Curtis JJ

For this coin, the length of time between two strikes is not so impressive: 100 years. But we can know about three important periods in the "object biography" of these particular types: struck in Constantinople under Anastasius; brought to Sicily w/ Belisarius under Justinian; restruck under the founder of yet another great Dynasty, the Heraclian; (then its "modern object biography"). Originally this was one Anastasius' large AE Folles from Constantinople, 498-518 (Sear Byz 19). The Dumbarton Oaks Catalogue (II.1: 352, no. 241) suggests that these "had probably entered Sicily in large numbers with Belisarius’ troops in 535 and never been withdrawn." It is worth noting the "host coins" or "under-types" (depending on whether consider them countermarks or overstrikes) are usually heavily worn (even when the later strike isn't). They certainly look like coins that circulated for a century or more. Finally, recalled or gathered up, more than a century later. Restruck by Heraclius in 620 CE (Sear Byz 882, this coin illustrated). (The story of this specimen then goes cold for the next 1,350+ years, at which point it appears in David Sear's Byzantine Coins and Their Values.) Two more of my favorite overstrikes: By the way -- a really cool resource that I used/linked for the second coin below, but of very general use: the Greek Overstrikes Database by F Callatay et al. = https://silver.knowledge.wiki/Overstrike_Database I like this coin for the historical context: Judaea had rebelled and been crushed by the Flavians (Vespasian and Titus) around 70 CE. Over sixty years later they rebelled again under Hadrian -- the Bar Kochba Rebellion. One of the important functions of the new state would be to strike its own coins rather than continuing to use those of the Roman state -- whose designs also often happened to be highly insulting and deliberately humiliating to the local population. The solution? Overstriking! On the specimen below, we can still see a very clear image of Titus. I was able to make a die-match to the obverse of RPC II 2285, no. 7 (J. Galst Coll.), which was actually a Provincial bronze "Judaea Capta" type (commemorating the defeat of Judaea in 70). What better symbol of the rebellion?! Judaea, Bar Kochba Rebellion AE Middle Bronze (25mm, 9.88 g, 6h; undertype Agrippa II – Titus [87/8 CE]), 133/4 CE. Ref/Prov: Hendin Ancient Jewish Coins (1976), 160A = Guide to Biblical Coins (2nd ed., 1987), 160a (this coin illustrated), ex David Hendin Collection (w/ his tag) The under-type. Specimen below is NOT MY COIN (top right panel shows my specimen, die-match to the Titus portrait of coin below). A Judaea Capta commemorative bronze struck under Agrippa II for Titus, RPC II 2285 (specimen 7 & primary illustration): I love the one below because the combination of under-type and over-type created a new design: - Apollo helmeted (he kept Athena's helmet!) - Lyre/kithara with a frame constructed out of two dolphins! When I showed it on a previous post here, I included a photo of the under-type so it's easier to see how it came to look this way. Adranon Mercenaries near Aetna AE Drachm (30mm, 26.11 g), c. 4th century. Obv: Head of Apollo (struck over helmeted head of Athena). Rev: Lyre (struck over a star and pair of dolphins). Ref/Prov: This coin = Virzi 512 = Calciati CNS III 2 st 4/5 = A. Campana CNAI (PN 98, 1996) 1.A (this coin cited on p. 35) = Greek Overstrikes Database (G.O.D.) 19640.

If we're lucky, maybe someone here will show an example or two of late Roman bronze coins that were countermarked and used again as a currency by a certain European kingdom in roughly the 1600s! ... Those are my favorite example of the extremely-long-term use of ancient coins (albeit presumably interrupted underground for a millennium or so before being rediscovered & reused). I'll comment again below with my longest... I usually figure that coins like that were dug up -- maybe hoards, maybe just stray surface finds. There are lots of reports of ancient coins being dug up and used again as currency in the medieval and even early modern period! In fact, there are enough reports for bibliographies to have been written on the topic. Poland alone has been the source of dozens of such hoards (mainly Roman AR), then used again as currency, decorations, bullion, and for religious purposes -- sometimes in the last couple centuries! (See book review: Barbara Zając (2021), in Notae Numismaticae-Zapiski Numizmatyczne XVI, 333-8: “Review: MATEUSZ BOGUCKI, ARKADIUSZ DYMOWSKI, GRZEGORZ ŚNIEŻKO (eds.) Slivers of Antiquity. The Use of Ancient Coins in Central, Eastern and Northern Europe in the Medieval and Modern Periods / Okruchy Starożytności...”)

