I have been playing around with the latest version of ChatGPT (4o) - it is quite impressive in it's ability to recognize ancient coins.  It doesn't always get things right - it thought my Cappadoccian Didrachm was a Roman denarius - but it got Vespasian and Titus right as the two portraits on the coin.

Here's a second coin that I thought it would have a harder time with:

and a third example - once again it was right:

Coins from the Ottoman Empire often feature intricate Arabic calligraphy and inscriptions that include the Sultan's name, titles, and the minting location. This particular coin, struck in Constantinople, reflects the grandeur and administrative reach of the Ottoman Empire during Mustafa II's reign.

A great collection @Sebastian - all lovely coins.  Almost all of my coins are from BCE e.g.

Greek Coins, Kings of Cappadocia, Ariarathes VII Philometor (Circa 116-100 BC). Drachm (4.15g, 17mm). Dated RY 9 (107/6 BC), from the Bono Simonetta Collection
Obv: Diademed head right. Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΑIΡAPAΘOY / ΦΙΛΟMHTOPOΣ Athena standing left, holding Nike and spear, and resting hand upon shield; monogram to inner left, Λ to inner right, Θ (date) in exergue.
Ref: Simonetta 5; Parthica 2007, Ar. VII 13/2 (this coin); HGC 7, 831.

But I do have a couple Imperials that I enjoy e.g. this Vespasian + Titus Didrachm ex @PeteB (http://akropoliscoins.com/)

Congrats @JayAg47 this is favorite RR denarius!  My mini-collection of RR denarii with references to voting is up to 5 coins :

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/roman-voting-laws

Since we've already seen some nice Roman Republican coins, here's a pseudo-autonomous Roman Provincial with the city council voting with a pebble:

More on this coin here: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/coins-about-voting

On 5/14/2024 at 6:26 PM, kirispupis said:

Nice photo! I've been considering taking a group photo of my tetradrachms. I recently counted 36 of them and my thought is I could turn it into a puzzle. Ravensburger offers custom puzzles. I did it with one of my pictures once and it was a lot of fun.

The primary things I'm wondering are:

• What lighting should I use for such a group shot? It's far too large for my axial setup.
• Should I mix some bronzes in to make the puzzle easier? Otherwise I worry all that silver will make for an extremely challenging puzzle.

I'd vote for a bronze-silver mix for a puzzle.  This photo goes a bit more eclectic.

21 minutes ago, Alegandron said:

Excellent coin, @Sulla80.  Although, I do not read or write Arabic.  Had a friend in University teach me how to write my name, and showed me how the language was written, etc.  It was fascinating. Today: Brain dead.  I honestly have no clue of the writing.

 

I only have a couple Ottomans:  START and HEIGHT of their Empire.

Ottoman Turks Sultan Mahmed II 1451-1481 took Constantinople in 1453 Serez mint AR 1.2g

 

Ottoman Empire Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566 AV Sultani CE Constantinople mint 1520 19mm 3.5g

A great coin @Alegandron - there are some words that start to make sense when stare at them long enough e.g. I think your mint is the same as mine

قسطنطينية Qustintiniyah (Constantinople or today Istanbul)

۹۲٦ date 926 (below mint) or CE 1520

Obverse is on the right in your photo.

For me numismatist implies a level of academic contribution in the field of numismatics, I am a collector who enjoys hearing/reading/sharing what numismatists & historians have to say about the coins that I collect.

23 minutes ago, JeandAcre said:

Aaaah.  David Byrne, the pioneer and perfector of elevating Autism Spectrum to an art form.  YAY!!!  @Sulla80, if you really are the first one to have posted any of his stuff (and this one is as paradigmatic as you can get), you deserve a medal.

...And the coin is pretty great, too!  :<}

LOL - that song is about as David Byrne as it gets 😉 Surprising that he hasn't showed up as a Talking Head before this.  We did hear from Gabriel Mary Byrne a while ago.

There are certainly a lot of poor quality strikes and flans from this period.  However I find that there are occasionally some rather excellent portraits - some excellent ones posted in this thread!  Here's a favorite from Mediolanum/Milan.

ROMAN EMPIRE: Gallienus, 253-268 AD, AE antoninianus, Mediolanum mint, 266, RIC-483, Göbl-1350h, IMP GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right / FORT REDVX, Fortuna seated left, holding rudder and cornucopia, MS in ex

Many of my favorite portraits of this emperor come from Roman Egypt (Alexandrian Tetradrachms).

