examples. Maridvnvm is in the lead IMHO. I love the chocolatey patina and the detail on the horse’s decorative armor. The die engravers at Alexandria were indeed skilled. But my favorites from the period are the engravers in Antioch and Constantinople. I see a lot of similarities in their style. I wonder if some of the eastern ateliers shared engravers or had some sort of common training. Interesting to speculate about. I’d love to read a good, thorough book on the training and culture of the die engravers.