Ocatarinetabellatchitchix

Here is the link to order it : https://www.cgbfr.com/sesterces-des-antonins-iv-96-192-marc-aurele-cesar-139-161-marc-aurele-auguste-161-180-lucius-verus-161-169-lacourt-jean,ls117,a.html And the threads talking about the other volumes: And the first Volume: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-new-book-about-sestertii.393778/#post-8238719

Sadly no. I’d like to publish something one day, but my editor told me I have to learn to read first…

This fourth volume is the thickest and largest in the series with 428 pages, almost double the first volume. It also weighs much heavier, almost 2 kilograms. Forty photos plates will allow you to discover 800 very good quality photos of the obverse and reverse, not only of Marcus Aurelius as Caesar (139-161) then Augustus (161-180) without forgetting the consecration pieces by his son Commodus (180-182), of Faustina Younger, the daughter of Antoninus Pius and Faustina Mother under the reign of her father, then of her husband and finally after his death. This panorama would not be complete if Lucius Verus, adoptive brother of Marcus Aurelius, was not associated with this coinage (161-169) as well as his wife, Lucilla, the daughter of Marcus Aurelius. It’s a real family “saga” that presents itself to you. The forty plates are each accompanied by an explanatory page placed next to the corresponding plate. Opposite each plate, placed on the right page, on the left you find the list of obverse or reverse types. For Marcus Aurelius we have 22 plates including 7 like Caesar, and we have 140 photos (60 for the obverses and 80 for the reverses). These pages are followed by 14 plates for Marcus Aurelius Augustus with 140 photos for the obverses and as many for the reverses. An additional page is reserved for posthumous Sestertii with 4 obverses and 16 reverses. As for Faustina the Younger, we have 8 plates with 40 photos for the obverse and 120 reverse (just for you @Roman Collector). The Sestertii of Lucius Verus are presented on 7 plates with 64 photos for the obverses including 4 for Lucius Verus deified and 76 reverses. Finally to Lucilla are reserved the last three plates with 20 photos for the obverses and 40 for the reverses. On the left page under the classification, you will find the list of origins of the illustrations. In my opinion, the price is very reasonable at only 69 euros. With only a few hundreds copies printed, do not wait to acquire it before it is sold out

I don’t understand why, but here on Numisforums we always have around 10% of non registered readers compared to the « real » members online. The ratio is completely different on Forvm and Cointalk.

Very nice selection, and I say that even if I don’t collect Greek coins. Also I usually do not like the color purple, but with your favorite pieces and this background, I find it pretty awesome ! 😳

Exactly. For example, on FAC (Forvm), there are more than 9600 registered members but I’d say maybe 25 -30 regular posters…

