dougsmit

I suppose it depends on where you live. Here, I prefer the USPS with FedEx, UPS and DHL all being well worth avoiding. The only consistently really good service to my address is Amazon probably because I live ten miles from one of their huge facilities and they deliver it themselves without involving one of the 'others'. That works fine for 'regular' merchandise but Amazon does not do anything for coins. Maybe they are right saying that I don't need what they don't sell??? It is a fact that I already have too many coins but I also have too many cameras, lenses, tools, books............... I see a pattern here.

I can not say it is my favorite Domna (too many choices) but I am quite fond of this basket coin partly because I also have the same die used with a Septimius obverse. My die is clearly without TAS but another Septimius has the TAS in large and bold letters - so large in fact that space for the final R became a problem. These Eastern coins did not show quite the uniformity of style and spacings that was common at Rome. Collecting a full set of the dies available for any of these will not be easy and not something I will be attempting (I gave up buying die variations just because I did not have one about 20 years ago). I do however find interest in the sharing of the die between the couple and the fact that the last Septimius above used larger letters pushing both of the I's past the point of the bust. That adds to the IMO unanswered question of how much of the various legend differences were intentional and how much was a matter of not really caring for minor details of consistency. Coin collectors care a lot when there is a variation of a letter or three but that does not mean that the mint that made the coins saw that in the same way. These two dies of Septimius show what does seem like a significant (to them) difference with the forced split of SE-V. One even shows a clear dot between the letters SE.V. I tend to believe that there was a meaning to many of these dots and spaces but I have never been shown any convincing evidence that anyone understands the 'rules' observed at the mint (wherever it was at the time that die was made). Our experts are prone to putting forth their guesses as new found facts making light of the previous generation of guesses. Changing what was 'Emesa' to 'Antioch' or 'Cappadocia' or 'Syria' or whatever come next does not make it so. It does not even rule out my pet theory of a mobile mint either travelling with the emperor or relocated as the need arose using a mix of mobile staff and local talent. While we won't be around in a hundred years to see the then current guesses and/or firmly substantiated theories, I would love to know the 'system' favored by scholars yet unborn working at museums (assuming they have not all been closed by then) or collecting at home (assuming that is still legal by then). Will we have more mints populated by coins now considered 'barbarous' or fewer with current differences lumped together for convenience in cataloging?

Link: Carrying a person This Caesar type does refer to the Aeneas/Anchises story referred to by ambr0zie the second interpretation with the Herrenius coin. Julius Caesar AR denarius Venus/Aeneas 48 BC bought from Frank Robinson in 1987 Note this opens up options for the next link like coins you have had for 35 years, coins from FSR (infamous for coins showing 'carrying' scenes), coins with bankers' marks etc.

ANΔPOY, yes, but the first four, No.

These are may favorites of Gallus. I don't pick coins for grade but find these beautiful in many ways. A couple of them are quite rare

Not necessarily my favorite but it needs to be shown. Who knows what the first 4 mostly missing letters at the bottom spelled? AE18 5.94g S.6754var.

I see no tooling but ample proof that lighting angles can make the same coin look different. Worn Trajan sestertii seem to retain certain features long after others are gone. This thread has shown that well. Below are my worn out Trajans.

When shopping for a ring light, be careful to find one that has a large enough hole in the middle that your lens will fit inside but not so large that it does not illuminate the coin. Some sellers tell you the dimensions of the unit but not all mention the hole in the middle. Many macro lenses are a bit on the fat side and several ring options were intended for use with dissecting/stereo microscopes that are less wide. My favorite has been with me for ten years and has three threaded pins that hold it in place. It will accept my old Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro but not the new 'L' versions. Rings made for 'selfies' are often 5-6" wide which is too big for best results.

Over the years I have made several comparison images to illustrate the idea that the same coin can look different in different lights. I stumbled upon this one today having forgotten why it was made. The problem is that such a comparison omits the fact that any one of the options could be improved or worsened by a change in the light angles or the size/design/diffusion of the lights. There is also a problem set caused if the two lights used do not have the same color temperature. My goal was to be able to look at a coin and decide what lighting would show it both fairly and to best advantage. It might be interesting to make a few more examples of this nature using different coins which might help decide if one or the other is consistently our favorite. In this case, I prefer the 'Both' image which softens the shadow on Commodus' face from the 'Ring' version. I do not like the 'Direct' but have to wonder if some tilting or rotation would make it better if not as good as the others.

