dougsmit

Septimius is my best guess, too. The reverse should be easy with that large B ant lower right but I am missing it.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/wabisabi.html Since I was mentioned in this thread: While I have no problem at all collecting lower grade coins and have a few thousand of them (and none that are perfect), the concept I was trying to get across with that Wabi-Sabi post was that there are coins that have interest BECAUSE of their imperfections rather than just 'in spite of' them. Nearly six years ago I made a YouTube video on the subject of faulty Greek coins. In it I announced there would be a similar one on Roman coins but that turned out to be a lie. I seem to be better at finding venues on coins that I am not interested in pursuing that those that I can handle. I enjoyed the time 25 years ago I spent making my web pages but those are not fashionable today in the era of YouTube. I wonder if I might set some sort of record for time elapsed between videos if I were to make it now.

I really like the little silvers and have posted most of mine here before. I remain of the opinion that it is wrong to force the denomination names of the coins of Athens on other cities that operated on different standards but I am completely unaware of any scholarly work that addresses the questions raised by these coins. While I do use words like tetartemorion for small silvers of what is now Turkey, I sincerely believe this is most likely incorrect. However we really can not use a measurement system like AR5 and AR10 since the small coins from some cities are several times as thick as those of another so an AR5 can weight over twice as much as another coin of the same diameter from a different place. I simply do not know what we should do. My favorite little silvers are from Italy and Sicily where we have evidence the base unit was the litra rather than the obol. fractions were sometimes marked with dots based on twelve dots = one unit. I have two from Syracuse which are at least very rare and never seen compared to the full size whole litra. Whole litra with no mark is too big to be really tiny at 0.7g. It is a common type and often seen in sales. Half (6 dots) adds six dots (6/12). This is the only one I have seen. Grade? Terrible but the style is fine. Two dots would make this tiny coin a hexas (1/6 litra). Weights are deceptive when the coin is chipped or peeling as is this one which should weigh twice as much to fit the pattern. I said there was evidence that the while should be called a litra. I interpret the lambda iota under the crab on this coin to designate the denomination of this 0.68g silver of Akragas. My favorite little silver of Magna Graecia is this 0.25g Sybaris bull. If you believe the four dots mean 4/12 this would be a trias. There are coins of this general type with what seems to be random dots and weights BUT many of them are in poor enough shape that I am not sure what is causing the discrepancies. BTW Sybaris abbreviated the city name MY with the sigma turned 90 degrees from what later times saw appropriate. I date this coin to the early period before the city was destroyed in 509 BC. I would appreciate hearing if anyone has any silver smaller than a drachm from Sybaris. Are there other smaller coins? Also tiny is this 0.1g 'hexas' of Rhegion (RE) showing a facing lion. It is quite thick but chipped. From the other side of the straits and later (mid 5th century???) is this 0.6g hare from Messana. Both too heavy to be of great interest in my 'smaller is better' set are two litra? of Metapontum with incuse reverse designs. One has a reverse of one barley grain rather than the whole head of barley found on the other. ...but what is that sitting there obverse right? Condition oriented collectors won't like these tiny coins. They tend to be individual finds not buried in protective pots do corrosion is pretty standard. I'd guess I have seen a hundred Eastern coins for every Western type under half a gram.

My two coins of My Demetrios Poliorketes are both the same unless you count one being huge and silver and the other being small and AE13. As these go, the AE is relatively nice while the tetradrachm is something of a junk box find from the days when there were large silver tetradrachms in junk boxes. I doubt anyone here has a worse one. I wonder if the slab fans would question calling this one a 1/5. I knew when I saw it that I would never have a perfect one. I miss the late Don Zauche and his half price boxes. The rear section of the prow is extremely thick compared to the rest of the coin

Too many Constantius II came my way from a time when I was shooting photos for Tory's book. It is hard to pick a favorite and I am certain that my pick would not be in the top ten of most people. As Caesar with open doors Amiens has distinctive style and a mullet with three bands. When I was trying to get a Falling Horseman from each of the mints, Trier was the last I found. I paid too much. ex Bridgnorth Hoard The big Chi-Rho is particularly interesting since Constantius II was Arian and would have found the Alpha and Omega offensive. Thes come with pearl and rosette diadems. AR siliqua Not a type seen every day: Rome mint has always been a favorite due to style. Each 'Hut' issuing mint used a different style tree. This is Rome. HOC SIGNO VICTOR ERIS My other silver is higher grade but Thessalonika has particularly regal style. Virtus Augustorum is neither common or popular. One captive Phoenix The last issue that followed the end of FTR coins is not easy to find well struck and full legend. VICT AVG This is the only example I have seen of an 'over-officina' . Is it ANH over ANZ or ANZ over ANH? This Alexandria mint portrait has a particularly long portrait. In addition to the 15 regular mints there are quite a few unofficial or barbarous coins. This coin forsaw the computer age with legends in binary I and O. Here Constantius is spelled IIIIIIIIIIIIII with no O's.

