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Part II A The Early Levantine Mints Before we go much further it might be instructive to look at a map that I had prepared for a PowerPoint presentation I did some years agoi. As can clearly be seen this map has gone through a series of modifications. What is clear is that the Persian Empire did not have a centralized monetary system that was used throughout the empire. We do see two principle systems the Chian and the system based on the siglos however neither system was compatible with each other. Complicating the system even further the empire was deeply penetrated by the Attic standard "Owl" coinage particularly in southern Asia Minor Syria and Egypt where a very extensive imitation coinage was struck. As noted in part one Alexander adopted the Attic standard for his silver coins. It is likely as he would be heading south into Syrian and Egypt, the widespread use of Attic standard coinage in these regions would be a further incentive to adopt the Attic standard. Furthermore the need to attract Greek mercenaries who would prefer to receiving their pay in Attic standard coinage was probably the main incentive. Moreover the Thraco Macedonian standard used in Macedon would be completely unknown in this region and might therefore be unacceptable. Once more minting to full Attic standard would also enhance acceptability Now we need to look at the types. For now I will discuss the silver. As with as with so many things the coin is a combination of something old, something new and something borrowed. The obverse was well known in the lexicon of types struck by the Kings of Macedon The image of the beardless head of Herakles wearing a lions skin headdress can be found on the staters minted by Perdikkas III circa 365-359 BC. The type was subsequently used by Philip II on some of his gold and silver coinage. As for the reverse I need only to direct the reader to @Kaleun96 "The Origins of Alexander's Tetradrachm" which can be accessed in his post seen above. He does an absolutely wonderful job and is much better study on that subject matter than my modest efforts. In brief the image of Zeus was inspired by the image of Baaltars seen on the obverse of the double sigloi of Mazaios. One can see this as is so rightly noted by @Kaleun96 in the ornamentation of the legs of the throne. It would appear that Alexander had entrusted his new coinage to his Satrap Balakros. We know little about this individual in fact one of the more vexing problems associated with the chronology of the coinage of this region is the time of his death a fact which we do not know. initially he appears to have continued with the double siglos coins which were very similar to those minted by his predecessors. Balakros Ar Double Siglos Tarsos 333-323 BC? Obv Baaltars seated left Rv Lion attacking bull above crenellated walls Above B Sunrise 146 this coin 10.88 grms 23 mm THIS IS NOT MY COIN Triton XVIII Lot 90 January 6 2015 At some point after the Battle of Issus (November 5 333) The coinage in the name and types of Alexander the Great was initiated. Tetradrachm of Alexander III Tarsos Minted 333-327 BC Obv beardless head of Herakles right in lions skin headdress Rv Zeus Aetophoros seated left Below throne B Price 3001 17.11 grms 24 mm Leu Web Auction 6 Lot 107 December 9 2018 THIS IS NOT MY COIN It has become fashionable to describe the B seen on the reverse of this coin representing the first letter in the name Balakros. However I cannot be certain. A number of these coins within the same series has the letter A below the throne. However this coinage was designed to find favor both with Greeks as well as the locals Obviously the reverse could be seen as either Zeus or Baal, however the obverse which is obviously an image of the Greek Herakles could also be seen by the locals as a manifestation of their god Melqart a Phoenician god who has already been associate with Herakles. Alright Alexander quickly moves south and establishes at least two or possibly one or two others these are as follows. Map of the new mints Alexander III Ar Tetradrachm Standard types Mint of Sidon |332 BC 17.14 grms 25 mm CNG Auction 120 Lot 147 May 11 2022 THIS IS NOT MY COIN Sidon Appears to have surrendered rather quickly to Alexander and would have most likely commenced with the striking of Alexanders very quickly. They would have been needed for the subsequent military operations around the city of Tyre. Alexander III Ar Tetradrachm Standard types Mint of Tyre 331-330 17.22 grms 25 mm Photo by W. Hansen It is possible that this mint opened even before the fall of the island city. The Tyrians had abandoned Old Tyre and Alexander could have set up a mint there. The one interesting thing about both these mints is that they are dated. This can give us a window into the production of this coinage that we do not have with some of the other mints. Both mints were active throughout the reign of Alexander. As for the other two mints Arados. LeRider (2007) suggests that Arados also was active during at this time a fact which is disputed by Price. I cannot in truth find any evidence for this. There is good evidence that this mint opened circa 328 BC However to date I would have to opt for a later date. Myriandros Alexander Tetradrachm, Standard types Minted circa 332BC? by Menon or Menes. Price 3218 16.94 grms 25 mm Photo by W. Hansen Myriandrios of the site of Alexander's military encampment before the Battle of Issus and it would seem logical that his campaign heading south would have begun here. It would therefore be likely that at least a temporary mint may have been set up here. The ME seen below the throne could possibly be the first two letters of Menon who in 332 BC was appointed as Satrap of Syria or Menes who in 331 BC was entrusted with 3000 talents to be transshipped to Antipater so that he could deal with the threat posed by Sparta. This is getting wonky now so I better leave while the getting is good