The wide variety of numismatic knowledge posted on NF impresses me, and I can only admire the depth of research that some members have carried out. And if we want to know more about Kushan, Sasanian, Parthian, Indo-Parthian, Kushano-Sasanian, Indo Scythians, Islamic coinage... who can we turn to? The answer: to our interviewed member of the week, Parthicus! If you are looking for a Parthian coin at recent auctions, you will often see an "ex-Parthicus collection" example. Let's learn a little more about this passionate collector. Parthicus, can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you’re from, your family, hobbies, work…? About 13.7 billion years ago, a singularity underwent rapid expansion in an event we call the Big Bang, leading to the universe we know. Skipping forward a bit… In 1972 I was born and grew up in a small town in southern New Jersey (a small, East Coast state in the United States). I attended college in Pennsylvania, majoring in Biology, and went on to graduate work at a major university. I earned a Master’s in Molecular Biology and spent some time in the Doctoral program, but ultimately dropped out without earning a Ph.D. I then entered the workforce, as a technician and later lab manager in a series of academic research labs. For the last 12 years, I have been in a Cell Biology laboratory at a major biomedical research university in Baltimore that you have surely heard of (and which I am not naming solely because I am not an authorized spokesperson for them, and don’t want anyone to confuse my opinions for the official positions of the university. Although, frankly, I doubt that the university has any official position on the slabbing of ancient coins, or whether non-figural Islamic coinage is boring.) I have a number of hobbies and interests besides coins. I am an avid reader (especially of history and science fiction). I collect fossils, both those that I’ve found and those I’ve purchased. When I get a chance I enjoy birding, and my “life list” (the overall list of species that I’ve seen at least once) is 470 species. (Which sounds impressive, until you learn that there are over 10,000 known species of birds worldwide, so I’ve seen less than 5% of them.) I also love movies, both the good and the so-bad-they’re-good. (I own DVDs of both Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris and Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space.) I sometimes worry that I have too many hobbies, and am not able to focus enough on one to really excel. But there are just too many interesting things in the world to learn about, I can’t force myself to narrow down to just one area. Finally, I also enjoy cooking; if you are very lucky, I might share some of my eggplant parmesan with you. How did you get interested in ancient coinage ? I first became interested in coins at the age of 7. I received a birthday gift of a prepackaged “coin collecting starter kit” made by Whitman Publications. It included a couple of Whitman coin folders (the blue cardboard kind), some 2x2 holders, a US coin price guide (not the Red Book, but some other book) and a 64-page introductory booklet about coin collecting. I still have the booklet and the Lincoln cent book (which is now full): I knew of ancient coins and could recognize a few major types (like Athenian owls) but didn’t own any. I was aware that it was possible to own ancient coins, but the only ancients at the local coin shop were priced far above my modest collecting budget. I drifted away from coin collecting around age 12. When I went off to college, I soon found a coin store located just a short walk from campus, and began collecting again. At first I just haphazardly collected whatever interesting US or world coins they had and I could afford, with no clear plan or organizing theme. There were some interesting finds in the junk boxes, including what I later identified as a penny of Edward III. Then, in (I think) 1993, the coin store got in a bunch of late Roman bronzes and other lower-grade, inexpensive ancients. This was just after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, and large amounts of material from the former East Bloc countries entered the market. I bought a few of the better-preserved and interesting-looking coins (from $3 and $5 junk boxes) and managed to attribute them using books from the college library. I also bought a few nicer, already-identified ancients (including an antoninianus of Gordian III and a drachm of the Indo-Greek king Menander). My first ancient coin reference book was Sear’s Roman Coins and Their Values (4th edition, the last single-volume one), special-ordered through the coin store. I’ve been collecting ancients ever since. My precise collecting interests have shifted a few times, and my purchasing has sometimes slowed down due to financial or other life changes or another hobby taking up my time and money, but I’ve never entirely stopped collecting ancients. What was the first coin you ever bought ? I have no idea what is the first coin in general that I bought. As for ancients, I bought several at once from a coin store (as I said in the previous question), and the first I was able to identify was this AE3 of Constantius II: Can you tell us an anecdote about a coin you own ? Your best bargain ? Your rarest coin ? The specimen you will never sell ? The one you dream of acquiring ? Best bargain: I have “cherry-picked” dealers a number of times by knowing the details of a particular series better than a generalist dealer can. However, most of these are minor varieties that are not worth a great deal more than the common type, so not a huge bargain. Percentage-wise, my best bargain would probably be a coin from that initial $3 junk box. It was a blackened lump, but enough silver poked through to make me think it could be worth trying to clean up. After several series of soakings in dilute lemon juice, followed by thorough repeated rinses in distilled water and retoning by carrying it in the front pocket of my jeans for a week, I was left with a Fine+ denarius of Marcus Aurelius with Pax seated on reverse. So I got a maybe $30-40 coin (at the time) for just $3 and a bit of work. Rarest coin: I have several Parthian coins that are unlisted in the standard publications, mostly for dates on tetradrachms. (Parthian tetradrachms usually include both the year and month, but the month is frequently off the flan.) But almost nobody collects Parthian tetradrachms by date, so the total population of people who really care could probably fit in my living room. My rarest in general (as in seldom seen for sale) is probably the coin I have that is attributed to the Khazars. Many references state that the Khazars did not issue any coins, but there are a few rare imitations of Islamic coins that have been attributed to them by experts. I bought this coin from Stephen Album (author of the standard guidebook to Islamic coins) and the type is listed in his book, so I feel rather confident that this is indeed a coin from that enigmatic group: Coin I dream of acquiring: There are a few types I hope to obtain but have not been successful so far. I’ve bid on a few specimens of the rare Kushan bronze coins featuring the Buddha but have not been successful yet. I’d like to upgrade my Parthian drachm of Queen Musa, and maybe even acquire one of her tetradrachms. As long as we’re talking about coins I will almost certainly never own, I could add a Sasanian drachm of Queen Azarmidokht, Parthian drachm of Pakoros (son of Orodes II) and a denarius of Quintus Labienus (a Roman Republican general who defected to the Parthians), or, why not, an “Eid Mar” denarius. What do you collect exactly ? What is the size of your collection ? My main collecting focus right now is on