Finn235

Beyond ecstatic to finally have this ebay win in hand!

At first glance, I had assumed this to be one of the first iterations of Track 1, which would eventually evolve into the Gadhaiya coins

But on closer inspection, I noticed that the korymbos (orb or hair bun wrapped in gold foil) was not an orb at all as on all Series 1.1, but was in fact the late Brahmi / early Nagari letter SA, which automatically places it in Track 2, which all have SA above the headgear instead of a korymbos. This is particularly intriguing because the earliest known coins of Track 2 look like this

Note key differences with the new coin (inserted again to save some scrolling)

- The Sa sits directly in the field above the knob atop the crown, not in a circle or atop a Crescent 

- The diadem and crown are much more realistic, and this clearly demonstrates how the prototypical "bent crown" found on (almost) all coins in Track 2 came about 

- The Crescent from Peroz's third crown is present, but unlike all other Track 2 coins, it was not yet conflated with the Pahlavi legend to create a lotus/hook shape

- The reverse legends are not yet totally degraded to three horizontal strokes.

- The obverse ribbons are much closer to their original shape than on any other Track 2 coin.

I tend to jinx myself when assigning superlatives to coins like these, but after checking Maheshwari (and I owe you folks a snap of the relevant page) this particular coin seems to be the most primitive Track 2 coin ever found!

Anyway, thanks for entertaining my rant! I do owe you all a proper overview of Indo Sassanian coinage, but life has been hectic and I haven't had the good 3-4 hours I'd need to properly assemble the pictures and write-ups, plus there's always a coin or two like this one that has me all like 

Fabric doesn't seem right for China - I'd try Korea first

11 hours ago, seth77 said:

These seem all very rare and I can't afford another interest, but that Annius Afrinus would really fit into my Iconium interest.

Not going to lie, his coins aren't cheap! I feel I lucked out in winning that one at Naumann for $150ish, given how badly I got blown out of the water at CNG

https://www.cngcoins.com/Lot.aspx?LOT_ID=34120

I'm not aware of any literature or even an easily browsable, comprehensive list anywhere online.

RPC's advanced search is a great starting point, as you can scroll through the list of all people depicted on provincial coins, but the governors are interspersed with emperors, Caesars, wives, and client kings

https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/search/advanced

Wildwinds has a few pages , but nowhere near a comprehensive list

http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/indexc.html

There's a bunch of them. Just the ones I have:

Statilius Libo, prefect of Spain under Julius Caesar or Augustus

This coin used to be attributed to Gaius Sosius, but that attribution is probably outdated

Vedius Pollio, Governor of Asia (known for attempting to kill a slave over a broken cup)

Asinius Gallus, arch enemy of Tiberius and second husband of Vipsania 

Paullus Fabius Maximus, Africanus' older brother

Quinctilius Varus (WHERE ARE MY EAGLES?!?)

Pythes, Magistrate under Tiberius (although he has a Greek name, so maybe unfair to call him a "Roman" governor)

Annius Afrinus seems to have been the last to mint portrait coinage, under Claudius

One of these days I will stop collecting obscure first century provincial governors and finally pick up a Gordian II. But not today.

I spotted this one a few Roma auctions ago, and won it for what I feel was an excellent price, despite the hideously poor condition of the coin.

Africanus Fabius Maximus, proconsul of Africa, 6-5 BC

AE23 of Hadrumentum, Byzacium, with Livineus Gallus, proquaestor

Obv: Bare head of Africanus right, AFR FA MAX COS PROCOS VII VIR EPVLO

Rev: Elephant advancing left, trampling serpent (a callback to Caesar's famous denarius)  LIVIN GALLVS Q PRO PR

Africanus was the younger brother of Paullus Fabius Maximus, who was one of Augustus' closest friends and later step brother (or nephew) after his marriage to Marcia, who was the daughter of Lucius Marcius Philippus. (I've seen Marcia described as both the daughter of Lucius Marcius Philippus, step-father of Augustus, and Lucius Marcius Philippus, step-brother of Augustus). Regardless, this made Africanus Fabius Maximus a member of the extended Julio-Claudian family tree. 