I find this episode immensely interesting in light of Valerian's "captives coinage." I collect captives on Roman coins & have two examples of Valerian's AR Antoniniani that depict Parthian captives (!) on the reverse. (One of my favorite types, though not the best examples!) You requested "relevant or educational comments," so I hope no one minds that I've excerpted a couple of paragraphs from my old blog post (2021), "The Irony of Valerian's Captive": Valerian I AR Antoninianus (2.66g, 22.5mm, 6h), Viminacium, 257 CE. Obverse: IMP VALERIANVS P F AVG. Radiate and cuirassed bust right. Reverse: VICT PART. Victory standing left, holding palm in left hand, resting her right on shield; to left, Parthian captive (Parthia, herself?) seated left, in attitude of mourning. References: Göbl MIR 36, 847d. See also: RIC V 262 var. (draped bust); RSC 255 var. (same). Provenance: Ex-Gitbud & Naumann, acq. 2013 (as was the 2nd ex. below). Numis. Notes: See here (my website) & link for specimen below. "In the year 257, Valerian I struck this silver Antoninianus depicting the Roman deity Victory looming over a seated Parthian captive. Three years later, in 260, Valerian would make history as the only Roman Emperor to himself be taken captive. It was by Shapur I, Sasanian King in Persia whose empire had succeeded the Parthian. [...] "The ironic similarity is unmistakable between his Victoria Parthica Antoninianus and the Triumph of Shapur I over Valerian, the famous bas-relief monument to the Sasanian King at the necropolis Naqsh-I Rustam (in modern-day Iran). While the coin depicts a Parthian captive in a posture of vanquished submission before the Roman Victory, the vast rock sculpture depicts Valerian himself [*] kneeling in defeated surrender before Shapur [...] (detail of Valerian here.) * EDIT: actually, contra Oriental Institute (now ISAC) description, the captive Valerian may be standing behind kneeling Philip I. (ISAC has them reversed. Thanks, @GinoLR -- here on CT. I need to review again when I can...) Photo by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Triumph of Shapur I over Valerian, the famous bas-relief monument to the Sasanian King at the necropolis Naqsh-I Rustam (in modern-day Iran). [From my 2021 blog post.] "While suffering years of humiliation in captivity under Shapur, one wonders if Valerian ever thought back on the design of this coin, which sought to publicly humiliate his Eastern neighbors, casting them as humbled, defeated figures beneath Rome’s Victory? Did Shapur himself consider Valerian’s coinage when appropriating Roman imagery for his monument at Naqsh-I Rustam?" Here's my other specimen -- same reverse, slightly different bust type (maybe): Valerian I AR Antoninianus (2.76g, 21.5mm, 6h). Viminacium, 257 CE Obverse: IMP VALERIANVS P F AVG. Radiate and cuirassed bust right. Reverse: VICT PART. Victory standing left, holding palm in left hand, resting her right on shield; to left, Parthian captive (Parthia, herself?) seated left, in attitude of mourning. References: Göbl MIR 36, 847d. See also: RIC V 262 var. (draped bust); RSC 255 var. (same). Provenance: Ex-Gitbud & Naumann, 19 March 2013. Numis. Notes: See here (my website) & link for example above.

CNG's last increase (of 2-2.5%) was August 2022. The fees can be really confusing, though, because they vary by type of auction AND method of placing bids. For at least the past four years they have had 3 possible bidder fees at any given moment. CNG's current fees (August 2022 - present): 20% for e-Auctions; 22.5% for Feature Auctions when placed on CNG website; 25% for Feature Auctions when placed live or any other way. Before Aug 2022 (since at least late 2019): 18% for e-Auctions; 20% for Feature Auctions when placed on CNG website; 22.5% for Feature Auctions when placed live or any other way. Put differently: The 20% e-Auction bidder fee was still current at the most recent e-Auction 553 (3 Jan 2024). That began with e-Auction 522 (24 Aug 2022). Before then, it had been 18% since at least 2019 (through e-Auction 521 [3 Aug 2022]). The 22.5/25% (website/other) Feature Auction bidder fees have applied to all recent "Floor auctions" with print catalogs, most recently Triton XXVII (Jan 2024). Those fees have been the same since Keystone 8 (23 Aug 2022). Before August 2022, CNG's Feature Auction bidder fees were 20%/22.5% (website/other) since at least 2019.

That's helpful @ewomack. Here's the Sear Byz 162 page on labarum.info with several photos of the type The engraving does seem more sophisticated and higher fidelity than a stereotypical "barbarous" imitation. But my opinion should mean little here, since I'm not at all familiar with the imitations of Byzantine AEs ca. 6th cent. on. (I would love to be.) This coin does strike me as pretty unusual for the Constantinople mint -- specifically the reverse. That "M" looks more like the ones at Antioch/Theoupolis during this period. Constantinople always did the stocky blocky burly M's -- this one seems wrong for mint. I could be mistaken there, but that's my hunch.

