SteveJBrinkman

This is a really top notch collection. I don't specialize in the coins of Probus but your collection is very worthy of any Probus specialist's or generalist's consideration.

@Al Kowsky, I don't understand the mystery here. The first coin is clearly an issue of Maximinus II as Caesar, as attributed by all of your sources. What are you suggesting is wrong with these attributions?

So everything else being equal, the most obvious difference is the style of the portrait. RIC cites the different styles of Cyzicus 9a and 11a. Presumably the dies with the long wavy beard, the scarcer style, are RIC 9a (RIC group ii). The 2nd officina (K B) is found with both styles so presumably both issues were from the same mint workshop at about the same time. Stylistic differences are often used in early Roman coinage to suggest different mints or times, but in this case, the mint and officina are known, as well as the time. It looks to me like these were simply the work of two different die cutters. Interesting as the differences are, in my opinion they don't warrant different RIC numbers.

@Severus Alexander, I'm very impressed with your array of early and first issue Diocletians. This is a worthy series to collect. Most are relatively available but some are quite scarce. I've always liked the "first" of things.

The portraits on the folles of this time period can be of very fine style, although they are not given credit for such. Each mint has it's own distinct character. Here are a few genio types from my own collection. Aquileia - Maximian with his distinctive turned up nose. Maximian again, from Lugdunum. Still with a turned up nose but a less realistic portrait than the other western mints of Trier and Aquileia. A very nice early portrait of Constantine as Caesar from the mint of Trier. The Trier mint produced the finest style portraits of this time in my opinion. Another Constantine as Caesar from the mint of Cyzicus. London Mint Constantius Another Maximianus follis from Cyzicus

Great collection of Roman Republican Silver coins. It has been mentioned already, but you have some really nicely toned examples.

I believe the LON mintmark is found on coins of Constantius and Galerius as well. Here is an example of Galerius from a recent CNG auction (not my coin). Examples of these earliest London mint coinage of the 1st tetrarchy have shot up in value as of late and are bringing near $1000 or more.

Here are some first Tetrarchy types that haven't been included here yet (unless I missed one): Constantius Hercules: Diocletian Carthage Felix Advent Diocletian IOVI: Not really first tetrarchy but celebrating one - Divo Constantio with Eagle type:

I have nothing quite so tiny, but I do have some Early Roman Sestertii:

This Philip II pantassarion of Tomis in Lower Moesia has an interesting character - Pontus Uixinus being pushed down into the sea by Tyche. Obverse: Μ ΙΟΥΛΙΟⳞ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟⳞ ΚΑΙⳞΑΡ; [M JULIVS PHILIPVS CAESAR] Confronted busts of Philip II, bare-headed, draped and cuirassed, r., seen from rear, and Sarapis, draped, l. Reverse: ΜΗΤΡΟΠ ΠΟΝΤΟΥ ΤΟΜΕΩϹ [CITY <of the, by the?> SEA TOMIS]; Tyche standing facing, holding sceptre and cornucopia; at feet, r., Pontus Euxinus swimming r., crab claws on head Mint: Tomis Weight: 13.24 g Reference: RPC VIII, — (unassigned; ID 28158), AMNG 3613 Provenance: Numismatik Naumann, Auction 98, January 4, 2021

It's rare to find the reverse characters on this issue with well defined heads. Usually they are just featureless pellets. Yours must have been struck from nearly new dies. Nice coin, well centered and a thoughtful write-up.

Reviving this topic. Over the years I've used many different free online tools. As an IT applications developer for most of my career, I built various databases and spreadsheets, and now my primary source of record is a simple Excel spreadsheet with tabs for the collecting area. Each coin I buy goes into this spreadsheet first before the online catalogs. Because I embed images, I never sort the list and always add newly acquired coins at the end. In addition, I maintain free online catalogs in both CollecOnline and Flickr. I maintain a Flickr site primarily because I like the way it presents images, but I populate it with pretty much the same information except private data. This private data, mostly purchase information, I maintain in CollecOnline and in my master spreadsheet. I also have a free catalog at Forum but I've pretty much abandoned this in favor of CollecOnline. I am pretty impressed with free version of CollecOnline. It really provides me with 99% of my needs. A couple of CollecOnline considerations: The free version of CollecOnline allows only 250 items. My collection is now approaching that threshold so I will need to consider upgrading to the next level at €5 / month. This paid level allows 2000 items and had more sophisticated imaging and import and export utilities and that I might use. If the guys at CollecOnline ever go out of business, I'd likely lose a lot of effort, but I think the risk is minimal. The site is very professionally done and I think they have a significant clientele (not exclusive of numismatics). My CollecOnline catalog is here if you want to check it out: https://www.colleconline.com/en/collections/3939/fugio And here's a link to my Flickr gallery https://www.flickr.com/photos/51600091@N08

Congratulations on winning a fabulous coin of Alexander I Balas. Great surfaces on this and lovely style.