Of late on Numis Forum there has been a series of discussions on the coinage of Alexander III. The crux of most of this debate centers upon which coins bearing his name and types is in fact lifetime. As this is an area of particular interest to me I have felt the need to comment. However as the volume of inquiry would compel me to comment more or less constantly I thought by creating a thread based on his lifetime coinage might solve some of these issues. This will be the first of a series of posts I will make i on this thread. In order to start I will comment on what would be called the Traditional School of Thought. The exemplar of this school would be Martin Price. The central thesis of this school is that the coinage in the name and types of Alexander III started at the commencement of his reign in the summer of 336 BC at Amphipolis. So what does this entail? Alexander's interests once he has settled his affairs in Greece is to push east. He goes through Asia Minor establishing a mint at Sardies in 334 Lampsakos and Abydos in 328 BC. He then reaches Tarsos establishing a mint in Tarsos in 333 BC Then he establishes mints in the Levantine region Tyre 332 BC Sidon 333BC . Afterwards he heads to Egypt establishing a mint in 332 BC then Babylon in331 BC. In a nutshell back in 1991 when his book was published that was more or less the scholarly viewpoint current at the time. However over time a number of challenges have upset this chronology. The first was the most damaging. In 1997 Hyla Troxell established that it was the mint of Tarsos circa 333 BC that initiated the coinage in the name of Alexander III. This brought into sharper focus concerns raised by Georges Le Rider in his study of the coins of Philip II. In this study he asserted that the coinage in the name and type Philip II was continued during the reign of Alexander possibly as late as 328 BC. Troxell further notes that the coinage in the name and types of Alexander did not commence until 332 BC. This was in response to the growing threat posed by Sparta as they attempted to re establish their hegemony in the Peloponnese. The dating of the Alexander coinage from Egypt took a hit as well. According to Lorber in her new study on the Ptolemaic coinage the coinage in the name and types of Alexander did not commence until 323 BC when Ptolemy became satrap Of Egypt. Further east the study by Lloyd Taylor has the minting of Alexanders commencing in 326 BC. So what is the upshot here. Up to 333 BC Alexander and his Strategos Antipater had only minted coins in the name and type of his father Philip II and this was in most part restricted to the mints operating in Macedon. As the coinage of Philip was well respected and popular there would be little incentive to change. Thus we have two here. Alexander III Av Stater Attic standard Pella? In 336-328 BC In the name and types of Philip II Obv Head of Apollo laureate Rv charioteer driving biga pulled by two prancing horses right Below thunderbolt Le Rider 80 HGC 8468.61 grms 19 mm Photo by W. Hansen Alexander III Ar Tetradrachm Thraco-Macedonian Standard Pella In the name and types of Philip II Obv head of Zeus right laurate Rv Jockey riding horse right 14.33 grms 24 mm Photo by W. Hansen Except for the general chronology of Tarsos and the Levantine mints everything has changed. The Macedonian mints are minting Philips exclusively until 332 BC and neither Egypt nor Babylon are active until 323 BC and 326 BC respectively. That means that except for Amphipolis the minting of Alexanders is limited to the mints in Tarsos and the Levant. It would be very unlikely that any of the mints in Asia Minor became active at this time as Alexander was looking south and the east. So if Alexander did not mint coins until he reached Tarsos what would have caused the change in policy. Essentially there were two things. 1.The first was as the result of the Battle of Issus Alexander was able to seize an enormous amount of wealth. Probably for the first time during this campaign Alexander could be said to have a surplus of money, 2. The second is a problem of manpower. Alexander had invaded with slightly less than 40.000 men. Though his combat losses were relatively minor in the ancient world losses to illness and non battle injuries could outnumber his battlefield casualties by more than a factor of three. Another problem he would be facing was the need to leave garrisons along his line of communications. Even if these garrisons were small and made up of some men incapable of going any further their effect would be culminative. Up to the point that he had reached Tarsos, this issue may not have been that acute. However that was about to change The essential problem was the challenge posed by Sparta. This would create a number of serious problems for Alexander. The most important was that any available manpower reserves still in Macedon would be needed to defend Greece. Thus Alexander would be deprived of this manpower. This meant that for the first time both Alexander and Antipater would need to hire mercenaries and that would require money, Thus it is not a surprise that Alexander would start minting his coins in the Levant, and given that he is trying to attract Greek mercenaries it is likely that was one of the principle reasons for the adoption of the Attic standard for his silver. More to follow I thought this could be done in one thread but it just got too big

