Dafydd

256-260 AD. Uncertain Syrian mint. Obv: IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG legend with radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: PIETAS AVGG legend with Valerian and Gallienus standing, facing each other, sacrificing over altar, one holding eagle-tipped sceptre, the other a parazonium. RIC 285; Sear 9955 (obverse variant").3.64 grams. ("). From the private collection of a retired Suffolk gentleman; with old faded handwritten collection ticket. Valerian was born to a distinguished Roman family and had experience as a general and an administrator. Once emperor, he arguably faced a more critical situation than any previous regime. He attempted to negotiate peace with Shapur and the Sasanids at a conference in 260 AD, but he was attacked and taken into captivity in Persia, the first Roman emperor ever to fall into the hands of a foreign power. At this point, Rome was on the brink of collapse. Next Republican Sacrifice.

Here are a few of my Augustus denarii. I can see the likeness @thenickelguy ! Augustus Ar. denarius, AVGVSTVS DIVI F, bare hd. r., rev., the Actian Apollo stg. l., holding plectrum and lyre, IMP X across fields, ACT in ex., Lugdunum mint (Sear, 1611; RIC 171a; Seaby 144). ACTIUM VICTORY RSC 1442 Augustus AR Denarius. Rome, 19-18 BC. M. Durmius, moneyer. M#DVRMIVS III#VIR#HONORI, head of Honos right / CAESAR AVGVSTVS#SIGN RECE#, bare-headed Parthian kneeling on right knee right, extending in right hand a signum, to which is attached a vexillum marked X, and holding out left hand below left knee. RIC 315 corr. (no stars); RSC 428; BMC 56Augustus AR Denarius. Rome, 19-18 BC. M. Durmius, moneyer. M#DVRMIVS III#VIR#HONORI, head of Honos right / CAESAR AVGVSTVS#SIGN RECE#, bare-headed Parthian kneeling on right knee right, extending in right hand a signum, to which is attached a vexillum marked X, and holding out left hand below left knee. RIC 315 corr. (no stars); RSC 428; BMC 56Augustus AR Denarius. Rome, 19-18 BC. M. Durmius, moneyer. M#DVRMIVS III#VIR#HONORI, head of Honos right / CAESAR AVGVSTVS#SIGN RECE#, bare-headed Parthian kneeling on right knee right, extending in right hand a signum, to which is attached a vexillum marked X, and holding out left hand below left knee. RIC 315 corr. (no stars); RSC 428; BMC 56Augustus AR Denarius. Rome, 19-18 BC. M. Durmius, moneyer. M#DVRMIVS III#VIR#HONORI, head of Honos right / CAESAR AVGVSTVS#SIGN RECE#, bare-headed Parthian kneeling on right knee right, extending in right hand a signum, to which is attached a vexillum marked X, and holding out left hand below left knee. RIC 315 corr. (no stars); RSC 428; BMC 56 Augustus AR Denarius. Rome, 19-18 BC. M. Durmius, moneyer. M#DVRMIVS III#VIR#HONORI, head of Honos right / CAESAR AVGVSTVS#SIGN RECE#, bare-headed Parthian kneeling on right knee right, extending in right hand a signum, to which is attached a vexillum marked X, and holding out left hand below left knee. RIC 315 corr. (no stars); RSC 428; BMC 56 Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. AR Denarius (4.00 g, 10h). Rome mint. L. Aquillius Florus, moneyer. Struck 19/8 BC. CAESAR AVGVSTVS, bare head right / RIC I 309; RSC 364; BMCRE 46-8 = BMCRR Rome 4553-5; L # AQVILLIVS # FLORVS # III # VIR #, open flower, displaying six petals, stamen, and pistil. Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. AR Denarius (4.00 g, 10h). Rome mint. L. Aquillius Florus, moneyer. Struck 19/8 BC. CAESAR AVGVSTVS, bare head right / RIC I 309; RSC 364; BMCRE 46-8 = BMCRR Rome 4553-5; L # AQVILLIVS # FLORVS # III # VIR #, open flower, displaying six petals, stamen, and pistil. Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. AR Denarius (4.00 g, 10h). Rome mint. L. Aquillius Florus, moneyer. Struck 19/8 BC. CAESAR AVGVSTVS, bare head right / RIC I 309; RSC 364; BMCRE 46-8 = BMCRR Rome 4553-5; L # AQVILLIVS # FLORVS # III # VIR #, open flower, displaying six petals, stamen, and pistil. I have to say that the last one is my favourite.