Parthian, Sasanian, and early Islamic coins. I also sometimes buy a Roman, Kushan, or other coin if it appeals to me for some reason. I used to collect pretty extensively in Roman and in Chinese cash, but have bought very few of either in the last few years. I haven’t finished making spreadsheets for all my collecting areas, but here are some numbers for what I do know: Roman Republic and Imperatorial: 30; Roman Imperial (including Provincial): 257; Byzantine: 13; Parthian: 100; Parthian sub-kingdoms (Persis, Elymais, Characene): 42; Sasanian: 135; Kushan: 35; Pre-reform Islamic: 37 Of course, that’s not including Chinese cash (maybe 300 coins?), Greek, Indian and Central Asian, or various modern US and world coins. So I really have no good idea of the overall total. What did you write about ? I’ve never published any numismatic-related articles professionally. I do like to write up short posts about (most of) the new coins I acquire, I’ve been posting them on Coin Talk since 2016 and here on Numis Forums since I joined. In my “real” career I’ve been a co-author on about a dozen published scientific articles (both original research papers and review articles). When I post about new acquisitions, I always try to include the historical background behind the coin, in addition to basic cataloguing data. My purpose is to educate both the readers, and frequently myself, to better appreciate the fascinating history that they may not have known. This is especially the case when I am posting coins from cultures that are less-well-known to classically-oriented collectors. I often end up learning a great deal myself when I do the research for a post. For example, I’ve posted a few Arab-Sasanian drachms lately, that were issued by the Muslim governors of the eastern Caliphate in the mid-to-late 7th century CE. They all look very similar, with designs closely imitating late Sasanian drachms and the main differences lying only in the brief inscriptions. But we actually have a fair bit of information on most of these governors, and their story yields a lot of insight into how a small band of desert tribesmen managed to conquer a large portion of the civilized world in just a few decades. I was familiar with the broad outline of the story, but in researching these men I found fascinating stories of men who in some cases showed unwavering loyalty, while other men would betray their allegiance and switch sides, and in turn be betrayed or forgiven depending on circumstances. Fascinating stories, and I probably wouldn’t have known them unless I had tried to research my coins and write about them. In what part of history are you interested in ? I think any period of history can be interesting, if described by a skilled historian who focuses on the human drama inherent in the story. Too many people get turned off from history because it’s taught as just a series of important dates and names to remember for a test, or (at a more advanced level) as a compilation of economic and political statistics to explain vast historical trends. But fundamentally history is the record of people living their lives, often just trying to survive, sometimes trying to achieve a higher goal (for a leader, country, ideology, religion…) and these stories can make for fascinating reading. The historical periods I tend to read about the most are the Roman (especially late Republic through Antonines and Severans), Persian (especially Parthian and Sasanian) and the US Civil War. Do you have a numismatic goal for the next year ? My main goal is to finish compiling my spreadsheets so I have some semblance of organization to my collection. I will of course continue searching for interesting coins, but don’t have any specific types that I intend to purchase in 2024. I may also finish part of my Super Secret Side Project (which I will describe only when it’s more complete). What numismatic books do you own / consult most often ? For Parthian coins, I use the “three Ss” (Sellwood, Shore, and Sunrise) especially Sellwood (for the all-important type numbers) and Sunrise (for recent scholarship on attributing types to specific kings). For Sasanians, I mainly use Gobl, supplemented by online references for mintmark attributions. For most Indian and Central Asian coins I still use volumes 1 and 2 of Mitchiner’s Oriental Coins and Their Values series (Ancient and Classical World and Non-Islamic States and Western Colonies, respectively). Islamic coins are tougher- I mainly use a mix of Steve Album’s Checklist of Islamic Coins, Richard Plant’s Arabic Coins and How to Read Them, the third volume (World of Islam) of Mitchiner, Gaube’s Arabosasanidische Numismatik, and Gyselen’s Arab-Sasanian Copper Coinage. For Chinese cash, nothing beats Hartill. A very helpful source for coins of Asia in general is the website zeno.ru, although you need to know at least a little bit about a coin already to effectively look it up. I attribute modern (1600 to present) using various volumes of the Krause catalogues. I have many other useful numismatic books, but these are my go-to attribution guides. Can you tell us more about the sale of a part of the « Parthicus collection » in 2017 ? For a while I was focused almost exclusively on Parthian coins. While I was able to build up a pretty substantial collection (about 400 coins), by 2016 I was starting to see the downside of such intense specialization. I had already acquired most of the common types, so the remaining varieties tended to be hard to find and expensive. My collection was starting to feel like a grim duty – fill the spaces, obtain every sub-variety- rather than a source of joy. So, I resolved to sell off at least the greater part of my Parthians. I decided to sell by auction rather than attempt a private sale, so that there would be a public record of the collection including several varieties not listed in the references. Classical Numismatic Group (CNG) seemed an obvious choice, as they had a history of regularly selling important Parthian coins (including Shore’s own collection), and I knew that every serious Parthian collector would see the auction and (hopefully) put in some healthy bids. So I contacted CNG by email, asking whether they were interested and attaching a list of the coins in the collection. They replied that they were, and suggested that it could be a “named” collection in one of their electronic auctions. So, following their instructions, I packed up the collection and shipped it off to them for cataloguing and sale. (I kept only 20 coins for myself, out of the 400, mainly coins with sentimental value.) About six months later, in April 2017, the “Parthicus collection” was included in CNG’s Electronic Auction 396. About two months after the sale, they sent me a pleasantly large check. I was overall happy with the prices that the “headliner” coins achieved, though some of the group lots went too cheaply in my opinion. I think that selling the bulk of my Parthian collection was the right thing to do. Although I have had occasional regrets about a few specific coins (the Musa drachm I sold was much nicer than the one I currently own), selling what had become a burden has freed me to enjoy collecting again. While I haven’t entirely given up on Parthian coins (the 20-coin remainder has now grown to 100 Parthian coins in my collection) I feel more freedom to try out different areas and not worry about whether I am “complete” for any sub-sub-sub-specialty. I don’t have an online gallery of my collection, but please enjoy this random sampling of some of my coins: Many thanks @Parthicus for participating in our project. I’m pretty sure many members will like to give their comments about your interview. Looking forward to see your future threads on this forum of discussion.

