Egry

9 hours ago, Al Kowsky said:

Egry, The importance of Antioch, Syria can't be stressed enough. You're correct stressing the military staging point of Antioch for ventures in the East. The city of Antioch was founded by Seleukos I in 300 BC, & it's first coins were minted by Antiochos I, 280-261 BC. Coins were minted in Antioch for nearly 1,000 years, longer than the Rome mint. For anyone with a serious interest in the history of this city I highly recommend an exhibition catalog published in 2000 by the Worcester Art Museum, "ANTIOCH, The Lost Ancient City". Used copies of this catalog are easy to find via the internet. In the catalog William Metcalf wrote an excellent essay on "The Mint of Antioch", with illustrations. 

The founding of Antioch is indirectly depicted on many of the tetradrachms struck at that mint, like the coin below. When Seleukos I was searching for a location for the city, an animal sacrifice was preformed by his priests. During this ritual an eagle swept down from the heavens & grabbed a leg from the sacrificed animal, flew to a location & dropped the leg where the city was founded. The tetradrachm pictured below, like so many other examples, depicts the eagle holding the sacrificed leg from that ritual.

Thanks for sharing, I will add the book to my list. I never knew about the leg being depicted on the coin, now I see it everywhere.

8 hours ago, Harry G said:

@Egry I was researching a different coin, and stumbled across the exact same coin you posted. It was sold in Roma Auction XIX

 

https://www.romanumismatics.com/253-lot-978-theodosius-ii-ar-miliarense?arr=0&auction_id=0&box_filter=0&cat_id=&department_id=&exclude_keyword=&export_issue=0&gridtype=listview&high_estimate=0&image_filter=0&keyword=Miliarense&list_type=list_view&lots_per_page=100&low_estimate=0&month=&page_no=1&paper_filter=0&search_type=&sort_by=lot_number&view=lot_detail&year=

 

That coin seems to have sure gotten around

I didn’t know Pescennius was considered a usurper.

here is mine.

@Prieure de Sioni don’t have one to share but I completely agree with you on how attractive they are. For a provincial mint they always seem to have very comparable (in my opinion) portraits to to those of denarii minted in Rome. Likely this must have signified the importance of this area, possibly due to its proximity to Parthia, the propaganda needed to be clear.

Unbelievable how it cleans up so nice. What’s the process? 
 

(nevermind. I just read on comment down and got the answer!)

On 6/14/2022 at 4:50 AM, Alegandron said:

MACRIANUS

RI Macrianus 260-261 CE Usurper AR 22mm 4.4g BI Ant Spes Publica star Sear 3.10811. RIC 13 pg 581 R2 Rare

QUIETUS

RI Quietus usurper 260-261 CE Ant 3-74g Samasota mint Indulgentia patera scepter RIC V 5

GALLIC EMPIRE
- (POSTUMUS prior post)

RI Postumus 259-268 CE Antoninianus Cologne Oriens ex tif

- MARIUS

RI Marius 269 Gallic Usurper BI Ant CONCORD MILIT Clasped Hands

- VICTORINUS

RI Victorinus 269-270 CE BI Ant Gallic Empire Salus

- TETRICUS I

RI Tetricus I 271-274 CE Ant LAETITIA

- TETRICUS II

RI Tetricus II 273-274 CE BI Ant SPES w Flower

ALLECTUS

RI Allectus 293-296 CE AE Ant PAX

CARAUSIUS

RI Carausius usurper in Britain CE 287–293 BI Ant 4.7g 24mm London radiate cuirassed - PAX AVG Pax stndg l branch scepter S—P RIC V 475

SATURNINUS

RI Probus Æ Ant 22mm 3.75g 280CE CLEMENTIA TEMP XXI Emperor receiving Victory from Jupiter UNKNOWN EASTERN MINT - fight Saturninus 

PROCOPIUS

RI Procopius 365-366 AE3

 

Ah!  Thanks for the reminder!  I was able to edge in MY grody version, too!!!  😄 

Saturninus? Am I reading that right? 

On 6/14/2022 at 12:37 AM, Furryfrog02 said:

The brothers Magnentius and Decentius:

 

I didn’t know they were brothers. Cool. 