Opinion: Shoot RAW, convert to TIF, process to the best of your ability combining sides and doing whatever you wish regarding to the background. Save the result as a large JPG for printing and again (using a different name) in a size appropriate for online use. Then, and only then, free up storage space by deleting the RAW and TIF files. They have done their job and you have what you need in a format that can be used. There is no reason to save every step. IF the coin is very important and you will not have it again in the future, save the RAW files also. The TIF version can be reproduced from the RAW so there is really no reason to save every step. I agree fully. There is no one answer to a million different questions. My personal experience tend to use a combination of directional and ring lighting most of the time but 'most' is not 'all' and the only reason for finding one answer is if you are rushing to shoot thousands of coins for a sales catalog and don't have time to treat every coin as it might deserve if 'best' is the goal. If what you want is met by holding a coin in your hand and snapping with a phone, go for it. I still own my 1970 (4) copy of International Photo Technik magazine which introduced me to shooting ancient coins if you are willing to do absolutely everything and have unlimited budget. Those photos were lovely and almost as good as some we have posted here and now with our digital equipment. There have been many advances in many things since 1970. My 4x5 Linhof view camera is still in the attic but will never again expose film. That article introduced me to the idea of raising the coin on a pedestal but now I use the soft grip salvaged from a disposable ballpoint pen at a fraction of the 1970 'Styroper Pedestal' price. In 1970 you planned carefully and exposed a sheet of expensive cut film. Today, we try a thousand answers and throw out the 999 worst ones. There are many ways to 'skin a cat' as my grandmother used to say.

Pal, here, not Ryro. The coin changed a bit when treated for what was a bit flaky start of bronze disease and is hopefully now recovering. I saw fit to show the Domna side as the obverse since the male figure is Herakles and only looks like Septimius Severus (Who knew he looked like a god?). IOVΛIA ΔOMNA CЄΒA / ЄΙΡΗΝΟΠΟΛITΩ]N ЄΤ ΔΜΡ The coin is not barbarous but a perfectly normal style of the Provincial city Eirenopolis listed in Sear as number 2437. At present (for how long???) it is the last coin added to my collection. I don't know if there will be more. Rather than writing a bunch here that will bore everyone, I'll link to a coin matching sold by Roma a year ago. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=8461362 It, like mine, relies on die link evidence to give the complete legends. The chip missing from the Ryro gift made it possible for me to accept it. Without the chip, the full date DMP and lack of wear would make this coin exceptional and expensive. Thankfully (?) the market discriminates heavily against broken coins. A little searching found the full legend example that failed to sell with a start of 140 euros. I don't know if it is still available but it is worth that price, IMO, despite the fact that it has more wear than is fashionable today or that is shown on mine. Thank you Ryro. This is a suitable coin if it is to be my last. https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=1223&lot=202 This post really hurt me. I was unaware of the statues of SS and JD at IU. I was born in Indiana and in 1966 dated a young lady who was a student at IU so I was familiar with the campus (I went to Wabash, an all men's school not far away). A little research showed that the statues were donated thirty years after I was there so I did not just miss them. I never again plan to be in Indiana but am very impressed by the policies on images as posted by the museum. I would love to see what they have. I wonder if they have coins. I still have the three coins I held back when I sold my first collection. They came from the time when I was buying coins in high school and college and the dealer who bought my collection would pay no more from them than the ordinary ones in the lot so I kept them. First is what I have often referred to as 'My Favorite Coin'. It has its own page so that story is not repeated here. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/feac6.html Next was a coin from a junk box (usually $2 as I recall) which also had the COSI obverse as explained in the above link. To this day, I have not seen another with this reverse showing this style chair supports. No one cares. I did. The third retained coin also came from the early 80's junk box days. It was my first Julia Domna but was made less marketable by being overstruck on an earlier coin. My imagination says I see Commodus' eye on the obverse??? I also would like to see other coins from this portrait die. Again my imagination says that the portrait rather resembles Manlia Scantilla. Was this one of the first Domna denarii before the mint knew her face? Its a nice story even if not a provable fact. Not bored yet? I have at least 500 more and my group is nothing compared to others here. There was a time no one would stoop to collecting Septimius so I could afford his coins if I ignored the comments by some dealers about how worthless they were. Those were the good old days.