This is my group of legate denarius I photographed last year. They are supplemented by a Marc Antony Cistophorus and Denarius. I dropped into a Barnes and Noble on the weekend and found this new publication on the shelf. I'm reading it at the moment. This will be of interest to @Bing and others.

That's a great coin @Severus Alexander congratulations.

And a couple of Asses. Asses circa 41-54, Æ 30mm., 16.71g. Bare head l. Rev. Minerva, wearing aegis, advancing r., brandishing spear with r. hand and holding round shield in l. hand. RIC 100.

That is an extremely good point @robinjojo because mentally I had committed myself to purchase it and it was within my price range. I asked the dealer if he had any latitude on the coin and he said yes as he thought it had "issues" and dropped the price by a huge $175.00. Had he not said anything I would have been perfectly satisfied and I do not have the expertise to have known that the coin had been chemically altered. Of course when I looked it up I could see that the original auction listing showed a "brightish" coin with a dark stain. I had seen the coin before but did not bid on it because of the stain but had I bid and won, I would have left the stain alone. The fact is that the price drop is what raised my concerns and instead of being grateful for the great deal it raised some concerns. The only work I have done on coins is to soak them in distilled water to try and stop bronze disease and that's not going so well. I have read and reread the threads on coin restoration and reached the conclusion that its a bit like the cliche that if you have 12 Priests or 13 Rabbis in a room , you will have at least 13 opinions! I have decided to leave the coin alone and be grateful for what I found. I think my dissatisfaction was temporary and unfounded and the coin has "grown on me" over the last couple of days. When I return to Wales I will take some better photographs or at least attempt to, photography is something I am practising. The forum comments on the OP have been very sensible and measured, more so than my original question.

Welcome @John060167 That is a beautiful coin. Here is my Claudius denarius. Claudius Denarius. 50-51 AD. TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG P M TR P VI IMP XI, laureate head right / CONCORDIAE AVGVSTI, Constantia seated left of curule chair, hand raised to face. RSC 8.

Hi @Severus Alexander Thanks for the comments. I actually use Abafil cases myself and they are a quality product. They also ship speedily from Italy and I recently had a case turn up only 5 days from ordering. They also last. I have one that I bought in 1978 when I started collecting shillings. Congrats on your new Didius. Here is my Niger PESCENNIUS NIGER. 193-194 AD. AR Denarius (2.82 gm). Caesarea in Cappadocia mint. SALUS STG R, FEEDING SNAKE HELD IN HER ARMS. ALTAR AT FEET. 17mm 2.5 gm Ex NBS Auctions no 7. I was very pleased to find this one.

Here is my Sabinus of the second type for comparison. 18mm 4.01 gm. CRAWFORD 344/2C Ex Savoca Auction 39 2019. Your coin @ambr0zie was a significant coin that I wanted for several years and I have only recently acquired an example. Here it is. Opisthodomos, Auction 1 May 2022.

Originally it looked a different colour @Spaniard but without seeing the original coin in hand, the comments about the auction house images by @Ryro are really sensible , usually coins turn up looking better than the images in my opinion and experience and it does not take much to enhance a digital image. My issues were that somebody had dipped the coin in some chemical and maybe it could be "undipped". There has been some kind of chemical reaction that is artificial and truth is that seems a shame to me but again I bought it with the knowledge that somebody had done something. On a slightly different theme off the OP, at the show I saw so many "rainbow" Morgan Dollars it confirmed my view and what I have read elsewhere that someone has a production line making them. A topic for another forum though and not this one.

