El Cazador

6 minutes ago, Prieure de Sion said:

And from me, as my conclusion, an new buy / entry today from three Republicans. A triple group of iridescent coloured coins. Description and pictures in order.

Aulus Plautius; Reign: Roman Republic; Mint: Rome; Date: 55 BC; Nominal: Denarius; Material: Silver; Diameter: 18mm; Weight: 3.90g; Reference: Sydenham 932; Reference: Babelon Plautia 13; Reference: Crawford RRC 431/1; Pedigree: Ex Galata Coins England, February 1978; Obverse: Head of Cybele, right, wearing turreted crown. Border of dots; Inscription: A PLAVTIVS AED CVR S C; Translation: Aulus Plautius Aedile Curule Senatus Consulto; Translation: Aulus Plautius Aedile Curule, by Decree of the Senate; Reverse: Camel, right; before, kneeling figure holding reins in left hand and olive-branch in right hand. Border of dots; Inscription: BACCHIVS IVDAEVS; Translation: Bacchius Iudaeus; Translation: Bacchius the Jew.

Gaius Julius Caesar; Reign: Roman Republic, Civil War; Mint: Military mint, traveling Spain with Julius Caesar; Date: 46/45 BC; Nominal: Denarius; Material: Silver; Diameter: 18mm; Weight: 4.02g; Reference: Sydenham 1014; Reference: BMCRR Spain 86; Reference: Crawford RRC 468/1; Pedigree: Ex Downies Australian Coin Auctions, Melbourne, Auction 244, year 1988; Obverse: Head of Venus, right, wearing diadem; behind, Cupid. Border of dots; Reverse: Trophy with oval shield and carnyx in each hand; on left, seated female captive resting head in right hand; on right, bearded captive seated with hands tied behind back. Border of dots; Inscription: CAESAR; Translation: [Gaius Julius] Caesar.

Lucius Thorius Balbus; Reign: Roman Republic; Mint: Rome; Date: 105 BC; Nominal: Denarius; Material: Silver; Diameter: 20mm; Weight: 3.99g; Reference: Sydenham 598; Reference: Babelon Thoria 1; Reference: Crawford RRC 316/1; Obverse: Head of Juno Sospita, right, wearing goat-skin. Border of dots; Inscription: I S M R; Translation: Iuno Sospita Magna Regina; Translation: Great Queen Juno the Saviour; Reverse: Bull charging right. Border of dots; Inscription: L THORIVS; Translation: Lucius Thorius [Balbus].

 

 

 

There were some decent deals at Pegasus today- Plautius was on my watch list. At 150 Euro it was fairly decent purchase…

2 hours ago, Egry said:

 

 

 

 That's why I love coin collecting. The three you dislike are the three I really like, I've managed to acquire all but one so far.

 

 

Which ones did you get?

1 hour ago, Ocatarinetabellatchitchix said:

Our member interviewed this week once wrote:  « Time in a library alone with a book, a coffee and a little round piece of metal for company seems like a perfectly pleasant way to spend free time ». But do not get me wrong; he is also a globetrotter, and active collector and a family man. If he had lived two thousand years ago, he would probably have worked in a mint as a skilled engraver, or perhaps a bridge builder within the Roman Empire. So let's find out a little more about...Curtisimo.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you’re from, your family, hobbies, work..?

My name is Curtis and I am an engineer (that almost sounded like an AA intro…).  I am from the USA (I have lived all over the country, mostly for work). I have been married to my beautiful wife since 2018 and earlier this year we welcomed a baby boy into our family.

Other than collecting coins, my favorite hobbies are travelling, photography, drawing and woodworking. I enjoy mixing aspects of my different hobbies when I can. For instance, I like to travel to places that have a connection with ancient coins, particularly places that were part of ancient Greece and Rome. My travels also provide inspiration for coin purchases from areas outside my core collection, such as Islamic Al-Andalus, ancient Japan, or medieval Ragusa.

Taking photos of my collection has been a fun offshoot of my interest in photography. It also ensures that any equipment I buy will get more use than just the occasional vacation or outing. I no longer keep my coins on-hand in the house, so photos are my primary way of interacting with most of my collection.

As for woodworking, I sometimes decide to build things that are related to my collection. This has included bookshelves for my library, my photography set up and my ongoing project to finish a custom coin cabinet (see below).