I do have a few scarce usupers in my collection. This would be likely the most obscure of them.

Julian I of Pannonia BI Antoninianus. Siscia, circa AD 283-285. IMP C M AVR IVLIANVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / VICTORIA AVG, Victory standing to left, holding wreath and palm; S-A across fields; XXI in exergue. RIC V.2 5. 2.89g, 21mm, 6h. Some areas of weak strike; flan crack at 8h/10h.

20 hours ago, KenDorney said:

I'm posting this in the Roman section as my primarily interest is the Claudius Sestertius, which I will free from its tomb soon.  This week saw about 1,000 new arrivals, but these are some of my favorites.

 

That Claudia’s Sestertius, that’s a big gap in my collection. I only have a tooled provincial.  

Not mystery books but the docu fiction books by Robert Harris. My personal favourite Pompeii, the trilogy of Cicero is worth the read also.

7 hours ago, Phil Davis said:

Crawford 485/1. Same types, but 43 BC. so not quite lifetime:

Mind blowing condition! Beautiful. 

4 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

What do we think?  We love it, of course!!  😄  Who wouldn't?!

Both the portrait and the reverse figure are superior to most, and comparatively well struck for these I'd say.

Here's my portrait denarius (haven't taken a proper photo yet):

Julius Caesar with L. Aemilius Buca. Denarius 44, AR 3.63 g. CAESAR•IM – P – M Wreathed head of Caesar r.; behind, crescent. Rev. [L]•AEMILIVS – BVCA Venus standing l., holding sceptre and Victory. Crawford 480/4. Sear: Jan-Feb. 44 BCE. Alföldi: late Feb. 44 BCE, just prior to DICT PERPETVO issue.

You'll be interested in what Andrew McCabe has to say about this: "All of the portrait coins of Julius Caesar from RRC series 480 were likely produced prior to his assassination on 15 March 44 BC. The fabric, style, and minting techniques of the coins indicate a number of parallel workshops and not a single sequence as laid out by Alföldi and Crawford. That these coins all pre-date March 15th, 44 BC is also the view of Bernhard Woytek (see Arma et Nummi, 2004) and Professor T.V. Buttrey, who in a 2015 paper suggests the entire issue was intended as financing for Julius Caesar’s proposed Parthian campaign. The anomalous type RRC 480/20, with an obverse of Caesar and a reverse of Antony’s desultor issue, and known in very few examples from one obverse die, can most easily be explained as an unintended mule."

Thanks for the compliment and the additional info. I’ll set aside some time today to research abut further using your lead. 

If finally picked up a lifetime coin of JC. Before that I only had a JC posthumous portrait on a coin minted by Marc Antony, still a lovely coin but not a lifetime portrait.

fro my research it appears that this obverse with IMPER seems a bit more scarce.

Gaius Iulius Caesar, as Dictātor Perpetuō of the Roman Republic February – March 44 BC, Silver Denarius (3.77g, 19mm), Rome mint 44 BC, moneyer issue in the name of P. Sepullius Macer. Obverse: Wreathed head of Gaius Julius Caesar facing to the right, legend surrounds either side, “CAESAR IMPER”. Reverse: Full figure of Venus stands facing to the left, togate and holding Victoria aloft in right hand and long sceptre, which rests above star, in right, exergual-ground line below, moneyer’s name surrounds, “[P· SE]PVLLIVS MACER”. Sydenham-1070; Crawford 480/18. A late life time or possibly immediately posthumous issue bearing a noteworthy portrait of Julius Caesar, struck a touch unevenly thus flat towards the upper edge of the reverse, otherwise very attractive and certainly scarce compared with the non-portrait types, Very Fine.

What do you all think? 

5 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

A rare beauty, coingrats!! 👍

I went the cheap route with a provincia AEl:

This coin was struck under Gaius Caligula (on the obv.) rather than Claudius, in Thessalonica.

Your Constantiae type is unique to Claudius.  @Valentinian has an interesting discussion of the type on his website, mostly referring to Michael Grant's hypothesis.  In any case, it certainly represents the stoic virtue of constancy.  Perhaps Claudius thought he inherited this from his mother?  The type is more familiar from Claudius's AE though.  Here's mine (ex Clain-Stefanelli):

Thanks.

