Curtis JJ

EDIT: Just realized, I've merged "post your new coins" in the CNG e-auction wins... these aren't CNG but I'll leave 'em here Maybe I'll make a new thread about these (I say that a lot, but mostly I don't do it!), as I was considering, but it seems relevant now, so why not... Do you mean Bertolami? I assume so, since I got the same email about vacation until August 31, and am waiting on a package to be shipped. I'm sure I would be very displeased if there had been a shipping problem and the package returned to sender and I couldn't get in touch! Yikes. (I took a couple weeks to pay until they were already on vacation, so for my situation, I don't mind that I'm waiting for mine to ship.) I've bought from them a few times. Previously, I did have one that took a little while to ship, but everything turned out okay. I think they'll get everything sorted out in the end, just may take a couple more weeks. TWO ORDERS FROM THE BONO & ALBERTO SIMONETTA COLLECTION OF CAPPADOCIA (7 COINS TOTAL): More detail below on the first three of the seven. I had already bought two coins from Simonetta Collection at one of the previous Bertolami sales (Auction 109, May), and now I'm waiting on five more from the more recent auction (Auction 119, July). The book below is Bono Simonetta's (1977) The Coins of the Cappadocian Kings (Types II), which cited and/or illustrated his collection at the time. (It is easy to find; one seller has new copies for $12!) The coins sitting on the cover are the ones I got from Bertolami 109: SIMONETTA v MORHKOLM, c. 1961-1978: Simonetta's 1961 Numismatic Chronicle article & 1977 catalogs became standard references but also major sources of controversy. B. Simonetta & Otto Morkholm famously debated Cappadocian coins in numerous publications across several journals and books in the 1960s-1970s. I was interested in those specific coins that were illustrated or cited multiple times on both sides of their increasingly vitriolic disagreements. Naturally, it's very fun for the collector to read two important scholars arguing about coins now in one's own collection. Note: The attributions below are those given by Bertolami, usually following Alberto Simonetta. By choice, most of mine have contested identifications. For now, I'm agnostic on the accuracy of their descriptions; they could be different rulers/dates, as Morkholm suggests. The really interesting thing is to understand what the authors agree/disagree about, and why, and to try to understand whose argument is better and has been more widely accepted by later authors -- but all that is too much to summarize, so I'm just mentioning the references where those arguments unfold below From the 2nd (most recent) auction, here's the one I'm most excited about: Ariarathes VII AR Drachm (3.93g, 16mm, 12h), dated RY = A/1. Simonetta 1977, p. 35, n. 1, pl. IV,11 (this coin); Parthica 2007, Ar. VII 4/1 (this coin). Bertolami EA 119 (10 July 2022), Lot 10. Illustrated in Bono's 1961 article [https://www.jstor.org/stable/42662304]: Same coin in Simonetta 1977, plate 4, no. 11: Also cited in E. Cohen's (2011) Dated Coins of Antiquity and Morholm 1978 (p. 145, ArVII No. 2); also, I believe (need to double-check) cited in Morkholm 1969. It's at least cited in the 2007 Parthica 9 (2007) catalog of the Alberto Simonetta collection, but I don't know if it's illustrated. I've never seen the 2007 catalog. (It's very rare for such a widely cited publication and seems to be rather expensive, $200 with shipping is a good deal; even the e-book is like 300 Euros!) Does anyone know if all the Simonetta coins are illustrated in Parthica 9 (2007), or just some of the coins, like in Typos II (1977)? I think they're all illustrated, but I'm not sure. Another from the recent auction group of 5. Ariarathes V Eusebes Philopator Drachm (3.70g, 19mm, 12h) Simonetta 1977, p. 27, n. 15b, pl. III,4 (this coin); Parthica 2007, Ar. VIII? 3a-b/1 (this coin on pl. XV.3a, description on p. 77, 3b). Bertolami 119, Lot 7: Also illustrated in Simonetta 1977 / Typos II, plate 3, no. 4: That one is cited but not illustrated in the 1961 NC article. Also, I believe, the subject of debate over several rounds with Morkholm, 1969-1978. Apparently also illustrated in Parthica 9 (2007). From the 1st auction: Ariarathes IX (c. 100-98/5 BC) Drachm (4.13g, 18mm, 12h) -- or is it Ariarathes V Eusebes Philopator (Circa 163-130 BC). Simonetta 1977, p. 27, n. 8, pl. II,14 (this coin); Parthica 2007, Ar. V 10/1 (this coin). Bertolami 109, Lot 206. Cited in the 2007 Parthica 9 vol., but I don't know if it's illustrtated. Another interesting detail and area of research: This coin was reportedly a "gift of Hans von Aulock" to Bono Simonetta, but no date is given by Bertolami. This coin does not appear to have been in the Simonetta Collection when the 1961 article was published. I'm still trying to determine if this coin was one of the coins cited in Morkholm, 1968 (in Essays Robinson, p. 250): Ariarathes IX, Series II, Type 1. Morkholm was aware of 13 specimens, but this obverse die, at least, seems to be unknown him. Morkholm apparently had access to the von Aulock and Simonetta collections. He described a coin of the type from the von Aulock collection weighing 4.14g (consistent with this coin), but the photo shows a coin of this type with different dies. Perhaps von Aulock had multiple and gave a duplicate to Simonetta? Maybe Morkholm or the NC editor got something mixed up and used the wrong photo? I don't have a copy of SNG von Aulock and haven't checked yet whether this coin is published there (for the Cappadocian, that's vol 3, 1964), but I'm assuming it's a duplicate.