 

 

 

I’ve been working on my wood carving skills for the project. I decided to go with an Achaemenid Persian theme, so I have been carving scenes inspired by the Palace of Persepolis. This is solid mahogany.  I am planning to practice my inlay work for the top of the cabinet. It has been a slow go because I have been more interested in trying new techniques than actually finishing.

I don’t draw or sketch as much as I used to (less time) but here are a few sketches I’ve done as well as a model I built for an architectural competition several years ago. It is a hypothetical library project in Rome near Piazza Navona.

 

 

How did you become interested in ancient coinage ?

The short answer is that I have been interested in ancient coins since I became aware that an average person could actually own them.  I have always been interested in history. When I was in elementary school, I used to take my history book home at the beginning of the year and read it cover-to-cover. My third-grade history teacher used to preface questions to the class with “does anyone other than Curtis know…” I now realize how annoying I must have been to everyone else in my class. 😊 In college, I took as many history classes as my schedule would allow and I accidentally ended up with enough credit hours for a minor in History. The ancient history courses were always my favorites.

I started collecting coins in general when I was around age 8 or 9 after my grandad gave me a 1926 Peace Dollar which I still have. In 2011 I stumbled upon ancient coins for sale online and I could not have been more pleasantly surprised by what was out there.

 

Curtis, what was the first coin you ever bought ?

I honestly don’t remember the first coin I ever bought. I vaguely remember going with my parents to a coin shop near the mall where I bought a silver eagle. I must have been 10 or 11 at the time. That may have been the first coin I ever physically bought (with my parents money of course so perhaps that doesn’t count 😉 ).

I bought my first ancient coin from Marc Breitpretcher in 2011 for around $25. At the time he was operating under the name “Ancient Imports” which I am sure caused him some customs annoyance from time to time. It was an Elagabalus Antoninianus (see below). It is not a beautiful coin, but I could not have cared less. I was just fascinated to own something that old with a message directly from an ancient person. I felt like Elagabalus was speaking to me from 1800 years in the past.

Rather strangely, the coin came in a flip that was not free of PVC. To be fair, Marc noted on a paper that came with the coin that it should not be stored long term in the flip (though I don’t remember him saying why).  I left the coin in the flip it came in thinking that I would move it when I updated my storage system.  Later on I noted a nasty green colored substance on the coin, and I had to clean it. This ugly little thing has been through a lot, but I still like it.

Can you tell us an anecdote about a coin you own ?

 

My most sentimental coin is without question this sixpence of Elizabeth I. Some people on the board are probably already familiar with this story but I’ll tell it again anyway.

There is a Victorian era rhyme that details what a bride should wear at her wedding for good luck. It goes;

                 Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in her shoe.

Before our wedding my wife was trying to decide what she would use for the various items from the rhyme.  I picked up on the bit about the sixpence and rather selflessly offered to help out with that.  I bought this 1575 Elizabeth I sixpence and my wife wore it in her shoe on the day of our wedding. Good memories. 😊

 

What do you collect exactly? What is the size of your collection ?

I am a generalist but most of my purchases have been either Greek (Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic) or Roman (Republican and Imperial). In the past I have tended to collect whatever struck me as interesting in the moment. Over the last few years, I have noticed that most of my coin budget has been going to the following sub-collections.

 

• Roman denarii from the Second Punic War (211 BC) to the death of Severus Alexander.
• 12 Olympian Portraits
• Coins related to the Peloponnesian War (5th Cent. BC Greek)

Since I decided last year to keep most of my coins at my bank, I am planning to start spending more time collecting lower cost LRB coins that I can keep on hand (perhaps in my cabinet if I ever finish it). This should be a lot of fun since I think there are some really fascinating reverse types of the later empire, and I really haven’t paid this era the attention it deserves.

I haven’t done an exact count, but I think my collection is around 300 ancient coins and probably 600 US and World coins.

                  

What did you write about ?

I tend to write about anything that interests me. I spend at least some time researching every coin I buy and I will usually save disorganized notes on each one as I do. Occasionally, when I have the time, I pull my notes together into a semi-coherent format and post it online.

 

What part of history are you interested in ?