Seriously, I learned something new every pages in his new book !

Good point. Corrected !

Définition: a petty or insignificant error or flaw. Since you have all noticed that English is not the mother tongue, you will not be surprised to learn that reading the different topics posted here and on other numismatic discussion forums has helped me broaden my vocabulary in Shakespeare’s language. About 4-5 years ago, I learned a new word by reading a thread by @Roman Collector-FLYSPECKING-…It didn’t take me long to understand he was talking about minor variations in design on certain monetary types. But I also discovered that in my case it was a mental illness… I have developed during my years as a collector a tendency to seek out negligible details sometimes noted by scholars, but often only by a few fanatics of my ilk. In order to feel a little more normal, I thought I would start a thread dedicated to this psychological disorder and perhaps also with the objective of finding other members who are affected by the same illness. I’ll start with my favorite emperor, Victorinus, and with the well known type INVICTVS. I’ll show you different variations already listed by Mairat, but others only noticed by few collectors. So let’s start FLYSPECKING ! Mairat listed 4 variants for the reverse with Sol: Sol 3) Sol running, with hand raised and holding whip, cloak flying behind. Sol 3a) Sol running, with hand raised and holding whip. Sol 3b) Sol running, with hand raised and holding whip, cloak flues out behind, cloak drawn as two parallel lines. Sol 3c) Sol running, with hand raised and holding whip, cloak flues out behind, cloak drawn as two parallel lines with a hieroglyph below. And now to explore the deepness of my problems… Cloak drawn as FOUR parallel lines With a small leaf below (Mairat listed this variation, but not WITH the star in left field) NOW YOUR TURN TO SHARE YOUR FLYSPECKING TENDENCY HERE 🙂