Unlike his brother, Africanus' life is largely unclear, attested only by his consulship in 10BC, and his coinage, which attests to his governorship in 6-5BC, and that at some point in life he was appointed as septemviri epulonum, who were seven men in charge of organizing religious banquets in honor of the gods. The date or circumstances of his death were not recorded.

Africanus' coinage is extremely rare, comprised of only this single issue, which Nomos estimated in 2019 at a surviving population of 12 specimens.

Nice pickup! It's tough to find one with a fully struck face.

I've bought and sold probably about 50 of the type in the past 5 years or so - this was my personal favorite despite the caliph's face being flat-struck.

To compliment it, also a pre-reform Arab-Sassanian Khusro II imitation minted under al-malik

And one of the first post-reform dirhems, 82h

I very rarely buy individual world coins these days, but I had been eyeing this type for years and finally found it for decently cheap.

Ireland, 10 shillings 1966

Commemorative - 50th anniversary of Easter Uprising

Obv: Patrick Pearse, revolutionary leader executed after the uprising 

Rev: Death of Cu Chulainn, mythological hero who tied himself to a rock to die on his feet

I have strong ties to Irish heritage on both sides of my family, plus this to me is one of the most visually appealing modern coin designs since the end of WWII. Very clean with good use of negative space.

@Al Kowsky it's the nose - on official imperial iconography Augustus' nose is always nearly straight while Tiberius' is markedly aquiline.

Through the reign of Caligula, it was the norm for the emperor to want to be depicted as they were in the prime of their life, i.e. as a young man of about 25-35. I don't think there are any surviving portraits of Augustus or Tiberius in any medium that depict them otherwise.

When it comes to Roman coins, I tend to try a "one each" approach as much as makes sense - you can't just have one Trajan or one Marcus Aurelius, so I have several examples for them. I have incidentally collected a lot of coins of Constantine and Gallienus, because the supply of very nice coins is high while the demand is low - they come my way though group lots, and stay with me if they fail to sell.

My co-specialty, if you will, could be said to be coins of one emperor - Shahanshah Peroz I, or more specifically coins imitating his types, or more specifically, the types minted in India from the 6th to 13th centuries. I'm well over 2,000 by this point, and only missing about a dozen known varieties, which is counterbalanced by the roughly dozen unpublished varieties that I've discovered.

I took this photo while I was in the middle of moving my office around - it's grown a bit since then 🙂

My favorite type if Gadhaiya is my avatar - series 1.3.1 which was the "tipping point" coin that sent me down the rabbit hole to see what makes the series tick. It's one of the few types that I will buy even if it doesn't add anything new to the study. I have a few of them by this point...

(See if you can spot my avatar!) 

1) Okay I'm going to slow down ebay purchases until I have time to organize, study, and put away!

2) *New hoard of Gadhaiya drops*

3) 

On 4/9/2023 at 2:22 PM, Ancient Coin Hunter said:

Just a Caesar for me...

TD said," The death of one soldier is of little consequence to the Republic" in referring to the fallen Etruscus.

 

I think it's fascinating how much the bust here looks like the one on Al's tet

On 4/9/2023 at 5:47 PM, Al Kowsky said:

Finn, Nice score ☺️. Pictured below is my only example of Herennius Etruscus.

SYRIA, ANTIOCH. Herennius Etruscus, as Caesar. AD 251. Billon Tetradrachm: 10.88 gm, 27 mm, 6 h Officina 5. McAlee 1153e. AWK Collection.

One thing I've mused on in my collection is the extent to which consistency = accuracy. The mint workers under Decius in particular seemed to be pretty evenly divided between the realism and idealism school of thought - about half of the coins show very idealized busts, and the other half show very human flaws. Etruscus' coinage from Rome in particular tends to err on the side of "idealized but unremarkable teenager"

Thanks all!

@Severus Alexander, you are absolutely correct, there aren't many holes left to fill in my set that are obtainable without going over the $1k mark, which I assume will need to be broken eventually. This is actually just one of several in the set of "Caesars who are very common but had an exceedingly short reign as emperor".

The others would be 

Diadumenian, made emperor while Macrinus was still technically rightful emperor, but Elagabalus had already risen as a usurper 

I need a less ambiguous type, but I'm still adamant that the awkwardly placed CE beneath the bust indicates that he had just been promoted to Sebastou. His imperial types as Augustus are unobtainable; I think fewer than 10 are known in any metal?