Also, thanks for the link, very good read! 

The latest addition to my collection. A coin that I wasn’t overly seeking as I didn’t realize she had a denarius, (as I have an dupondius with her portrait). But once I saw it I had to have it, and based on my research it doesn’t seem all that common to come up at auction.

1 hour ago, Romancollector said:

I recall seeing this coin in hand at the dealer’s both during NYINC. It’s a nice example. The flan crack is typical for the issue. There seems to be an area of flat strike around the ear and bangs, but such areas of flat strike are often seen on this type. There was another example of this type that I liked at NYINC (at another dealer’s table) which had an area of flat strike on the reverse. I passed on it for that reason. I should also add that I previously owned a well provenanced example of this type which I sold for the same reason. 

Thanks. Was it this exact coin you saw? I believe the person who is willing to sell it to me has just purchased it from the London Coin Fair. The price they are asking is a bit high so I’m somewhat undecided. When I had its in hand it was a really nice example, but now that you pointed out the flaws the stick out.

Nice coin and great write up.

Nothing wrong with a well loved coin, especially if it fills the a gap. 

I have an opportunity to buy this, I’m by far an expert in this denomination. Any thoughts from the experts?

Theodosius II, Eastern Augustus of the Theodosian Dynasty 402-450 AD, Silver ‘Light’ Miliarense (4.34g, 23mm), Constantinople mint 408-423 AD. 
 

Sear-21172; RIC-370; RSC-20a

3 hours ago, sand said:

Hello @Egry

I'm not a professional psychologist. However, I am interested in psychology, and other things. Are you a psychologist?

I am not a psychologist but a civil engineer.

10 minutes ago, Etcherdude said:

@DonnaML, I hope you won’t mind if I butt in and respond to @Egry’s question regarding color. 

The “red” you see is not paint or even glaze, it is the color of the fired clay body. I’m not a chemist but I think the color is very stable, certainly over a relatively brief (geologically speaking) period of a few thousand years.

 

 

Wow so the colour is the clay. If that's the case you must be able to locate its alluvial source precisely? The black color must be a black sand glaze?

I have a Julian II which is nice condition, but nowhere near some posted on this thread. Unfortunately I don't have an image of my JII.

But I do have a picture of my Julian I of Pannonia which is not in the best condition but still decent considering.

On 6/4/2022 at 2:15 AM, DonnaML said:

Rather than clutter up the existing thread with photos of my various ancient artifacts, primarily Greek, Roman, and Egyptian -- which I've bought over the last 40 years or so, beginning long before I collected ancient coins -- I thought I would start a separate thread. For one thing, it will make the photos easier for me to find than in the other place, where the photos are scattered among a lot of different threads.

I'll start out by posting photos of my various ancient Greek vases.

An Attic black-figure lekythos from ca. 525-500 BCE, four warriors in combat; on shoulder, two hounds facing each other. 4" H x 2" W at widest part. Purchased 03/15/1986, Royal Athena Galleries, NYC:






Another Attic Black-figure Lekythos, ca. 525-500 BCE, pygmies hunting rooster (or rooster hunting pygmies), 3 1/2" (8.9 cm) high, purchased 12.17.2019, Hixenbaugh Ancient Art, NYC:

An Athenian horse departing for parts unknown with its rider and his attendants in about 525-500 BCE, as shown on this Attic black-figure lekythos (4 1/4", 10.8 cm. high), manufactured for export in the Kerameikos (pottery) district, Athens. Purchased 12.17.2019, Hixenbaugh Ancient Art, NYC.












Note the hound chasing a hare on the shoulder, putting the vase in the Hound and Hare Group of Attic lekythoi. See https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG58829, explaining that the term refers to "a group of Athenian black-figure vase-painters whose names are unknown who produced vases with a similar style of drawing (mostly lekythoi). Beazley (following Haspels ABL) named them the Hound and Hare group because of the unusual subject (a hound pursuing a hare) decorating the shoulder. A few vases have been attributed to this group on the basis of style." For lekythoi like this one, the Hound and Hare Group is usually considered a subset of the Little Lion Class because of its shape, and the general presence of animals on the shoulder: see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG59217.