Obsession may be a necessary ingredient for specialized collections; and specialized collections benefit us all, since only the obsessed specialist can hope to learn (almost) everything important about even the narrowest slices of coinage. Therefore, let us all raise a rhyton: "To Obsession!" My own obsession (or aspiring obsession) is with "barbarians, captives, and enemies" on Roman coins (my "B.C.E. Collection"). I feel especially compelled to try to understand the minute details of the Fallen Horsemen, "trophy tableaux," and related designs. My BCE highlights page illustrates about 80 of my specimens right now, but I have many, many more duplicates and lower-grade examples. The most minute details keep me up at night: Do these captives have a collar and waist harness, connected to their wrists with bindings? (Only the left coin is mine, the others @Jims,Coins and @Qcumbor.) Are these captives wearing Swabian Knot hairstyles?? (They're Gemanic: the left probably Alemanni, the right Quadi.) Notice also that the left coin (Severus Alexander, Alexandria, Tetradrachm) is an early example of captives in "stress positions." (Forced to crouch with no seat upon which to put their weight, such as the pile of shields that appeared under seated captives on Commodus' denarius.) A variety of such positions became much more common in the 3rd cent. Likewise, with Fallen Horsemen, I'm always trying to figure out which nations/ethnic groups/tribes are being depicted, and whether those were specific to the different mints and possibly to political messages that were important in different geographies or under the different emperors in charge there and then. (A number of books and articles -- as well as interesting CT and FAC posts -- address this topic, but I won't try to discuss them or add the biblio just now.) (On the FH's, I particularly appreciate the collections of @maridvnvm and @Randygeki and @dougsmit who appear to have been very successfully obsessed with the type, much to the benefit of the rest of us.) Was the Thessalonica mint's horseman a Western/Germanic "barbarian" or maybe even a Sarmatian? Thessalonica's typical enemy is short haired and beardless, wearing shirt and trousers, but no hat / headwear. Sometimes Germanic captives were shown that way (on this Probus VICTORIA GERM Antoninianus, for example); but they could be beardless or bearded. He's depicted like Constantine's Sarmatians (I believe Sarmatia was northward and eastward, on the north of the Black Sea, and at least on the same side of the empire as Thessalonica): These guys with pointed hats/helmets from Siscia, Arles, Cyzicus, Aquileia (and, I'm sure, other mints) seem to depict "Eastern" foes: However, oddly, this next one seems to be wearing a Roman-style knee-length tunic not the trousers typically associated with barbarians. (I.e., skirt, not pants, like the Roman spearing him.) For now I'm sticking with a tentative "Eastern" (Persian, Sassanid, et al.): Even more challenging may be the more ambiguous bearded, trousered foes who are often depicted by the Constantinople and Antioch mints. Sometimes they have helmets, sometimes braids. It's not entirely clear to me how many "types" of enemy they represent or whether any specific groups are even intended. I've seen them described as Sassanid/Persian (most often) or Germanic or simply generic enemies. I have hypotheses, but don't feel I have as much support for them as I'd like: I've got at least dozens more of the fallen horsemen (probably hundreds if you count all the low grade AE3s I've got in bags), and at least a few hundred total of the captives types overall (again, many of these are low grade a AE2s, AE3s, and AE4s, or very worn denarii, or Antoniniani of various degrees of debasement and preservation). Sometimes it's worth it to have kept all those $3 examples. They don't make a random sample or even a census of types, but once in a while something comes up that they can help me answer (e.g., does the distribution of horseman types vary across the different mints, or between AE2 & AE3/AE4 and/or by emperor -- the FH1, FH2, FH3, and FH4 [?] categories). Being obsessed, it can be almost unthinkable to part with a duplicate, even if the 364th Constantius II AE3 is virtually unidentifiable and was destroyed by the previous owner's electrolysis experiments... "To Obsession!"

