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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

The type is pretty rare, only two in Pella and a further two that I could find on acsearch. However, yours isn't in the greatest of shapes. I'd say $200-250 hammer at the right venue should be possible without much fuss.

This is Price 572. Price narrows down the issue to 275 BCE - 270 BCE in about Pella or Amphipolis: https://numismatics.org/pella/id/price.572

Last year I had the opportunity to pick up two very interesting items and whilst I don't really stray outside of coins, these two pieces made too much of an impression on me to ignore. Knowing next to nothing about diplomas before buying them, I was extremely lucky to find both pieces had been studied and published in the definitive journal on the subject, Roman Military Diplomas IV (2003). Domitian (81-96 AD). Roman military diploma, Æ, 37 x 52 mm, 33.41g. Issued in January/February of 85 in the consulate of Domitian and T. Aurelius. SINGVLI - IMP·CAESARE·DO[MITIANO] - T · AV[RELIVS] / C· MVNA[TI] / L· LVCRET[I]. RMD IV, 211 (This piece). Restored legend per Margaret Roxan in Roman Military Diplomas IV: Imp. Caesar, divi Vespasianus f( ilius), Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, pontifex maximus, tribunic(ia) potestat(e) IUI, imp(erator) VIII, p(ater) p(atriae), co(n)s(ul) XI, (auxilia) aut (classis)... quorum nomina subscripta sunt, ipsis liberisque ...duxissent dumtaxat] singuli [singulas.] [a.d. ... ] Imp(eratore) Caesare Do [mitiano Aug(usto) Germanico XI, ], T. Au[relio Fulvo II cos.] (status of recipient) [ ... ] C. Muna[ti ... ]; L. Lucre t[ i ... ]; [ ... ] This fragment originally belonged to a military diploma issued during the first months of 85 AD, when T. Aurelius served as consul ordinarius with Domitian. Roman military diplomas were issued on two distinct tablets, one containing the full constitution and another the names of seven witnesses along with their seals. These tablets would then be connected to each other with wires to form one document. This fragmentary piece preserves the names of Gaius Munatius and Lucius Lucretius, both witnesses to attest that this diploma was authentic. Unfortunately, the name and unit of the recipient has not been preserved. Based on the constitution, this diploma was likely issued to a solder serving in one of Rome's fleets or in an auxiliary unit. Hadrian (117-138). Roman military diploma, Æ, 51 x 38 mm, 21.58 g. Issued in sometime between 118 and 138 AD. IMP·CAESAR[...] - [NER]VAE NEPOS - [..]FEX MAXIM[..] / IMP·CA - DIVI NER - ANVS AV - TRIBVN - IIS·QVI MIL - TORIA·MI. RMD IV, 257 (This piece). Restored legend per Margaret Roxan in Roman Military Diplomas IV: Imp. Caesar, [divi Traiani Parthici f.], divi Nervae nepos, [Traianus Hadri]anus Au[g(ustus), [ponti]fex maxim[us], tribun(icia) [potest(ate)..., co(n)s(ul) II/aut III?, p(ater) p(atriae)?] iis qui m[ilitant/-ilitaverunt in classe prae]toria Mi[senensi quae est sub ... This fragment belonged to a diploma issued during the reign of Hadrian to a sailor of the fleet at Misene. Dating it to Hadrian is clear by the use of "[NERV]AE NEPOS" (Grandson of Nerva) on the inner side of the diploma. Narrowing it down further than that however is unlikely. I'll leave you with an extraordinarily complete specimen from the Muzej Brodskog Posavlja in Croatia, fully preserving the seals of the seven witnesses:

I did not expect to walk out of Triton with anything at all but it appears the stars aligned for once

What a charming video! Thanks for sharing!

Fascinating bit about how the coinage was mentioned by Strabo. Not to derail the topic at hand but it made me think about what other coins were directly mentioned in antiquity... Dio's line about the Eid Mar came to mind.

Quite a bit better in hand compared to the pictures provided by the dealer. Congrats!!

