zadie

A new fragment in the collection. I have not yet been able to reconstruct the text on the inner face (the "obverse"). Roman Military Diploma. Fragment, Issued after 138 AD. Inner face: // //// /// Outer face: [EM]ER D[IMISSIS HONESTA MISSIONE QVARVM NOMINA SVBS]CRIP(TA) SVN[T] CIVITATEM ROMANAM QVI EORVM NO]N HABER(ENT)] DEDIT ET CONVBIVM CVM VXORIBVS QVAS TVN]C HAB[VISSENT CVM EST CIVITAS IIS DATA AVT CVM IIS QVAS POSTEA DVXISSENT DVMTAXAT SINGVLIS] Translation: (recipient having) been honorably discharged, whose name is written below, is given Roman citizenship if they did not already have it, and marriage with the wife they had when citizenship was given to them, or with those whom they married later, insofar as each has only one (wife).

I'll take any opportunity to flaunt my cistphori! Most of these are relatively rare (less than 10 specimens known per type) but this is mainly because magistrates were rotated out fairly quickly. Regardless, this coin is one of three known of the type and one of my favourites in the collection. Despite the governor's name being almost completely obliterated. Promagisterial Cistophori. C. Fabius Hadrianus as Proconsul of Asia. Aristoboulos Iereous (priest?), magistrate. AR Cistophoric tetradrachm, Tralles, 24th march 57 BC - 24th march 56 BC. Serpents emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / [C•FABI•M•F] PROCOS, Two serpents entwined by bow case, eagle above. In the left field, zebu standing. TPAΛ. In the right field, Hermes standing left, holding caduceus. ARIΣTOBOΥΛOΣ / [IEΡΕΥΣ] in exergue. 28.10 mm, 12.41 g. Stumpf 31; Metcalf 329 (O5/R28) Three known examples: Gorny & Mosch 130, 1256; Hauck & Aufhäuser 6, lot 262 and this coin. Below are pictures of the two other known specimens, both of them leagues better than mine:

I recently had the fortune of acquiring a very rare and early denarius of Galba. That alone would have been good enough but as it happens it also has a very nice pedigree. I'm happy to know four named collections this coin has resided in. Galba, 68-69. Denarius. Mint in Gaul (Vindobona?) circa April-December 68. 3,49 g. SER GALBA IMP, Galba on horseback left, raising hand in salute / VIRTVS, Helmeted bust of Virtus right. RIC I 93. From the collections of Frederick S. Knobloch (Stack's 1 May 1980, Lot 264); V.J.E. Ryan (Glendining 2 April 1952, Lot 2119); Arthur Löbbecke (Adolph Hess Nachfolger 6 January 1926, Lot 994); Johann Horsky (Adolph Hess Nachfolger 30 April 1917, Lot 2975). This coin was most likely struck by C. Julius Vindex on behalf of Galba shortly after he was hailed as imperator on 2 April 68. In hand:

DPRR is a great resource! I use it all the time to research obscurer characters that are sometimes only mentioned off-hand. Not to mention how much easier it is to search for individuals there as opposed to doing the same in Broughton or Brennan. I'm sadly missing the above type in my own collection but I do have a few cistophori issued by Lentulus during his proconsulship in Cilicia from 56 to 53: 1. Promagisterial Cistophori. P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther as Proconsul of Cilicia. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Laodicea on the Lycus, 56-53 BC. Artemidoros son of Damokratos, magistrate. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / P·LENTVLVS·P·F - IMP. Two serpents entwined by a bow case. In the left field, ΛΑΟ. In the exergue, APTEMIΔOPOΣ / ΔAMOKPATOY. Stumpf 77. 2. Promagisterial Cistophori. Publius Cornelius Lentulus Spinther as Proconsul and Imperator in Cilicia. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Apameia, 56-53 BC. Kastor, son of Apollodoros, magistrate. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / P·LENTVLVS·P·F - IMPERATOR. Two serpents entwined by a bow case. In the left field, AΠA. In the exergue, KAΣTOPOΣ - AΠOΛΛOΔΩPOY. 27 mm, 12.20 g. Stumpf 73; Metcalf V (Apameia). Ex Lanz 157 (9 December 2013), lot 182. 3. Promagisterial Cistophori. Publius Cornelius Lentulus Spinther as Proconsul of Cilicia. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Laodicea on the Lycus, 56-53 BC. Anaxagoras son of Artemidoros, magistrate. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / P · LENTVLVS · P · F - PRO·COS. Two serpents entwined by a bow case. In the left field, ΛΑΟ. In the exergue, ΑΝΑΞΑΓΟΡ[ΑΣ] / ΑΡΤΕΜΙ[ΔΩΡΟΥ]. 26 mm, 12.03 g. Stumpf -; Metcalf -. Unpublished. One of only two known: cf. Nomos, Web 16. Lot 872. Overstruck on a previously issued cistophor from Laodicea.

