ambr0zie

18 mm, 2,52 g.
Hadrian AD 117-138. Æ quadrans or semis. Rome. 121-122.
IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, eagle standing facing, head right / P M TR P COS III // S C (in field), winged thunderbolt.
RIC II Hadrian 624.

Next - semis

My favorite portrait of Alexander is this deified portrait, on a Lysimachos drachm. 

18 mm, 4,2 g.
Kings of Thrace. Lysimachos 305-281 BC. AR drachm. Ephesos.
Diademed head of the deified Alexander right, wearing horn of Ammon / BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΛYΣIMAXOY, Athena seated left on the throne, holding Nike, crowning the king's name, in her right hand and leaning with her left arm on shield decorated with lion's head, transverse spear with point below, lyre to the inner left field, A under the throne.
Thompson 174; Müller 355.

Plautilla.

19 mm, 3,24 g.
Plautilla. Augusta 202-205. AR denarius. Rome.
PLAVTILLA AVGVSTA - draped bust right / VENVS VICTRIX, Venus standing left, holding apple and palm frond and resting elbow upon shield decorated with hourglass(?); to left, Cupid standing left, holding helmet. RIC 369 (Caracalla).

We had a total sun eclipse in 1999 here. For this event, national bank of Romania issued the first polymer banknote in the world. 

Here are my 2 coins from 71 AD

23 mm, 11,02 g.
Vespasian 69-79. Æ as. Rome. 71 AD.
IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS III, head of Vespasian, laureate, right / AEQVITAS AVGVSTI S C, Aequitas, draped. standing left, holding scales in right hand and long vertical rod in left.
RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 287.

17,2 mm, 3,38 g.
Vespasian 69-79. AR denarius. Rome. July-December 71.
IMP CAES VESP AVG P M, head of Vespasian, laureate, right / AVGVR TRI POT, Simpulum, sprinkler, jug and lituus.
RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 4; old RIC II Vespasian 30; RSC 43; BMC 50.

Your life partner was right - that is not a genuine coin - it is a tourist fake. 

The coin wants to be an Antoninus Pius coin (not Hadrian). 

You can see the full description here. 

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?album=search&cat=0&pid=11255#top_display_media

If you do not have an account there, here is the description 

Modern fake of AE sestertius of Antoninus Pius.
obv: IMP CAES T AEL ANTONINVS AVG PIVS laur head, l.
rev: PONT MAX Antoninus Pius on horseback, right, right hand upraised
cf: RIC 879 & 890, but inverted: i.e. obv w/ bust right (and PP at end of obv. legend); rev: on horseback, l.
Cast. Older (i.e. 19th cen.) tourist fakes of the same type (with identical orientation) exist as struck pieces. This appears to be a later (20th cen.) fake cast after these.

The actual genuine coin is a Pius medallion (with a different obv legend) - from Cohen catalogue 

Your coin has 0 chances to be genuine.

Caracalla, provincial 

25 mm, 12,22 g.
Syria, Seleucis and Pieria, Emesa. Caracalla 198-217. AR tetradrachm. 215-217.
AΥ•T K M ANTΩNEINOC CE•B•, laureate bust right / ΔΗΜΑΡX ΕΞ VΠΑΤOC TO Δ, eagle standing facing, head left, with wreath in beak; H under beak; radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Shamash left between legs.
Prieur 983.

Wrong style, mushy surfaces. This only comes with experience. 

Also all three are expensive when genuine (especially Didius Julianus and Balbinus). No chance these are real. 

Educational post - I did not know of this denomination. 

I knew that the denomination is written on Black Sea coins, most common one being the pentassarion. 

28 mm, 11,42 g.
Moesia Inferior, Marcianopolis. Septimius Severus, with Julia Domna 193-211 AD. Pentassarion Æ. 210-211. Flavius Ulpianus, legatus consularis. AV K Λ CEΠ CEYHΡOC IOYΛIA ΔOMNA CEB, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Septimius Severus and draped bust of Julia Domna facing one another / ΥΦΛ ΟΥΛΠΙΑΝΟΥ ΜΑΡΚΙΑΝΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ, Tyche standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia; Є (mark of value) to left.
H&J, Marcianopolis 6.15.35.4; AMNG I 601; Varbanov 868; Moushmov 411.

Here is one of the first coins in the history where the denomination is specified on the coin - a tetartemorion from Kolophon

6 mm, 0,23 g.
Ionia, Kolophon. AR tetartemorion. Circa 450-410 BC.
Laureate head of Apollo right / TE monogram (mark of value) in incuse square; stork in left field.
Milne, Colophon, 36; SNG Kayhan 360.

Back to provincials - one of the reasons I bought this coin for is the unusual denomination - tridrachm. This is not mentioned anywhere, but the size and weight are clear clues - too light for a tetradrachm (common denomination) and too heavy for a didrachm (more common than tridrachms)

24 mm, 10,98 g.
Syria, Seleucia Pieria, Antioch. Trajan 98-117. AR tridrachm. 100 AD.
AVTOKP KAIC NEP TPAIANOC CEB ΓEPM, laureate head right / ΔΗMAPX EΞ YΠAT Γ, Roma seated left on pile of arms, holding Nike on her extended right hand, parazonium in left leaning on round shield.
RPC III 3578; S 179 (Caesarea); McAlee 478, Ganschow X11a.