Here's a very similar one in ACSearch described as a contemporary Eastern imitation, which sounds right to me. Almost the same unusual controls & all. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=11749588

Nice observation, @kirispupis! Glancing over all of the few examples for Chalke on AsiaMinorCoins and in ACSearch, I see multiple similarities. The biggest difference may be that shield ones are bigger, but Carians used very small bronzes extensively, so it seems the shield could be the "double" (or spear the "half").

Tiny one ... atop a hill? Or some kind of courtyard in perspective as I've seen proposed? Syria, Zeugma. Philip II AE (29mm, 16.24g, 6h), 247-249. Obv: ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΙΟΥΛΙ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟϹ ϹΕΒ. Laureate, draped & cuirassed bust r., seen from rear. Countermark: Eagle, wings closed. Rev: ΖΕΥΓΜΑΤΕΩΝ. Temple w/ four columns containing seated figure (Zeus?) facing, on rocky hilltop w/ buildings at the base & steps or colonnades on either side; below, Capricorn left. Ref: RPC VIII (Temp) 8195; SGIC 4142 var; for countermark: Howgego 340. Prov: Ex M. Slavin coll., acq. 23 Jun 2004; CNG EA 548 (18 Oct 2023) lot 1115 (part of) NEXT: Another Philip I Provincial (including his wife and son)

Since first seeing that coin, I've kept an eye out for any others. But haven't found any that I was certain qualified. Searching those keywords in ACSearch, a few examples come back (including a few identified by NGC as "overstruck brockage," which do look convincing with a quick look). Others, though, are clearly dramatic clashed dies: This example is NOT mine, but was sold by two different major firms as "overstruck on a brockage" (2022, 2018). My coin & at least one other example, prove it is a die-clash, struck from the same dies. (And @Marsyas Mike shared a specimen on CT -- better than mine -- when I showed this one.) Additionally, an interesting coincidence happened with this particular die-clash though: The "O" in the obverse ANTONINVS lined up almost perfectly with the "O" in COS III. Consequently, on my coin (and especially on MM's), on the right side of the reverse, ANTONINVS appears almost totally incuse -- except for the "O" which still appears in relief (rather than an incuse ring with raised dot as one would expect)! That was quite confusing to me until I found the better-preserved specimen and actually lined up the images. Since brockages have come up, here's my most recently added one. I'm not sure how much heavier it was at the time of striking, but at under 10mm and 0.43g, this is the smallest, lightest brockage I've been able to find any record of, save a couple lighter (but broader) Byzantine "cup coins." (In general, scyphate brockages seem to have happened much more frequently than on "flat coinage.")

Oh, also I just remembered I have one! But it's one of the really small ones: 12mm, 5.92g. According to "mainstream scholars" like Hendin (GBC2, W-24) or Goodwin (2012) this would be a so-called "scale weight" from the Byzantine/Islamic-period Levant. BUT... as an avid watcher of History Channel, I've learned to challenge Big Archaeology and trust my gut when it comes to wild theories and supposition about antiquity... "Researchers theorize that this object could in fact be a child's miniature Dodecahedron toy model. What if this tiny child's toy is the key to re-discovering the lost ancient knowledge about extraterrestrial civilizations? "Did Roman children place toy Dodecahedrons atop tiny models of the Great Pyramid of Giza? And pretend to communicate with the gods? Who were, in fact, flesh-and-blood interstellar visitors?" I'm more skeptical of the theory that this actually was a full-sized Dodecahedron but used by very tiny people.

Glad you posted this, very helpful! I hadn't previously seen this thread. I shared the coin below (recently acquired) in another of your posts, but have now updated the dating and historical notes. It's a similar type from Edessa, no doubt struck roughly contemporaneous with the coin above. Mesopotamia, Edessa. Severus Alexander (Augustus, 222-235 CE) Æ (23.5mm, 9.87g, 12h), prob. struck c. 231/2 during Sassanid Campaign v. Ardashir. Obv: ΑΥΤ Κ Μ Α CΕ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟC CΕΒ. Laureate bust left, holding eagle-tipped sceptre and shield. Rev: ΜΗΤ ΚΟΛ ΕΔΕCCΗΝWΝ. Tyche seated left before altar, river god below; stars flanking in fields. Ref: RPC VI 7811 (temporary), spec 2 (this coin) = wildwinds "digital plate coin" since 2001; for type, see also: BMC Mesopotamia pg. 108, 109; Lindgren I 2583 (cf. also A2567A). Prov: Ex M. Slavin coll., acq. by him from CNG c. 2001, w/ old tag.

