ewomack

Q for Quiver

P. Clodius Turrinus Rome mint, 42 BC; Laureate head of Apollo right; lyre to left / Diana Lucifera standing facing, head right, bow and quiver on her shoulder, holding lighted torch in each hand; M • F at left, P • CLODIVS at right 3.5 g, 19 mm Crawford 494/23; Syd 1117

Q for crescent in second quarter

Antioch. Bohémond III. 1163-1201. AR Denier (19mm, 0.97 g, 2h). Class C, var. c. Struck circa 1163-1188. + BOAИVHDVS, helmeted and mailed head left; crescent before, star behind / + AИTI:OCHIA, cross pattée; crescent in second quarter. Metcalf, Crusades 378; CCS 67d. Good VF

Q for Queen

Q for Quarter

Q for Quarter Rial (Saudi Arabia 1954, H 1374)

An "All of my Half Cents" free-for-all

As I get to know Roman coins, I also want to expand my knowledge of Roman history. "Nescient" wouldn't describe my current knowledge, but "proficient" probably wouldn't either. Disparate sources over the years, including books, documentaries and an actual trip to Italy, have bequeathed to me a "little bit of this, a little bit of that" level of knowledge.

Years ago, I read "Chronicle of the Roman Emperors," which, though packed with information and great photos, lacked an overall "big picture" treatment of major themes. Not surprisingly, it focused on emperors and left quite a bit out. Nonetheless, it probably served as a good starting point for just how involved this subject can get. It painted the Praetorian Guard with a downright terrifying glaze. Apparently, some emperors learned valuable lessons the hard way.

In hopes of achieving slightly more curated knowledge at a high level, I read "The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction," which dealt well with major themes, but it intentionally left out a chronological history of major events. I learned a lot, but it serves as a better starting than ending point, so, given the mass of Roman history in my brain, I'm ready to move on to a more thorough and chronological treatment. The best probably begin with Rome as a city turned Republic and then follow its course through the Western collapse. One that also covered Byzantium would probably run well into several volumes.

I'm guessing that more than a few large scale Roman history books exist. Does anyone have specific recommendations of single modern books that cover the history of the rise and fall of Rome? I don't think I'm too keen on reading Gibbon at this point, so I'll add the condition "besides Gibbon." I've heard good things about Mary Beard's "SPQR," but I've also heard that it deals with a narrower historical scope than many histories. Unless I've heard wrong, I'd rather save that particular book for later. A general search gives an almost overwhelming flurry of options.

I have watched every Mary Beard documentary that I can find on YouTube. Her "Meet the Romans" probably remains my favorite. I have yet to read any of her books, but I've heard very good things about "SPQR."

P for Probus

Probus AE Antoninianus. Siscia, 281 AD. IMP C M AVR PROBVS AVG, radiate draped bust right / CLEMENTIA TEMP, Probus standing right, holding sceptre, receiving Victory from Jupiter standing left, holding sceptre. Officina letter in lower centre. Mintmark XXI. Cohen 87, Ric 644.

P for Pius Felix Augustus

Julian II (360 - 363) AE1 (BI Maiorina); Thessalonika Mint; Obv: DN FL CL IVLIANUS PF AUG; Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right; Rev: SECVRITAS REIPVB; Bull standing right, two stars above;*TESΓ in exergue; Ref: RIC 226; NGC Graded Ch. XF

P for Pater Patriae

Justinian I Follis (540/1 - Year 14), Constantinople mint, Obv: DN IVSTINIANVS PP AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing holding cross on globe and shield; cross to right. Rev: Large M, ANNO to left, cross above, XIIII (date) to right, A below, CON in exergue, Sear 163

P for Penny

P for Philippe IV

Philippe IV Silver Denier Tournois, 18mm, 1285 - 1310; Obv: + PhILIPPVS REX, Rev: + TVRONVS CIVIS

4 hours ago, leeshiel said:

Sorry i asked for advice and how to clean iron oxide from a coin and received no answers, i also was polite to thank you for allowing me to join and didn't receive one welcome message i presumed a cleaning thread was taboo,

Regardless for anyone with interest i am manually cleaning with a thorn and soaking the Stephen penny in lemon juice it;s a rare  coin with only 13 recorded slowly but surely getting there.

 

Welcome to the forum!

It's okay. I've posted here from close to the forum's beginning and I still occasionally post something that doesn't receive a response. It happens. On at least one occasion, I received a response only a week later.

If you post something that violates the rules, someone will likely tell you.

Deleting your posts will ensure that you don't receive an answer. What I don't understand is that someone did respond to your post, so you did receive an answer and then you deleted your posts. You can do what you want, and you must have had your reasons, which is fine, but just understand that if you do that then no one can help you.