Oh, now that I think about it (just to contradict something I said above), I don't think Nerva had a "Capta" series of his own, did he? As far as I know, I don't think he ever used a trophy or Victory either (both of which may imply captives), except "Roma holding Victory" (on RIC; maybe there were some Provcincials I'm not thinking of). In fact, Nerva's one coin that looks like a Judaea Capta -- big palm tree w/ FISCI IVDAICA CALVMNI SVBLATA -- is reportedly referencing the relief of taxation on the Jews (almost anti-Capta). All of that was highly out of the ordinary, and I don't know if there was ever another emperor whose coinage overall was so non-hostile toward outsiders. (Please tell me if anyone knows more on that topic, since collecting "captives coinage" means trying to understand its absences as well.) I guess the Romans would have to wait a few more years for the next big "Capta"... The first one after Germania would've been Dacia, I believe. "DAC CAP": By then, an abbreviation was enough to get the point across, especially alongside bound, pointy-hatted, mourning captives. [ * See note at end on dating, or my questions of.] Actually, it's a fair question whether or not to call the "personifications" of other nations "captives," but either way, they're clearly part of the same tradition. This is the classic personification of Dacia seated upon captured arms (interestingly, personifications were generally female, but it seems like they're also often dressed as warriors). It's easier to see on better preserved ones, but the curved swords and the hexagonal shields illustrate the kind of weapons used by Dacians in combat: Roman Imperial. Trajan (98-117) AR Denarius (3.04g, 18mm, 6h). Rome, circa 108/9 CE. That imagery was slightly modified for the Marcus Aurelius / Lucius Verus Parthian captives series (I showed a few of theirs in another active thread on L. Verus). Next two photos, Source: Jesus Vico. Below, I believe the standing captive (or even personification of Dacia?) with hands bound in front (not always visibly bound) is unique to Trajan's coinage (but see Augustus' remarkable Armenian warrior denarius [RIC 520]). This standing captive probably didn't show the concept of "captivity" clearly enough or enough discomfort or despair. (Note: By the 3rd & 4th centuries, most captives were actually shown in "stress positions" of various kinds, no comfort allowed.) Here is a modification of the classic Roman "Trophy Tableau," to use Kinnee's phrase (this modification first used by Vespasian, continued under M. AVR & L. VERVS; again, I showed a low-grade M.A. in my comment on the L.V. thread ) See Kinnee's 2016 article and 2018 book for more on the trophy-with-captives as a distinctively Roman artistic innovation (though it appears in many sculptures and other art forms, Kinnee claims it began in coinage, specifically the Marian AR Quinarii of Fundanius [101 BCE] and Cloelius [98 BCE]). NOT MY COIN: The rare Aureus of a Dacian sitting on a shield (RIC 89), copying Domitian. Source: Staatliche Museum Berlin, via Numismatics.org/OCRE [by ANS], Münzkabinett Berlin Museum # 18272997 (accessioned 1873, General Hermann von Gansauge). NOT MY COIN: Here is the type Trajan was adapting to Dacians, Domitian's original Germania Capta Aureus: Source: CNG Triton VI (13 Jan 2003), Lot: 849. See also: Triton XXIII (14 Jan 2020), Lot: 711. Edit: One more type! I forgot this one, since it's rarely described as a Dacia Capta type. But the Columna Traiani was actually a celebration of Trajan's wars in Dacia and if you could zoom in really really close to the detail on the column's giant scrolling graphic-novel-frieze depicting the wars (it scrolls around and around all the way to the top), you'd see captives depicted many times in many ways. Unfortunately, my camera isn't quite good enough to zoom in and see the detail on the column (and I can't figure out how to photograph the far side of the column at all!): Numismatic "Trophy Tableau" Refs: Kinnee, Lauren. 2016. “The Trophy Tableau Monument in Rome: From Marius to Caecilia Metella.” Journal of Ancient History 4(2): 191–239. [Unfortunately I can't find a link to any (legal) online copies; if anyone ever finds one, please let me know so I can add it to Biblio file & page.] 2018. The Greek and Roman Trophy: From Battlefield Marker to Icon of Power. New York: Routledge. [A substantial preview is available on Google Books.] * Dating the DAC CAP coins: I haven't read up enough on the exact dating (but right now reading about Trajan's COS V coins), but my understanding is: Trajan's first Dacian war ended c. 102; there was a second Dacian War, c. 105-6. The DAC CAP coinage begins in Trajan's fifth consulship (COS V). That ran 103-111, I think? (I'm still learning how RIC dating and the titles worked.) That makes sense of why I see his DAC CAP coinage often dated to "103-111" [OCRE]. But I've also seen the same types dated much more precisely to 108-109. Since COS V doesn't narrow it down, I'm not sure where that date comes from.

Very nice one! Thanks for the background on this type. I find this an interesting series (it's Domitian's distinctive "captive series" of course -- seems every emperor needed one, even the child emperors). I've got a different Sestertius from the series. Quite worn, but these are hard to find, and since I collect RIC captives, I'll take these as I find them! Note also, he's copying another design from the Vespasian series here. (I think there was at least one more of the Germania Capta Sestertii designs wasn't there?

I think your Athena has a "K" as a control under the throne? Hard to quite see it. If so, it's a different Thompson and Muller type and the rarity statement may not apply (not that rarity for these control marks is terribly important, since there are literally thousands of known combinations) In any case, that's a good purchase. Hard to find one for $70! Personally, I've never thought cut marks were that big a deal (as long as it's ancient damage, I'm far more accepting than modern damage).