Tetradrachm of Antigonos II Gonatas Mint of Amphipolis? 246/5-229 BC Obv, Head of Poseidon wreathed in sea weed. Rv. Apollo seated left on prow holding bow in his outstretched right hand. Panagopoulou Period 3 Group 45/225 HGC 1051 16.95 grms 31 mm Phot by W. HansenThis coin was thought to have been minted during the reign of Doson, however as a result of Panagopoulou's work it is now considered to be from the reign of Gonatas. It is noteworthy how the die cutters were very careful in deploying an adjunct symbols, the wreath of sea-weed so that the viewer would be certain that it was Poseidon that was being honored and not some other mature male god such as Zeus. I believe this may be one of the first times this image of this god was used on a coin minted by the Kings of Macedon. As such both the obverse and reverse of this coin is a remarkable testament to the skill of the ancient die engravers.

Constantius II Av Solidus Antioch 355-361 AD Obv. Bust facing slightly to the right helmeted draped and cuirassed holding spear over his right shoulder and carrying shield emblazoned with horseman riding down enemy in his left. Rv Roma and Constantinopolis seated holding shield between them RIC 168 4.38 grms 21 mm Photo by W. HansenI believe this is the earliest example of what later became the iconic image of the Roman Emperor on a gold solidus. This image is remarkably detailed and is well balanced. I have owned this coin for a number of years. At the time I bought it as a lot remaindered from an auction

I used to collect these coins but when I made the decision to reduce the size of my collection I had to sell a lot of the LRB's Including this one Ae 4 of Arcadius Campgate reverse 384-388AD Thessalonika Mint. RIC 62b3 THIS IS NO LONGET MY COIN Of the coins in this series this had to be one of my favorites. Arcadius just looks soooo sad. This coin is one of those I do miss.

I have owned this coin for some time however I did get a surprise today. Kingdom of Bactria Euthydemos Ar Tetradrachm Balkh 210/208-206 BC Obv Head right diademed Rv Herakles seat left on a rock holding his club before him. HGC 40 16.58 grms 28 mm Photo by W. Hansen Early this morning I got this book delivered to me. Books are becoming expensive to ship so I needed for the ANS to produce two that I needed. This would off set the cost of shipping to Canada. I was not expecting anything until I looked into it and saw this My coin is Glenn 231 O65/ R 175 You can see my coin sitting beside its picture. This made my day. Besides this coin between the two books I also found two other coins that were plated. Okay this is a shameless plug. BUY books before , after or even if you aren't even thinking of buying the coin. I have a lot of reading to do

I cannot in truth support the notion that the semis minted by Trajan Decius is some form of reduced As. I have seen and owned asses and dupondii that appear to be more or less the standard weight of the period up to and including the joint reign of Valerian I and Gallienus. One of the problems that can bedevil our understanding of any historical monetary system is that what we may find interesting and extremely significant may not have been true in the past. It should be noted that the Romans valued everything in sestertii not denarii. Thus the vastitudes that plagued the Roman silver coinage may not have transferred itself to the other denominations, RAG Carson in his Book "The Roman Imperial Coinage" suggests that there were two devaluations of the denarius one during the late Severan period the other under Decius. I have not seen any further commentary on this idea, however it is possible that the silver coinage may have gone through a series of defacto adjustments if not de jure. Despite this it is also very likely that the aes coinage retained its value against the aureus. Thus if the aureus is still tariffed as being one hundred sestertii then the double sestertii and the semis makes sense. Semis of Trajan Decius THIS IS NO LONGER MY COIN 19 mm 4 grms

Korinth Ar Stater 345-307 BC Obv. Pagasos flying left Koppa below Rv Head of Athena left wearing Corinthian style helmet To rght filleted thyrsus Gamme below. Calciati 417 8.54 grms 20 mm Photo by W. Hansen This is my only coin from the mint of Korinth. It is not for trying. Korinth has a long history of minting coins however it is from this period that we see the coins being offered most readily.