Japan (大日本) 1 Rin (一厘) 1874 (明治七年)

Saudi Arabia 1954 (H 1374) 1 Riyal

I just ordered a new ancient this very evening, so, until that one arrives, this Leo VI Byzantine remains my latest ancient. But not for much longer.

Leo VI (AD 886-912); Constantinople; Æ Follis; Obv: +LEOn bAS - ILEVS ROM' Bust facing wearing crown and chlamys, holding akakia in l. hand; Rev: Inscription in four lines: +LEOn / Eh ΘEO bA / SILEVS R / OmEOh; 7.67g.;  Berk 918, Sear 1729

19 hours ago, kirispupis said:

Photo I took of the IIS crossing in front of the moon.

That is an awesome and stunning lunar photo. Do you mind me asking what equipment you used? Do you have an astrophotography setup (i.e., is it a flipped telescopic image)? Did you use a DSLR time lapse?

I have not made any investments in astrophotography at this time. All I have amounts to some high powered binoculars (25x70) and a mobile phone. 😁 I used that humble setup to take this far less impressive image.

As for moon coins, the best I can do is the only modern commemorative I've ever purchased, the 2019 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 coin.

I think all I have for this one is:

O for "Os"

N for Nero

Nero AR Hemidrachm of Caesaria, Cappadocia. c54-63 AD. NERO CLAVD DIVI CLAVD F CAESAR AVG GERMANI, laureate head right / Victory seated right on globe, writing on shield, SGI 616, RPC 3645. RIC 617. Sydenham 82.

N for 40 Nummi (which "M" stands for on the reverse)

Leo V AD 813-820, Æ Follis (23mm, 4.43 grams) Constantinopolis; LEON S CONST; facing busts of Leo (l.) and Constantine (r.);Large M between XXX and NNN; cross above and A below; Sear 1630

N for Nicole on Lund (London moneyer)

H4516 - ENGLAND, Henry III (1216-1272), Penny, 1.31g., Voided Long Cross Coinage, Class 3c, (1248-1250), Nicole - London, crowned facing bust of Henry, i.m. star, HENRICVS REX III, rev., voided long cross with trefoil of pellets in each angle,  NICOLE ON LVND, (N.988; S.1364), almost very fine.

Richard Thompson playing So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo by Orazio Vecchi from around 1590. He does play the song eventually, but he chatters a bit beforehand. Then a medieval Italian coin from a few hundred years before.

Italy, Republic of Genoa, 1139 - 1339 AR Gross ND; Obv: +.IA.NV.A. Castle view; Rev: CVNRADIREX, Maltese type cross with six diamonds around. Ref: Biaggi 895

M for Marcus Aurelius, author of The Meditations

Marcus Aurelius. AR Denarius. Struck 161/2 AD. M ANTONINVS AVG, bare head right / CONCORD AVG TR P XVII, COS III in exergue, Concordia seated left, holding patera, resting left elbow on statuette of Spes set on base. 18mm 3.4gm

M for Michael II and a very large "M"(for 40 nummi)

Michael II the Amorian (AD 820-829) with Theophilus Æ Follis; Constantinople mint; Obv: MIXAHL S ΘЄOFILOS, crowned facing busts of Michael (on left) and Theophilus (on right); cross above; Rev: Large M, X/X/X to left, cross above, N/N/N to right, Θ below; 29.12mm; 6.21 grams; Sear 1642

M for random Medieval coin

Philppe IV Silver Denier Tournois, 18mm, 1285 - 1310; Obv: + PhILIPPVS REX, Rev: + TVRONVS CIVIS

M for Emperor Meiji (明治)

M for M.L. Marshall

L for Lyre and Diana Lucifera

P. Clodius Turrinus Rome mint, 42 BC; Laureate head of Apollo right; lyre to left / Diana Lucifera standing facing, head right, bow and quiver on her shoulder, holding lighted torch in each hand; M • F at left, P • CLODIVS at right 3.5 g, 19 mm Crawford 494/23; Syd 1117

L for Leo (V and VI)

Leo V

Leo VI

L for Labarum

Theophilus (AD 829-842) Æ Follis; Constantinople mint; AD 830-842; Obv: ΘEOFIL bASIL; Half-length figure standing facing, holding labarum and globus cruciger; Rev: ΘEO / FILE AVG / OVSTE SV / hICAS in four lines; 27.66mm; 7.46 grams; Sear 1667

L for Lorraine

France-Lorraine 1506 - 1544 1/2 Gros or Double Blanc

L for Leopold

L for Liberty

K for Kreuzer

K for Koningin Wilhelmina

K for King George VI

K for King? Maybe?