I've posted my scarce Gallienus/Neptune Tetradrachm from the Dattari Collection one too many times. https://www.sullacoins.com/post/provenance-rediscovered

What is the connection between song and coin?  Tyche on the reverse, goddess of fortune holding a cornucopia filled with groceries?  If we study ancient coins we can understand better those who issued them.  Paraphrasing David Byrne: I thought that if I held the coins of the ancient people that I was interested in, that I might assimilate the point of view of the people there...

Pisidia, Antioch, Septimius Severus, 193-211 AE (23mm, 7.02g, 6h)

Obv: L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP Radiate head of Septimius Severus to right.

Rev: ANTIOCH FORTVNA COLON, Tyche standing facing, head turned to left, holding branch and cornucopia.

Ref: Mionnet Supp. 7, 30. SNG France 1120.

David Byrne brings a new meaning to "you are what you eat":

"When shopping at the supermarket
I felt a great desire to walk off with someone else's groceries
So I could study them at length
And study their effects on me
As though if I ate their groceries
I would become that person
Until I finished their groceries"

-David Byrne

On 5/10/2024 at 2:24 PM, Nikodeimos said:

Apparently, it’s Europe Day today, so I thought I’d share my own Europa I acquired recently. I find Cretan coinage to be some of the most interesting struck in Antiquity, and I’ve often told my collector friends that, if I had the money, I’d collect Crete exclusively. Alas, my pockets aren’t that deep, but this coin at least fulfills a longstanding desideratum in my collection.

 

 

CRETE. Gortyna. Circa 330-270 BC. Stater (Silver, 33 mm, 11.63 g, 8 h). Europa seated half-right in plane tree, leaning her right hand on branch and propping her head on her left. Rev. Bull standing right, turning its head back to left to lick its flanks. Le Rider, Monnaies crétoises, 14b & pl. XII, 9 (this coin). Pierced, heavy traces of overstriking and with light marks, otherwise, good fine.

Lovely provenance and an interesting coin @Nikodeimos - sadly, I have no coin of Gortyna to share, but I do have a couple of coins depicting Europa which are shared here:

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/the-naming-of-europe along with more notes.

Imperatorial Rome, L. Valerius Acisculus, 45 BC, AR Denarius, (19.8mm, 3.95g, 12h), Rome mint

Obv: ACIS-CVLVS, diademed head of Apollo Soranus right, surmounted by star; acisculus to left

Rev: L. VALERIVS, Europa riding bull right, holding a billowing veil above

Ref: Crawford 474/1a; CRI 90; Sydenham 998; Valeria 17; RBW 1656

Note: the asciculus (a stone mason's pick) shown behind Apollo on the obverse is a pun on the moneyer's name. 

6 hours ago, Nerosmyfavorite68 said:

Are you ashamed of any of your coins?

I've been collecting for 30 years, and while I have many decrepit coins, there's only a small handful of which I'm truly ashamed of.

I hadn't consider this question and perhaps I should have an affirmative answer (although nothing to do with the condition of this coin).  This coin was the first one that came to mind - a coin that celebrates a famous prostitute from Corinth, Laϊs, with the image from her tomb.

Athenaeus tells this story of Lais and two of her lovers, Aristippus and Diogenes:

"And when Diogenes said, "Since you, O Aristippus, cohabit with a common prostitute, either, therefore, become a Cynic yourself, as I am, or else abandon her;" Aristippus answered him- "Does it appear to you, O Diogenes, an absurd thing to live in a house where other men have lived before you ?" "Not at all," said he. "Well, then, does it appear to you absurd to sail in a ship in which other men have sailed before you?" "By no means," said he. "Well, then," replied Aristippus, "it is not a bit more absurd to be in love with a woman with whom many men have been in love already.""

more here: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/lais-of-corinth

Sultan Mustafa II sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1695 to 1703, dressed in full armor, early 18th century Unknown author. Image public domain courtesy of wikimedia commons.

This coin is far out of my normal range, issued in 1695, but the beautiful caligraphy pulled me in.  It wasn't labelled so it took me a bit of digging to decipher and attribute.  The scale of this coin was also a big draw: 16.2g. 39.2mm.

The mint was the easiest part to decipher: قسطنطینية  Qustantiniya.  The metal (I still have some doubts) appears to be debased silver copper alloy (425/1000 Silver & 575/1000 Copper) deeply tarnished.