Our member interviewed this week once wrote: « Time in a library alone with a book, a coffee and a little round piece of metal for company seems like a perfectly pleasant way to spend free time ». But do not get me wrong; he is also a globetrotter, and active collector and a family man. If he had lived two thousand years ago, he would probably have worked in a mint as a skilled engraver, or perhaps a bridge builder within the Roman Empire. So let's find out a little more about...Curtisimo. Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you’re from, your family, hobbies, work..? My name is Curtis and I am an engineer (that almost sounded like an AA intro…). I am from the USA (I have lived all over the country, mostly for work). I have been married to my beautiful wife since 2018 and earlier this year we welcomed a baby boy into our family. Other than collecting coins, my favorite hobbies are travelling, photography, drawing and woodworking. I enjoy mixing aspects of my different hobbies when I can. For instance, I like to travel to places that have a connection with ancient coins, particularly places that were part of ancient Greece and Rome. My travels also provide inspiration for coin purchases from areas outside my core collection, such as Islamic Al-Andalus, ancient Japan, or medieval Ragusa. Taking photos of my collection has been a fun offshoot of my interest in photography. It also ensures that any equipment I buy will get more use than just the occasional vacation or outing. I no longer keep my coins on-hand in the house, so photos are my primary way of interacting with most of my collection. As for woodworking, I sometimes decide to build things that are related to my collection. This has included bookshelves for my library, my photography set up and my ongoing project to finish a custom coin cabinet (see below). I’ve been working on my wood carving skills for the project. I decided to go with an Achaemenid Persian theme, so I have been carving scenes inspired by the Palace of Persepolis. This is solid mahogany. I am planning to practice my inlay work for the top of the cabinet. It has been a slow go because I have been more interested in trying new techniques than actually finishing. I don’t draw or sketch as much as I used to (less time) but here are a few sketches I’ve done as well as a model I built for an architectural competition several years ago. It is a hypothetical library project in Rome near Piazza Navona. How did you become interested in ancient coinage ? The short answer is that I have been interested in ancient coins since I became aware that an average person could actually own them. I have always been interested in history. When I was in elementary school, I used to take my history book home at the beginning of the year and read it cover-to-cover. My third-grade history teacher used to preface questions to the class with “does anyone other than Curtis know…” I now realize how annoying I must have been to everyone else in my class. 😊 In college, I took as many history classes as my schedule would allow and I accidentally ended up with enough credit hours for a minor in History. The ancient history courses were always my favorites. I started collecting coins in general when I was around age 8 or 9 after my grandad gave me a 1926 Peace Dollar which I still have. In 2011 I stumbled upon ancient coins for sale online and I could not have been more pleasantly surprised by what was out there. Curtis, what was the first coin you ever bought ? I honestly don’t remember the first coin I ever bought. I vaguely remember going with my parents to a coin shop near the mall where I bought a silver eagle. I must have been 10 or 11 at the time. That may have been the first coin I ever physically bought (with my parents money of course so perhaps that doesn’t count 😉 ). I bought my first ancient coin from Marc Breitpretcher in 2011 for around $25. At the time he was operating under the name “Ancient Imports” which I am sure caused him some customs annoyance from time to time. It was an Elagabalus Antoninianus (see below). It is not a beautiful coin, but I could not have cared less. I was just fascinated to own something that old with a message directly from an ancient person. I felt like Elagabalus was speaking to me from 1800 years in the past. Rather strangely, the coin came in a flip that was not free of PVC. To be fair, Marc noted on a paper that came with the coin that it should not be stored long term in the flip (though I don’t remember him saying why). I left the coin in the flip it came in thinking that I would move it when I updated my storage system. Later on I noted a nasty green colored substance on the coin, and I had to clean it. This ugly little thing has been through a lot, but I still like it. Can you tell us an anecdote about a coin you own ? My most sentimental coin is without question this sixpence of Elizabeth I. Some people on the board are probably already familiar with this story but I’ll tell it again anyway. There is a Victorian era rhyme that details what a bride should wear at her wedding for good luck. It goes; Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in her shoe. Before our wedding my wife was trying to decide what she would use for the various items from the rhyme. I picked up on the bit about the sixpence and rather selflessly offered to help out with that. I bought this 1575 Elizabeth I sixpence and my wife wore it in her shoe on the day of our wedding. Good memories. 😊 What do you collect exactly? What is the size of your collection ? I am a generalist but most of my purchases have been either Greek (Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic) or Roman (Republican and Imperial). In the past I have tended to collect whatever struck me as interesting in the moment. Over the last few years, I have noticed that most of my coin budget has been going to the following sub-collections. Roman denarii from the Second Punic War (211 BC) to the death of Severus Alexander. 12 Olympian Portraits Coins related to the Peloponnesian War (5th Cent. BC Greek) Since I decided last year to keep most of my coins at my bank, I am planning to start spending more time collecting lower cost LRB coins that I can keep on hand (perhaps in my cabinet if I ever finish it). This should be a lot of fun since I think there are some really fascinating reverse types of the later empire, and I really haven’t paid this era the attention it deserves. I haven’t done an exact count, but I think my collection is around 300 ancient coins and probably 600 US and World coins. What did you write about ? I tend to write about anything that interests me. I spend at least some time researching every coin I buy and I will usually save disorganized notes on each one as I do. Occasionally, when I have the time, I pull my notes together into a semi-coherent format and post it online. What part of history are you interested in ? I have a pretty intense fascination with everything up through the 19th century. I change my mind about whether I find Greek or Roman history more interesting every time I start researching a new coin from one or the other. Greek history is somewhat less familiar to me once you start getting into the details so I would say that I find Greek history slightly more interesting to learn about on average. Or maybe Roman… maybe Greek. I have a real affinity for eras in history that we have some evidence for but are still less well understood. Some examples would be the Homeric world of Dark Age Greece, archaic Rome, the early Middle Ages, Sumeria, early Judaea, etc. In a similar way, I also really enjoy researching and theorizing about the exact meaning of ancient coin designs and who this message was meant to reach. I am of the strong opinion that almost every coin issued in the ancient Roman world (and perhaps also Greek) had a specific intended meaning and an audience, even when stock iconography was used. Do you have a numismatic goal for the next year ? I have been doing some detailed research into the iconography of the early coins of Thasos. I hope to be able to compile my research notes into an article that I can submit for publication. What numismatic books do you own / consult most often ? I love books! Over the last several years, I have probably spent almost as much energy on my library as I have on my coin collection. My current library includes very respectable sections for engineering, math and science, medical (my wife’s books mostly), history and, of course, numismatics. My physical library has just over 1,000 books and catalogs related to numismatics. The ones that I consult most often are, RIC for Roman Imperial coins (I have all 10 volumes in 11 books), Crawford’s Roman Republican Coinage for Roman Republican coins (2 volumes), and Hoover’s HGC for Greek coins (I have the first 7 books of the series). I also keep a digital library saved on a local drive that I can access from my computer or iPad. I mostly follow the naming conventions used in CNG’s “bibliography” section (so useful!). I currently have almost 2,000 files but many of these are catalogs and historical essays on various topics. Much of my research on individual Greek coins is done from my digital library. It is surprising how many primary references are available online. A recent example I came across is R.H.J. Ashton’s “The Late Classical/Early Hellenistic Drachms of Knidos.” I’ve spent hours searching for and downloading as many such references as I can find. Here is a sample of a few of my shelves that are mostly numismatic related. My newest book is on history and architecture, not numismatics, but it has been crucial for my research into one of my newest coin purchases. It is called “Roman Circuses: Arenas for Chariot Racing.” Many thanks Curtis for your participation in the project and also to allow us to know you better. As usual, fellow collectors, feel free to share your comments about this interview.