Hostilian, as posted above, was made emperor upon receiving word that Decius and Etruscus were killed - he lasted only a few months (at least 1 or 2, possibly up to 5) and died of illness

Saloninus is a very high profile target of mine - he declared himself emperor while under siege by Postumus, and minted coins for the last few weeks of his life. I've attempted to win the three that I've seen up for auction since about 2017, and struck out every time.

Tetricus II is an enigma - IIRC, there are a couple coins that are minted for Tetricus II Augustus and are generally accepted as both genuine and official. They shouldn't exist however, as we have no evidence otherwise that his father even promoted him, as he fully expected to lose to Aurelian and be executed after. Barbarous coins of Tetricus II as Augustus exist, and are obtainable with patience

Other than that, I still need Gordian II, and I'm up in the air over the extent to which Constantine III and Constantius III are really necessary to have a "complete" emperor set through the death of Valentinian III. My imperatorial set is actually pretty sparse, so that will hopefully be my next major undertaking.

I had long ago written this one off as out of my league - until my (IMO) middling bid won it in the last Leu auction!

Herennius Etruscus, as Augustus

May-June 251

AR Antoninianus

Obv: IMP C Q HER ETR MES DECIO AVG, Radiate, draped bust right

Rev: VICTORIA GERMANICA, Victory advancing right with wreath and palm

This coin is the epitome of why I love the obscure, the ironic, and the rare odds and ends of the imperial series. Those who know the history of Herennius Etruscus know that he was appointed Augustus by his father, Trajan Decius, practically as he was walking out the door to lead the armies against the Germanic king Cniva who had been wreaking havoc on Moesia. As Caesar, Etruscus had engaged the forces of Cniva in battle for a costly strategic victory, and for whatever reason, they believed that it was safe to under-estimate their foe. Leaving the young Hostilian at home, both Etruscus and Decius led three legions and chased Cniva to what was supposed to be an easy victory, but they were tricked and driven into a swamp, where Etruscus was killed by an enemy arrow early in the battle. Decius gave a rousing speech to his troops before leading the charge to break free and regroup, but he was also killed, and the Roman legions were nearly annihilated. The few survivors escaped and fled to the support of the nearby Trebonianus Gallus, who admitted a humiliating defeat, allowing Cniva to retreat unmolested with his captives and spoils, and promised a large tribute to keep him out of Roman territory.

But, for a brief moment when this coin was being struck - none of that had happened yet. The new emperor was riding off to certain victory, the barbarian threat about to be crushed forever, and a long and promising career ahead for Herennius Etruscus and his brother Hostilian. It's a single, fleeting moment immortalized forever in a tiny coin.

From a numismatic standpoint, the coinage of Etruscus as Augustus is puzzling, as nearly all of it seemed to be part of an emergency issuance. Most examples are overstruck on earlier denarii, especially the broad-flanned issues of Severus Alexander and Maximinus Thrax. Others, like this, are woefully underweight (this one is only 2.00 grams, and appears to have been struck on a deliberately underweight flan, hammered extra thin) and many others appear to be even lower quality silver than should have been permissible for 251 AD. Although there are three reverse types from this emission (Mars, Mercury, and Victory), all coinage of Etruscus as Augustus is extremely rare, perhaps with 100-200 total known specimens.

So, safe to say this probably takes the cake for "best purchase of 2023!"

Feel free to post anything related, and especially if there are any more out there!

Very nice! No coins for me to show (only Vandal and Ostrogoth) but I do have this handy chart to help tell the difference

Coins of Valerian II are tough to find nice and problem-free. It took about 7 years, but I finally found this one late last year. I like how it shows him closer to his actual age - probably 14-17, instead of as a little kid

And my posthumous Valerian II

(Anyone else find it really weird how Saloninus never got a consecration issue? Daddy must have been playing favorites!)

I think it's too big? Quinarii are IIRC more like 14-15mm, this one is closer to 19

So I got this in a Roma large lot maybe six months ago and was planning to sell it - looks like a pretty average/lower condition denarius, right?