I have a pretty intense fascination with everything up through the 19th century. I change my mind about whether I find Greek or Roman history more interesting every time I start researching a new coin from one or the other.  Greek history is somewhat less familiar to me once you start getting into the details so I would say that I find Greek history slightly more interesting to learn about on average. Or maybe Roman… maybe Greek.

I have a real affinity for eras in history that we have some evidence for but are still less well understood.  Some examples would be the Homeric world of Dark Age Greece, archaic Rome, the early Middle Ages, Sumeria, early Judaea, etc.

In a similar way, I also really enjoy researching and theorizing about the exact meaning of ancient coin designs and who this message was meant to reach. I am of the strong opinion that almost every coin issued in the ancient Roman world (and perhaps also Greek) had a specific intended meaning and an audience, even when stock iconography was used.

 

Do you have a numismatic goal for the next year ?

I have been doing some detailed research into the iconography of the early coins of Thasos. I hope to be able to compile my research notes into an article that I can submit for publication.

 

What numismatic books do you own / consult most often ?

I love books! Over the last several years, I have probably spent almost as much energy on my library as I have on my coin collection. My current library includes very respectable sections for engineering, math and science, medical (my wife’s books mostly), history and, of course, numismatics.  My physical library has just over 1,000 books and catalogs related to numismatics.  The ones that I consult most often are, RIC for Roman Imperial coins (I have all 10 volumes in 11 books), Crawford’s Roman Republican Coinage for Roman Republican coins (2 volumes), and Hoover’s HGC for Greek coins (I have the first 7 books of the series).

I also keep a digital library saved on a local drive that I can access from my computer or iPad. I mostly follow the naming conventions used in CNG’s “bibliography” section (so useful!). I currently have almost 2,000 files but many of these are catalogs and historical essays on various topics. Much of my research on individual Greek coins is done from my digital library. It is surprising how many primary references are available online. A recent example I came across is R.H.J. Ashton’s “The Late Classical/Early Hellenistic Drachms of Knidos.” I’ve spent hours searching for and downloading as many such references as I can find.

Here is a sample of a few of my shelves that are mostly numismatic related.

 

 

My newest book is on history and architecture, not numismatics, but it has been crucial for my research into one of my newest coin purchases. It is called “Roman Circuses: Arenas for Chariot Racing.”

 

Many thanks Curtis for your participation in the project and also to allow us to know you better. As usual, fellow collectors, feel free to share your comments about this interview.

Fantastic woodworking results, really neat!

1 hour ago, Sulla80 said:

I don't find it easy to pick a favorite, but pushed I would have to choose @Alegandron's Marsic coin....or this one from my collection of Brutus and his tyrannicidal relatives from 54 BC Roman Republic.

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/an-ancient-coin-for-independence-day

This was an amazing purchase off Ebay in 2018, still regret to this day that I was underbidder at ~$875

5 hours ago, panzerman said:

AV Aureus ND (286AD)

Cyzicus Mint

Diocletian

 

Cyprus (Ptolomaic Satrap)

AV Stater ND

Salamis Mint

Nikokreon 316-10BC

 

Danzig

AV Doppel Dukat ND (1680)

Danzig Mint

John Sobieski (King of Poland) 1674-96

 

 

Austro-Hungarian Empire

AV 4 Dukaten 1848-A

Wien Mint

Kaiser Ferdinand V 1836-48

 

Elagalabus 218-222

AV Aureus ND (219)

Roma Mint

 

England/ Tudor Rulers

AV Half Sovereign ND (Third Coinage) 1549-50

Tower Mint

M.M. "Swan"

Edward VI 1545-53

 

Tudor coin is incredible 

6 minutes ago, happy_collector said:

I love coins with good portraits, and those with interesting mythic themes. Here are the 4 favorites in my collection:

1. Faustina Junior Aureus. I really like the young Faustina Junior portrait. 
2. Syracuse Tetradrachm. Agathocles. A wonderful portrait of Kore on the obverse.
3. Hadrianopolis, Thrace. Geta AE. Herakles fighting Lernaean Hydra is a very cool mythic theme to me. 
4. Gortyna, Crete Stater. Another great mythic theme on Europa. 

Agathokles is fantastic!

22 minutes ago, Tetradogma said:

A recent auction win Im very fond of, sorry the attribution is in German, but think you'll get the gist!