K for William Kneass, designer of the Capped Bust Quarter (Reduced 1831 - 1838)

K for Kookaburra

J for Japan

J for Julian II (thanks to the translation from Latin of "I" to "J," these can double-dip)

J for Justinian I

J for James I

J for JFK

J for Junk Silver

J for January 22nd, 1838 (on reverse)

J for James B, Longacre, designer of the Indian Head Cent

J for James Earle Fraser, designer of the Buffalo Nickel

 

Having done one live interview in front of about 100 people and at least one other, that I can remember, on live radio, I confess my first reaction to the errors posted above was sympathy. I used to sing in a band and I played hundreds of shows, but, in those cases, I had lyrics memorized. Though still nerve-wracking at times, I didn't know how good I had it. By contrast, when faced with random questions from an interviewer who I barely knew, and a silent and anticipatory crowd watching just yards away, I was very surprised at how I answered and how I acted in that situation. It takes experience and practice to keep a straight head in such a circumstance. There is pressure to not allow a moment of silence (especially on radio) and the brain can just go wild and spew forth the first thing that arrives in immediate consciousness. I wish I had more opportunities to practice. That said, it's completely appropriate to point out errors made in such circumstances, because no one wants false information spreading around, especially when beginners who may not know any better are paying attention. The mistakes cited are unfortunate but, to me at least, understandable given the situation.

Hello and welcome @Hughie Dwyer! You have received excellent advice and guidance so far, and you already seem to have a pretty nice collection, so all I can really do is build on the previous posts with my own limited experience.

I second, third, fourth, whatever number we were on, VCoins as a place to purchase ancients. I have bought from various dealers on that site for years and have yet to experience any problems worth mentioning. Also, I never buy from dealers who don't offer a full refund if the coin(s) they sell you later turn up as fakes or forgeries. Nor do I buy from any dealers who don't have a "no questions asked" return policy of a certain period of time (usually 7 - 14 days). This gives me enough time to receive a coin, post it here, and gain enough assurance in it to keep it. This method has worked extremely well for me. I've even posted dealer pictures of coins for evaluation prior to buying. This forum contains many genuinely helpful people who genuinely seek to help others. They truly want others to enjoy the pursuit of ancient coins. I see very little, if any, discussions here about "investing" or "profiting" from the hobby, apart from buying responsibly and using caution where needed.

I also couldn't agree more about avoiding Ebay, unless you're buying from an established dealer there who you already know, and who offers the policies mentioned above. Some good dealers do have Ebay stores. Just use extreme caution when something looks too good to be true. It likely is.

Reading books on ancient coins has also helped me greatly. The Wayne Sales series contains a lot of great information, as do various books from Spink and other sources. I also enjoy reading general histories of the eras that I like to collect. Since Byzantines have recently captured my attention, I picked up a short history of that empire. Many of my ancient acquisitions arose from reading, which includes Marcus Aurelius, Julian II, and Nero (for Seneca), etc. This adds additional dimensions to collecting for me and personalizes my purchases somewhat. I'm not one to buy to fill holes and my collection will likely remain relatively small.

You have come to the right place! Enjoy!

Fancy, self-adjusting digital clocks have ruined the time change surprises from analog days. Then, one would wake up, see that it's 9:00 AM, feel tired, and then suddenly realize "Whoa! It's really only 8:00!!" and go back to sleep for an hour. More than once, I forgot completely about the time change and only realized it around 2:00 PM. At those moments the "extra hour" did feel like a small gift. But generally I agree that it makes only a small difference, especially with the levels of light pollution in cities now.

I for IMPERATOR (IMP)

GORDIAN III AR silver antoninianus. IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right. Reverse - P M TR P VI COS II PP, Gordian standing right with globe & spear. RSC 276. 22mm, 5.3g. 242-243 AD.


Probus AE Antoninianus. Siscia, 281 AD. IMP C M AVR PROBVS AVG, radiate draped bust right / CLEMENTIA TEMP, Probus standing right, holding sceptre, receiving Victory from Jupiter standing left, holding sceptre. Officina letter in lower centre. Mintmark XXI. Cohen 87, Ric 644.

For IVLIA (IVL)

Cyzicus RIC VII 69 Constantius II AE3. 330-334 AD. FL IVL CONSTANTIVS NOB C, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right / GLORIA EXERCITVS, two soldiers, helmeted, standing with spears & shields, facing two standards between them, dot on banners. Mintmark SMKΓ dot.