The denomination :  1 Turkish kuruş

The legend confused me as I was looking for a kalima when I started.  The floral embellishments also misled me - eventually getting to:

Obverse:
سلطان البـرين Sultan of the two lands
وخاقان البحــرين and khaqan of the two seas,
السلطان بن the sultan, son of
 السلطان the sultan

Reverse:

السلطان Sultan
مصطفى بن احمد خان Mustafa son of Ahmed Khan (Mehmed IV)
ابو الفتح Father of Conquest 
ضرب في Struck in
قسطنطينية Qustintiniyah (Constantinople or today Istanbul)
١١٠٦ AH1106 - 1695

Mustafa II's reign was a period of transition and challenge for the Ottoman Empire, with military setbacks in Europe and internal dissent, which set the stage for the 18th century Ottoman politics.

The Great Turkish War (1683-1699)

Mustafa II was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1695 to 1703. He ascended to the throne late in the The Great Turkish War (1683-1699).  The war ended with the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699, which forced the Ottoman Empire to give up significant territory in Central Europe to the Habsburg Monarchy, Poland, and Venice including Hungary and parts of the Balkans.  This loss shifted the power dynamics between Europe and the Ottoman Empire and marks the beginning of the decline of the Ottoman Empire.

Family

Mustafa II had at least eight sons and 10 consorts.

Culture & Arts

Although Mustafa II would have continued support of the arts and architecture, he had to deal withe the financial challenges of prolonged war and the loss of territory.  The empire’s focus was on recovering from military engagements and stabilizing the region, which diverted resources and attention away from the patronage of the arts and new architectural projects.

End of His Reign

22 August 1703, the "Edirne Incident", saw a revolt of the Janissaries, the elite force of soldiers that were the personal protective force of the sultan.  Mustafa II was forced to abdicate.  Mustafa II tried to modernize and strengthen the army by incorporating more contemporary European military techniques and strategies. The Janissaries were dissatisfied with the Sultan’s handling of military affairs and his drift from traditional Ottoman ruling practices. This revolt weakened the authority of the Ottoman sultanate and strengthened the Janissary corps in the empire’s political hierarchy.

(for a maintained version of this post with references and additional coins & history see: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/mustafa-ii-ottoman-empire)

Post coins with beautiful calligraphy, coins of the Ottoman Empire, or anything else that you find interesting or entertaining.

Congrats @lordmarcovan a nice addition to your 12-caesars and 83% complete! Here's how I filled the space for Caligula in my Provincial 12 Caesars set.

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/not-the-usual-12-caesars

Thanks,  @Roman Collector from a quick browse this looks like an interesting download - I was drawn to some of the discussions about barbarous holed, and plugged denarii:

Holed denarii were not uncommon in barbarian regions. The process of drilling was precise, avoiding damage to the coin's imagery or text, suggesting that these holes were likely used for wearing the coins as pendants or for other decorative purposes.  One coin with an unfinished hole even suggesting that it was a clockwise drill used.

A pyramid on a coin from Cappadocia issued under Ti Pomponius Bassus in 100 AD (time of Trajan) - couldn't resist the pyramid - and the mystery of "why a pyramid"  -

Pliny writes to him ~104 or 105 AD

"I have been delighted to hear from our mutual friends that you map out and bear your retirement in a way that is worthy of your ripe wisdom, that you live in a charming spot, that you take exercise on both sea and land, that you have plenty of good conversation, that you read a great deal and listen to others reading, and that, though your stock of knowledge is vast, you yet add thereto every day...."

I  am always open to collaborating & enjoy exchanges on ancients, pricing, history, ...PMs are welcome, and I am grateful for the advice, references & ideas I've received from members of this forum over time. 

20 hours ago, merveil said:

That's a beautiful coin, I love the sharp portrait! (That said, I'm glad mine is less attractive as otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford it 😉 )

Maybe the legend was meant to be MEGALOU? I imagine that many mint workers were illiterate back then so they could have confused a letter or two.

Thank you & yes, you are correct MEΓAΛoY is intended by MPΓAΛoY - Thanks to @Alwin for pointing me to the correct attribute: Rhagae Sellwood 30.16 (my coin is missing teh extra legs on the throne of 30.20 and has the long sleeve on the cloak going below the seat level which Sellwood describes for 30.16).