Coin sorter, of course! Actually, no strong opinion (though Wikipedia does mention some have been found in coin hoards). I liked the idea of the surveying instrument for measuring distances (something about perspective and size of the holes when you look through them). But it seems that hypothesis hasn't caught on. I saw the headlines about a newly found one in Britain but haven't read any more about it. I'm sure that metal detectorist was thrilled! These sure are weird and interesting

Incidentally, @Severus Alexander has a lovely specimen, but per a recent post, may be unlikely to re-post at the moment. One thing I find very interesting about these Marian period Quinarii: the captive never seems to have a face. (If any do, please tell.) That appears to be deliberate (Victory has one, other anatomical details finer than a face are included). Undecided whether that's at odds with the hypothesis that it's Teutobodus, or a way of dehumanizing him. Later Republican and Imperial coinage definitely gave the captives faces.

Thanks, @DonnaML, that's very helpful and removes a long-stuck thorn every time I see one of these! I just noticed that I once owned a Faustina II Pudicitia AE As (according to the name of the photo, don't know the weight). Apparently uncommon in the smaller denomination. Either I sold it (hope not but maybe) or just haven't looked at it in a long time (time to double-check):

I have been curious about something and wonder if anyone knows: Why does Pudicitia tend to "draw" or "hold" up her veil? Is it simply to dramatize the act of shielding herself from view (Pudicitia ~ modesty)? It always reminds me of Nemesis' very interesting gesture in which she holds open her shawl and spits (!) into it or onto her own chest. The Nemesis "spitting gesture" is a kind of apotropaic act, to ward off evil or harm. The two are sometimes described as companions, Nemesis and Pudicitia (AKA Aidos), so I wonder if their gestures have anything to do with one another? (I've never heard of any particular significance to lifting the hem, as in Elpis/Spes, but if there is any, I'd be curious of that too.) Herennia Etruscilla's Pudicitia (or maybe Herennia in the guise of): Not the best example or photo, but I think you can still recognize Nemesis as drawing up her robes to perform her "spitting gesture" here (Lucius Verus from Caria, Antiochia):

Nicomedia --> Apollonia-Mordiaeum (Wow, a lot of "A" mints also end in "a"... I guess this one could end in "a" or "m", depending.) Pisidia, Apollonia-Mordiaeum AE Großbronze (Tetrassarion [?], 29mm, 16.34g, 6h), alliance issue w/ Koinon of Lycia, temp. Caracalla or Septimius Severus, c. 193-217 CE. Obv: ΑΛΕΞΑ ΚΤΙΣ ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΑΤΩΝ. Head of Alexander the Great in lionskin right – the founder of the city. Rev: ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΑΤ ΚΑΙ ΛΥΚΙΩΝ ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ. Tyches of Apollonia & Lycia clasping hands. Ref: Mabbott 2045 = von Aulock Pisidiens II 29 (this coin). Prov: Ex Thomas Ollive Mabbott (1898-1968) Collection, Part I, H. Schulman (6 Jun 1969), lot 2045 [Catalog Online LINK]; ex Morris / Phil Peck Collection, Part IV, Heritage 61160 (10 May 2020), lot 97068; ex CNG 543 (2 Aug 2023), 319 (cat. by T.M.); ex NGC 4884253-014 (removed, w/ tag).

There are some excellent Quintillus portraits in this post. I've always liked his coins. Maybe because it amazes me that they would or could produce such a diverse range of coins for such a short reign. I have a few AE Antoniniani of his that are presentable, at least by my standards. This is actually one of my favorite RIC of any ruler. (I should redo the photos, though.) Previously owned by @Orfew and before that by Elvira Clain-Stefanelli (1914-2001), who was author of my favorite coin book, the 1,848 pp. masterpiece Numismatic Bibliography (1985), in addition to being an important Smithsonian curator and many other things. This is the only tray tag in my collection that I'm confident was written in her hand (confirmed by comparing to her inscription on my copy of her much shorter Select Numismatic Bibliography [1965, 406 pp.; photo on Imgur]).

I can't recall if that's the same tag that came with mine (it's at the safety deposit box now), but I think it looked like that. I've tried my usual strategies, mainly trying to get a picture of where the coins came from before entering the collection (or where published while in it). The odd thing: I haven't found a single Rhakotis Coll. coin traceable to any prior catalog or publication. (If someone knows any, please let me know!) Despite many very fine & rare coins that should've appeared somewhere. (E.g., No Dattari coins at all, as far as I can tell, even though they first hit the market precisely then, 1960s-1970s.) To me, that suggests it may be the collection of someone working in Egypt and buying directly from local finds/dealers. (Maybe the name is a clue that they worked in the construction industry?) Leu's PDF is available online, everything else seems based on it. >4 pp. but very little background: https://leunumismatik.com/source/images/auction/26/pdf/90173def-0a9b-4f6b-ab0d-da2e1cc7feb3.pdf

