akeady

Here's one. State, City: Corinth Coin: Silver Stater - Pegasus flying left - Head of Athena left, wearing Corinthian helmet, bucranium behind Mint: Corinth (ca 405-345 BC) Wt./Size/Axis: 7.80g / 21.4mm / - References: Pegasi 210 Acquisition: Numismatica Tintinna Online Auction Asta Elettronica 25 #71 23-Feb-2013 Next - Pegasus

The Microdisney documentary was shown on BBC4 last week and I managed to watch it using a VPN to the UK, logging into my BBC account and clicking a button saying I had a TV licence! (I do, but not a UK one!). https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001x9fs Here's one from their second-last ever gig, the night before their Cork swansong. Here's a coin that came recently - posthumous denarius of Faustina I. I liked the toning and it was cheap 🙂 From the seller's description: Diva Faustina I Denarius Rome circa 146-161, AR 17.00 mm., 2.92 g. Draped bust r. Rev. Aeternitas (or Juno) standing l., raising hand and holding sceptre. C 26. RIC A.Pius 344. Old cabinet tone and Good Very fine From the collection of a Mentor. ATB, Aidan.

This is a coin that means a lot to me - one of my late aunt's best coins, which she gave me more than 40 years ago. Monarch: Victoria Coin: Bronze Penny VICTORIA 😧 G: BRITT: REG: F: 😧 - Bust left ONE PENNY 1875 - Britannia seated right, holding trident; lighthouse to left, ship to right Mint Date: 1875 Wt./Size/Axis: 9.40g / 31mm / 0h References: Spink 3954 ATB, Aidan.

Funny - I was just looking at an example of the same Fausta to post 😄 Here's a Constantius II I like. Ruler: Constantius II (Augustus) Coin: Bronze AE2 D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG - Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right FEL TEMP REPARATIO - Soldier standing left, spearing fallen horseman Exergue: Mint: Constantinople (ca. 348-351 AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 4.65g / 24mm / 0h References: RIC 82 (Vol. VIII, Constantinople) Acquisition: Naville Numismatics Online auction NN Live 59 #814 26-Jul-2020 Next - something else with a horse.

Thanks, Octarine and all for your kind comments! ATB, Aidan.

I just read that Karl Wallinger has died. One of the original Waterboys - playing keyboard here and later the main guy behind World Party. The last one has Sinéad O'Connor on backing vocals. I was introduced to World Party by some girls I met at a party in 1988 - I looked up one of them on Facebook tonight and she had posted the news of Karl's death just 25 minutes before 😞 I wasn't sure what coin to use, but maybe this is appropriate as WP had an album "Goodbye Jumbo" Country: Spain Coin: 2011 10 Euro ESPANA 2011 10 EURO - Laureate head of Melqart with features of Hannibal left - Elephant walking right Shape: Round. Mint: Madrid (10,000) Wt./Size/Axis: 27.00g / 33.0mm / 0h Acquisition: Real Casa de la Moneda Madrid 20-Sep-2012 Notes: Nov 15, 12 - Reproduction of Hispano-Punic coin of Hannibal ATB, Aidan. P.S. I just read that there's a numismatic link to Wallinger - his wife, Suzie Zamit, has designed coins for the UK, including the Darwin £2 and the reverses of some of the Britannia bullion coins. I don't have any of them, but here's a link to a Numista page for one of them Britannia 1 ounce silver

I thought it was scarcer than that too, but I see 151 of them on acsearch and nothing is really rare when there are several examples on Vcoins to choose from at any one time. Not as common as the Julius Caesar elephant denarius, of course 😄 ATB, Aidan.

Crawford estimates 51 obverse dies and 57 reverse dies for the three varieties of Cr. 450/3 (/3a, /3b, /3c) together. This makes it fairly common, though divided between three varieties, not too common. Sydenham has separate rarity estimates for the three versions - 943, 943a, 943b - this is 943a and he rates it 2 on his 1-9 scale, making it "Very common". ATB, Aidan.

I have a couple of coins with numbers written on them, but it would take me a while to locate photos. Here are mine of Cr. 450. Cr. 450/1: Cr. 450/2: Cr. 450/3b: ATB, Aidan.

Here's a chubby Nero. Ruler: Nero (Augustus) Coin: Gold Aureus IMP NERO CAESAR AVG PP - Laureate bust right SALUS in exergue - Salus draped seated left on throne; right hand holding patera, left resting at her side Mint: Rome (67-68AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 7.00g / - / 180 Rarity: References: cf RIC 71 Cohen 315 Calicó 444 BMC 98 note Acquisition: Kuenker Auction 157 26-Jun-2009 Notes: Jul 15, 09 - RIC 71 listed only as denarius Next - some other Roman Imperial coin missing from RIC.