Semis of Augustus Lugdunum 9-14 AD Obv Head right laureate. Rv Altar of Lugdunum RIC 234var 5.19 grms 18 mm Photo by W. HansenWhen I first saw this coin I thought I was looking at a really darkly toned denarius. I was wrong and decided to purchase the coin.

Aurelianus of Tacitus Serdica Mint 275-278 AD Obv Bust right radiated draped and cuirassed with 'INVICTVS' obverse legend. Rv Sol facing Fides RIC 195 3.73 grms 23 mm Photo by W. Hansen LIke Aurelian Tacitus adopted to obverse legend. In this case the success was anticipatory. There are a few unusual features that sets this image from those of his immediate predecessors. One Tacitus is wearing a muscle cuirass rather than the mail or scale armor favored by his predecessors. The other is his beard Rather than the military style stubble he has a longer beard covering his cheek and neck but has his chin clean shaven, It is clear that he is trying to distinguish himself from his immediate predecessors. On another note R.A.G. Carson In his book "Coinage of the Roman Empire" Makes a note of a very rare double antoninianus minted by Carus in283-3 AD No 504 on plate 34This coin is noteworthy as the emperor is wearing two radiate crowns, and the instead of XI or XXI it reads X et I.

Unfortunately I am only partly finished though I do like the Terence Principle. (Please spell my name correctly) To start off with; ancient kingship which would include Roman emperors is mainly military. So on many occasions the King or Emperor would be involved in some form of military ceremony. Among these two basic ceremonial events would be rather commonplace 1. The Pass in revue. In this the soldiers would march in front of their superior with him stationary on a dais or some kind of platform 2. Reviewing the troops in this case he would be on horseback riding past the troops who are in this case stationary. In either case what the soldiers would likely see would be in our case the Emperor with his head slightly turned. In case 2 his head would almost always be turned to the right. When looking at this image of Gordian III we can see something of this phenomenon. Sestertius of Gordian III 240 AD obv Bust right laureate draped and cuirassed seen from the back. Rv Felicitas standing facing head left holding caduceus and cornucopia RIC 328 20,40 grms 29 mm Photo by W. Hansen As can be seen on this coin Gordian has his back to us but is facing to his right. You can see how the line created by the top of his shoulder goes part way across his neck creating the effect. Clearly what this image is trying to convey is what the soldier standing in the ranks would have seen after the Emperor had just passed him by. So what does this have to do with some of the left facing portraits. If we take this concept and attempt to create an image of the Emperor in the same pose but as of yet not passed the viewer we get something that looks like this. Philip II As Augustus Ar Antoninianus Antioch 244-249 AD Obv. Bust right left radiate draped and cuirassed seen from the front. Rv Aequitas standing facing head left holding scales and cornucopia RIC- 3,70 grms 20 mm Photo by W. Hansen I picked this image as it is one of the clearest examples within my collection of what I am attempting to convey. Though the rendition of the image is rather awkward. One can clearly see Philip's shoulder which is right below his chin. He is clearly facing to his right.