I've only recently started trying to pick up Hellentistic coins, thought they were always out of my price range and after a bit of watching and patience have found a few my budget can stretch to.

ASIA, SYRIA, SELEUCIS & PIERIA., SELEUKEIA,  Tetradrachm 100/99 BC
Kopf der Stadttyche r. mit Mauerkrone und Schleier.
Rs: Blitz auf Kissen, das auf einem geschmückten Stuhl liegt. Jahresangabe 10. Alles in Kranz. Cohen, DCA 697, 10. 14.87g, Schöne Tönung. Rs. min. Doppelschlag. fast vzAus alter bayerischer Sammlung. :

Really nice, from Gorny?

Overall, the auction was great for the buyers except for a few Greek Tetradrachms + Bactrians (pretty high prices) & Mr McCabe’s RR denarii 

I even was able to score…

1 hour ago, Salomons Cat said:

Beautiful presentation, @LONGINUS! 

And happy 1993th birthday, Nerva.

 

Nerva
Denarius (3,50g, 18/19mm), Roma, 96 BC.
Obv. IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR P COS II P P, laureate head to right.
Rev. CONCORDIA EXERCITVVM, clasped hands.
RIC 2, RSC 16. Ex GM 108 (2001), 1765. Ex A. Lang collection (not in auction). 

I think I already commented on this coin, but this one is my favorite of yours coins that you previously showed, well done! The portrait is just very artistic…

16 minutes ago, Deinomenid said:

I don't mind at all. I hoped  I explained  it in the first post,  but briefly, if I know this person is  bidding and  I know  he tends to win  40% (say)  of an auction  then I can  go play somewhere else. I don't begrudge anyone  their right to spend their money (not necessarily the one with most  cash but the one choosing to spend  in a given way).

I see a point, good call out - thank you!

8 minutes ago, Deinomenid said:

Sorry, that was shorthand for bidder on Greek coins. He's apparently American-based.

 

And why there is a need to aggregate this info, if you don’t mind me asking?

The bidder with more cash wins, so what’s the point to try and identify who this is?

11 hours ago, Al Kowsky said:

I was thrilled to score an example of that Brutus denarius you're referring to to go with my Koson stater ☺️.

Lmk if you want to sell

@Al Kowskyfantastic story, thank you for sharing this fascinating journey! And for the record, I am a lucky owner of two of your Fine Style Portrait Tetradrachms:))

6 hours ago, NewStyleKing said:

The Athenian NewStyle was in Good order and a popular one with anchor and star. The price seemed normal nowadays  ..expect to see it imprisoned soon!

Agree, the 1 of 2 coins in that auction with fair price, though there is scuff or dent on a cheek of Athena

Everything went for ridiculously high prices except  for Poliorketes and Athena New Style Tetradrachms

8 hours ago, JayAg47 said:

I follow some ancient coin pages on FB and come across various dealers showing off their recent acquisitions and after a few days I see them listed on ebay or Vcoins. But to me almost every coin that they post is a 'keeper' that I'd never think of selling if I have them. Maybe it's just a part of the business?!

Can you show some examples so we can align on “keeper” definition- if you are referring to Ancient Group, virtually none, posted for sale are keepers from my perspective 

4 hours ago, panzerman said:

Today it rained all day/ so bored I ended up baking 120 cinnamon buns and German plum kuchen.

I scanned MA-shops in between baking and saw a coin that was really nice/ and not that $$$$. So I hit the "buy" button.

England/ House of Tudor

AV Half Sovereign ND (1549) Second Period 1549-50

Tower Mint

Swan Mint Mark (I think)

Edward VI 1547-53

Crowned/ Armored Bust facing Right

EDWARD.VI.D.G.AGL.FRA.Z.HIB. (Swan)

Crowned Oval Ornate Shield/ Arms of England/ Ireland) E-R flanking

*SCVTVM*FIDEI*PROTEGET*EVM*

Tower Mint

5.07g.     30mm.       .833     9h

Seaby 2438 Fr. 181  Schneider 672 North 1911

 

I compared coin to exs from famed Theo Law/ Sincona "British Coll."/ think I got a super duper deal.