Cistophori are really fun. There's a million different ways to collect them and despite the fact that I only collect those issued by Roman magistrates I still find myself having an itch for civic issues once in a while. Especially those from rarer mints like Nysa, Sardes and Adramytion. Thanks for the comment! Good eye! I neglected to mention that #6 is ex @kapphnwn, a fact that raises it's appeal further in my book. Thank you so much for the nice comment! There's so much to learn within classical numismatics and I too enjoy immensely learning about niche areas from other collectors. Even if I'm not particularly interested in the historical context there's something truly contagious about passion in numismatics.

Thank you so much! My best to you and yours. I'm delighted that you think so! It really struck a cord with me when a friend gave me a heads-up of it being for sale, even more so when I found that it was from the Prowe collection. Thank you John! I enjoy reading write-ups more so than writing them but it's hard not to include a few paragraphs for coins that are more often than not listed with just a basic attribution.

Splendid example of the type! Well done @I_v_a_n and @Curtisimo

Thank you! I really enjoy this part of history and I think these coins generally do not get the attention they deserve. 🙏

In terms of collecting, I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun in the hobby as I have this year. In 2022, a large part of my list was made up of cistophoric tetradrachms from the Roman promagistrates in Asia and Cilicia. This year will be no different! Enjoy this (albeit different) list of Roman Republican coins. The cistophori are in no particular order but the one denarius I included in the list is my coin of the year. 8. A Cistophorus of C. Fannius from Apamea Promagisterial Cistophori. Gaius Fannius as Propraetor of Asia. Mantitheos son of Mantitheos, magistrate. AR Cistophoric tetradrachm. Apamea, 49/48 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / C. FAN PONT PR. Two serpents flanking a tetrastyle temple, surmounted by a female cult statue holding patera and sceptre. MΑΝΤΙΘΕΟ[Σ] / MΑΝΤΙΘ[ΕΟΥ]. 27 mm, 12.14 g. Stumpf 57; Metcalf 481 (This coin, O24/R80). Ex CNG 61, 2002, Lot 755. Gaius Fannius presents as an enigmatic character at a glance but his journey up the ladder of the cursus honorum paints a surprisingly vivid picture of the last years of the Roman Republic. His coins are found in four of the five mints in Asia and Cilicia: Ephesus, Apamea, Laodicea and Tralles. Fannius began his public career in around 62-59 BC, having been elected to the fifteen-member college of Pontiffs. Here he served alongside a young M. Aemilius Lepidus (future consul and triumvir), P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther (future consul and governor of Cilicia) and M. Licinius Crassus, the eldest son of the richest man in Rome. We next see Fannius in 59 BC, during the consulship of Caesar and Bibulus. During this year he would serve as one of the Tribune of the Plebs. We also get an insight into Fannius’ political leanings. Both Consuls, one a radical Populare and the other an equally radical Optimate, struggled fiercely for supremacy over that year’s political agenda. Part of Caesar’s main legislative goals for the year was pushing through a substantial land reform bill in the Senate. He was met by stiff resistance from both his consular colleague and three of that year’s tribunes, one of them Fannius. Fannius evidently served as Praetor but we do not have a firm date on when this could have been. However, given that Fannius was granted command in Asia in 49 BC it is reasonable to assume that he held the praetorship in around 54 BC following a law that Pompey passed in 52 BC, mandating a period of at least five years between magistrates leaving office and assuming provincial positions. After this point, it is not entirely clear what becomes of Fannius. Cicero speaks of him as if he were dead in 48 BC. This report seems credible as Fannius would likely have offered his allegiance to Pompey and the Optimates in the ensuing civil war. However, a certain C. Fannius is mentioned by Cicero as having been sent to Sextus Pompey as a senatorial envoy before the Battle of Mutina in 43 BC. This man apparently joined with Sextus and subsequently served with him until surrendering to Antony in 35 BC. 7. A Cistophorus of T. Ampius Balbus from Ephesus Promagisterial Cistophori. T. Ampius Balbus as Proconsul in Asia. Theodoros and Aratos, magistrates. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Ephesus, dated 58-57 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / T·AM-PI·T·F·PRO-COS. Two serpents entwined by a tripod surmounted by cult statue of Artemis; In the left field, EΦΕ. In the right field, a flaming torch. ΘΕΟΔWPOC - APATOC in exergue. 27 mm, 11.69 g. Stumpf 4; Metcalf 11 (This coin, O2/R11). One of six known for the type. Hailing from a lowly plebeian family, T. Ampius Balbus rose further up the ladder of the cursus honorum than any of his forebears. His public career began in 63 BC, during the consulship of Cicero and (Antonius) Hybrida, serving as one of that year’s plebeian tribunes. During his term he would join forces with another tribune, T. Labienus (Caesar’s future lieutenant) in order to pass a bill in the Senate that would allow Pompey to wear the golden crown of a triumphator at all public games. He would also be permitted to affix the much coveted purple border to his toga at the theater. The bill passed amidst Pompey’s extraordinary conquests in Asia. Continuing his career, Balbus is next seen as Praetor in 59 BC during the consulship of Caesar and Bibulus. However, there are no records of his activities during this time. After his term had ended, he was granted the proconsular command of Asia. In the province he was immediately preceded by Quintus, brother of Cicero. Taking up command in 58 BC, Balbus would serve his term as proconsul without much fanfare, he was prorogued by the Senate for the year of 57 BC but instead given command of Cilicia where he continued to strike coins. He left the province in 56 BC and was succeeded by P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther. We next see Balbus as a Pompeian belligerent in the civil war. Taking up position as a legate for Pompey, Cicero records him raising levies in Capua in 49 BC. After the disastrous battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC and with the Pompeian faction in disarray, Balbus attempted to retreat to Asia before Caesar could plunder the vast wealth kept at the temple of Diana in Ephesus. Before his mission could be completed however, he was intercepted by Caesar and subsequently surrendered to him. Balbus strikes coins in four of the five mints in Asia and Cilicia: Ephesus, Pergamum, Laodicea and Tralles. They are also the first signed cistophori by a Roman promagistrate after C. Atinius briefly struck coins in his own name over 60 years earlier. 6. A Cistophorus of P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther from Apamea Promagisterial Cistophori. P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther as Proconsul and Imperator in Cilicia. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Apamea, 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. Some of the governors on this list are not very well-attested for, especially when it comes to the years in which they entered political office. This is not the case with P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther. We have a full accounting of his entire career through the cursus honorum. Lentulus began his public career as an urban quaestor in 74 BC, during the consulship of Lucullus and Cotta. He would go on to serve as Curule Aedile in 63 BC, where he would aid Cicero in unraveling Catiline's conspiracy to overthrow the Republic. Being elected to the office of Praetor in 60 BC, he served his term in Rome and afterward was awarded the command of Hispania Citerior. Lentulus attained the consulship in 57 BC. Serving alongside Quintus Caecilius Metellus Nepos, Lentulus was the one to recall Cicero from exile. He would later go on to serve as governor in Cilicia and be hailed as Imperator by his troops. As governor of Cilicia, Lentulus’ coins are only found in Apamea and Laodicea. His coins use a more varied legend formula than his predecessors. Coins in Apamea bear the legend P·LENTVLVS·P·F·IMPERATOR, while the coins in Laodicea are signed P·LENTVLVS·P·F·IMP. In Laodicea there is also a brief emission of coins that use the legend P·LENTVLVS·P·F·PRO·COS, probably issued before he was acclaimed imperator by his troops. 5. A Cistophorus of C. Fabius from Pergamum Promagisterial Cistophori. Gaius Fabius Hadrianus as Proconsul in Asia. Demeas, magistrate. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Pergamum 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. C. Fabius is not very well-attested for in the historical record. Until quite recently, the only evidence of his existence was that of the coins he minted whilst he was governor of Asia. His coins were struck at all five mints producing cistophori at this time. He evidently served as Praetor in 58 or 57 BC but we do not know anything further about his career. Fabius might have been the son of M. Fabius Hadrianus, a legate of Sulla active during the Third Mithridatic War. The only epigraphic record found outside of his coins is an inscribed marble block found in the city of Metropolis in 1998 and subsequently published in 2022: “The people (honor) C. Fabius, son of Marcus, their proconsul, because he (proved) to be generous and because, in his unsurpassed power, with great steadfastness, virtue and justice, he—both as a magistrate and as a private benefactor—decided to rebuild our hometowns after the reconquest of the province, that had become […]” 4. A Cistophorus of C. Septimius from Tralles Promagisterial Cistophori. Gaius Septimius as Proconsul in Asia. Polydeukes, magistrate. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Tralles 56-55 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / C·SEPTVMIVS·T·F·PROCOS. Two serpents entwined by bow case; In the left field, TPAΛ. In the right field, Pileus of Pollux. ΠOΛYΔEYKHΣ in exergue. 28 mm, 11,98 g. Stumpf 42; Metcalf 333 (This coin, O6/R32). C. Septimius served as praetor in 57 BC, during the consulship of Lentulus and Metellus. During his term, he showed himself to be a staunch ally of Cicero and lobbied vigorously for his return from exile. After serving out his year, he was granted the proconsular command of Asia in 56 BC. After his proconsulate ended, we do not have any record of his activities until he was proscribed and killed at the hands of the second triumvirate in 43 BC. As the mints of Laodicea and Apamea had recently been transferred to the neighboring province of Cilicia, we only find his coins in the three remaining Asian mints: Tralles, Pergamon and Ephesus. The cistophori of Septimius are dated year 78 (57-56 BC) and year 79 (56-55 BC). 3. A Cistophorus of C. Atinius Labeo Macerio Promagisterial Cistophori. C. Atinius Labeo Macerio. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Ephesus, 122-121 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / Two serpents entwined by bow case; In the left field, EΦΕ, dated ΙΓ = 13 = 122-121 BC. C·ATIN·C·F in exergue. 27 mm, 11,97 g. Stumpf 1b (same dies); Metcalf 701-704. Long before the days of T. Ampius Balbus, C. Fannius and C. Fabius, barely ten years after the Kingdom of Pergamon was bequeathed to the Roman Republic by Attalus III in 133 BC, a curious set of coins were produced in the city of Ephesus. A Roman provincial magistrate by the name of C. Atinius began striking coins in his own name. This man has been identified as Gaius Atinius C. f. Labeo Macerio, who as Tribune of the Plebs in 131/130 BC attempted to have a sitting Censor thrown off the Tarpeian rock due to having omitted Atinius from the list of active senators. When this measure was vetoed in the senate, he instead attempted to consecrate the Censor’s property, by this effectively trying to deprive the Censor of his wealth. 2. An Unsigned Cistophorus of C. Atinius Labeo Macerio Promagisterial Cistophori. Unsigned issue of C. Atinius. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Ephesus, 122-121 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / Two serpents entwined by bow case; In the left field, EΦΕ. 27 mm, 12,23 g. Stumpf -; Metcalf -. The coins of C. Atinius are very rare today, I know of less than 10 specimens in both private and public collections. Even rarer however, are the unsigned issues of C. Atinius. I bought this coin from Biga thinking it was unique, I have subsequently been made aware of at least one other residing in a private collection. They were minted in the 13th year, just like the signed issues. More importantly however, they are both linked to each other via the obverse die. Judging by the evident die wear seen on the unsigned specimens they were struck subsequent to the signed issues. The implications of this are myriad, did Atinius cease to sign his coins before the end of the year? Why? Was he reprimanded for this anti-republican act of self-aggrandizement? We will probably never know. 1. A Denarius of Octavian and Agrippa from the Prowe Collection (Coin of the Year) Second Triumvirate. Octavian and Agrippa. AR Denarius. Military mint travelling with Octavian, 38 BC. Confronted heads of divus Julius Caesar and Octavian, DIVOS IVLIVS – [DIVI·F]/ M·AGRIPPA·COS - DESIG. 17 mm, 3.84 g. Crawford 534/2. Ex Fedor Ivanovich Prowe (1872-1932); Hess Adolph 137, May 1912, Lot 1530. (GIF courtesy of my friend @filolif, transition between what the coin looks like today versus what the cast looked like in the 1912 catalogue.) Thank you all for a wonderful 2023!