Welcome and congrats on your interesting Tetradrachm! You've found a good place to share coins, notes, and tap into a wealth of experts.  I'll share a drachm of Arsakes XVI that may be the same king : Parthia, Arsakes XVI, AR Drachm, (not Margiane but Rhagae) mint Ref: Sellwood 30.20/21 (Thanks to @Alwin I no longer have doubt about the mint - MP-ΓΑΛΟY with a spelling error & a long sleeve on the archer's cloak)

9 hours ago, DonnaML said:

I have to say that Crawford's arguments -- often made in cursory fashion -- don't always hold up when carefully examined. This appears to be one of the times they don't.

I find it reassuring to think that he might have experienced human moments where he is a little rushed, uninterested, or otherwise mildly imperfect....🙂

56 minutes ago, robinjojo said:

I recently purchased a couple Faustina II tetradrachms in oh-hum condition (wear, porous metal, corrosion, etc.).  They're definitely candidates for upgrades if the opportunity presents itself and the price is not stratospheric.  Still, they help fill a hole in the Alexandrian tetradrachm section of the  collection for this fascinating and charismatic empress. 

First a young portrait during the reign of Antoninus Pius:

Faustina II, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, Year 12 (148/9 AD).

RPC IV, 1099

12.21 grams

And a later portrait during the reign of Marcus Aurelius:

Faustina II, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, Year 4 (163/4 AD).

RPC IV, 2591

11.87 grams 

a great pair to show the progression of Faustina's portrait.  here's another coin a couple of years after your first example AD 151-152:

Faustina Junior BI Tetradrachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Year 15 = AD 151-152. Draped bust right / Dikaiosyne standing left, holding scales and cornucopiae; LI-E across fields. Emmett 1937.

47 minutes ago, seth77 said:

A lot of wabi sabi in this thread

Your emerald green Probus a particularly great example...

23 minutes ago, Alegandron said:

 

RR 265-242 BCE AR Heavy Denarius -  Didrachm Roma-Victory Crawford 22-1 Sear 25 Eucharius R

You and @Qcumbor are both posting some very nice coins from my early RR wishlist.

I'll add this worn beauty from Egypt that recalls the end of the Roman Republic. I have no plans to spend tens of thousands on a perfect bronze coin of Cleopatra VII. However, I do find this well-aged lump of Egyptian bronze quite satisfying. It was issued by Queen Cleopatra. Her title, ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ, is just readable on the reverse. Cleopatra was allied with Mark Antony, who was fighting Octavian for control of the republic.  Octavian used this alliance against Mark Antony.

More on Cleopatra here: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/cleopatra-queen-of-egypt

14 hours ago, DonnaML said:

Great coin and write-up, @Sulla80. I think everyone agrees that the fighter on the left is the Roman, protecting his fallen comrade, and the one on the right is the barbarian. I'm sure you're aware, though, that Crawford specifically cites Cavedoni in asserting that although "the types doubtless allude to an act of martial heroism of one of the moneyer's ancestors," it is "idle (pace C. Cavedoni [citation omitted]) to speculate which"! (See Crawford I p. 325.) Here's my specimen of the type; I'm especially fond of "chubby Mars" on the obverse:

Thanks Donna, you point out an important omission in the OP (Crawford's comment).  While many have read the Crawford reference, few have probably read the argument from Cavedoni in which he does provide some evidence.  With this entry, Crawford's argument would be more credible if he provided examples that could compete with Cavedoni's proposed Q. Minucius Thermus who was known for heroism against a Thracian fighter or perhaps offered an argument that the Thracian fighter is incorrectly identified on the coin or perhaps that it was not common to reference a relative with the same name.

This Q. Minucius Thermus is the first known member of this branch of the Minucii, and was a military tribune in 202 BC, tribune of the plebs in 201 BC, praetor in 196 BC, he received a triumph for his victories in Hispania Citerior, consul in 193 BC, and he defeated the Ligurians / Ligures as proconsul in 191 BC.  At the time issued (103 BC) there is only one other Q. Minucius Thermus who is still known today: the triumvir monetalis of 103BC.

This sounds like someone a rising politician might want to be associated with, and seems more than coincidence unless we challenge the Thacian dress argument or have evidence of other heroic Minucii Thermi before 103 BC.  As we look from 2000 years later, the story of this Q. Minucius Thermus was so well known that it is still not forgotten.