Here is another coin struck under Caligula, celebrating Divus Augustus, and depicting a full-bodied Caligula on the reverse. This one a Dupondius. (In previous generations there was debate about whether the bust was the reverse since it has the S-C to either side, and some people still argue the seated figure is also Augustus. Aside from other reasons for believing it to be Caligula, I think if you look closely, the head of the seated figure looks very much like Caligula's Imperial AE portraits, albeit miniaturized. Clearer on better specimens.) Don't know what that white powdery substance is. Maybe residue from some kind of cast made long ago? It stays for now. Roman Imperial. Gaius (Caligula), naming Divus Augustus, Æ Dupondius (29.5 mm, 16.57 g, 6h), Rome mint, 37-41 CE. Obv: DIVVS AVGVSTVS / S – C. Radiate head of Augustus left. Rev: CONSENSV · SENAT · ET · EQ · ORDIN · P · Q · R ·. Statue of Caligula (or Augustus?) seated left on curule chair, holding branch. Ref: RIC I 56 (Gaius); Cohen 87; BMC 88; MIR 11-5. Prov: Ex Collections Archer Huntington (1870-1955), American Numismatic Society [Acc. No. 1001.1.22981] & Hispanic Society of America [same No.].

A favorite topic of mine -- to me, the Fundanius & Cloelius Quinarii below are among the most important Roman coins. Took a couple years to find the right ones. I’ve shown them elsewhere, not here. ** One of the most distinctive symbols on Roman coins is the barbarian captive and trophy. It is rare that we can identify the single first use of any artistic symbol. In this case, it seems we can. Trophies of captured arms were well known on Greek coins from the late 4th and 3rd centuries (Syracuse and Magna Graecia, Bithynia, Macedonia, and the Seleucid Kings). The captive, however, was a distinctively Roman addition. The first coin on which a captive was bound to the trophy was the Fundanius Quinarius, struck c. 101 BCE (Crawford 326/2), celebrating Marius’ victories over the Cimbri and Teutones: C. Fundanius AR Quinarius (1.67g), Rome, 101 BCE. Obv: Head of Jupiter laureate, right. Control mark, left: R (?). Rev: C•FVNDA. Victory crowning trophy, to which is bound a kneeling captive (King Teutobodus?). Q below. Ref: Crawford 326/2; CRRO. Prov: Ex Sammlung R.L., formed over three generations, c 1890s-2010 (Jacquier 51, Lot 185). Three years later, another Quinarius celebrated Marius’ conquest with a similar scene (but the bound captive seated against the trophy, rather than kneeling before). T. Cloelius AR Quinarius (1.75g), Rome, 98 BCE. Obv: Head of Jupiter laureate, right. Control mark, left: V••. Rev: T•CLOVLI. Victory crowning trophy, to which is bound a reclining captive Germanic warrior (?). Q below. Ref: Crawford 332/1a; CRRO Prov: Ex Sammlung R.L., formed over three generations, c 1890s-2010 (Jacquier 51, Lot 191). In fact, the coins probably memorialize an actual scene from Marius’ Triumph in 101 BCE, in which the captured king Teutobodus was paraded through the streets of Rome: “Their king, Teutobodus himself … having been captured in a neighbouring forest was a striking figure in the triumphal procession; for, being a man of extraordinary stature, he towered above the trophies of his defeat.” Florus, Epitome of Roman History, Book 1, Ch XXXVIII: 10 (Loeb 1929: p. 171). From there, the design was adopted by Roman sculpture, famously on the tomb of Caecilia Metella in Rome, c. 25 BCE (the captive’s face and torso are missing, but the rest of the “trophy tableau” is visible). This is an interesting case, then, in which the imagery was used on coins first, and other artworks followed: [Sergey Sosnovskiy 2006 CC-BY-SA (ed); L. Kinnee 2016: p. 199, from G. Foglia in Paris 2000; see also Gerding 2002 & Piranesi in Rome: Tomb of Caecilia Metella] There are several other notable uses of captives on Republican coins (and related, supplicants and personifications [see e.g., Yarrow 2021: 106-112]). The most important artistic development was Julius Caesar’s addition of a female personification beside the trophy, opposite the male captive (whose identity deserves its own discussion and set of comparanda from other Roman/Italian coins). Julius Caesar AR Denarius (3.70g, 20mm, 12h), Military mint (Spain?), 46-45 BCE. Obv: Head of Venus to right, wearing stephane; Cupid behind shoulder Rev: Trophy of Gallic arms, composed of helmet and cuirass, oval shield and two carnyxes. Two Gallic captives seated at base, to left, a female (Gallia) in posture of mourning, head resting in r. hand; to right, a bearded male (Vercingetorix?) with hands bound behind him, looking l. CAESAR in exergue. Reference: Crawford 468/1; CRI 58; RSC 13; Sydenham 1014. Provenance: Ex-Tauler y Fau Substasta 70 (24 Nov 2020), Lot 79 The same design, with only minor changes, remained popular over 350 years later. As far as I can see, it was last used on Constantine I’s bronzes (slightly later substituting vexillum for trophy). A few of my reverses: Constantine I “The Great” AE3 Reduced Follis (20mm, 2.6g), Trier, 320/1 CE. Obv: CONSTANTINVS AVG. Helmeted bust right. Rev: VIRTVS EXERCIT / T-F / •PTR. Germanic captives under Trophy. Ref: RIC 279 It is important to recognize that the captive-trophy tableau didn’t appear until the turn of the first cent. BCE. As an artistic innovation and success, the captive-and-trophy is quite revealing of the late Republican and Roman Imperial culture. One might even see it as a sign of the accelerating transition from “the Republic” to “the Empire.” One of the most distinctive symbols of Roman identity – its culture, its Imperial ambitions, and even its economy – was quickly becoming the image of the defeated, captured foreigner. Recommended (she gives much more context & detail): Kinnee, Lauren. 2016. “The Trophy Tableau Monument in Rome: from Marius to Caecilia Metella.” Journal of Ancient History vol.. 4 (2): 191-239. (Not free online anywhere I can find, unless you have university/library access, but I'm more than happy to email the PDF to anyone who asks.) Kinnee, Lauren. 2018. The Greek and Roman Trophy: From Battlefield Marker to Icon of Power. NY: Routledge. (Preview on Google Books)