I encourage the photographing of coins on coins and am embarrassed that I have done so few. I know I have shown this way too often but merging the two halves was work and has to be shown (off). Phocaea, Ionia - Silver 1/8 obol? - Late Sixth Century BC - 5mm, .1gFemale head 'Smyrna type' left / 4 part incuse - Rosen 598

Interesting. That is the first one I have seen with a left facing bust so the cut was placed before the nose rather than always on the right side. That will be a theory to test.

Probus had a lot of premium shields. I always found those TXXT issues interesting for the omission of the I in XXI. To figure out which T is Tertia and which is Ticinum you need to see a coin from another officina like this SXXT. I got really interested in Probus about thirty years ago when a bunch appeared on the market at lower prices. Then, later coins were not very popular and I did not know anyone who was into Probus. I dropped out when I failed to find any of the really special ones (Vota shield, horsehead). It was hard for me to settle on just one specialty and Probus with his many obverses was a real contender.

In my active period of collecting, I never skipped the opportunity to buy coins made cheaper because the seller considered them damaged by countermarks. It is hard to pick a favorite but I believe it is the bull with legible Aramaic legend "Luy" = Ba'al. The same mark in lower grade appears here: I believe (and may be the only one who does) that this c/m on the coin of Tarkondimotos was placed intentionally to erase the part of the legend reading 'friend of Antony' by the sons of the late issuing pirate as part of their effort to curry favor with Octavian after Actium. My example was misapplied breaking the coin and sparing the legend usually missing on this type. Some coins gain extra credit for having several c/m's. The owl is cute. I greatly regret failing to buy an Athenian tetradrachm I once saw that had an owl in the reverse field that had all the correct size and style to have been made using a retired obol reverse die. I bid too little and will never know if the winner bought it for the c/m or in spite of it. Others are better for the placement of the mark with relation to the host coin. Did the snake eat the owl? This is my smallest coin with an ancient c/m (bird under deer). There are also modern c/m's placed on ancient coins. I wish I had one of the famous Gonzaga eagles to show but they are popular and expensive. I believe the H here is a Cyrillic 'N' but I remain unsure of the meaning. Of my c/m's on coins of the Roman period, a favorite is this Tiberius on Augustus. It is in the catalogs but few are anything close to this clear. IMO, king of all countermarks is the circular replacement legend on the coin of Drusus and Germanicus. My example is, like most, rather poor. It is actually harder to find this coin without the c/m. Julio Caudian period bronzes have a lot of countermarks. NCAPR is common. They tend to be placed in the same position ech time on a particular type but that position is different for each type. This Nero Claudius Drusus is correctly placed behind the head. The Claudius is usually behind the head rather than in front. Should I be concerned about this variation? The AD on Claudius is the only one I have seen. Who has a guess at the meaning? Finally, a favorite is DV used on unofficial and well worn sestertii of Claudius down-valuing them to dupondius. They are rather common. In addition to the c/m, these always seem to have a shallow test cut at 3 o'clock on the obverse. Why? IDK! Did I mention that I like c/m's?

For some reason this strikes me as a place to show the one piece of coin jewelry that I would buy without hesitation were the opportunity to present itself. In vain, I have posted this photo many times over the years asking to be shown an older photograph showing ancient coin(s). This stereoview dates to the 1850's. Of the many items in my collection that have meaning to me but never turn up any interest from others, this may be number one. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/sterphot.html

This thread certainly shows off my ignorance. Of the group, I could only ID a couple. The devil in me wonders how many coins suitable for showing in this thread have been slabbed. Is there a plastic with PR 1/5 1/5 and a star?😉

This is the point: If you are in it for the money, you will miss the fun; if you are in it for the fun, you may miss the money. It is hard to walk a thin line between the two. I have many coins that many people would may more than I paid BUT those are the coins that I most want to keep because they still make me happy. I would suggest you skip coins and find an interest where you do not need to worry about the money being returned. Coins are great as a hobby to reap rewards other than cash but making decisions based on cash ruins the fun.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that did not find this one easy. Based on expert attributions, my latest ID is Paphos. When I bought it, I thought it was obviously Rhodes and that was the label on it from the seller. This illustrates the problem with many tiny Greek Bronzes which tend to be low grade. While this one is better than most you will find online, I remain uncertain of the symbol in the left reverse field. P seems clear at the bottom left but above it could be a skinny phi or a T with something else above it. There may be hundreds of these in junk boxes around the world but the AE10 coins rarely get much attention and I have found no match for the exact type. The standard references like SNG Helsinki are not in my collection (anyone have it?). I will not be buying a book that costs many times the price of the coin ($15) and, in all honesty, I would not expect a simple catalog to explain why several cities shared this type. Was it used by mercenaries familiar with the rose motif? Then there is the question of what evidence I would require to declare certainty in the ID. Meanwhile it remains a little scrap of metal, while nicer than some of its ilk, of no great interest to anyone. I am labeling it Paphos at the moment but really wish I understood why.