EDIT OOPS! THAT's OSIRIS! Isis! I've shown my Isis Pharia in this thread not long ago, and I showed my Katane Isis & Serapis in another thread, but I don't think I've shown my Canopus of Isis: Roman Provincial. Egypt, Alexandrian, Trajan Billon Tetradrachm (23.8 mm, 11.80 g, 1 h), struck RY 15 = 111/12 CE. Obv: AYT TPAIAN CЄB ΓЄPM ΔAKIK, laureate head of Trajan right. Rev: LI E, canopus of Osiris right on base. Ref: Dattari 648; RPC III, 4576. Prov: Ex Robert L. Grover Collection of Roman-Egyptian Coinage, donated to Art Institute of Chicago (reference / accession number 1979.1203); Ex Gemini Auction XIII (Harlan J. Berk; Chicago, 6 April 2017), Lot 451 (part of, not illustrated); Agora Auction 100, Lot 124. ALL RIGHT, QUICK FIX -- HERE'S MY BACKUP: Sicily, Katane AE Hemichalkon? (15mm, 1.80g), 3rd cent BCE.Obv: Jugate busts of Sarapis and Isis.Rev: Grain ears.Ref: Calciati type 23. Prov: Clain-Stefanelli. (Ok, here's the one I was thinking of... Hadrian's Canopus is Isis, I believe, while Trajan's is Osiris... According to RPC the ones for Year 8, Hadrian, as below, are Isis, based on BMC. I take it they can tell the difference from the headwear, but I guess I can't really tell independently.) NEXT: ALEXANDRIAN TETRADRACHM YOU HAVEN'T SHOWN IN THIS THREAD

Nice L. Verus! Here's my favorite Lucius Verus entry in my "captives collection" (I'd love to have one like @Qcumbor's!), although the photo doesn't quite capture it. That's Rome's "ally" Armenia sitting there (some might argue it's more a "personification" than a captive, but she's in the classic "mourning" captive pose): Video available hereRoman Imperial. Lucius Verus (161-169 AD) AE Sestertius (25.4g, 34mm, 11h). temp. Marcus Aurelius (Augustus, 161-180 AD) Rome mint, 164 AD.Obv: L AVREL VERVS AVG ARMENIACVS. Laureate, draped bust of Lucius Verus right, seen from behind.Rev: VICT AVG TR P IIII IMP II COS II / S-C across fields. Victory standing to right, holding trophy in both hands over Armenian captive seated at foot.Ref: RIC III (Aurelius) 1410, cf. 1408-1409. See also [laureate or bare head?]: Cohen 334-5; Banti 191-5; RCV 5377; Goebl MIR 18, 86.Prov: ArtCoins Roma (now, Bertolami Fine Arts) (30 Jan 2013) E8, 904 (part of) [Uncertain, to confirm, cannot find it indexed] What I love about the L. Verus / M. Aurelius Armenian-Parthian captives series is that Rome considered Armenia an ally, and the Romans putatively liberated Armenia from invading Parthian overlords (Vologases IV). And yet “she” (Armenia, like most Roman national personifications, is female) is depicted as a captive in the same mourning pose as Judaea and Dacia before her. We get a special glimpse here into the Roman attitude toward their friends: They can be friends as long as they are subjugated and submit to Roman domination and public humiliation. From the Roman perspective, “Victory over Armenia” was not inconsistent with friendship and alliance. EDIT: By the way, here's my L. Verus Parthian captive -- it's passed through 1 or 2 pairs of hands around here, so it may be recognized by some! Their M. AVR. friends:

Here's my Carinus entry in my "Captives Collection," the young prince with a bound Quadi captive: Roman Imperial. Carinus, as Caesar, Billon Antoninianus (22mm, 3.68 g, 6h), Ticinum mint, 3rd officina. 2nd emission, December 282 CE. Obv: M AVR CARINVS NOB C. Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Rev: PRINCIPI IVVENTVT. Carinus standing left, holding globe and spear; to left, captive seated left; TXXI. Ref: RIC V 182; Pink VI/2, p. 28. Prov: CNG E-Auction 509 (9 February 2022), Lot 738; From the Crescent Collection. Notes: Likely celebrating the young Caesar Carinus' military successes quashing the Quadi uprising in Gaul. Video & Photos: https://imgur.com/gallery/Qh2f1PD

Very impressive group, congratulations! I'm always very fascinated when I see late Byzantine silver coins, since I'm used to only seeing gold/electrum and billon/bronze, rarely actual silver coins. The John III "coronation issue" is really cool. To me, it doesn't look like a die match to the despot sale, which is interesting given how few there are (just quickly comparing some details, coin-to-coin, starting at 12h on each side). Good chance, then, that these are new dies or a new combination. As I've shown before many times, I've got one bronze "flat coin" of Nicaea (as Goodacre used to call them) under John Ducas-Vatatzes, also struck at Magnesia (though I have no idea when, just 1222-1254): You've probably seen my other Byzantine Silver coins, here or elsewhere, they're generally the early ones. The best of my three Heraclius Heaxagrams: I've got a pair of these Byzantine AR Siliquae (or Siliqua fractions) struck in Carthage under Justinian... I guess since they're both on raggedy incomplete flans I figured getting two would be like having one complete example! I've got quite a few Billon Trachy. Occasionally one will have a slightly "silverier" appearance, or maybe less toned (this one, Isaac II Angelus, first reign, 1185-1195, type SB 2003):