Only one problem 

I've seen denarii as light as 2.5g and limes or fourees a hair above 2g, but never under 1.5g! I assumed it was a fake that slipped through, but I'm not so sure. The in hand "feel" honestly is closest to a modern Japanese Yen- there's just zero heft to it. I don't think silver crystallization can account for this much loss of mass, nor does there seem to be any indication that it's plated or even a modern casting.

I'm stumped - any bright ideas?

One of my favorite lot shenanigans - About 4 years ago I managed to snag a CNG lot of 4 Caesar denarii (one of which was a ratty fourree) including this one - the only lifetime issue of the group, and the final type issued in the weeks before his assassination

I managed to keep it for a paltry $200 but I had to part ways with the others to get there

I collect every obtainable member of every imperial family, in every title I can get my hands on - currently only drawing the distinction between Caesar, Augustus, and Divus (or female equivalents) but I have every "official" emperor from Augustus through Theodosius, except Gordian II. After Theodosius, I'm missing Constantine III and Constantius II (both of whom Honorius granted official recognition to) and like most members here, my coverage is really spotty for the West, and for my Eastern emperors (which I end at Justinian) I'm only missing Leo II and Marcus.

For wives, from Fulvia to Aelia Eudoxia, I'm only missing Statilia Messalina, Domitilla I & II, and Cornelia Supera, and Constantia. The late empresses get way too rare and I'm unlikely to get many of them.

Anyway, I definitely don't have pictures of all of my Roman coins, but I do have a few group photos of my favorite sub-sets

Twelve Caesars

Nerva-Antonine

Severan Dynasty

I have a few that I hung on to for the purpose of having a "pair"

My favorite- a matching pair of Pupienus and Balbinus handshake antoninianii - ironic because it was their inability to work together that prevented them from uncovering the plot against their lives.

A matching pair of Marcus Aurelius + Faustina limes denarii - the Father & Mother of the Camp

Matching reverse on an as and a dupondius from Decius' Liberalitas

Here goes...

1. I absolutely do not understand the appeal of the Syracuse type that so many laud as "the most beautiful coin ever made". Other than the portrait (which is beautiful but far from the best Greek bust out there) the coins are usually poorly made, and the horses are presented without proper perspective, which makes them look like a rat king jumble of legs.

2. I really despise 1) how expensive and rare most books on ancients seem to be, especially on obscure specialties, 2) how elitist some people seem to be about their books ("Buy the book before the coin"... barf) and 3) how much resistance in general there seems to be about making the content of said rare/expensive books available. In the world of video games (a much earlier passion of mine) if a video game goes out of print and cannot be purchased via any primary market means, it is generally treated as "abandoned" and fair game for free reproduction and distribution. I think the same should be true of numismatic tomes that went out of print in the 70s and now cost multiple hundreds. Especially if the author would not benefit from the sale in any way. Ideally, I think the internet can and should totally replace the need for physical books.

3) I hate fake ancients and sellers who knowingly peddle them, but even moreso, I hate people who direct total newbies to spend multiples of what would be a fair price for a coin because "It's better to spend $500 on a $50 coin than $50 on a $0 fake." And the damage all the ebay bashing did to my poor shop... I had to totally abandon all hope of being able to use my knowledge to spot a deal I could profit on because I'll end up selling a $50 coin for $20 while people all over every forum congratulate others for snagging the same type for $175. Couldn't even tell you how many times I sold a coin only to see it pop up elsewhere on ebay, Biddr, or vcoins for 2-5x what I sold it for.

4. I would much sooner collect dozens of barbarous radiates or LRBs of the same type than dozens of official coins of the same type with minor differences. I vastly prefer the barbarous coins that look like they were engraved by a toddler

5. I hate early Indo Sassanian coinage. So much. It hurts my head. Nothing makes any sense about it at all. I can't stop trying. Send help.

I feel like I have seen an XX denarius somewhere, but they definitely aren't common.

I did find an XX antoninianus in a Roma lot last year, though

My favorite Aiolis is from Kyme

It was sold by Roma Numismatics as a unique trihemiobol in 2017, then I found it mixed in a lot of 150ish fractions from Leu in 2018. IMO, it was probably intended as a diobol, not a trihemiobol. To my knowledge, about 3 or 4 more have come to market since.