For IVLIANUS

Julian II (360 - 363) AE1 (BI Maiorina); Thessalonika Mint; Obv: DN FL CL IVLIANUS PF AUG; Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right; Rev: SECVRITAS REIPVB; Bull standing right, two stars above;*TESΓ in exergue; Ref: RIC 226; NGC Graded Ch. XF

For IUSTINIANUS


Justinian I Follis (540/1 - Year 14), Constantinople mint, Obv: DN IVSTINIANVS PP AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing holding cross on globe and shield; cross to right. Rev: Large M, ANNO to left, cross above, XIIII (date) to right, A below, CON in exergue, Sear 163

For Italy

Italy, Republic of Genoa, 1139 - 1339 AR Gross ND; Obv: +.IA.NV.A. Castle view; Rev: CVNRADIREX, Maltese type cross with six diamonds around. Ref: Biaggi 895

For IACOB

My feelings about provenance remain somewhat mixed, though also tinged with skepticism. It can have some snob appeal, i.e., "I now possess an item from a prestigious and renowned collection!" as though the purchaser has entered into some form of consumer primogeniture. This can definitely get exploited into higher prices. Yet, assuming the provenance proves accurate, it also can reveal an object's recent history and give some, though perhaps not indelible, feeling of authenticity. Regardless, provenance accompanying an item often comes with an assumption of accuracy, that no one "mixed up the babies" somewhere in the distant past. Auction catalogs can help substantiate such claims in some cases, but other cases seem reduced to faith.

Recently, I purchased a coin with provenance from a prominent dealer and a deaccession number from a museum. Despite this, I still wanted the coin, and I didn't buy it because of the provenance, but it admittedly added some luster to the purchase. So far, though I have no reason to doubt the claims, I have had no luck tracing the coin to the museum. Do they still have information on where they obtained it? Does that information go further back? It is worth it to contact the museum itself? For whatever reasons, they obviously no longer wanted the item, so the provenance feels twofold: first, it says "this object once graced a museum's collection" and second, it says "museum reject."

Given all of this, I don't dismiss provenance wholesale, but I don't take it too seriously, either. It has its, perhaps sometimes tenuous, uses. Of course some use it as a marketing tactic, similar to slabs, which have also, again perhaps tenuously, taken on an air of provenance. Who knows whether that insinuation will stick long term? On the whole, the collectibles market has become an "exploit what you can" marketplace, but the lure of provenance goes back a long way, arguably back to claims of reliquaries and earlier. Despite everything, I don't see the power of provenance, though disputable, going away anytime soon (I worked in the museum field some years ago and experienced its inexorable force directly many times). Though a good dose of skepticism and education will go a long way towards minimizing the risks of relying on its claims. And that applies to many other things in this strange universe.

One of my undergrad philosophy professors had written a few well known books on medieval thinkers (I think one was Nicholas of Cusa). On some random day in class, he stopped and talked about how he always found himself saying inaccurate things when interviewed on radio (this was pre-podcast era). He couldn't explain it, and he hated giving interviews because of it. Though he seemed to have a sense of humor about this behavior, it also clearly bothered him. He said something like "there I was, an authority on this subject - I had studied it for decades - saying things that were just flatly wrong. I still don't understand."

What I've heard from others more experienced than me on this forum - if it's crumbly (i.e., breaks apart when prodded with a toothpick) it could be BD. If it's solid it's likely malachite and fine.

But I would wait for people more experienced in such things than me to chime in first.

H for Hemidrachm

Nero AR Hemidrachm of Caesaria, Cappadocia. c54-63 AD. NERO CLAVD DIVI CLAVD F CAESAR AVG GERMANI, laureate head right / Victory seated right on globe, writing on shield, SGI 616, RPC 3645. RIC 617. Sydenham 82.

And Henry III

H4516 - ENGLAND, Henry III (1216-1272), Penny, 1.31g., Voided Long Cross Coinage, Class 3c, (1248-1250), Nicole - Canterbury, crowned facing bust of Henry, i.m. star, HENRICVS REX III, rev., voided long cross with trefoil of pellets in each angle,  NICOLE ON CANT, (N.988; S.1364), almost very fine.

And for "Hogmouth" (though it's not a very nice thing to say - I didn't make it up)

And Helm Dernier

Antioch. Bohémond III. 1163-1201. AR Denier (19mm, 0.97 g, 2h). Class C, var. c. Struck circa 1163-1188. + BOAИVHDVS, helmeted and mailed head left; crescent before, star behind / + AИTI:OCHIA, cross pattée; crescent in second quarter. Metcalf, Crusades 378; CCS 67d. Good VF

And a Half Cent (why not?)

Another large consideration involves whether someone, or a culture or a political entity, actually wants something back and has a rightful claim to it. The second part of that consideration will obviously vary by incident and will probably not form consistent criteria applicable to all cases. Cases will likely arise in which the claim doesn't hold and the object remains in place, but some cases, such as the Native American and Yoruba cases mentioned above, seem pretty clear cut. Extreme cases, such as the types often used in counter arguments against returning anything, likely won't hold any water and probably won't arise in reality anyway. Could someone ask for the return of stones from Hagia Sophia? Sure. Will they get very far? That seems very unlikely. But that doesn't dismiss the issue in general. The principle at question here isn't "give everything back without question," but "has someone asked for it back and/or does a good case exist for giving it back?" Again, that second question will vary greatly in application. As to coins, some cases might hold and some cases might not. I don't think any blanket criteria could possibly apply to every possible case.