Thanks for sharing Al. I don’t want to brag here, but I have a « white star line pocket watch » myself… bought at the Titanic’s exhibit in Montreal 20 years ago…for 50 $…🙄

Talking about astronomy, let’s hope your coin doesn’t come out of a black hole…🤭

By 2025, I will no longer be able to see Saturn's rings in my telescope. Seen from Earth, the planet will change its inclination between now and then, to the point where we will only see the thin thickness of its rings. It’s like taking a straight sheet of paper and placing it sideways, perpendicular to your eyes. This tilting of the rings occurs due to the variable inclination of its axis of rotation relative to our line of vision from the earth. Thus, this “disappearance” only occurs approximately once every fifteen years. Thanks to this phenomenon, Saturn's many moons will be much easier to see. However, it is believed that Saturn's rings will actually disappear one day, and not just for our eyes. The gravity of the planet gradually attracts the rings towards it, until there are none left... within 100 million years... Please show me your coins featuring Saturn…or any other « god planet ». Gallienus / Saturn holding harpa.

I do not have this problem, except I don’t understand the link between the image and this thread…… here is the picture I can see:

Caracalla, and APOLLO with the foot on a cippus.

He started over 1000 new threads on CoinTalk, if you have a question about Greek or Latin language, he’s the « go to person », he’s also young at heart even if he recently became a grandpa. But IMHO his greatest achievement was to interest us in the different women’s hairstyles dating back almost 18 centuries… this week let’s talk a bit with Roman Collector. RC, can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you’re from, your family, hobbies, work…? I'm 60 years old and an American. How did you get interested in ancient coinage ? I work in a STEM field [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] now but I was once enrolled in a Biblical languages and literature Ph.D. program. In grad school in the 80s, I naturally became attracted to art and literature of the ancient world. I used to collect US coinage as a kid with a limited budget and I've always had a collecting bug. In grad school, I was surprised at how affordable ancient coins were and I bought a few from time-to-time, starting with ... What was the first coin you ever bought ? The tribute penny that is my avatar. It's my avatar, not only because the coin is special to me, but because I kind of look like Tiberius. Can you tell us an anecdote about a coin you own ? Your best bargain ? Your rarest coin ? The specimen you will never sell ? The one you dream of acquiring ? This is perhaps the best bargain in my collection. I'm not talking flyspecking, such as "rare with this hairstyle" or similar. No. A genuine rarity. There are three other examples known: 1. Paris specimen cited by Cohen and Strack, 2. Naples specimen cited by Strack, 3. Yale University Art Gallery 2009.110.36 = Münzhandlung Basel (Auction 1), June 28, 1934, pl. 29, 1171, 4., cited by Strack. Mine is the fourth known example. It was overlooked by the condition cranks at auction and hammered for 45 GBP. Including shipping and all fees, it was less than $100. Here is my specimen, ex-Bertolami. Faustina Senior, AD 138-141. Roman orichalcum dupondius, 16.19 g, 26.1 mm, 10 h. Rome, AD 140-141. Obv: DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: CONSECRATIO S C, Funerary ustrinum in three stories, set on base, ornamented and garlanded, surmounted by Faustina in biga right. Refs: RIC 1189; BMCRE p. 236 *; Cohen 187; RCV --; Strack 1238. Notes: Bertolami E-Auction 61, lot 550, 9 September 2018. Here is the Paris specimen, Cohen 187. The Yale University specimen. It has quite a provenance: Evans, Lawrence, von Koblitz, and Dr. Hans Steger, to 1933; Cahn, Frankfurt, Feburary 27, 1933, cat. 80, lot 740; Erzherzog Friedrich; Munzhandlung Basel, Basel, June 27, 1934, cat. 1, lot 1171; Walter Niggeler, to 1967; Bank Leu–Munzen and Medaillen (?), and ultimately to Yale University, 2009. Here is the same coin, as illustrated in Strack, citing the Münzhandlung Basel specimen. Unsurprisingly, all these examples were struck with the same reverse die. I have been unable to find an image of the Naples coin cited by Strack. Although the building depicted on the reverse of this coin is often called a "funeral pyre," that is incorrect. It actually depicts the ustrinum of Faustina the Elder. An ustrinum was not a crematorium, but rather a monument that marked the site of the wooden funeral pyre, called a rogus in Latin, that was used to cremate the corpse. *Since I first did this interview, a fifth specimen has been found, by collector captnCoin at Coin Talk. Here's a link to his post on my nearly