I believe the subject of the left facing bust is rather long and complicated. Before I start I should make the caveat that what I am saying is the process in general. It does not pertain to some specific instances of which there are plenty of examples. Generally in the Greek series the vast majority of Gods are depicted facing right. There are some exceptions most notably Herakles who is often seen facing left. This may be a reference to his semi divine status. However during the late classic and early Hellenistic periods we see a shift in the treatment of the gods. They can be seen on the reverses of coins and often they face to the left. This is because on most occasions the adjunct symbol eg the eagle of Zeus or the trident of Poseidon is being carried in the right hand of the god in a raised position. It the image was seen from the right it is likely that these adjunct symbols would have the potential of partially obscuring the face. This could lead to some confusion among the target audience as other attributes of the gods could include as again in the case of Zeus the fact that he is a mature bearded male . Furthermore with the right side being thrust forward the composition becomes simpler. Zeus holding his eagle before him allows his scepter to be held behind him, balancing the composition. When examining the left facing portraits of the late third and early fourth century Emperors I am struck by the fact that the same problem exists and is answered more or less in the same manner. Instead of an adjunct symbol the emperor is carrying a spear often seen over his shoulder, a victory or an eagle tipped scepter. Again had these images faced right it is possible that some of these items may obscure the face. Furthmore with the right side being thrust forward it allows the composition to be more balanced. Constantine I Ae Follis Siscia 318-319 AD Obv Helmeted bust right cuirassed with spear over right shoulder and shield bearing a mounted rider on his left. Rv. Rv Altar flanked by two victories inscribing a shield between them RIC 56 var 2.85 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen This coin does illustrate some of the things I am trying to convey. The spear being held in his right hand is seen behind his head and does not have the potential of obscuring the face. The hand though foreshortened and somewhat smaller than it should be is still none the less more in scale than it would be if the image was reversed. The upper body of the emperor is seen with the shield being seen further to our right. Thus it again does not obscure the face and does give a nice rendition of the blazon which is upon it. Despite many flaws this image is nicely balanced.

I do not believe that any effort has been made to study the Athenian mass coinage 454-404 BC other than the rather basic attempt made by Flament in 2007 in which he divided the series into three categories which he numbered 1 through III. He also illustrated a number of coins grouping them into these three categories. Because of the sheer scale of the coinage I am not even certain that anyone has even started a comprehensive die study. Nor has there been any studies in weights or metallurgy. As to weights the only references that exists are the ones found in auction cats or FPL's of the specific coins within. Athens Ar Tetradrachm 415-410 BC Obv Helmeted head of Athena Right. Rv Owl walking left head facing. Flament Group III Obv III 16 Rv III d 17.20 grms 22 mm Phot by W. Hansen

This is an image of the refence cited by @curtislclay It is a very extensive corpus of the coinage however the book is also very expensive. However if one is serious in studying this coinage I would recommend it. In response to @kevikens I can only speak of the didrachms struck at Caesarea in Cappadocia during the reign of Marcus Aurelius and denarii minted by Marcus Aurelius 161-165 AD. According to Walker The Metrology of the Roman Silver Coinage Vol II the mean weight of silver in a Roman denarius was between 2.66 (161 AD) an 2.35 (165 AD) The contemporary silver drachm had a mean weight of 2.11 grms. (or 4.22 for the didrachm). It is likely that while it may be possible for the Cappadocian coinage minted at this time to circulate as double denarii. (This is because at this point the drachm was not struck ). However it is more likely that because of their reduced silver content their circulation would have been restricted to Asia Minor. In response to @Curtis JJ while I do not have a coin plated in Edward A Sydenham's book I do have one of his coins. Earlier this year I was searching through the R Numis site, Which is a site I cannot recommend enough when I spotted this auction being held by the firm Adolph Hess who was at that time located in Luzern Switzerland . I saw this notation And then I saw This image Which turned out to be my coin Didrachm of Marcus Aurelius Minted at Caesarea in Cappadocia 161-165 AD Obv Head right laureate Rv Mt Argaeus with star above. Sydenham 328 RPC on line 7020 /2 This coin illustrated. 5.90 grms 20 mm Photo by W. Hansen As noted this coin is NOT illustrated in his book but it is in his collection I cannot say that this is the actual coin cited as Sydenham 328 but it stands a good chance of being the one.

Macrinus Ar Denarius 217-218 AD Obv. Bust right laureate and cuirassed. Rv VICTORIA PARTHICA Victory running right hold wreath and palm RIC 97 2.55 grms 19 mm Photo by W. HansenMacrinus became emperor under circumstances that could only be described as dubious. He became emperor as the result of the previous emperor Caracalla. The problem was he inherited a rather long drawn out war with the Parthians. After doing battle the results were at best indecisive and as he needed to get back to Rome conducted a rather humiliating peace. Perhaps in a effort to put the best spin on a rather awkward situation he had this coin struck. It celebrates a victory that is less than decisive. This coin was minted later during his reign as the obverse features the image of Macrinus with a longer more full beard. This attempt at spin did him little good. Julia Maesa who was closely related to the Severan ruling house was not happy with some outsider trying to muscle in on the family business. She indicated that her grandson Elagabalus was the illegitimate child of Caracalla. Much of the army bought into this and Macrinus was executed.