@John Conduitt interpreted exactly what I was saying, @Ryro also makes a good point. Haven given this further thought , I will leave it well alone as I can only probably do more damage. I bought a rare coin I did not expect to find so should be satisfied. I am. Personally if I had bid on the coin I would have been bidding on the stain and would have left it. I saw the coin in the original auction and passed on it because of the stain but someone decided to try and remove it. The buying of the coin was a good experience though. Thanks for all the replies.

Thanks Dafydd

Apologies to William Shakespeare on the title but please lend me your ears. I bought a Didius Julianus Denarius at the FUN show yesterday and the whole event surrounding the purchase is described in my OP regarding the FUN show. I was pleased to unexpectedly complete my "year of the five emperors" set although I was aware the coin had issues. The coin was described as artificially toned by the dealer and I found the coin within a couple of minutes on Coin Archives as being sold by Roma Auctions in their late May sale. I have taken some images with my cell phone and will try and do a better job when I return home as my images do not do the colour justice. The coin is now a slate grey colour with a barely discernible blue tint. The grade is described by Roma as Good Fine although in my opinion it is only about fine but nevertheless I was happy with it and paid no more than the original auction price, possibly a bit less. My question is , could whatever has been done to it be reversed? I would be happier reverting back to the original state and it there was a foolproof way to do this I would give it a try. Instinct tells me to do nothing and accept what I have but I thought I would ask the question because there are cleverer folk here than me and someone might be able to suggest how this was toned and how that artificial tone could be reversed. Here is the original Roma Auction image followed by my own images.

I had a great day at the FUN show. I had some interesting conversations and saw more than I had expected in respect of Ancients. As for Morgan Dollars.... I have never seen so many in my life and they must have numbered into seven figures! Did they really melt that many.... I stopped by Tiber Numismatics who had a great display and actually priced items. It is a pet hate of mine that people don't price things so if they can't be bothered it takes a lot for me to bother myself. Whilst at this booth I had a brief chat with Barry Murphy which was pleasant and unexpected. It is always nice to put a face to a name. I met David Rifkin of Tiber and on his table was a pile of low grade cleaned miscellaneous ancients and I saw him give some away to children telling them that if they were under 14 they could pick one for free. He did better than that as he explained the coin to the child and wrote a description of what it was on a packet for them. I saw him do this three times. What a great gesture and a sure fire way to possibly make a spark of interest that could lead to a fire in a young collector. He is to be congratulated. I managed to pick up the final coin in my "Year of the five Emperors" namely a Didius Julianus denarius. See below. I made a great deal on the ticket price because David said he recently bought it and now thought that it had been artificially toned. It was way below my budget for a Didius, and whilst not a great coin it filled a hole. My concern was not fake patina but that was alleviated by the fact that he clearly knows what he is doing and offers a lifetime guarantee. When I got the coin back to my lodgings I found it within 5 minutes on Coin Archives and clearly it had been tampered with. So this coin was sold in an auction in London around six weeks ago and made it to a convention 5000 miles away in six weeks or less. I worked out that the price I made was the same price as it was sold. I am going to run an OP on this as I am looking for some advice on what to do? My thought was probably to do nothing. This is the coin that was sold at Roma Auction 97 in the last week of May. Lot 1208. It looks to me if someone has tried to disguise the stain. It is now a total slate gray with an almost indiscernible blue hue.