four-year-old thread. What do you collect exactly ? What is the size of your collection ? I've always been primarily a collector of Roman coins (duh!), by which I mean the entire Roman area: Republic, Empire, and provincial coinage. I also have some ancient Greek bronzes with interesting iconography. I tend to go down various rabbit-holes in my collecting, and at various times I have worked on the following subcollections: The various deities and personifications on the reverses of Roman coins of the Imperial series, Roman provincial coins from The Seven Cities of Asia (Revelation 1:11), the CONSTANTINOPOLIS commemoratives, the Gallienus zoo series, the officinae of the Rome mint under Gallienus, the officinae markings of Philip I, Severan women, Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian, Nerva denarii, and Antonine women. The subcollection I have worked on for the longest period and in the greatest depth has been my collection of Faustina I and II, which I started some 25 years ago but which has been my focus for the last three years. Eventually, I'll find another rabbit hole to go down and I'll pursue that for a while. What did you write about ? I suppose I am best known for my weekly Faustina Friday essays. I have been writing them for more than three years now and am approaching 170 installments!! What part of the history are you interested in ? The aspect of history that interests me most is the stuff that isn't celebrated directly on coinage. I'm most interested in how ordinary folks lived from day-to-day in antiquity: the languages they spoke, the clothes they wore, how they styled their hair, the food they ate, the utensils and tools they used, the designs of their houses, their religious beliefs, and so on. My interest in numismatics is but a part of this broader interest in archaeology. Do you have a numismatic goal for the next year ? Keep working on my Antonine women collection. I may move on to Crispina and Lucilla (I have quite a few of these already), depending on how difficult it is to expand my Faustina I and II collection. People sometimes ask why I don't go into more depth in terms of collecting Antoninus Pius or Marcus Aurelius, but they have thousands of coins and it would simply be impossible to specialize in them with any hope of completeness. Moreover, I don't have the money for that. The Antonine empresses are less expensive to pursue than the Antonine emperors. What numismatic books do you own / consult most often ? Sear for Roman coins as a whole, BMCRE for everything through the Severan period. It might surprise you, but I don't use RIC very much because it's little more than a translation of Cohen into English and it's full of misinformation. For very in-depth work on the Antonines, I use Dinsdale's catalog (in progress) and the Martin Beckmann volumes detailing his die-linkage studies of the aurei of Faustina I and II. But in terms of very in-depth analysis of bust varieties and dating of Faustina II, I have essentially had to write my own catalog. Here is the Faustina the Elder album of my collection on my desk and some old auction catalogs. Thanks for your time and generosity RC. We hope you’ll continue for several years to write many more threads that are so informative and interesting to read. As usual, members, feel free to give us your comments about this week’s interview !

GLADIATOR (2000) - Maximus Decimus Meridius' (Russell Crowe) Arena Armour. Estimate: £50,000 - £100,000 GLADIATOR (2000) - Commodus' (Joaquin Phoenix) Screen-matched Arena Costume Estimate: £30,000 - £60,00 GLADIATOR (2000) - Skeletorius Gladiator Helmet Estimate: £5,000 - £10,000 GLADIATOR (2000) - General Maximus Decimus Meridius' (Russell Crowe) Unfinished Armour. Estimate: £5,000 - £10,000 GLADIATOR (2000) - Roman Legionnaire Costume Estimate: £3,000 - £6,000 GLADIATOR (2000) - Battle-dented Gladiator Helmet Estimate: £1,500 - £3,000 GLADIATOR (2000) - Praetorian Guard Shield Estimate: £1,000 - £2,000 https://propstoreauction.com/search?key=Gladiator+&xclosed=no

Very Interesting post. I checked for fun an Cohen described the reverse as « Gallienus or Sol » without talking about the globe. RIC says « Emperor(…) holding globe ». I once read that on this coin Sol is assimilated to Mithras in its orientalizing representation because we are in Antioch.

There was this guy there at the show (I won’t name him), he’s the first dealer from whom I purchased ancient coins in a show, with a HUGE pick-bin box. He’s from Europe (I won’t tell the name of the country) and told me that when his parents in law come to visit him twice a year, they bring coins with them… 5 kilos of them bought in bulk lot there ! When I ask how they can cross the customs with that quantity of pieces, he just told me he declares them as « international coins » without any problems !