Adding another coin of this type that I have: this one EF+ and showing a scrape on the nose that that is from the day it was minted.  This coin also seems that have a moon shaped Thacian pelta (shield) in the hands of the warrior on the right:

Ancient coins don't all come in MS-70 (perfect mint state, with no flaws, scratches, or wear visible under 5x magnification).

This coin looks like all of its 2100+ years - some interesting coloring, a little de-lamination on the left cheek of Mars, some light roughness on the reverse, the metal overall looks brittle and crystalized, even a little light encrustation on the obverse.  All told, it is also a coin that I found attractive with a high relief reverse and expressive portrait on the obverse.

Roman Republic, Q. Minucius Thermus M. f., AR Denarius, Rome, 103 BC

Obv: Helmeted head of Mars to left

Rev: Two warriors in combat, one on left protecting a fallen comrade; Q•THERM•MF (ligate) in exergue

Ref: Crawford 319/1; BMCRR Italy 653-6; RSC Minucia 19.

The moneyer's ancestor of the same name, Quintus Minucius Q. f. L. n. Thermus, was elected consul in 193 and assigned Liguria as his province.  He was victorious over the Ligurians and ramained in Liguria for 191–190.

C. Cavedoni in "Di alcune medaglie di famiglie romane," Bullettino dell'Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica, in 1845, on pages 184-185 writes about this coin:

"Of the two fighters, on each side of the Roman citizen on the ground, the Roman seems to me to be the one on the left. His opponent holds a clipeus (shield) very similar to the Thracian pelta (shield) (See: Xenoph. Anab. VII.4, 13.Pollux, I, 134: Varrò, Lingua Latina VII.43 : Eurip. Alcest. v. 498. cf. Trésor de Glypt. B. rèi. du Parthenon, PI. I, VI).

We learn from Livy that Q. Mìnucio Termo, who had defeated the Ligurians and triumphed over Hispania, was sent as a legate to Asia, and on his return was mortally wounded in a conflict with the Thracian robbers, who attacked the army of Gnaeus Manlius in year 566 of Rome (Livius XXXVIII, 44, 46, 49)

"In eo proelio cum et impedimentorum et calonum pars et milites aliquot, cum passim toto prope saltu pugnaretur, cecidissent, plurimum Q. Minuci Thermi morte damni est acceptum, fortis ac strenui viri."

"In that battle, since it was fought at various points virtually all along the defile, some of the baggage and some camp followers were lost as well as a number of fighting men, but the most serious setback was the death of Quintus Minucius Thermus, a man of great courage and energy."

However, he did not die on the spot, since Gn. Manlius in his defense said that it was not in his power to prevent neither the wound, nor the death of the brave and energetic man, Q. Minucius. Fortunately the match of the name and the Thracian armor of the adversary leads me to find that this coin represents the saved citizen, otherwise I could have searched in a vain through historical memories of the Minncii Termi. It can therefore be assumed that the brave Q. Minucius Termus suffered a mortal wound while he saved the life of the citizen who fell to the ground at the feet of the two combatants. If not long after, he died from the wound he received, this does not detract from the glory of the heroic deed; just as Scipio Africanus in order to save his father in the battle of Trebbia, sustained a serious wound, and would not have been less noble and glorious had the wound subsequently resulted in his death."

"Attic red-figure drinking cup depicting a warrior (“peltast”) wearing a Thracian cloak (decorated with stripes and geometric patterns), a cap with flaps, and boots while holding both a crescent shield (peltē) decorated with large eyes and a spear (ca. 470-460 BCE; now in the Sackler Museum, Harvard, inv. 1959.219):"

Thanks to @DonnaML for highlighting an important omission in this post: I am adding a couple of notes here for those who don't read the whole thread.

 Paully's Realencyclopädie for the entry RE: Minucius 65  is hesitant on the association of the reverse : "Minucius's death in the fight against the Thracians was glorified a hundred years later by his descendant of the same name No. 66 on his denarii, if the barbarian depicted here, from whom a Roman warrior is protecting his fallen companion, is really characterized by the horn decorations on his helmet as a Thracian."

Crawford is more dismissive of the precise alignment to this fight: "The types doubtless allude to an act of martial heroism of one the moneyer's ancestors - it is idle (pace C Cavedoni Bulletino 1843, 184) to speculate which."  Crawford could be a more specific about his objection to Cavedoni's argument.

Post your coins that show their age - and are more attractive because they do (or anything else you find interesting or entertaining).