Hi All, I am attending the FUN Show in Orlando over the next couple of days and would welcome advice about good dealers that sell and trade Ancients. I also have a bit of a side thing going on that as an obsessive interest I collect Morgan Dollars, I don't know why really accept they are like collecting stamps or modern issues and I wondered if any dealer dealt in both? Pleased to meet any members as well. This show is easily 100 times larger than anything in the UK and I am here more by coincidence than design or would have posted earlier. Thanks Dafydd

Here are a couple of mine. Vespasian, 69-79 Denarius circa 75, AR 19.5mm., 3.58g. IMP CAESAR # VESPASIANVS AVG Laureate head r. Rev. PON MAX # TR P COS VI Pax seated l., holding branch. C 366. BMC 161. RIC 772. CBN 139. Vespasian (69-79). Seleucis and Pieria, Antioch. Æ As Rome mint, for use in Syria. Laureate head l. R/ S C within laurel wreath. McAlee 370; RPC II 1984.

To add another Carausius to the post. Carausius, 287-293 Antoninianus Londinium circa 290-292, billon 22mm., 3.08g. Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. Pax, draped standing l., holding olive-branch in r. hand and vertical sceptre in l. hand. C 215. RIC 99.

Augustus with Agrippa, As, Nemausus, 10-14, busts of Augustus and Agrippa facing left and right, rev. crocodile chained to palm tree, 12.77g (RIC 159; RPC I, 525). Ex DNW March 2020.

A little tenuous but.... Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. L. Plautius Plancus. 47 BC. AR Denarius.. Rome mint. Facing mask of Medusa with disheveled hair; coiled serpents flanking / Aurora flying right, conducting four horses of the sun and holding palm frond. Crawford 453/1a; CRI 29; Sydenham 959; Plautia 15; RBW 1583. Condition: Very Fine Weight: 3.60 gr Diameter: 17 mm I celebrate Litha and saw the Sun rise. the moon fall and heard a cockerel in the distance and lit a bonfire at night, It was very cold and I had to leave for work at 06.30 am.

I thought this "run of the mill" when I bought it but very pleasing in my mind. Titus Caesar, 69-79 Dupondius circa 77-78, AR 29.5mm., 12.32g. Radiate head r. Rev. Felicitas standing l., holding caduceus and cornucopiae. Bastien, Lyon 106. RIC Vespasian 1253. From the E.E. Clain-Stefanelli Collection

And here is mine. I thought this was a really iconic coin when it was first brought to my attention several years ago and was a "must have". T. Carisius. Silver Denarius (3.89 g), 46 BC. Rome. MONETA behind, draped bust of Juno Moneta right. Reverse: T CARISIVS, coining tools: tongs, anvil with garlanded die above, and hammer; all within wreath tied at the top. Crawford 464/2; HCRI 70; Sydenham 982a; Ex The William Oldknow Collection. Purchased Ira and Larry Goldberg January 2021. And another Carisius T. Carisius, Denarius, Rome, 46 BC. AR (g 4,13; mm 20; h 2). Head of Roma r., wearing ornate crested helmet; ROMA behind, Rv. Sceptre, cornucopia on globe, and rudder; all within laurel wreath; T#CARIS below. Crawford 464/3a; Carisia 4; Sydenham 984a.

Hi @DonnaML Unfortunately not but it was posted today so I should have it tomorrow unless the send it to the USA 🙂 I will post images. Many thanks for the suggested contact.

I own a couple of low grade artefacts such as sling shots, arrow heads and pottery shards ( given to me by a Field Liasison Officer so no 15 year sentence for me!) but inspired by @DonnaML I successfully bid on the following yesterday. Possibly I won because the item is a fake so I would appreciate opinions. The auction was N&N London and no weight or size was given so I expect it turn up the size of my thumbnail but I enjoy the anticipation. At the cost I was happy to take the risk and if it doesn't work out I won't lose sleep and have educated myself. Described as : Antiquities - RomanRoman Eagle Statuette. 2nd-3rd century AD. Bronze.SOLD AS SEEN NO RETURN.

This is one of the most extraordinary and beautiful displays I have seen and thank you for sharing @LONGINUS

That is one of the funniest things I have read in a long time. I can only think of one analogy and that would involve synthetic materials and be too risque too post on such an erudite site as this. 🙂 Thank you @Kamnaskires