Is there a better way to spend an afternoon than attending a coin show ? That’s what I did yesterday in Montreal. I was happily surprised to see 6 dealers selling mostly exclusively ancient coins; Garry Miller, Charles Euston, Louis Brousseau, Svetolik Kovacevic… Had a very good time talking with guys who share the same hobby, and even have a friend (Charles) waiting for me with a gift: the brand new book of Jean Marc Doyen, a translation in French of 41 articles by Gilliam about the Gallic rulers ! Here are some pictures. And you members, did you attend a coin show lately ? My gift And a nice one I can’t afford…

Try CollecOnline. I use the free version, and you can even create pdf of your coins collection. https://www.colleconline.com/fr/collections/9098/ocatarinetabellatchitchix

He used to be called Vespasian70 and managed to interest us in a part of Roman history rich in important events. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t purchased the latest version of the RIC II, just look at his coins’ gallery and you will get the same result ! Let’s now talk with our favorite Flavian fanatic, David Atherton. How did you get interested in ancient coinage ? Accidentally to be honest. About 20 years ago I was doing a search online for books about Roman coins and stumbled across a website actually selling them! Needless to say I was hooked! Ever since I was a kid I've been fascinated by the Roman Empire, what a thrill to find out I could actually 'touch' that civilisation with my own hands! What was the first coin you ever bought ? A common Vespasian Pax denarius from that first dealer's website I came across Oldromancoins.com, I still have it. Can you tell us an anecdote about a coin you own ? Your best bargain ? Your rarest coin ? The specimen you will never sell ? The one you dream of acquiring ? A little known fact about my collection is that most of my rare Titus silver pieces came from the eminent Flavian collector Harry Sneh before he passed away. I still treasure the chats we had about all things Flavian. I can't count how many times over the years I've thought "I wonder what Harry would've said about that coin?" He is greatly missed. Best bargain may have to go to this Vespasian RIC 386 sestertius Picked it up for under $100, only two other specimens known. This unique Domitian RIC 6 denarius mule with a Titus reverse is probably my rarest. Only one has been recorded. I never thought I'd see this coin in trade, but the dream came true this past summer. However, it was no bargain! The one specimen I will never sell will go to this Vespasian RIC 688 denarius I love the fact it is extremely rare and not a portrait coin. Speaking of non-portraits, my absolute dream coin is one that I actually newly acquired - this Titus Colosseum sestertius, RIC 184. Like the Domitian RIC 6 I never thought I would own one and it is now a fundamental cornerstone of my collection. Yes, it's worn ... but it's a Colosseum sestertius!!! Another dream come true! What do you collect exactly ? What is the size of your collection ? The Flavian dynasty: silver systematically, bronze representatively. Currently I have over a thousand coins. Most, if not all of which have been attributed and catalogued from this desk with the help of Hershey. What part of the history are you interested in ? The Flavian dynasty mainly because of the fascinating historical events of that era: the Jewish War, siege of Masada, the building and opening of the Colosseum, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and the battle of Mons Graupius ... just to name a few. Do you have a numismatic goal for the next year ? To continue to add as many Flavian coins I can that piqued my interest ... really no different than the past 20 years! What numismatic books do you own / consult most often ? The following are the references I consult. RIC, BMC, and RPC more often than the others. • RIC - The Roman Imperial Coinage II Part 1, I. Carradice and T.V. Buttrey (London, 2007) • BMC - Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum II, H. Mattingly (London, 1966) • RSC - Roman Silver Coins II, H.A. Seaby (London, 1979) • RPC - Roman Provincial Coinage II, A. Burnett, M. Amandry, I. Carradice (London and Paris, 1999) • BNC - Monnaies de l'Empire Romain III, J.-B. Giard (Paris, 1998) • Hendin - Guide to Biblical Coins, D. Hendin (New York, 2010) • Emmett - Alexandrian Coins, K. Emmett (Lodi, Wisconsin, 2001) • Dattari-Savio - Catalogo completo della collezione Dattari Numi Augg. Alexandrini, A. Savio, ed. (Trieste, 1999) • Prieur - The Syro-Phoenician Tetradrachms and their Fractions from 57 BC to AD 258, M. Prieur & K. Prieur (Lancaster, PA, 2000) David Vagi's Coinage and History of the Roman Empire is one I love to read from time to time, but don't use it in my attributions. The 'core' references I consult. Many thanks for participating in our project David. We’d like to know NF members’ comments about this interview, and if you want to go deeper in the Flavian’s coinage, here’s some links that you will enjoy: Gallery: http://tinyurl.com/2cgd8r Twitter: https://twitter.com/FanaticFlavian Blog: https://flavianfanatic.wordpress.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/@FlavianFanatic?si=dtWg_Ayy56paL3oU