Alwin

On 7/14/2023 at 12:58 AM, John Conduitt said:

In the UK, I always get a bill like this for anything that comes with DHL (or FedEx), and they always calculate the bill incorrectly (too much VAT, perhaps a customs charge that isn't due, and a large fee for getting it wrong).

Idem with La Poste (USA --> France).
Obtaining reimbursement for undue expenses is so difficult, they hope we'll give up. Whatever the carrier, it's the same process.

CONSTANTINE VII and ROMANUS II
Solidus
Constantinople, 945-959
S 1751 - R 1905
+IhS XPS REX REGNANTIUm, facing bust of Christ, nimbate, raising hand in benediction, holding Gospels; nimbus with two pellets in arms of cross.
CONSTANT' CE ROMAN' AVGG b, crowned facing busts of Constantine, wearing loros, and Romanus, wearing chlamys, holding patriarchal cross between them.

Next: Solidus

THEODOSIUS I
Siliqua
TRPS  Treveri, 388-392
S 4176 - C 57 - RIC IX 94b
DN THEODOSIVS PF AVF, Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right
VIRTVS ROMANORVM, Roma seated left on cuirass, holding crowning Victory on globe and reversed spear

It would be so much better if we had the description of the coin: period, region, mint, obverse, reverse... Don't you agree?

21h

INDO-PARTHIAN (c. late 1st century BC - early 1st century AD.
Imitation countermarked drachm of Phraates IV.
Margiana or Sogdiana.
Unknown king.
Diademed bust left; "countermark:" helmeted bust right
Archer seated right on throne, holding bow.
Senior 199.2D - Sellwood 91.13

Next: Another indo-parthian coin

MARK ANTONY & OCTAVIA
Cistophorus
Ephesus, 39 B.C.
M. ANTONIVS. IMP. COS. DESIG. ITER ET TERT, laureate bust of Antony right; wreath of ivy and flowers around 
III. VIR. R.P.C., bust of Octavia right, above cista, flanked by twisting snakes

Next: Octavia

ARSACES II (211-185 B.C.)
Drachm S.6.1
Mithradatkart/Nisa
4.19 g - 16.5 mm
Diademed head left
APΣAKoY, Arsaces/Archer seated right, eagle at feet

PHRAATES IV (38-2 B.C.)
Drachm, Nisa
2.88 g - 18 mm
Ex Leu 2021
Diad. bust left, star on crescent at left, eagle at right
Archer seated right, behind symbol , NI (N retrograde)

Next: more unpublished

There are two different reverses, one with a bucranium under the eagle, the other with a bucranium and a horse's head under the eagle. I recorded 8 specimens of the first and about twenty of the second (I did not record the specimens where it was not possible to determine the reverse). An interesting article about these bronzes:

https://www.academia.edu/88755909/An_Historically_Important_Countermarked_Dichalkous_of_Arsaces_II_Artabanus_I_211_185_BC_

CLAUDIUS, Cistophorus
Ephesus, 41-42 AD
S 1838 - C 3 - RIC 120
TI CLAVD CAES . AVG, bare head left.
COM ASI across field, distyle temple of Roma and Augustus, enclosing standing facing figures of Claudius, holding scepter, being crowned by Fortuna, holding cornucopia; ROM ET AVG on entablature.

Next: Claudius, Sestertius

DOMITIAN, as Caesar (69-81)
Denarius
Rome, 80
S 2676 - C 397 v. - RIC 266 (Titus)
CAESAR DIVI F DOMITIANVS COS VII, laureate head right
PRINCEPS IVVENTVTIS, Altar, lighted and garlanded.

Next: Altar

C. FONTEIUS (114-113 B.C.)
Denarius
S 167 - Cr 290/1
Laureate, janiform heads of the Dioscuri, I to left and mark of value to right
Galley left with three rowers, gubernator at stern; C•FONT above, ROMA below

Next: Janus

GORDIAN III, denarius
Rome, 241
S 8679 - C 238 - RIC 114
IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, Laureate bust right.
PM TR P III COS II PP, Apollo seated left, holding branch and resting elbow on lyre.