Here is a flip-over double-struck bronze from Olympia, Elis c. 220-191 BCE. (Unfortunately not one of the types that can be dated to some particular Olympic Games.) You can see part of the reverse legend ("F") and Zeus' "hurling arm" on Apollo's head around 11-12 o'clock, which looks a bit like an odd headdress. (It looks like you can see a bit of the outline of the head/neck truncation of Apollo on the reverse.) (Off-topic, but if anyone happens to know of a Greek coin dealer with initials "DGP," operating in Greece mid-1970s, I'd like to know! A few other such tags are documented. I haven't tried asking the collector who wrote them.) A couple of double-struck AE3s of Constantine II and Julian II. Both (and some neat little brockages) came in a group lot from the Martin Wettmark error collection, a Swedish collector of world error coinage who sold his ancients at CNG in 2022: Double-strike aside, the Constantine II is a scarce (rare, I guess?) type with obverse legend: CONSTANTINVS VM AVG. (Instead of IVN.) (RIC VIII Heraclea 17, Sear 17435.) Apparently there are a couple of possibilities for the meaning of VM (e.g., Veneranda Memoria), and it could indicate a posthumous Constantine I (VICTOR MAXIMUS). (Thanks to comments from others on CT and FAC.) For the Julian II, the exergue mintmark is vertical instead of horizontal. (Apparently the Є control in the left field is an unlisted var. of RIC VIII 190 [Thess.], per Helvetica's FEL TEMPS, see DK FT1139, but I haven't double-checked everything yet. Of course, the double-strike can make it hard to confirm very narrow classifications like that.) I'm still not quite sure I understand how two pairs of rows are angled in different directions on this Byzantine Anonymous follis. (From the same group lot as prev. two.) I don't see any signs of double-striking on the obverse, but what else could be going on? Should be +IhSUS/ XRISTUS/bASILEU/bASILE in four lines. The b's look like I's, which is confusing enough. To make it stranger, the start of a third "diagonal line" (beginning "b" for "bASILEU") is slightly visible, but doesn't look like it's from the same die as the "straight line" third-line, "bASILEU." (I know I don't understand because I don't even know how to talk about it in a way that makes sense!) All this, of course, is a completely separate issue from "The Method of Striking Scyphate Coins Using Two Obverse Dies" described by Simon Bendall in his 1978 Numismatic Chronicle article [https://www.jstor.org/stable/42666638]. I'm not sure how widespread the practice is, or certain I have any relevant ones, but you can see a few apparent examples described by CNG with reference to the article here: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?term=bendall+two+dies+scyphate&category=1