"A Fave, Any Metal"... Probably shouldn't be dumping it out so roughly, but this is one of my favorites, mainly since it's probably my first Roman coin (purchased in the 1980s when I was ~8-9 years old, purchased at a coin shop in Paris, Florence, or Rome while traveling with my parents): Hadrian Sestertius First Roman Coin - Made with Clipchamp.mp4 (Slightly longer, unedited video on imgur: https://imgur.com/gallery/6BtlncZ ) Roman Imperial. Hadrian (Augustus, 117-138 CE) AE Sestertius (25.28g, 30mm, 6h), struck 134-138. Obv: HADRIANVS AVG COS III PP. Laureate head right, slight drapery on far shoulder. Rev: S - C. Diana Venatrix, draped, standing left, holding arrow and bow. Ref: RIC II 777; Banti CNR 713; BMCRE 1546; Cohen 1364. Prov: Ex-Rome (or Florence or Paris) coin shop, 1980s, purchased by CSJ on family trip. NEXT: COIN YOU'VE HAD FOR A LONG TIME

Lol, I was literally about to click "Submit Reply"! Almost the same type, just mine is the EL version which is also a bit smaller ... Hopefully this qualifies (electrum, the type supposedly 55-60% AV). The only one of my gold coins I consider beautiful in terms of artistic dies and attractive enough state of preservation. (The others are interesting or historical.) Greek World (N. Africa, Late Classical). Zeugitania, Carthage EL Stater (19mm, 7.43g), c. 310-290 BCE. Obv: Head of Tanit left, wearing wreath of grain, triple-pendant earring and necklace with nine pendants. Rev. Horse standing right on ground-line. Ref: Jenkins Group V, 280 (avg 55-60% gold content); Alexandroupoulos 365, 12. Prov: Ex Gorny & Mosch 265 (2019), 668 [ex Sammlung Süddeutschem Privatbesitz (?)]; Jacquier 44 (2018), Lot 138. Notes: Coin-in-hand video: https://imgur.com/gallery/pbkk8PK too late, so NEXT is still on @akeady's "A FAVOURITE COIN IN ANY METAL"

Once again, that's a tall order! Took me a lot of looking to find any oblong flans in my tetartemoria. As you can see, I had to dig deep. Both are seemingly unpublished (except for a few auction sales). The "oblongiest" (4mm, 0.04g) is a type that's been described as a "hemitetartemorion" by CNG EA 347 (and a couple others citing CNG EA 347)... but they also think that's a boar head, so... So, to be sure, I'll put in one other, beardless head/swastika in incuse (5mm, ~0.10g) (described as a Tetartemorion by Gorny). Both are probably from Ionia. NEXT: TINY ARCHAIC COINAGE FROM ASIA MINOR (any metal)

I don't think it's an empress. I would say this is probably an imitative issue of one of the late fourth / early fifth century emperors. (Pretty good one as far as imitations go.) It's clearly a SALVS REIPVBLICAE / Victory dragging captive reverse type. The apparent "V' on the left side of the legend might be reason to call it an imitation of Valentinian II. Pretty interesting coin. I like these Victory- captive AE4s.

Sounds like they don't want to say what it is for a few reasons, which can be reasonable, but does make it harder to judge. What's "Pri 1 list"? Priority one? If I see a coin that's of a type I really want, but not the greatest specimen, I ask two questions: 1. Is this one expensive enough to matter? (If it's cheap, I may take it knowing it'll be a duplicate when I get another in a couple years.) 2. When will i find another one? If it might be 5 or 10 years, better get it now. If there will be another one in a few months or a year, it's not that urgent. Honestly, though, doesn't sound like OP really likes this example...

One more Greek for now... A Thessaly, Skotoussa Hemidrachm. Facing Artemis, Poseidon on back. Probably late 3rd cent BCE: How about some Roman and Byzantine? I don't think I have any of the Republican types but they're out there. I do have some late Imperials... These were very popular on the AV Solidus, but they're also on lots of the late bronze coins... I've seen an explanation for why they switched to these, but I'm unable to remember at the moment... The Facing portrait remained popular for several more centuries on Byzantine Solidi, and beginning with Justinian, it was also picked up on the AE Follis (in Year 12 of his reign, 537/8 CE) and other bronze coins. (It never seemed too popular on the Tremissis and Semissis, although there were some types with facing busts.) Was the two facing portraits at once a Byzantine invention? Or are there earlier examples? This is Constans II with Constantine IV (Heraclius & Tiberius on reverse), 641-668 CE: From the late 10th century onward, it seems like Byzantine coins had gone entirely in the direction of facing portraits. By then, though, I think they were usually full- or half-bodied portraits, no longer "facing busts" or "facing heads" in the earlier sense: For a brief moment in the mid-12th century the Artuqids of Mardin favored facing busts. "Islamic Figurals" can be a fascinating type, since these are clearly drawing inspiration from some of the previous artistic traditions (though which, exactly, is always an exciting topic of debate):