The most unexpected denomination from my collection is a Byzantine 2/3 miliaresion. 

17 mm, 0,87 g.
Byzantine Empire. Romanus IV Diogenes 1068-1071. AR 2/3 miliaresion. Constantinople.
MHP-ΘV (barred), nimbate facing bust of the Virgin Mary, wearing pallium and maphorium, holding with both hands medallion of nimbate bust of infant Christ; dotted single border / + ΘKЄ / BΘ, PΩMA/NΩ ΔЄCΠO/TH TΩ ΔΙΟ/ΓЄΝЄΙ, legend in five lines; three pellets below, linear single border. Sear 1865.

17 mm, 2,14 g.
Domitian 81-96. Æ quadrans. Rome. 84-85.
Rhinoceros walking left / IMP DOMIT AVG GERM around large S C.
BMC 498; Cohen 674; RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 251; Old RIC II 435; Sear RCV I (2000), 2835.

Next - quadrans

A great coin. The toning is excellent, the only (minor) minus is the weak strike/worn die as the olive branch is not fully struck and the PAX exergue is off the flan. But again, MINOR.

The attribution is correct. I don't think any other info can be provided. 

My Verus coins: 

1. from the first lot I purchased

18,5 mm, 2,5 g.
Lucius Verus 161-169 AD. AR denarius. Rome. 161-162.
IMP L AVREL VERVS AVG, Head, bare, right / PROV DEOR TR P II COS II, Providentia standing left, holding globe and cornucopiae.
RIC III Marcus Aurelius 482; Cohen 155; BMC 202.

2. a posthumous denarius 

18 mm, 2,70 g.
Divus Lucius Verus. Died 169 AD. AR denarius. Rome.
DIVVS VERVS, head of Lucius Verus, bare, right / CONSECRATIO, funeral pyre in four tiers (ustrina), adorned with statues and garlands, quadriga on top.
RIC III Marcus Aurelius 596B; RSC 55; BMC 503.

3. a sestertius

32 mm, 20,98 g.
Lucius Verus 161-169 AD. Æ sestertius. Rome. 163-164. L AVREL VERVS AVG ARMENIACVS, head of Lucius Verus, laureate, right / TR P IIII IMP II COS II S C, Victory, winged, half-draped, standing right, fixing to a palm-tree with left hand shield inscribed VIC AVG
RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1397; BMC 1116.

Link - lion hunting prey 

23 mm, 10,8 g.
Cilicia, Tarsos. Mazaios 361-334 BC. AR stater.
Baaltars seated left on throne, head facing, holding lotus-tipped sceptre, grain ear, grape bunch and eagle; 'BLTRZ' Aramaic legend to right / Lion left attacking bull left; Aramaic legend above 'MZDI' = Mazaios, Aramaic letters below.
Casabonne Series 2A; SNG France 338-347 (controls); SNG Levante 101 var.

Here is the first coin I ever bought individually from an auction 

20 mm, 2,43 g.
Titus, as Caesar under Vespasian. AR denarius. Rome. 77-78.
T CAESAR VESPASIANVS, head of Titus, laureate, right / IMP XIII, sow left, with three piglets.
RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 986.

Next - pig, sow, or a closely related animal

I have this Geta denarius from Laodicea with an interesting rainbow toning. 

19 mm, 3,28 g.
Geta as Caesar 198-209 AD. AR denarius. Laodicea ad Mare. 198-200 AD.
L SEPTIMIVS GETA CAES, bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust right / SPEI PERPETVAE, Spes advancing left, holding flower and raising hem of skirt.
RIC IV 96; BMC 688; RSC 192a.

Link - a coin showing animals on both sides. 

8 mm, 0,52 g.
Caria, Mylasa. AR hemiobol. Circa 450-400 BC.
Facing forepart of lion / Scorpion within incuse square.
SNG Aulock 7803; Klein KM 429 (Milet); SNG.Kayhan.935; Rosen 403.

A similar type of coin - but issued a little later. 

18 mm, 2,4 g.
Fausta. Augusta 324-326. Ӕ follis. Nicomedia. 325-326.
FLAV MAX FAVSTA AVG, bust of Fausta, waved hair, mantled, right / SALVS REI – PVBLICAE, Fausta, veiled, draped, standing front, head left, holding two children in her arms (Constantine II and Constantius II). Mintmark MNA.
RIC VII Nicomedia 130.

Next - same theme. 

Pegasos with curled wings 

20 mm, 7,85 g.
Corinthia, Corinth. AR stater. Circa 478-458 BC.
Pegasos, bridled, with curled wing, flying right, koppa below / Head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet and necklace.
Ravel 217; BMC 72; Calciati, Pegasi 70/1.