There's a great small museum in Dublin, the Chester Beatty Library - Alfred Chester Beatty didn't collect coins, he mostly collected Eastern manuscripts and Islamic art, but the museum of the collection he left the state is well worth a visit even by coin collectors: https://chesterbeatty.ie/ He's quoted as saying "It is no good keeping things that are not first class, they simply keep the collection down." I can't claim to collecy by his standards or motto, but I certainly enjoy an occasional nice coin 😄 Gens: Anonymous Coin: Silver Victoriatus - Laureate head of Jupiter right; bead and reed border L - Victory standing right, placing wreath on trophy Exergue: ROMA Mint: Luceria (211-208 BC) Wt./Size/Axis: 3.77g / 15mm / 7h References: RSC 36e* (Anon) Sydenham 121 Crawford 97/1a RBW 395 Acquisition: CNG Online auction eAuction 512 #480 23-Mar-2022 Notes: Apr 11, 22 - In NGC encapsulation 4374448-107, graded MS – Fine Style I haven't broken it free! ATB, Aidan.

I hope you're on the mend soon, Donna. ATB, Aidan.

Ruler: Augustus (Augustus) Region, City: Thrace, Coin: Bronze ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΡΟΙΜΗΤΑΛΚΟΥ - Jugate heads of Rhoemetalces, diademed, and his queen Pythodoris, right ΚΑΙΣΑΡΟΣ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΥ - Head of Augustus, right Mint: (ca. 11BC - 12 AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 8.22g / 22mm / 6h References: RPC I, 1711 Acquisition: Naville Numismatics Online auction NN Live 54 #208 (part of) 15-Dec-2019 Next - 3 or more heads on a coin.

Ruler: Macrinus/Diadumenian (Augustus/Caesar) Region, City: Moesia, Markianopolis Coin: Copper AV K OPPE CEVH MAKPINOC K M OPPEL ANTWNINOC DIADOMENOC - Confronted busts of Macrinus and Diadumenian VP PONTIANOV MARKIANOPOLEITWN - Zeus standing facing, head left, mantle over shoulder, holding thunderbolt & sceptre, E to left Mint: (217-218 AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 12.96g / 27.72mm / - References: Moushmov 550 Acquisition: Numismatica Tintinna Online Auction Asta Elettronica 25 #2006 23-Feb-2013 I bought this because it's a lovely shade of green - it deserves a re-shoot! Next - Zeus

I took a few coin photos today - the first in 2024. Here's a coin from NYINC - Gens: Thoria Moneyer: L. Thorius Balbus Coin: Silver Denarius I·S·M·R - Head of Juno Sospita, right, wearing goat-skin L·THORIVS - Bull charging right; control-mark above (S) Exergue: BALBVS Mint: Rome (105 BC) Wt./Size/Axis: 3.94g / 20mm / 6h References: RSC 1 (Thoria) Sydenham 598 Crawford 316/1 Acquisition: Wolfshead Gallery NYINC Bourse 13-Jan-2024 ATB, Aidan.

For some reason, I'm reminded of the Hungarian film Taxidermia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxidermia Perhaps not a film for the squeamish 😄 ATB, Aidan.

I've bought a lot of coins from Artemide over quite a few years and like them. I once got a fairly obvious cast fake from them, back in 2011. I had no problem returning it. It was a late night bid - when I looked the next day I remember thinking "Hmm, that's well off, why did I bid on it?!". Of course, I won it and it was cast - light weight, casting pearls and the serrations (it was a denarius serratus) were interrupted by a seam! Anyway, they agreed with me it was a cast and refunded me when I sent it back. It's still up on deamoneta: https://www.deamoneta.com/auctions/view/48/8161 Deamonta has its own database of old sales - access is cheap (something like €10 a year?, I'm a subscriber), but it's limited to deamoneta auctions. Artemide sold a very odd RR sestertius a few years ago (completely new type) that was afterwards sold twice by Roma - I'd be somewhat sceptical of it 😄 https://www.deamoneta.com/auctions/view/665/212 - apparently hammerd for €20,000. https://romanumismatics.com/221-lot-416-c-licinius-l-f-macer-ar-sestertius?auction_id=75&view=lot_detail - hammered for £15,000 and in 2023 (Auction XXVIII, lot 494) at £12,000. Anyway, I like them - they sell lots of RR coins. I don't know if they look too closely at what they sell - but the buyer should always be more of an expert than the auction house in what he/she's buying. ATB, Aidan.