After 8 hours... Greek Didrachm can be a tough one... If we're accepting coins that are considered "AR Didrachm or Nomos" (or Stater), like the Tarentum ones, that's not as hard. (But in some places, like Corinth, a Stater could be 3 drachms...) So we may only call it an obvious Didrachm if there are also Tetradrachms and/or Drachms of the same mint at roughly the same time. (Carian coinage comes to mind. Athenian Didrachms are very rare, except eastern imitations. I'm sure there are some others.) I consider the following Didrachms, though none is so obvious not to require explanation (I won't give them but, for anyone curious about denominations, it's worth investigating each): AE "Didrachms": NEXT: Animals on Both Sides

For a second I thought @Qcumbor's elephant used to be mine! From the coins-I-wish-I-could-get-back file (SOLD, c. 2013-5): Looks like the same obverse die, but not the same coin... @Qcumbor's is still better. These are amazing coins in great condition like that!

DON'T HESITATE TO SHARE ROMAN ONWARD TOO! One of the earliest and most influential facing heads on a Greek coin: Kimon’s facing Arethusa Tetradrachm (Syracuse, 406-400 BCE). Few collectors will acquire a specimen of that type, but coins influenced by it are often well within reach. The finest example, the Robert Käppeli specimen, has twice sold in the ballpark of $2 million dollars-plus (at NGSA in 2019 and NAC in 2014). NOT MINE: I’ve settled for buying pictures of them. Here’s the Nelson Bunker Hunt Collection specimen in the 19 June 1990 Sotheby’s auction of Part I: The influence of this coin was almost instantaneous by the standards of antiquity. For the first time, coin engravers began to overcome the technical, artistic barriers to depicting ¾ facing busts with realistic proportions. (On this topic, I recommend Harlan Berk’s 100 Greatest Ancient Coins, which I found very accessible to a non-artist.) Below is one of the first dies in the series of Facing Head Drachms struck at Thessaly, Larissa. These are now typically dated to 400 – 370 BCE (i.e., beginning immediately after the Kimon type, which is clearly the inspiration): Description off-site Similar designs had spread through Peloponnesos and Central Greece by the mid-fourth century. Likely inspired by another Syracusan Tetradrachm (the facing Athena of Eukleiadas), the small Federal bronze coin of Phocis (c. 350s-340s BCE) below depicts Athena in an elaborately crested helmet: Within decades, mints in Asia Minor were copying the design. Though not as close to the original as the Thessalian type, the coinage of the Satraps of Persian Caria began striking facing heads. Below is a Tetradrachm of Hidrieus, whose predecessors had already struck these coins for two generations by 350 BCE: Description off-site This image inspired centuries of Rhodos coinage depicting Helios (including perhaps images of the Colossus itself), which in turn inspired the so-called "Pseudo Rhodian" coinage (imitating Rhodian design) as late as the Roman invasion of Greece. The following “Drachms” (of a light standard, these ones 2.46-2.77g) are thought to have been struck by Perseus during the Third Macedonian War (c. 172-168 BCE) to pay mercenaries from Crete and elsewhere, who were used to Rhodian coinage with a 3/4-facing head of Helios (along with a rose, P-O ethnic, and magistrate name on the reverse). The facing Gorgon is one of the few that may have preceded the Syracusan tradition above. The “drachm” below, is traditionally dated to 5th century Parion (but perhaps Olbia?). Unlike the ¾ facing heads above, the Gorgon’s frontal facing pose may have been necessary for its “atropaic” properties. That is, the Gorgon could ward of the “evil eye” and evil spirits. As the more Archaic versions transformed to more Classical style, the Gorgoneion typically remained forward-facing: I could continue from here with Roman, then Byzantine, Medieval, even a few Islamic. But hopefully others will share their thoughts and examples of facing heads on coinage – ancient and beyond! EDIT -- FURTHER READING FOR ANYONE INTERESTED: For variety, a great overview is the ”David Herman Collection of Facing Heads on Greek Coins,” CNG MBS 73 (13 Sep 2006) and Triton X (8 Jan 2007). Unfortunately, the full PDF catalogs (and all their introductory materials) are unavailable online. But CNG’s Archive has 117 of the MBS 73 lots and all 71 of the Triton X lots. ACSearch has all 119 lots from CNG 73 and 71 lots from Triton X. (There were a few more in MBS 74 and a large group in EA 148.) It's very impressive, from Etrurian to Parthian and everything in between.