Happy Faustina Friday! Interesting and helpful post -- especially in combination with the linked CT post from early 2022. No veiled specimens yet (congratulations on that find!) But below are two of mine that are relevant, both with the obv/rev titles DIVA FAVSTINA / AVGVSTA. - Denarius, RIC 362. As your first, I think. (Old photo, but pretty sure I still have that one.) - Sestertius, RIC 1117. Ceres standing with grain ears and short torch. (Newer one, in a CNG group lot of previously unsold coins.) Assuming I'm reading these posts correctly, I've changed the dating in my notes for both to: "prob. 145-147 (145-150, securely, based on Beckman)." (Incidentally -- wow, just noticed that most of those "Five Good Emperors" [except Nerva] had quite long reigns. Marcus Aurelius as Caesar under Antoninus Pius for like twenty years, then another 20 as Augustus! Given such long stretches of time, it's nice to be able to put these coins into a relatively narrow range.) Diva Faustina I Æ Sestertius (32.5mm, 25.50 g, 11h), struck in Rome, c. 145-147 (securely, 145-50). Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA. Draped bust right, wearing tutulus of pearls. Rev: Ceres standing left, holding two grain ears and short torch. Ref: RIC III 1117 (Ant. Pius); Banti 33. Prov: WRG Collection, CNG. Notes: Dating per Beckmann, following marriage of Faustina II & Marcus Aurelius, Caesar, as reported by Roman Collector: NF (19 Jan 24) 5782-f & CT (25 Feb 22) 393534. Any further information re: WRG (beyond coll. at CNG e-auctions from 2018-)?

SEV. ALEX. WITH RIVER GOD: River gods may not be the most popular, but they do have a very dedicated fan-base! I saw at least two notable river-god or Flussgötter collections auctioned last year: "Dr. Michael Slavin" (sold at CNG) and Michel Thys (Jacquier 52, section of Münzen mit Flussgötter-Darstellungen [139]). F. Imhoof-Blumer seems to have been something of fan, too, having authored a 1923 book on them. A similar type of Severus Alexander from Mesopotamia, Edessa, but unfortunately the river god was hardly recognizable on these (even if it wasn't in such rough condition!). I liked the star and crescent (?) on his shield, too (RPC's primary illustration shows it more clearly): Mesopotamia, Edessa. Severus Alexander (Augustus) Æ (23.5mm, 9.87g, 12h), 222-235 CE. Obv: ΑΥΤ Κ Μ Α CΕ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟC CΕΒ. Laureate bust left, holding eagle-tipped sceptre and shield. Rev: ΜΗΤ ΚΟΛ ΕΔΕCCΗΝWΝ. Tyche seated left before altar, river god below; stars flanking in fields. Ref: RPC VI 7811 (temporary), spec 2 (this coin) = wildwinds "digital plate coin" since 2001; for type, see also: BMC Mesopotamia pg. 108, 109; Lindgren I 2583 (cf. also A2567A). Prov: Ex M. Slavin coll., acq. by him from CNG c. 2001, w/ old tag. SEV. ALEX. AS CAESAR: This is the only Sev. Alex. as Caesar that I'm seeing in my collection right now. Bithynia Nikaia. Severus Alexander, as Caesar, AE (6h. 23mm, 6.21g), struck 222 CE. Obv: Μ ΑΥΡ ΑΛƐΞΑΝΔΡΟϹ ΚΑΙ. Bare-headed, draped & cuirassed bust r., from rear. Rev: ΝΙΚΑΙƐΩΝ. Athena standing, l., holding spear, patera over altar; shield on the ground. Ref: RPC VI 3100 (Temp.), spec. 4 (this coin); Lindgren I 144. Prov: Ex H.C. Lindgren Coll. (unpublished duplicate); Malloy MBS XXXIII (19 Jun 1992), Lot 376 (Plate XI) SEV. ALEX. FROM ANTIOCH: The coin below is a Severus Alexander from Antioch, but as Augustus, I believe. Interesting because it's a Liberalitas type but supposedly no such "congiarium" / money-distribution was made at Antioch. So, oddly, celebrating a distribution in Rome? Odd choice for propaganda! Inspire envy among your Eastern subjects and legions, hoping that somehow inspires loyalty? Didn't work! Roman Imperial. Severus Alexander AR Denarius (2.69g, 18mm, 6h), struck in Antioch, 223 CE. Obv: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG. Laureate, cuirassed & draped bust right, seen from behind. Rev: LIBERALITAS AVG. Liberalitas draped, standing & holding abacus (?) and cornucopia. Ref: RIC IV 281; BMCRE 1043; RSC 108b. Prov: Ex AK Collection, purchased from Munzen & Medaillen AG, Basel, 1970 (prob. MMAG FPL 311 [Apr 1970], 285); CNG Triton XXI (7 January 2019), lot 805 (part of 94 coins, coin no. B083, in AK Supplement only); CNG EA 485 (10 Feb 2021), Lot 559, (corr., misdescribed & mistakenly encapsulated by NGC with incorrect label!).