Here is my favorite coin with an altar 

30 mm, 13,72 g.
Pontus, Amasia. Geta, as Caesar 198-209. Ӕ. 208-209. Π CЄΠTI ΓЄTAC KЄCAP, draped and cuirassed bust of Geta, right / AΔP CЄY ANT AMACIAC MH NЄ ΠP ΠO / ЄT CH, altar of Zeus Strateus, on the altar a dead bull with its legs up; on the bull, an eagle, standing facing, head left, with wings spread, holding a crown in its beak; tree to left. RG 96.

Next - Geta, provincial coin. 

A good, honest coin and most collectors (including me) will envy you for it. 

The centering is decent (especially on the obverse but the reverse is good as well, the design is intact), name is (very) readable, so can't ask for much more. 

My attempts to get Galba imperial coins failed, for now, as the examples I tried to get were inferior but also too expensive for my tastes. I settled with an Alexandrian tetradrachm. 

Aurelian, Fortuna Redux reverse, Siscia mint

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=7215276

Arcadius, Victory crowning emperor reverse, Nicomedia mint

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=12225005

28 mm, 11,42 g.
Moesia Inferior, Marcianopolis. Septimius Severus, with Julia Domna 193-211 AD. Pentassarion Æ. 210-211. Flavius Ulpianus, legatus consularis. AV K Λ CEΠ CEYHΡOC IOYΛIA ΔOMNA CEB, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Septimius Severus and draped bust of Julia Domna facing one another / ΥΦΛ ΟΥΛΠΙΑΝΟΥ ΜΑΡΚΙΑΝΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ, Tyche standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia; Є (mark of value) to left.
H&J, Marcianopolis 6.15.35.4; AMNG I 601; Varbanov 868; Moushmov 411.

Next - Moesia

My favorite tripod coin is this Pius dupondius.

27 mm, 12,01 g.
Antoninus Pius 137-161. Ӕ dupondius. Rome. 158-159.
ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XXII, head of Antoninus Pius, radiate, right / VOTA SVSCEPTA DEC III COS IIII S C, Antoninus Pius, standing left, sacrificing with patera over tripod, left arm at side.
RIC III Antoninus Pius 1020.

21 mm, 3,33 g.
Postumus. Usurper in Gaul 260-269. AR antoninianus. Cologne.
IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, bust of Postumus, radiate, draped, right, or bust of Postumus, radiate, draped, cuirassed, right / SERAPI COMITI AVG, Serapis, draped, standing left, raising right hand and holding sceptre in left hand.
RIC V Postumus 329; RSC 360a.

Next - Sarapis

Trajan 

18 mm, 3,91 g.
Lydia, Thyateira. Trajan AD 98-117. Ӕ.
ΑΥ ΝΕΡ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟΝ, laureate head of Trajan, r. / ΘΥΑΤΕΙΡΗΝΩΝ, Tyche standing facing, head l., holding rudder in r. hand, cornucopia in l.
RPC III, 1826; BMC 75.

Good coin, especially the reverse.

I have 2 of this type, both from Heraclea and both from Constantine II - first, from my very first lot 

20,1 mm, 2,86 g.
Constantine II, Caesar under Constantine I. Ӕ follis. Heraclea. 329-330.
CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right / PROVIDEN-TIAE CAESS, campgate, eight layers, two turrets, star above, no door. Star in left field.Mintmark SMHA.
RIC VII Heraclea 107.

Second was a coin I found really beautiful, with a flan crack that did the trick because I think, without it, the price would have been too much for what I wanted to pay. 

20 mm, 3,13 g.
Constantine II, Caesar under Constantine I. Ӕ follis. Heraclea. 317 AD.
D N FL CL CONSTANTINVS NOB C, bust of Constantine II, laureate, draped, left, holding sceptre in right hand and mappa in left hand / PROVIDEN-TIAE CAESS, camp gate with three turrets, without doors, with six stone layers. MintMark: -/-//MHT∈
RIC VII Heraclea 20.

Great coin with intriguing reverse. 

Here is something similar (or at least I find the situation similar).

I always wanted a Philippi provincial with statues of Octavian and Julius Caesar reverse. The types are not rare. 

I am a budget collector and generally I have no issues with worn coins, but I try not to lower the standards too much. So I wasn't 100% sure if I want to buy this one or wait a little for a more presentable specimen, but in the end I decided that 20 euros hammer price is a good deal. 

The surprise was when I attributed the coin and found it's an unlisted variety - RPC I 1654 var. (reverse legend COL IVL AVG instead of COL AVG IVL). The variety is not dramatically different but I still think it should have a separate RPC entry. I submitted it to RPC and they added under 1654 though. 

Another example where I did not perform a proper research, simply because time did not allow this as I saw the coin a few minutes before going live in auction. 

A modest Nero or an Otho? It was indeed Otho. 

27,7 mm, 14,97 g.
Syria, Seleucia Pieria, Antioch. Otho. 69 AD. Ӕ.
IMP M OTHO CAE(S) AVG (clockwise), laureate head of Otho, r. / S C, inscription in a laurel wreath of eight leaves. Countermarked - Howgego 245 - Athena facing right with shield and spear.
RPC I 4318; BMC 207; 209–11; McAlee 321c.

There is a very big chance this will remain my only Otho as I don't want to pay the price for an Otho denarius, even in low condition and also the prices for presentable provincials with more interesting reverses are high.