The short version: The dealer said there was proof the coin was't smuggled out of Iraq illegally after there were rules for that kind of thing. (After ~1970.) Turned out they were wrong. Can’t prove it. But really all that belongs in another thread... not so much the post-it-pick-it thread! Still a Gordian III Roman Provincial though. Part Central Asia, Part Rome. That’s good enough (just not what I hoped for).

Gordian III Provincial I've got a few beloved Gordian III RPC's but I haven't shown this one much yet. It's from the Ken Bressett sale. What got my attention was CNG described it as ex Mabbott Collection (Schulman 1969) -- one of the more important ever private collections of RPC, a major reference before SNG's and RPC replaced it. Unfortunately, I foolishly didn't double check before bidding. The provenance was entirely in error. Still happy to have it for a few reasons. But it's no longer verifiably pre-UNESCO/1970 free-and-clear (a problem for antiquities from Iraq, specifically, which has an "MOU" to 1990). 🤨 Roman Provincial. Mesopotamia, Edessa, Gordian III with Abgar X Phraates Æ (31mm, 17.63 g, 11h), struck 242-244 CE. Obv: ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΑΝΤ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟϹ ϹƐΒ. Radiate bust right, drapery on shoulder. Rev: ΑΥΤΟΚ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟϹ ΑΒΓΑΡΟϹ ΒΑϹΙΛƐΥϹ. Gordian seated right on raised daïs, holding scepter and receiving Nike from Abgar standing left, wearing Edessan crown. Ref: RPC VII.2 3410; BMC 139; SNG Copenhagen 223. Per CNG, see also: H. Gesche, "Kaiser Gordian mit dem Pfeil in Edessa," JNG 19 (1969), pl. 3, 1-3.Prov: CNG Keystone 6 (11 Mar 2022), 3023, From the Ken Bressett Collection. Regarding Mabbott, here's the catalog online: o The Thomas Ollive Mabbott Collection. Part One : Coins of the Greek world [Archive.org (Newman Numis. / ANS), PRL in back]. [New York, 6-11 June 1969]. 3,860 lots, many ill. on >80 Plates. Roman Egypt, Alexandria & Nomes: ~525 Lots (3273-3797, many ill. on ~9 Pl). Two pages bio essays, no weights, some old provenances, mainly Roman Provincial AE (many Medallion & large AE), scattered Greek AR. Some early Greek AV/EL (lots 1-16 ill. on p. 10) Gold (Lots 1-46, the first 36 ancient, incl. Greek AV-EL, RIC AV, Byz AV; followed by early Medieval AV). NEXT: GRECO-ROMAN WORLD MEETS CENTRAL ASIA (from Mesopotamia eastward, from the Greek period until the last of the people who thought they were Roman)

@DonnaML -- that's a very interesting detail I was unaware of, but it reframes the meaning of C. Marcius Censorinus' death after the Battle of the Colline Gate. I had included the following detail in my hist. notes above, which I always found kind of weird, but I now see that it clearly parallels the death of Gnaieus Octavius, and delivers a sort of justice-in-kind to C. Marcius Censorinus for desecrating the body of Octavius (my emphasis below): Assuming I've got all those details right, that's quite a poetic ending to Censorinus and the Marians. (Of course, that may mean it is more literary than historical fact.) Biblio: I could not find my original sources in my notes file, but this episode is described on C. Marcius Censorinus' wikipedia page [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Marcius_Censorinus_(Marian)], citing, [Note 8] "Appian, The Civil Wars, 1, 93." (I don't recall if I ever double-checked Appian.)

Well, if he ever did have a beard, it was short/thin enough that it's been clean-shaven by a thousand Thracian thumbs!