Gordian III Av Aureus 240 AD Obv Bust right laureate draped and cuirassed seen from back. Rv Emperor standing left veiled and togate sacrificing over altar. RIC 22 4.97 grms 20 mm Photo by W. Hansen Though the current market for ancient gold is somewhat scary, the aureii of Gordian III are among the most doable of all Roman Aureii. I agree with the threads above. Wait for a good one. The one posted by @Prieure de Sion above just has too many problems and those defects will eventually devour the coin. I made that mistake once I had bought a solidus of Honorius with a deep cut on the cheek. Almost immediately I regretted the purchase and sold it within a few days for a serious loss. My aureus is minted fairly early in the reign of Gordian so it does not have those sideburns like some of the later images.

Hadrian Ar Denarius 136 AD Obv Head right bare. Rv Aegyptos recling left holding sistrum At feet ibis wings folded facing right RIC 297 RIC II/3 1482 2.89 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen Congrats to @DonnaML for her latest "travel" Denarius. I will show off my first. I bought this one from an M&M FPL back in September 1993. For almost of full year I was trying to put together some money for a down payment for the condo I currently live in. Needless to say purchases of coins were few and far between. This was the first coin I purchased while living at my then "new" place. (I still think of it as the new place)

I agree finding a coin in the collection that has an older pedigree is really exciting. Some time ago I was searching on the Newman Numismatic Portal. I was going through some old Harlan J Berk Mail Bid Sales. This was before he started his iconic Buy or Bid Sales. In Auction 4 Finishing on June 29 1978 I saw this It had this description I thought it looked familiar so I looked it up Ar Denarius of L. Plautius Plancus 47 BC Obv Head of Medusa facing. Rv Aurora flying right head pointed slight to the left surrounded by four rearing horses of the sun. Crawford 453/1a CRI 29 3.87 grms 19 mm Photo by W. HansenSame coin. Ever since I had first seen this type in the middle 1980's I wanted one. The problem with this coin is that I like both sides so both sides need to be good. Furthermore I would like to see all the four horses. Finally in 2014 I settled on this coin buying it in a Gorny & Mosch Auction 225 I will say that it was not completely perfect but (the top of the head of the outermost horse on the left is missing and the reverse is OC) but it was pretty good so I bought it. I knew nothing about its previous history. So sometime after 1979 this coin went from Chicago to Munich Germany. It does look like it did not gain much is value.

I met the man some years ago at the Frankfurt Numismata. We were at the venue cafeteria when I overheard people talking about coins and they were speaking in English. Naturally I had to investigate and the group of us talked with each other for some time. I have seen Frank since at another Frankfurt Numismata and one at Munich. I enjoyed his conversation. He actually assisted me in buying a coin (Not this one) Gallienus Bil Antoninianus Antioch 257-258 AD Joint reign with Valerian I Obv. Bust right radiate and cuirassed. Rv, Victory presenting wreath to Emperor VICTORIA GERMAN RIC 452 Gobl 1603b 3.39 grms 21 mm Photo by W. Hansen Both Valerian and Gallienus celebrated victories won over the German tribes, Valerian at the commencement of his reign Gallienus somewhat later on. Though most of Gallienus' victory coins were struck at Lugdunum (Cologne) this is one of the more unusual references to that victory outside of his direct sphere of influence.

Denarius of Bolskan (Osca) 150-100 BC Obv bearded Head right bare. Rv Armored horseman charging right with couched lance BM SNG Spain 695 4.08 grms 18 mm Phot by W. HansenT Unfortunately the image on the obverse is not identified. This is because there is no adjunct object or symbol from which to easily identify him. This coinage appears to be based on the Roman denarius and because the types are shared among a number of mints (Though Bolskan is the predominate one) it appears that this coinage may be federal in nature.