First since last October but I IDed it incorrectly and was corrected over on Facebook to my embarrassment. I bought it mostly so the trip to the coin show would not be a total waste. Is it better to return empty handed or with a coin that is embarassing? Just curious: Can anyone here ID this? No fair if you saw it on Facebook. AE10 1.17g

Sorry I missed Constantius II and Gallus as well as Magnentius/Decentius. I've been busy in the yard and forgot to watch. Meanwhile, Julian. Nothing special but the first (Spes) always struck me as better than most you see of this usually trashy period. His Augustus coins tend to be better. With eagle is harder to find. Withouts are usually nicer than mine but are popular and can get pricy. The two bulls here illustrate the need to distinguish between the mint at Constantia (Arles) where the officina precedes the city and Constantinople. where it follows.

One thing I have learned over the years as a collector is that I know nothing about coins compared to what I do not know. In the recent years, I have become more concerned about the line between official and unofficial issues and the certain ID of mints whether Rome or a branch. How many mints were authorized, short term, or some other shade of genuine? We recently have had proposals of a separate mint for Probus that resembles Antioch but was set up to strike money to fund the action against a usurper. Are there others? I'll tack on what I have in the way of Juno Regina. My feelings on the matter are more of a gut reaction than some scientific certainty. In all honesty, I am increasingly certain that Socrates was correct when he said something to the effect that all he knew was that he knew nothing. Do be careful quoting anyone. As I understand the matter, the Greek texts we have on Socrates (and quite a few others) are reverse translations from later languages and we really have no proof what Socrates said or, for that matter if he said anything that was later attributed to him. I am not a famous philosopher but I am sufficiently confused to know I have no hope of knowing. This is not just about coins. I believe I got the idea from Mary Beard who I believe once said something to the effect that there is no historical truth but only a record of what people believed to be true. Don't quote me on that. Meanwhile, I am left to ponder questions like " Are male ants properly called 'Ncles? 😉

Assorted Crispus I like for one reason or another:

Agree --- or possibly unofficial???

I have several Licinii but consider these special in some way. This is listed twice in RIC. RIC vol VI page 224 #825 as billon and vol VII page 182 #210 where it is AE. Exactly where we cross the border and ignore the silver specks is not all that clear. Worst condition but still the coin of mine in highest demand is this from the EPWc (Eros) group. I once wanted a full set of these but never got them all. Who has a Licinius II with the mintmark? I just liked the portrait style on this Heraclea. What makes a good Licinius II? From Aquileia, he looks older than his years. At Heraclea, the tiny bust was used to acknowledge that Licinius II was a toddler even if he was all dressed up. Of the mints, it is easier to find this one with good silvering. I wonder if they used a better method of plating or if it indicates a large group of well silvered coins having been found together.

I will be interested in hearing how the EID MAR affair affected your sale. I suspect there were a few people not patronizing him at the moment. I also would be interested in hearing where you might place the coin below. I did not look at all your pages but did not see it. I trust you saw the Aaron Berk mention of Probus on You Tube (conveniently just before the sale).

Technically speaking, the Pegasus is on the obverse (anvil die) and Athena on the reverse (punch die). If you were considering trying to get a complete set, this reference should talk you out of it: http://numismatics.org/digitallibrary/ark:/53695/nnan60663 My best stater from Corinth is a common one. Note all three of my silver coins have reticulation (common with these very good silver issues): In addition to the many staters, you can get smaller silver and minor bronzes as well. drachm trihemiobol AE13 note the qoppa under Pegasus

My wolf was a bit later (3rd century - Sear2794var) and is special to me since it came from the 1989 estate of a friend, Grant Edwards, who got it from HMF Schulman. Most of Grant's better Greek coins were sent to a dealer but this one was small, ragged and beneath the notice of the big guys. I was happy to give it a relatively long term home (34 years and counting). Wolf and twins coins are common. I always liked the Republican which left the kids at home.

Since Donna showed a 'Persecution coin' I'll tag on a couple of mine. I was once trying to get the officinae set for the two common types but that seems silly to me now. My best one is the Apollo from shop nine. Most rare is the shop two with SANSTO spelling error. The other common one is Jupiter / Victory. This is S (6). I lack only E (5).

Most Maximinus II coins we see are folles but you might keep an eye out for a Billon Argenteus. The design was nice but the alloy was terrible and so low in silver that the they simply did not survive burial at all well. Many look as bad as mine. If you find one on good metal, I suggest you buy it. RIC 826 page 224

Almost too late as usual: Pre-reform antoninianus Lugdunum post reform follis Alexandria follis with alloy mark XXI as Augustus posthumous fraction lastly, the much later AE3 issued by Constantine for each of his family who were emperors (also for Claudius II and Maximianus)