Before being assisted in wreath duties by Phoenix, Victory did both on some coins of Constans and also Constantius II. ....and Constantius Gallus. Magnentius did not want to be left out so he used the type as well. She also was careful to award her wreath to the victorious Roman rather than the bound captive below on this Constantius II. Among the most popular types of the Christian rulers was HOC SIGNO VICTOR ERIS as shown on this Constantius II Vetranio and Constantius Gallus Again Magnentius changed things a bit but called on Victory for his type FELICITAS REIPVBLICE.

Septimius Severus had many types with Victory carrying a wreath but fewer showed it being presented. These are a bit more scarce. First, the recipient is Jupiter from 'Laodicea' (IOVI INVICT) and (IOVI PRAE ORBIS) from 'Emesa'. Roma receiving the wreath is found from 'Emesa' and Alexandria (ROMAE AETERNAE). As a side note, I find it interesting that the seated figures sit on different things. Jupiter has a chair at 'Laodicea' but has a small eagle at his feet when shown at 'Emesa'. We must not mistake the eagle for a footstool. Roma has a cuirass at "Emesa" and a shield at Alexandria.

That may explain why I have not added a Probus coin for over 20 years. I bought several in the 1990's when they were cheap and unpopular but was bothered by never seeing most of the specific ones I wanted. In most cases these were fancier decorated shields but it certainly included the obverse with horsehead. Those were both rare and attracted attention of non-specialists. I never got into Probus to the point of caring about rarity but always liked the fancy dress obverses. Here are ten assorted military busts. They seem a bit more varied than the other fancy type showing consular robes. Those who feel I should have posted ID's here for these can visit my 1997 page on Probus or the 1999 page on the EQVITI series. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/probus.html https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/equiti.html Rarest Probus? Who has the Calliope? I recall Harlan Berk sold one 'back then' but not to me, for sure.

link: downturned spear Septimius Severus AR denarius Rome mint, reverse showing emperor with downturned spear sacrificing over tripod, Restitutor Urbis, emperor wears boots, emperor appears on both sides of the coin, legend refers to victories over the Parthians --- how many other links are there?

A problem with these is that lower grade coins can lose the mintmark or make it hard to read. Is there a trace of something below the left end of the 3 pointed Pax drapery? I only have three other mintmarked Flavians so I might as well tack them on here. Neither of the Vespasians has a particularly clear BY. The Titus with obverse O is my favorite of the group and is pedigreed to Mabbott in 1969. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=mabbott collection

Looks like a chance to show a Septimius Severus legionary standard eagle but which one should I show? My favorite is the Rome mint LEG XXII PRI. Once I was told by someone (can't recall who) that there were only six known. That was an untruth. I have five and am still lacking one dieset known to exist. The one with the hole was my first. Next: another eagle from later than Septimius

What I find most interesting is the difference in age/weight of Pax between the EPE and BY coins. I remain unaware of any serious study of these coins. I was not aware that any of this series would be called 'common'. I only have one EPE but it is a Domitian. Again, I like its style but it is not the kind of high grade material most people require these days.

Mine is not nearly as perfect but is posted here to show another option in style and mintmark. Opinions differ on the meanings of both.

