jdmKY

Julius Caesar

Tripods from 42 BC Brutus quinarius Brutus denarius Cassius denarius

Happy Ides! And here’s my recently discovered hoard (any offers over $400K per coin accepted). Interesting fact - at this year’s ANS Gala there was an “EID MAR reunion” of 5 collectors who have 6 EID MARs between them. (For some reason they wouldn’t let me count my hoard above in the total!)

@Salomons Cat Yes, I agree. Her expressive portrait is one of my favorite portrait coins, by far.

Here’s my small parliament - Added bonus - one in the wild (actually semi-wild, a member of The Greenbrier Falconry Academy).

It’s interesting that much of the research that made this possible was conducted at the University of Kentucky, here in Lexington. We’re not exactly known as a center for ancient studies (normally more famous for basketball). Several years ago, I reached out to Professor Brent Seales and he was kind enough to give me a tour of his labs and provide some insight into his research. At the time, he was also examining a Dead Sea Scroll along with the Herculaneum papyri. Seale’s work was focused on only transcribing the characters, leaving the translation to others. It was truly fascinating to learn about his groundbreaking work.

Vibius Varus, 42 BC NEXT: Apollo

Papius Celsus, denarius, 45 BC She-wolf (without twins) and eagle NEXT: Juno Sospita

19 hours!!! OMG - I killed the thread.

C. Numonius Vaala, 41 BC, denarius NEXT: Bestiarii or gladiators

Lunch - Joe’s Home of Soup Dumplings - 48th between Madison and 5th. I ate there today - delicious!

Not to gloat but …. 1 for 1! Vibius Varus, 42 BC (CNG photo)

@DonnaML - I stopped by one of the majors last year (NAC) and was able to buy a nice example of a coin I’ve been looking for over several years. They had a handful of interesting coins for private sale.

Here are my 2 “children” - Cricket and Beanie Cricket was a “double-reject” from the Lexington Humane Society, her first adopter returned her because she was too wild (accurate assessment) Beanie was rescued from a hoarder, he was kept in a crate in a barn for much of his life. He was scared of his own shadow when we got him - he wouldn’t move around the house or yard, he also never barked at anything. The photo above of us walking was the first time we got him to walk on a leash (it took 2 years). Well, now he’s out of his shell, and much like my wife, has decided that he likes wintering in Florida while I stay home, working and coming home to an empty house.

Here are a few - Julius Caesar T Carisius Mn Cordius Rufus

I’ll arrive Wednesday night. I’ll do the preview on Thursday, then hang around until Sunday morning. I did attend the preview last year and found a coin that I had wanted for many years so I found it worth the extra money. It was also somewhat less crowded. Hope to see a lot of friends there!

@SimonW thank you for sharing these, they are extremely interesting and appealing! Coincidentally, I watched Aaron Berk’s latest Ancient Coin Podcast (#38 I think) and he had a short discussion about contorniates as well as medallions. Very interesting segment.

Joe - 5 superb coins (but we expect no less from you)! I love the JC aureus, the portraits are truly outstanding as some of these are much cruder and less attractive. And great news on the provenance. Kudos!

Papius Celsus, 45 BC And another “peanut” for @lordmarcovan - Brutus, 42 BC

Quintus Labienus, denarius, 40 BC Parthian horse

Lentulus and Marcellus, denarius, 49 BC NEXT: Medusa

Hostilius Saserna, 48 BC, denarius NEXT - Gallic theme

Marcus Arrius Secundus, denarius, 41 BC Not in hand yet, so this is Kunker’s photo. I was pretty proud of myself as this is coin #100 in my Imperatorial collection and then I read about @akeady’s collection of over 2000 coins! I’m not worthy! This coin is the final piece of an interesting “triumvirate” of Imperatorial coins - note the portrait’s strong resemblance to Octavian. At the same time, two other moneyers, L Servius Rufus and Numonius Vaala, struck coins that bear striking resemblances to Brutus and the late Julius Caesar. These coins have been the subject of much speculation - was it just coincidence or were these moneyers subtly signaling their allegiances during these unsettled times?

Numonius Vaala, 41 BC NEXT: A shield that’s not round

If one wished to be ostentatious, one could always choose an elephant for headgear!