I'm a huge fan of the FMs - I'd bought Valhalla Avenue before seeing them and afterwards devoured everything by them and Cathal Coughlan's previous group - Microdisney - and his later solo efforts and finally Telefís. Microdisney reformed after 30 years in 2018 and played a gig in Dublin to accept a "Trailblazer" award at the National Concert Hall and returned in 2019 for gigs in Dublin and Cork. I got to both the Dublin gigs. Microdisney had groovy guitar sounds from Sean O'Hagan and vitriolic lyrics from Cathal Coughlan. In the apartheid era they released an album "We Hate You South African Bastards" - their record company helpfully added "White" after "You" and finally changed the name to "Love Your Enemies" 😄 "Viva Dead Ponies" and "Valhalla Avenue" and maybe "Come Back My Children" (a rehash of "Against Nature" + other tracks) for the older stuff are the essential FMs albums. "Lost In The Former West" and "Bertie's Brochures" are worth a listen too. Retrospective of Valhalla Avenue https://louderthanwar.com/the-fatima-mansions-valhalla-avenue-1992-2022-30-years-on/ I'd hoped the Mansions would reform even for a couple of gigs like Microdisney, but it's not to be, as Cathal died in 2022. https://rockandrollglobe.com/punk/remembering-irish-punk-legend-cathal-coughlan/ Here's something older, a pared-down Microdisney from just before their Dublin and Barbican gigs in June 2018: I'd better include a coin - a Valerian II CONSECRATIO issue. Ruler: Valerian II (Caesar) Coin: Silver Antoninianus DIVO VALERIANO CAES - Radiate and draped bust right CONSECRATIO - Valerian. holding sceptre, astride eagle flying right Mint: Lyon (ca 258 - 259 AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 3.63g / 20mm / 0h References: RIC 9 (Valerian) RSC 5 Gobl 911E Acquisition: Naville Numismatics Online Auction NN Live Auction 1 #169 15-Jun-2013 Keep music evil 🙂 Aidan.

The only time I saw the Fatima Mansions play, this was their second encore - a much longer version (at least one verse is missing here and live it was 10+ minutes long) than this which sent us all home satisfied - more than 30 years ago at this stage. Plenty of righteous anger and snipes at scandals which have still to be fully exposed, decades on... Here's an old coin for no particular reason - I don't think I've posted it before. An issue of three moneyers of 118 or 117 BC - a Q. Marcius, C. Fabius, L. Roscius (probably, anyway). There are two versions of Cr. 283/1, differing in the order of the initials of the moneyers in the exergue; this variety, Cr. 283/1b, is scarcer with about 13 obverse and 16 reverse dies according to Crawford. Gens: Marcia Moneyer: Q. Marcius et al Coin: Silver Denarius - Helmeted head of Roma right; curl on left shoulder ROMA - Victory in quadriga, right, holding reins in left hand and wreath in right hand Exergue: C·F·L·R·Q·M Mint: Rome (118 - 117 BC) Wt./Size/Axis: 3.53g / 20mm / - References: RSC 13a (Fabia) Sydenham 541a Crawford 283/1b Acquisition: Concordia Numismatic Online auction Auction 10 #340 25-Nov-2023

You should just factor the buyer's premium into the price and there's no surprise. Of course, it's easy to get carried away and to bid too much and this is the only way we can pay too much at auction. The money the buyer pays goes to the consignor and to the auction house, so premiums ultimately come out of the consignor's pocket. Rates have certainly been rising - CNG used to charge 10% buyer's premium in their esales - the oldest invoice I can find, from 2010, charged this rate. Like Prieure's last complaint with Leu, my biggest gripe now is about being charged and overcharged VAT on things from outside the EU. In Ireland, the correct antiquities rate is 13.5% (for items over 100 years old), but I usually am charged 23%, irrespective of whether the correct TARIC code is used or not. I've never got any money back, but have also paid nothing sometimes (though rarely nowadays), so maybe it has evened out. I buy less from outside the EU now - as bidding to allow for a 23% hit after premium means I don't win so often! ATB, Aidan.

Here's an Augustus provincial from Augusta Emerita (Merida) Ruler: Augustus Region, City: Hispania, Emerita Coin: Bronze [AVGVSTVS] DIVI F - Laureate head right BA[GGIO] C VICEL [MVN]FES[TO] [II VIR] - Bull standing right Mint: (ca. 27 BC - 14 AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 6.88g / 28mm / 6h References: RPC 273 Acquisition: Jon Moller AP Auction 19-Apr-2020 Next - a cut coin

I got there very late yesterday (Friday), but will be returning today. I've only got 2 Abafil trays to show for yesterday's quick run around! ATB, Aidan.

I picked up a coin from CNG last year and said "Hello" to Tom Mullally, but otherwise there wouldn't have been much to see. I submitted the form earlier too, with a bad (I hope) pic. Aidan.

I am going - finally booked last Friday. It will be a short trip as I only get to Newark on Friday afternoon and fly back on Sunday afternoon - 49.5 hours in New York. I may be too late to get to the bourse on Friday, but will make it on Saturday and Sunday morning - I don't have anything in mind to get, but I'm sure something will grab me. Maybe the new RIC V.4 (I see Leu have it at a 20% discount at the moment), so if I get it at a bargain price at the show will pick it up there. Other than that, meeting some people on Saturday for lunch and will make it to Juliana's for pizza one night and Strand to browse for books and walk around a lot. ATB, Aidan.

I posted this recently, but what the hell - it is bigger than 60mm in diameter... Gens: Anonymous Coin: Bronze As I - Laureate head of bearded Janus I - Prow of galley right Mint: Rome (ca. 225-217 BC) Wt./Size/Axis: 249.20g / 64mm / 12h References: Sydenham 71 Crawford 35/1 HN Italy 337 ICC 74 BMCRR Rome 1-9 Provenances: Ex. S & S Collection Acquisition: CNG Online auction Triton XXVI #598 10-Jan-2023 Next - a cast coin