Next: Tranquillina (alone)

JULIUS CAESAR, denarius
Cr 443/1 - C 49
Elephant advancing right. CAESAR
Emblems of the Pontificate

Next: Elephant

THRACE - Chersonesos (386-338 B.C.)
Hemidrachm
2.37 g - 12 mm
Forepart of lion to right, head reverted.
Quadripartite incuse square with alternating raised and sunken quarters, pellet and wreath in opposite sunken quarters.
McClean 4076-77

Next: Lion

54 minutes ago, Parthicus said:

Please post whatever related coins you have.

From the same mint, types S.47.16 (Λ below bow) and 47.18 (Y above bow and Λ below).

This mint only operated for a short period, limited to the reigns of Orodes II and Phraates IV. Sellwood reports drachms for Phraates III and Mithradates IV, but no examples can be found in the major databases. The drachm of Mithradates IV, pl. XIII n°2 of the BMC and described in parthia.com as S.40.10, is in fact a coin issued by Aria.
This is confirmed by another example with the same obverse die but a different reverse die, with a very neat small A and not a lambda.

(I no longer have these two coins in my possession, as they were among the 250 Parthian coins stolen from me. But since I didn't choose to part with them voluntarily, I still consider them part of my collection!)

MITHRADATES I (164-132)
AE, Ecbatana
S.12.9
6.31 g - 18 mm
Diademed head right
BAΣIΛEΩΣ / APΣAKoY, Nike driving a biga to right

Next : Arsaces I or II

I guess that's the desired result

Thank you for sharing.

Below two Parthian coins acquired as genuine, the first almost 40 years ago, a time when I thought there were no fakes for Parthian coins!

"S.35.1" - 3.77 g - 18.5 mm
Time has passed since this unfortunate purchase, and I could see that this fake was very common. Not all fakes come from the same pair of dies. In fact, for this type 35.1, we see many more fakes than genuine drachms.

"S.55.10" - 13.40 g - 24.5 mm
An identical copy in all respects was in the Sellwood Collection (NYS 34, 303).

Thanks for the picture.
Below one of the rare examples of type S.52.38 that I know of, as well as a type S.53 from the same mint, not listed by Sellwood.

I did not expect to find a subject on the Parthians here, rather in "Non-Western".
The interesting coin (speaking only of the Parthians) is not the pseudo-hybrid which is a well-known fake. I have one too, and I counted 16 copies, most of them sold on FleeB. The very interesting coin is the drachm of Phraates IV minted in Aria. And I thank its happy owner in advance for showing it to us on a photo of a larger size, so that we can really appreciate it!

VALERIAN II
AS (Consecratio issue)
Rome, 258
7.34 g - 26 mm
S 10611 - C 18 (Saloninus) - RIC Va 43
DIVO (CAES VA)LERIANO,  bareheaded and draped bust right.
CONS(ECRATIO), Funeral pyre in five tiers, surmounted by Valerian II in spread biga; S C in exergue.

M. FURIUS L.f. PHILUS (119 B.C.)
Denarius
3.80 g - 19.5 mm
S 156 - Cr 281/1
M.FOVRI.L.F, Laureate head of bearded Janus.
ROMA, Roma standing left, holding wreath and scepter; to left, trophy of Gallic arms flanked by a carnyx and shield on each side. PHI (ligate) L I in exergue.

Next: As of Janus, not anonymous.

VOLUSIAN, Tetradrachm
Antioch, 251-253
11.83 g - 26.5 mm
Prieur 699
ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Γ ΑΦΙΝ ΓΑΛ ΟΥЄΝΔ ΟΥΟΛΟΥCCΙΑΝΟC CЄΒ, four dots, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ЄΞΟΥCΙΑC, eagle standing facing on ground-line, head and tail left, wreath in beak; Δ between legs; SC in exergue.

Next: officina Є

MAXIMINUS II (310-313)
Follis
MKV Cyzicus, 308 (as Caesar)
S 14796 - C 211 - RIC IV 49
GAL VAL MAMIMINVS NOB C, Laureate head right
VIRTVTI EXERCITVS, Mars advancing right, at left  Γ

Next: Severus II as Augustus

DRUSUS (23 A.D.)
AS
Rome, 23 A.D.
10.84 g - 28 mm
S 1794 - C2 - RIC 45
DRVSVS.CAESAR.TI.AVG.F.DIVI.AVG.N, Bare head left
PONTIF.TRIBVN.POTEST.ITER. Large S C

(The restoration issue was struck under Titus)

Next: a sestertius of Drusus