Well done!

Added a new military diploma to the collection. This time a tiny little fragment with just a few words preserved, none of which are complete. Unknown. Time of Trajan-Antoninus Pius (?). Roman military diploma, Æ. 3.49 g. T·MI / OSTEA - NGVL - TIO. Restored legend to the best of my ability and with great help from friends (but definitely not conclusive!): Inner face: [XXV (XXVI) stipendiis emeritis dimissis hones]t(a) mi[ssione] Translation: after twenty-five (or twenty-six) years of service, having been honorably discharged... Outer face: [qvas p]ostea [dvxissent dvmtaxat si]ngvl[i singvlas ad (...day and month)] (...)tio [consvlibvs] Translation: [...they] later [married, insofar as] each has only one (wife). [...day and month] in the consulship of] [...]TIO

I love snakes on coins :] 1. Promagisterial Cistophori. P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther as Proconsul of Cilicia. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Laodicea on the Lycus, 56-53 BC. Anaxagoras son of Artemidoros, magistrate. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / P·LENTVLVS·P·F - PRO·COS. Two serpents entwined by a bow case. In the left field, ΛΑΟ. In the exergue, ΑΝΑΞΑΓΟΡ[ΑΣ] / ΑΡΤΕΜΙ[ΔΩΡΟΥ]. 26 mm, 12.03 g. Stumpf -; Metcalf -. Unpublished. One of only two known: cf. Nomos, Web 16. Lot 872 (Hammer 600 CHF). Overstruck on a previously issued cistophor from Laodicea. 2. Promagisterial Cistophori. C. Atinius Labeo Macerio. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Ephesus, 122-121 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / C·A͡TI[N·C·F]. Two serpents entwined by bow case; In the left field, EΦΕ, dated ΙΓ = 122-121 BC. 27 mm, 11,97 g. Stumpf 1b (same dies); Metcalf 701-704. 3. Promagisterial Cistophori. Gaius Fabius Hadrianus as Proconsul in Asia. Demeas, magistrate. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Pergamon 55-53 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / C·FABI·M·F·PROCOS. Two serpents entwined by bow case; In the left field, monogram of Pergamon. In the right field, Asclepius' staff. ΔΗΜΕΑC in exergue. 12.18 g. Stumpf 28; Metcalf 114 (This coin, O2R/14). Ex NAC Auction 59, April 2011, Lot 799.

Finally got around to getting this type. Unfortunate that the Scylla is somewhat flat but I still think it is a very appealing example. Roman Imperators. Sextus Pompey. AR Denarius. Military mint in Sicily(?), 42-40 BC. Pharos of Messana, surrmounted by statue of Neptune holding trident and standing on prow, [MAG·]PIVS - IMP·ITER / Scylla, PRA͡EF·CLAS·ET·O[RA͡E·M͡A͡RIT·EX·S·C] 18 mm, 3.73 g. Crawford 511/4a. Ex Münzhandlung Ritter, List 38, April 1995, Lot 512. BTW, should anyone have access to Ritter FPL 38 please let me know! Schaefer included clippings from the sale that included my coin but it can sometimes be a little hard to definitively work out his handwriting.

It is honestly fascinating that the use of an emoji would prompt someone to say this, especially when you consider how long ago it was that the issue was brought up.

I was enjoying the content immensely, sad to see them gone because of one silly comment.

The dog barks but the caravan goes on

Love this thread! My best unattributed/group lot find might be this one: Five cruddy bronzes but I was only after one of them. The middle coin in the bottom row is a rare "fleet coin" issued by Mark Antony. They're usually not much to look at and this one is certainly not going to win any accolades. Probably why it flew under the radar and wound up in a group lot. Looking back at it I probably overspent trying to win it, fortunately The Titus sestertius and Augustus provincial helped offset the cost somewhat. Fleet Coinage. Mark Antony and Octavia. Æ Dupondius. Uncertain mint in Achaea circa 38-37 BC. M. Oppius Capito, Propraetor and Praefectus Classis. Confronting busts of Antony and Octavia, [M · ANT · IMP · TER · COS · DES · ITER · ET · TER · III · VIR · R · P · C] / Two galleys below caps of the dioscuri, [M · OPPIVS · CAPITO · PRO · PR · PRAEF · CLASS · F · C] - B below. Amandry, Bronze II, 3C; RPC I, 1464.

Wow, these are lovely

Lovely! Stunning level of details on Antiochus' eye

All four of these coins were struck with the same obverse die. By the end, a die break almost as large as the design itself had developed