The three Attic lekythoi together:

Corinthian aryballos, ca. 600 BCE, rooster and swan, 62 mm. H x 56 mm. W at widest point, purchased 12/16/2019, Ancient & Oriental (antiquities.co.uk, Christopher Martin):





A miniature Apulian net lekythos, with a second photo giving an idea of its size, purchased at Royal Athena, NYC.

South Italy, Apulian red-figure stemless cup with two handles; on either side of body, female head (Lady of Fashion), wearing sakkos [cloth hair covering], with large flower, stephane, earrings, necklace; ca. 350-325 BCE. 2 ½” (64 mm.) H x 3 ¾” (95 mm.) D x 5 ¾” (146 mm) W. Purchased 3/6/1993, Royal Athena Galleries, NYC.





 

An Apulian (South Italian) net lekythos, purchased from Harmer Rooke, NYC, 02.06.1982. 2 3/4" high.

Hi Donna, these are so beautiful. One thing I've always wondered is did the orange colour fade over the last say 2500 years? Was it originally more red?

For scale what height are they?

Lots of questions lol

On 5/27/2022 at 9:07 PM, maridvnvm said:

I have been asked once already on this forum and to what/who is on my avatar. I thought it would be interesting to find out what your avatar is and why you chose it.

I primarily collect the early issues of the Eastern mint denarii of Septimius Severus. I sit in the shadows of the acknowledged experts in this field (Curtis Clay, Doug Smith and Barry Murphy) but have been passionate about this coinage for the past 20 or so years and am focussing my collection in on the bits that interest me and areas where I might want to do some amateur research in this generally under-studied area.

My avatar is a very primitive attempt at colourising the bust from one of my denarii that I did over 15 years ago. I have been using it as an avatar ever since.

The original image of the complete coin:-

The obverse coin cropped and colourised bust:-

The coin was then cropped to just the bust ready for re-sizing as an avatar:-

What is your avatar? Why did you choose it?

I really like your avatar. Without colour I would have thought how realistic the portriat was, but with colour you can see how caricature like it is, the eyes and nose seem a bit too large.

On 6/7/2022 at 6:47 AM, sand said:

Thanks @NathanB

I remember, your nice words, about my avatar, on the other coin forum.

You're the only person, who has ever mentioned, my avatar.

I drew my avatar.

I've never explained my avatar.

I like, to let people, view my avatar, and see, what they may see.

At first all I saw was a Yin Yang, what are they talking about. Then I looked closer, it is not a Yin Yang. It now looks like a straight on of an Orca to me. Are you a psychologist by trade?

4 hours ago, maridvnvm said:

My favourite silvered.....

Probus

Obv:– VIRTVS PRO-BI AVG, Radiate, helmeted, cuirassed bust left, holding spear and shield, decorated with emperor riding past row of soldiers with shields
Rev:– ADVENTVS PROBI AVG, Emperor riding left, right hand raised, left holding sceptre; at foot, captive
Minted in Lugdunum (IIII) Emission 5 Officina 4. End A.D. 277 to Early A.D. 278
References:– Cohen 69. Bastien 256 (2 examples). RIC 64 Bust Type G (S)
An obverse die match to the plate example in Bastien

The Portrait looks so realistic, an action shot really. I also really like the reverse on this, very attractive.

It is truly amazing at how talented these engravers were even during times of financial and political strife.

Just think, the life expectancy of an Ancient Roman would be mid 30s max. As we all know, it is very rare to become an expert at anything prior to at least your early 40s, especially something that takes extreme talent, and typically it is only if you are remarkably dedicated to the trade, the average is possibly more like early 50s.

However, these people most likely worked a higher percentage of their day than the average expert today would. So the probability of becoming an expert at an earlier age due to working more hours a day would likely be offset by the fact that people would most likely succumb to death before they became an expert.

Still, considering the above, and despite the high volume of coins being minted there must have been a very finite amount of engravers of expert level in existence at the time, this chap must have been one of them. This also isn't considering the fact that with age your short sightedness declines. How many of you use a loupe to investigate your coin. Now imagine engraving the die of the coin you are looking at.

I feel like the real expert @dougsmit could offer more insight on this.