As do I. Posted in 1998, I was dumb enough to believe it might help people learn the tricks of ID but there are still people who have this issue (often for failure to read every letter). https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/max.html

When I see a $3.99 statue copy, my first question is whether it copied something known to be in some museum or it was sculpted by some $1 a week slave laborer who probably has a better classical education than most of us. My favorite non-fourree Augustus:

The advantage of digital is fields are searchable. I have a few hundred catalogs from the pre2000 era. Many have pen note codes on the cover (ruining their antique value) flagging them as including a noteworthy Julia Domna, Eastern Severus or Pescennius Niger coin (JD, ES, PN). Being able to go to the CNG, acsearch etc. sites and type in key words is a lot more efficient. I wish I know what to do with those catalogs besides the recycle bin when I am through but these are not the grade catalogs that become collectables and have color plates. Most people would value them at less than postage. I was going to get rid of them but enjoy looking at them more than at the current sales which have lesser coins for higher prices. My wife was a librarian. She has a much easier time with the idea running a 'kill shelter' for used books. If books don't circulate in a small town public library, they are trashed. The same 'me' that wonders if 2320 kids yet unborn will understand coins make me wonder if they will know about books made from trees.

I never was a specialist in Aurelian but still found several of his coin appealing (and cheap) enough that they came here for a while. If the bunch, I think I like the one with lion in exergue best. Another favorite is the ratty one from the first period before Aurelian put down the revolt of the mint workers and started issuing coins with decent workmanship. IMO any collection of Aurelian needs at least one of these uglies. His long neck portraits have been mentioned but there are also those I might term 'chesty'. I like several features of this coin. Style, strike, silver .... It came out of a Jonathan Kern $25 pick-out bag in 2000 at a Baltimore show. I got ten coins from him that day. He was one of my favorites back then but later discovered slabs which sent me to other tables. Like I said: Lions are loveable even if the coin is not mint state. Don't pass one up if you get the chance. I like the whale, too, but the style is not the match of the lion coins. I always was fond of left facers when most were right. Pet Peeve: The Vabalathus side of this coin was the obverse. The king was in control of the mint that produced the coins and his reign started before Aurelian was on the scene. The officina letter belongs on the reverse of the coin which is, in this case, Aurelian. I never got one of these that was struck equally well on both sides. The Alexandrian tets are double dated: 4 for the king and 1 for the Augustus. Note also that Alexandria used two lambdas in Vaballathos. Who has the Antioch issue for Vabalathus that spells it VHabalathus? Not I.

We will all have to pick our preferences. The BMC plates show plaster casts made from the coins and glued up on a board where they could be photographed to exact size with a process camera. Things like toning don't show. Later, they started shooting actual coins but paid little attention to things like lighting. I prefer the plaster casts to those. When photos were not pleasing, it became common to use line drawings like they had before photography but this time great attention was paid to getting the style right. The early editions of Sear had some really fine drawings that were better than photos for identifying coins and could combine details from several coins to show what the die looked like. This was especially great for issues that never are found well struck. After that, illustrations were made using the finest known specimens of the coins but still shown in actual size which makes it hard to see clearly small details of small coins. Later they realized some coins needed to be shown enlarged for detail. Today we have digital photos with great detail that can be viewed small or large at the whim of the viewer. My question is how many of these wonderful images will still exist for the education of 22nd century collectors and how many will disappear in a puff of electrons when someone decides they are a waste of bandwidth and no longer a return on investment. I won't be here to care. Our great great grandchildren probably won't care about coins and more than the generations between us and them. I was introduced to coinage with penny candy but now the Dollar Tree chain no longer sells things for just a dollar. When will children be born that have no need for exposure to round metallic disks? Will they even know what our collectable coins were used for. Today's kids often can not identify a rotary dial telephone. IMO, today is a golden age for coin illustration. We have thousands of photos of coins not worth what it cost to make that photo. What is the next step?

I'm not sure I see anything wrong with a dealer buying a coin from another dealer and trying to resell it higher. In many cases, the second dealer may know that he has a customer who would like the coin and keeping rich customers supplied with expensive coins is the name of that particular game. I have purchased coins from VCoins and other places for prices I considered half what I would pay. Sure, they have coins for sale that I would not pay 1/10 the asking price as well. That seems to be the name of the game. Remember any time you win a coin at auction, you only got it because you thought it was worth more than the competition. Dealers who fail to sell at the high price can always mark it down later or sell it to a third dealer who thinks he might have a buyer.