Thank you for sharing the links! I don't have this specific type, but I followed the Academia links to Alberto Campana's page and have been glancing through the many articles and book chapters he's posted to it. Very useful! I've bookmarked it in my list of numismatists with literature on their academia pages, and will surely keep going through his. This is a very interesting period of Republican coinage to collect (similar to Imperatorial / Civil Wars coinage of the 40s; it was bad for the Romans, good for 21st century collectors). Here are some of my roughly Sulla-Marius era (give or take) coins: Roman Republican. L. Sulla AR Denarius (3.67g, 18mm, 12h) Military mint, 83 BCE. Obv: Head of Venus right, Cupid holding long palm. Rev: Capis and lituus between two trophies. Ref: Crawford 359/2; Cornelia 29. Prov: InAsta 84 (30 Oct 2019), 114. Greek (Post-Hellenistic), Roman (Republican, Provinicial). Attica, Athens AR “New Style” Tetradrachm (29mm, 16.36 g, 12h). Struck during Roman occupation under Sulla, Proquaestor L. Licinius Lucullus, 86-84 BCE. Obverse: Head of Athena Parthenos right, wearing single-pendant earring, necklace, and triple-crested Attic helmet decorated with the foreparts of four horses above the visor, a Griffin (?) in flight rightward above the raised earpiece, and a curvilinear ornament on the bowl. Reverse: Owl standing right, head facing, on amphora; two monograms flanking; all within wreath. References: Thompson 1315 (same obv. die[?]); HGC 4, 1779. Provenance: Ex CNG Feature Auction 115, Lot 147 (17 September 2020), “From the collection of a Texas Wine Doctor”; Ex CNG Sale 51, Lot 302 (15 September 1999). SULLA'S SOON-TO-BE FOE (coin was struck earlier): Roman Republican. C. Marcius Censorinus AR Denarius, Rome, 88 BCE. Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right. Ref: CX (above), C•CENSORI (below). Horse galloping right. Serpent entwined staff in exergue. Ref: Crawford 346/2b; RSC Marcia 19; Sydenham 714; ANS 1947.2.85 (same dies; LINK); British Museum 1843,0116.775 (same dies; LINK)... Prov: CSJ Internet purchase, n.d. [c. 2010-2015?]; Ex Long Island Nov 2010 (?); ANS RRDP Schaefer Binder 11 (300-399), page 358 (Die-pair 64? 4th Column, 2nd Row: This coin illustrated), with note, "LONG ISLAND NOV10." Coin-in-hand video: LINK Hist Notes: Censorinus was among the “last men standing” in Sulla's Civil War, captured after the decisive Battle of the Colline Gate (Kalends of Nov. 82). Sulla sent his severed head to the remaining Marian army, which promptly deserted Marius the Younger, who then committed suicide. Does anyone know what L. Titurius Sabinus' role was, if any, in the Sulla-Marius conflict? These coins were struck when he was moneyer c. 89 BCE, and, unlike Censorinus, he was still alive to be Legate in 75 BCE according to the British Museum. Some important years in between... what was he getting up to? Was he Team Sulla? Roman Republican. L. Titurius L.f. Sabinus AR Denarius (19mm, 3.89 g, 6 h), Rome 89 BCE. Obv: SABIN Bare-headed and bearded head of King Titus Tatius to right; in field to right, TA. Rev: L•TITVRI Rape of the Sabine women. Ref: Babelon (Tituria) 1; Crawford 344/1a. Prov: Ex Leu WA 20 (16 Jul 2022), 2263; Chaponnière & Firmenich 13 (16 May 2021), 254 (part), from the J.M.A.L. Collection (formed 1970-2000). [If anyone knows who JMAL is, I'd love to receive a message from you!] Roman Republican. L. Titurius L.f. Sabinus AR Denarius (3.5g, 20.5mm, 3h). Rome, 89 BCE.Obverse: SABIN. Bearded bare head of the Sabine king, Tatius right; palm frond right below chin.Reverse: L • TITVRI. Tarpeia, hair dishevelled, facing forward, buried to her waist in shields, hands raised fending off two soldiers about to throw their shields on her; star in crescent above.Reference: Crawford 344/2b.Provenance: Ex-Numismática Lucernae/Antonio Hinosa Pareja (Alcala La Real, 8 Jul 2015)

I don't know if we usually think of these middle Byzantine (late 6th-7th cents.) ones as "errors," but I would certainly characterize the obverse legends as "erroneous." I guess these kind of "degraded legends" are veering more into the same category as barbarous imitative legends, though they're official, and apparently the best the mints could do for the time. It's funny that they kept trying to get the old Latin legends right on the AV Solidi but just couldn't do it. Quoting Rasiel Suarez from ERIC II: P. 1278 on Maurice Tiberius: "From here on forward the legends become too erratic to catalog. As time goes on the lettering becomes increasingly fragmentary and careless and often completely illegible." And p. 1315 on Constantine IV: "...while the artistry in rendering the bust of the emperor is competent, and briefly spectacular for the era, the border lettering has quickly eroded into the nonsense strings of crude letters that only vaguely resemble the old arrangement of names and titles. For this reason, I've stopped listing even the intended legends since apparently no single coin ever gets it right." Constans II with Constantine IV, and Heraclius & Tiberius on rev (641-668). Globe on steps reverse type. Globus Cruciger reverse type. (Seemingly much scarcer, but apparently not even slightly reflected in the prices, which I've always found curious, since I like this reverse type better.) Constantine VI Pogonatus (668-685), photo by Rasiel Suarez: What did the engravers even think they were doing to those obverse dies?? "What comes next? What's that one, eh? Let's just make some dots 'n scribbles n' whatnot, eh?" "All the fancy lords just pretend to read Latin anyhow, innit? And what does a Latin reading monk need with gold? S'all the same to them, innit? They took a vow of silence, who they going to complain to?"

Those are very special medallions! I'm sure I have sales of that one in my notes on the type more than once. I love that you can still see the animals inside on the better ones of these (and, I guess the audience, their heads represented by the rows of dots inside). I wonder if it's known what those animals are? Elephants? Rhinos? I'm sure Elkins says in his book (or his article(s) on Colosseum coins, at least one of which I do have access to).