This was the first coin I purchased at the NYINC last week. I have previously acquired only one Roman provincial, an AE Pentassarion from Tomis. Now I have a collection! Denomination: Triassarion, AE25 Time frame: C. 150 CE Metal: AE Obverse: M AYPH OYH-POC KAICAP, draped bust right. Reverse: ΠΙΛΙΠΠΟ-ΠΟΛΕΙΤΩ(Ν), Nude Apollo standing to front, holding branch in left hand and patera over lighted altar with right. Mint: Philipoppolis, Thrace Weight: 9.58 g; 25mm Reference: Varbanov 808 var. (bust and legend) Provenance: Martina Dieterle, purchased Jan 13, 2023 at NYINC The coin has been smoothed in the fields but the process was expertly done. No apparent tooling of the devices, however the final "N" in the reverse legend is missing and was either removed in cleaning/smoothing or was omitted by the die cutter.

@Qcumbor, Plaetorius struck 5 major types, all of them are lovely compositions, your Mercury head type is one of my favorites.

@Edessa Thanks for sharing. I note the stops on your coin that are missing on mine and the contraction mark above the S. Also, I believe the Waterford mint is scarcer than my Dublin mint example. Interesting piece.

Warren, I remember this coin, but it's even better than I remember it after looking at so many of these since. The Carisius issues are typically mis-struck with large sections of the coin flat and or off-center. This is a marvelous exception of this classic design with a wonderful pedigree.

All three are exceptional pieces, with great style portraits, and equally nice on both obverse and reverse. Sorry I missed you at the show.

@UkrainiiVityaz, I appreciate your comments. It's good to hear that a coin that I am just beginning to learn about is a desirable piece.

John, Thanks for your help. I Think it makes little difference but I don't see the pellet before E looking at the coin in high magnification, nor the contraction mark over the S in NShYB, but these could be obscured from the flatness of the strike. The Roman N pretty much resolves this to the 2nd issue.

Although my main collecting focus is Roman Republican silver, over the last couple of years I have revived my interest in English hammered coins, and have started a small assembly. Some 35 years ago, I visited Ireland and became aware of these triangle pennies, the obverse triangle design is unique to the Irish pennies of the time of king John, 1199-1216, Henry III, 1216-1272 and Edward I, 1272-1307. The triangle is inverted only on the coinage of Edward I. These pennies are generally common but I have yet to find the right one, until now. I'm just learning about the coinage of Ireland, so if I get something wrong, let me know. Edward I silver long cross penny; 19mm; 1.44 g. Dublin Mint, struck c. 1280-1283 Obv: Head of King Edward I facing enclosed in inverted triangle. EDW R' - ANGL'D - NShYB Rev: Long cross with 3 pellets in each quadrant. CIVI - TAS - DUBL - INIE S. 6246, Class 1b ? Purchased from Sovereign Rarities, 13-JAN-23 I'm having some trouble attributing this piece. The portrait is as the 2nd issue (class 1b), the most common issue, in that there are 3 pellets at the neck (right lower pellet obscured by striking weakness); however, The 2nd issue is characterized with pellets as stops on the obverse legends as .EDW.R, ANGL.D, and NS.hYB, but no stops are found on this coin. Maybe just an aberrant die? Any advice or references to help would be appreciated.

I purchased this from NAC. I was able to pay by check through Shanna Schmidt who is now partnering with NAC as NAC USA. This was very convenient.

I had a great time at the New York International Numismatic Convention. My second and hopefully not last attendance. As with the previous visit in January 2020, I met friends with whom I have corresponded, and some new acquaintances. I also picked up a few new coins. Some of these are shipped to me to avoid the 9% sales tax in NYC but a few I carried away. Here is the first. I've looked for the right example of this issue for years and thought it is among the most elegant female images of those depicted in the RR denarii. The identity of the bust is uncertain, but the visual impact is amazing. Not all of this issue are so elegantly and skillfully done and I've looked at many over the years to find the right one. I finally found it. RRC 405/3b 69 BC; moneyer: Plaetorius Cestianus From the EE Clain-Stefannelli collection. Ex. NAC 92, 2016, lot 334

Here are my 2022 Auction winnings. Not many coins this year but CNG and Roma came through with my favorites of all: Gerhard Hirsch 1 - Roman Imperial Leu 3 - (2 Roman Imperial, 1 Roman Republican) CNG 3 - (1 Roman Republican, 1 Roman Imperial, 1 English milled Liz I 6pence ) DNW 1 (English Hammered Liz 1 6Pence, companion to the above milled coin) Roma 2 - (1 Roman Republican, 1 Roman Imperial) Vico 1 - Roman Republican InAsta 1 - Roman Republican Artemide 1 - Roman Republican Stacks Bowers 1 - English Hammered Penny of King John

This has been my observation as well. The finest coins in terms of condition, and even moreso, style, have tended to appreciate significantly over a few years. Nice coins, (just nice) even relatively scarce nice coins have unpredictable performance. In my collection, I have a few lower grade coins in my specialty area that are very rare. I expect to lose money on all or most of them. This is ok with me. But I unapologetically get the most pleasure from the finest examples in my collection, so this is where I focus most of my resources.