Topcat7

I think so, albeit not necessarily in The Guardian.

(Reprinted from The Guardian) A team of researchers has cracked a five century-old code that reveals a rumoured French plot to kill the Roman emperor and king of Spain Charles V. Charles was one of the most powerful men of the 16th century, presiding over a vast empire that took in much of western Europe and the Americas during a reign of more than 40 years. It took the team from the Loria research lab in eastern France six months to decipher the letter, written in 1547 by the emperor to his ambassador in France. The tumultuous period saw a succession of wars and tensions between Spain and France, ruled at that time by Francis I, the Renaissance ruler who brought Leonardo da Vinci from Italy. The letter from Charles V to Jean de Saint-Mauris had languished forgotten for centuries in the collections of the Stanislas library in Nancy. Cécile Pierrot, a cryptographer from Loria laboratory, first heard of its existence at a dinner in 2019, and after much searching she was able to set eyes on it in 2021. Bearing the signature of Charles V, it was at once mysterious and utterly incomprehensible, she told reporters on Wednesday. In painstaking work backed by computers, Pierrot found “distinct families” of about 120 symbols used by Charles V. “Whole words are encrypted with a single symbol” and the emperor replaced vowels coming after consonants with marks, she said, an inspiration probably coming from Arabic. In another obstacle, he used meaningless symbols to mislead any adversary trying to decipher the message. The breakthrough came in June when Pierrot managed to make out a phrase in the letter, and the team then cracked the code with the help of Camille Desenclos, a historian. “It was painstaking and long work but there was really a breakthrough that happened in one day, where all of a sudden we had the right hypothesis,” she said. Another letter from Jean de Saint-Mauris, where the receiver had doodled a form of transcription code in the margin, also helped. Desenclos said it was “rare as a historian to manage to read a letter that no one had managed to read for five centuries”. It “confirms the somewhat degraded state” in 1547 of relations between Francis I and Charles V, who had signed a peace treaty three years earlier, she said. Relations were tense between the two, with various attempts to weaken each other. So much so that one nugget of information revealed was the rumour of an assassination plot against Charles V that was said to have been brewing in France, Desenclos said. “Not much had been known” about the plot but it underlined the monarch’s fear, she said. IMP CAES CAROLVS V AVG SALVS AVGVSTA BUST FACING RIGHT / SALUTE STANDING FEEDING A SNAKE , PO LYING IN THE BACKGROUND

@CPKJust found it. Sorry. Wasn't looking for a PM, and I didn't know where to look (do now) for one.

@CPKI did miss it. Where do I find my PM's, please?

Nice coins, and thank you.

I have been looking for a 'Brutus' coin for some time and each time I locate something the price 'kills' me. This is my latest find. US$3400 (see photos) Can anyone point me to somewhere where the (Brutus) coins are more affordable, (lesser quality?), please, or am I being unreasonable?

Well, Donna. I had never heard of Hadrian's "Travel Series" until I saw your post, (thank-you), so, always willing to learn, I went searching. I came across an article that helped me and (if I am allowed), I will put the link up to help others, (if they wish). https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1069097/the-travel-series-coins-of-hadrian Thank you, again.

I don't know if this qualifies as part of the 'Travel Series', but (here goes . . . ) Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Sestertius (31mm, 26.41 g). Rome mint. Struck AD 134-138. Laureate and draped bust right, seen from behind Fortuna standing left, holding patera and cornucopia. RIC II 760 var.; BMCRE 1514; Cohen 772; Banti 428.

My Domitian Sestertius. AE33mm., 17.68gm. THRACE, Perinthus. Domitian. AD 81-96. Æ (33mm, 17.68 g,). AYTOK · KAIΣAP · ΔOMIT IANOΣ · ΣEB · ΓEP, laureate head right ΠEPIN ӨIΩN, Homonia standing left, holding cornucopia and sacrificing from patera over lighted altar to left. RPC II 361; Schönert, Perinthos 272; SNG Copenhagen 733; Varbanov 3703. Moushmov 4429.

I do like that.

I see that there is some agreement for using a 'Gray' background when photographing 'bronze' coins, but can the same 'Gray' background be used (for the best effect) when photographing 'silver' (or 'cupro-nickel') coins? If not, is there a 'better' (more acceptable) color to use?

But does a 'Silver' (coloured) coin do well on a 'Gray' background, or does it need a contrast to bring it forward?

@dougsmit Interestingly, my 'lightbox' (for photography) came with a Grey 'card' to be used when taking photos.

So with a Styca you would usually start with (one of) the cross to the 'north'? Thank you for the 'explanation' of the sceattas.

@Roerbakmix Lovely coins (BTW). I really like Sceattas and Stycas, but can you please tell me, when photographing them, how do you determine which way is 'North'?

Removed by poster

And a couple from Heraclea 22 CONSTANTINE I RIC VII. Heraclea 116 23 CONSTANTINE I RIC VII. Heraclea 60B

My only J.C. 'Portrait' coin, (from my 12 Caesars collection), is a (poor) 'Thessalonica one (c/w countermark) JULIUS CAESAR countermarked - Augustus, Thessalonica, Macedonia, 28BC. 9.22gm., AE22mm. RPC 1555 Dupondius-Sestertius

@Magnus Maximus Here is one, almost the same as yours but from a different mint CONSTANTINE I RIC VII Constantinople 73 and another from my collection of Constantine "The Great" CONSTANTINE I RIC VII. Ticinum 114 S

SAnd some more of my 'decargryii' of Theodosius I THEODOSIUS I 5.3gm, 22mm RIC IX Antioch 68a THEODOSIUS I 5.6gm, 23.5mm RIC II 37(d)

Some of my 'decargryii' of Theodosius I Theodosius I 4,34 g 25 mm RIC IX. Heraclea 24b(delta) (9) THEODOSIUS I 4.6gm 28mm RIC IX. Cyzicus 25b

@AncientOne Thank you for your input. Oh, and thank you for showing me how to access RPC. (I was previously in the dark on that one.)

Great 'write-up', Mag Max. I really enjoy reading your 'write-ups'. Makes me feel like I was there. Here is a Valens siliqua of mine VALENS RIC IX.Trier 27e Siliqua and MAGNUS MAXIMUS RIC IX. Lyons 32

I recently purchased this Elagabalus AE33, 17.9gm, Antioch, Seleucis & Pieria, Tyche seated on rocks, 218-222AD Mint: Antioch Ref: RPC Online 8022 I want to attribute it as Antioch SGI 3097 but the 'reverse' legend is different. My coin has a "P O" between the "T K" - ANTIOXEΩN MHTPO KOΛΩNI - and I cannot find my legend anywhere I have looked for Elagabalus. I do notice similar inclusions in the reverse legends on Philip I and Severus Alexander coins, though, but I cannot seem to find them with 'laureate' only, and not 'draped' or 'cuirassed'. May I have your views, please? (sellers photos)