In response to @idesofmarch01 I have looked at my coin and compared the reverse of my coin with the images from the three auctions that i have noted above. On the whole I can see evidence of everything being there except for these two spots which I have circled in red below . I can see some light brown accretion in the fields to the left of the pyre and some within the circled areas of the pyre. I cannot be certain however that this accretion would be thick enough to cover the detail beneath. Thus there is a possibility that these two areas have been strengthened (tooled).

Denarius of L. Manlius Torquatus 82 BC Obv helmeted head of Roma right. Sulla driving a triumphal chariot drawn by four horses right being crowned by victory Crawford 367/5 RBW 1386 4.09 grms 18 mm Photo by W. HansenAll the above electronic search sites such as AC or the CNG site are good, however they mostly cover coins found in auctions over the last 22 or so years, and are incomplete. The rNumis site hosted by our very own @rNumisas well as the Newman Numismatic portal do cover a lot of older cats with the Newman site covering a lot of older US cats. However there is no quick and dirty method of accessing the info on either site. You literally have to slog through each cat. Having said that rNumis does offer a site within his site which allows the exploration the coins of Greek Italy and Sicily by mint. It is very useful.

As I have said many times Collecting sestertii is not for the faint hearted. The problem is of course tooling is extremely bad and when I examined thos coin with @Romancollector I had to concur that the coin was tooled. This is very unfortunate as the coin was actually reasonably high grade and really did not gain much from it. However our conversation did shift to one of my coins purchased from the same vendor. Here it is Antoninus Pius as Divus Ae Sestertius After 161 AD Obv Head right bare Rv Pyre of four tiers RIC 1266 26.60 grms 33 mm Photo by W. Hansen So far so good. However he did point out this picture taken from the NAC Auction back in 2020 You will note the differences My coin appears to have rather more detail in the hair Some verdigris is missing on the reverse The NAC coin not so much However I did note two things. 1. The description on the NAC coin describes a Very dark Green coin. Thus the picture was taken with a lot of light. 2. My details labled 1 2 and 3 were very shallow and at certain angles almost disappear. However i did have a couple of aces. At the time I knew of two auction references a Hess Leu Sale in 1968 and a Vinchon Sale in 1965 Both of these auctions can be found on the RNumis site A site which I cannot recommend enough. Okay so I checked both auctions The Hess Leu Auction does show my line 2 much more clearly than what can be seen on the NAC photo. However Line 1 is indistinct whereas Line 3 I can kind of see it but...... The Vinchon Auction shows Line ! somewhat more clearly than in the Hess Leu pic as well as Line 2 Again I can sort of see 3 but again..... So what have we learned. 1. Looks like I may have dodged a bullet. 2. See first comment Yes sestertii are not for the faint hearted. 3. When examining the coin from photographs try to find as many as possible and analyze each image with extreme care. If pedigrees are given check those photos carefully as well. read the descriptions. If possible ask the vendor for more info.

Octavian Denarius Rome? 32-27 BC Obv Winged bust of Victory right. Rv Octavian in heroic nudity(I am really happy that politicians have given up on this look) standing left with holding aplustre and scepter and with his foot on globe. RIC 256 CRI 409 3.87 grms 19 mm photo by W. Hansen This coin is part of a very extensive series that attempts to explain Octavian policies to the wider public. Here we see him celebrating the fruits of his victories. The obverse naturally enough features victory, However this image of victory though very "modern" at least for the time appears to have a very traditional Roman treatment of her hair. However it is the reverse that is the most interesting. Octavian is seen almost godlike, the globe is basically his soccer ball. He is holding a symbol of his victories at sea. The legend is very spare just CAESAR DIVI F. This coin is probably the closest Octavian gets to emphasizing his power. What is interesting is how the rest show that while he is certainly capable of being a tyrant he will live within the bounds set by the Roman political system.

I like the follis (nummis) They are big impressive coins and can have interesting obverse portraits. Also they tend to have not as many problems associated with them like sestertii. Constantius I As Caesar Lugdunum 301-303 AD Obv Bust left laureate draped with lions skim amd holding club over right shoulder. Rv Genius of the Roman people standing left cradling cornucopia with left hand and sacrificing over altar with right. RIC 147 9.11 grms 26 mm Photo by W. Hansen Probably not that early as this denomination goes but still very impressive. Constantius was the junior member in the House of Hercules. So it is somewhat appropriate that he is seen her as the living embodiment of Hercules.