Here's my most recent coin-addition (as opposed to literature with provenance, which I've also added a bunch of recently). I was outbid on it at Triton XXIV but saw it again at Leu last month and was successful this time around. Nero & Agrippina Jr. Drachm Caesarea. I really like this coin for historical, artistic, and numismatic reasons (especially the Agrippina Jr. portrait, as I find her & Nero to be some of the most interesting Julio-Claudian figures), but the provenance also made it attractive. CAPPADOCIA. Caesaraea-Eusebia. Nero, with Agrippina Junior, prob. struck 55 CE. Drachm (Silver, 18 mm, 3.68 g, 12 h). Obv: NERO CLAVD DIVI CLAVD F CAESAR AVG GERMANI Laureate head of Nero to right. Rev: AGRIPPINA AVGVSTA MATER AVGVSTI Draped bust of Agrippina to right; in field to right, c/m: K/K within rectangular incuse. Ref: RPC I 3637.5 (this coin) = Howgego 850i (cited) = CNR XVI 73 (this coin). Prov: Gilhofer & Ranschburg/Hess (22 May 1935), lot 359, Trau collection; Bank Leu/Münzen und Medaillen (21 Oct 1966), lot 659, Niggeler Collection, Part II; CNG 51 (15 Sep 1999), lot 965; CNG MBS 58 (19 Sep 2001,) lot 955; CNG Triton XXIV (19 Jan 2021), lot 139, Merani Collection, Part I; Leu WA 29 (10 Dec 2023), Lot 2426, Dutch Coll. For coins with extensive collection & publication histories, etc., I like to keep track of them with provenance diagrams: It was from the collections of Franz Trau Jr. (1881-1931), Walter Niggeler (1878-1964), and Peter J. Merani (1936-2020). (Before that, I suspect it came from 1906 Caesarea Hoard [Noe 179] via the same source as the ANS/Newell & BMC coins, but have only circumstantial evidence.) Some of the book/catalog/website images a bit larger: It's from a Provincial mint but with Latin legends, so it's published as both RIC and RPC. And, being a portrait coin of Agrippina Jr., the reverse is also illustrated in at least one book (cited in others) on Great Women of Imperial Rome (J. Burns, 2007, NY: Routledge). The Trau photo was reproduced in Banti & Simonetta's (1978) Corpus Numorum Romanorum XVI, no. 73. (The Trau sale was also reprinted by Attic Books (NY) in 1976 as Sammlung Franz Trau: Münzen der Römischen Kaiser.) It's also in RPC Supplement II (citing a new CNG sale, not ill.) and in RPC Online (3637, spec. 5) and Wildwinds (Nero ; Caesarea). Also, cited in Howgego's (1985) standard reference on Greek Imperial Countermarks. (My second cited in Howgego; most illustrations are from BMC though.)

@DonnaML -- Well, this one is not going to be as good as the Dattari or Harptree or Vicomte de Sartiges, but here's a little extra sale provenance for a coin of yours that I recognized. (I messaged you separately on something else, but saved this coin for here...) I remembered this Constans (FEL TEMP REPARATIO, captives) of yours from previous posts since it's a lovely example of a type I collect. I was looking through a newly-acquired old Fixed Price List this evening -- Alex G. Malloy FPL XXVI (March 1972), which concluded with a section titled, "The Centenionalis," and a plate showing 20 specimens. Well, I recognized this coin of course. So now the earliest know provenance can be bumped back (I assume) about 48 years in time, from 2020 to 1972. A common theme: The "flaws" become the greatest assets in provenance hunting. Even on an awkwardly hand-trimmed photo from the 1970s, the void in the flan around 7h on the rev. is unmistakable. I haven't posted/commented much lately, so I have a bit of a backlog of my own such provenance finds to share. For now, though, here's just one related to this same catalog: I just received several dozen small booklet-sized Fixed Price Lists (Alex G. Malloy & others) from the ANS Library Duplicates. Just like coins, I prefer literature with some interesting provenance. Ex ANS Library is always great. But sometimes there's more... Dealers often affixed address labels (and postage) right on the back cover of booklet FPLs, so even 50 years later (or longer), one can still see to whom they were originally mailed. (Why I love them!) These ones all turned out to be from the library of professional numismatist & antiquities cataloger, Michael John Shubin (1950-2008). He spent many years working with Joel and Michael Malter at Malter Galleries & elsewhere. Antiquities, other objects, and papers from his estate were dispersed among several institutions, including ANS, Getty, Emory University, and a few others. (Some of his collections have remained in the private market, but not much.) http://numismatics.org/authority/shubin_michael (He's no longer living and his address is public, so I probably don't need to redact them, but didn't want anyone to worry!)