I don’t collect these, but this is absolutely gorgeous coin! Well done

On 10/20/2023 at 5:25 PM, JayAg47 said:

The seller is asking for 1100 usd or 1750 aud, they're also domestic. If I'm gonna pay this much I'd rather buy it within my country than have it shipped halfway around the world and wait for weeks! But i'm not sure If I really want this coin. Most issues I've seen have really high relief, but with this one it looks like it was minted from worn dies. 

 

For $1,750 USD you will get xf or better Lysimachos, example you shared is at most $400 coin, if that…

On 10/20/2023 at 7:02 AM, JayAg47 said:

It weighs 17.12g.

$380

5 hours ago, Salomons Cat said:

Why do you think so?
Because of the auction description? Here it is:

The obverse of my coin was definitely not smoothed but possibly cleaned with a tool that left some tiny scratches that are visible at 10X. In contrast, I only detect very few of these on the reverse. On the reverse, there are some tiny encrustations near to the trophy and near to the letters IVDAEA, only visible at 10X. But the majority of the small field areas (that would be difficult or impossible to smooth) looks like exactly the rest of the surface. Also when I compare the surface of the coin to the surface of my other coins I cannot detect any relevant differences. So, I do believe that some encrustations have been removed. On the obverse, this was probably done with a brush. On the reverse, the cleaner was a bit more sophisticated. But altogether, I do not think that these are relevant alterations. I could still return the coin if I wanted to - but I don't think that there is any reason for that. 

Here's a double dye match, the coin at the right is currently for sale on ma-shops and got NGC Ch AU 4/5 3/5:

Smoothing was mentioned by Frank, but to me reverse looks more tooled than smoothed: I would encourage asking others for opinion 

7 hours ago, Salomons Cat said:

Vespasian, 69 - 79 AD. Denarius, Rome mint.
Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right
Rev: IVDAEA in exergue, Trophy; to right, Judaea seated right in attitude of mourning, head resting in hand.
RIC 2. Ex Frank S. Robinson auction 122.

This is the coin that made me think about budgeting and financial limits before I bought it.
I'm very happy with it now. It's clearly struck, with a high relief on both sides and well centered.
But most importantly: During the buying process I learned how to create a monthly budget and how much I could spend on "wants" without difficulty and without feeling guilty 🙂

When I have time I will write a bit more about this coin.

Here is the reverse, next to some of my other coins:

(The coin capsules always reflect the light - this was the best picture that I was able to take :))

@Solomon Cat 🐈‍⬛ Lovely set, especially like Nero denarius and Nerva. As far as Judae capta, I would double check with some other members of the forum to ensure the coin hasn’t been “tampered” with

15 hours ago, panzerman said:

Thought this would be a great idea. Select a movie/ post coins relatedto the historical events portrayed in your movie pick.

I will start with a film about one of the greatest military leaders in history. He took on three empires (Russian under Czarina Elizabeth I/ French under Madame de Pompadour (Louis XV mistress and wearing the shoes)/ Austrian-Hungarian under Maria Theresia) Freidrich II der Grosse took on three women and won!

Seven Year's War/ really WWI since it was fought on all continents/ seas. Combattants: Great Britain/ Prussia vs. Austrian Empire/ French Empire/ Russian Empire. War ended in 1763. There were battles fought near my place/ Montreal. Please add your movies/ coins. I am now off to work....

Love the topic!!

Great AMA session @Ryro!

On 10/10/2023 at 8:02 PM, kapphnwn said:

Tyre Ar Tetradrachm 114-113 BC Obv Head of Melqart right laureate. Rv Eagle standing left wings folded HGC 357 Cohen DCA Tyre 2,13 This coin illustrated 14.29 grms 28mm Photo by W. Hansen

It is generally considered that the obverse of this coin is an extremely modified portrait of Antiochos VII. The eagle on the reverse signifies that this coin is struck on the old ptolemaic standard, a standard which survived the collapse of Ptolemaic power in this region. 

Fine style 100% I have the same style 

56 minutes ago, Brennos said:

thanks to @Deinomenid , i'm glad to see back this coin that has generated so many epic discussions on forums !

The seller was french and never replied to messages including of course requests for an in hand examination...

Here is one from the same dies (de Luynes collection)

 

Did the coin sell on Ebay? What was the final bid?