This is an interesting topic! I did my own tinkering and tried to replicate the number of aureii that have been sold in 2023. Like you mentioned, I noticed a lot of the results were actually neither Roman nor Aureii so I modified my search query slightly and just added more keywords to exclude non-aureii that I found along the way: aureus "ric" "AV" -"fourree" -"ducato" -"venezia" -"zecche" -"dinar" -"imitation" -"medieval" -"dobla" -"denarius" -"denier" -"CAROLUS" -"denar". Using this (also flawed) method, I was able to count 1185 Roman Aureii sold in 2023. I think a fair amount of those will also be represented in previous years, as they are not all new finds.

Terrific coins Phil, you're not making it very easy to pick a favourite! If you held my feet to the fire I'd have to go with #5, absolutely love how fresh it is

Amazing! Thank you for sharing the pictures, I tried finding them myself but came up empty. Such an interesting link, not just numismatically but also historically.

Not to bring that topic in here, especially considering it was removed as to not generate more discussion but I have to say that your characterization of the thread is colorful to say the least. Comparing Beale's punishment for committing fraud involving millions of dollars to that of a genocidal dictator currently conducting a war of aggression in Europe is extremely unreasonable. If anything warrants an emoji like the one being discussed, it was definitely that thread.

I feel compelled to also praise the photography, really splendid work. Great set and addition!

On occasion, I scroll through the older parts of my watch list to remind myself of coins I've been interested in previously. Inevitably a feeling of loss often ensues 😁 Here's a few I can highlight: A cistophoric tetradrachm of Hadrian overstruck on a previous issue of Augustus Why? I've wanted to start collecting imperial cistophori for a long time but I've never really managed to find an "in". This would have been the perfect coin for just that purpose. Plus, I adore overstrikes in all forms but especially when the undertype is readily apparent. It certainly doesn't alleviate my sense of regret in that it hammered for pennies (190 EUR + juice). A cistophoric tetradrachm of Q. Caecilius Metellus Scipio Why? At the time I did not have a coin of Scipio in my collection. When I subsequently got one, it ended up costing far more and being slightly inferior in overall aesthetics and grade. A cistophoric tetradrachm of T. Ampius Balbus Why? There's not a lot to this one. It's a rare type from my favourite mint in the series and it hammered cheap. I would have loved (still) to add this coin to my collection.

Discovery of a lifetime indeed! Personally I place this coin in the same league as the other titans of Roman Republican coinage, an eid mar would surely rack up a hammer three, four or even five times what this did but they are both equally important historically in my mind. Despite what the new owner might think, I can't help but hope more of these turn up soon! The present coin adds a new obverse die to the series, which is quite significant when taking into account how limited this emission seems to be. Here are the Berlin and Paris specimens of this type: Apamea, O1-R1. Berlin. 18204062 Apamea, O1-R2. Paris. (12148)btv1b8503718b The "Ciciiron" specimen was also mentioned previously in this thread so I figure I'd upload it here as well. It is currently the only one known and resides in Berlin. Laodicea, O2-R2. Berlin. 18292717 I hope I'll be forgiven for sharing a cistophor of my own... This coin was issued by Gaius Septimius as proconsul in Asia 56-55 BC. Septimius was one of a number of men Cicero publically acknowledged for lobbying his return from exile in 57 BC. Promagisterial Cistophori. Gaius Septimius as Proconsul in Asia. Polydeukes, magistrate. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Tralles 56-55 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / C·SEPTVMIVS·T·F·PROCOS. Two serpents entwined by bow case; In the left field, TPAΛ. In the right field, Pileus of Pollux. ΠOΛYΔEYKHΣ in exergue. 28 mm, 11,98 g. Stumpf 42; Metcalf 333 (This coin, O6/R32).

Let's hear all about how he's being framed or that the government is overreaching in their case against Beale.

No apology needed. I personally do not collect these types of cistophori, often called "civic" types because they were issued by civic mints, in this case Pergamon. This is an extremely common coin, even when going by the monogram placement between the snakes. Depending on your budget I think you could do much better than this with a little patience. If I were you, I'd look towards the cistophori issued by the mints at Tralles and Ephesus. Tralles usually employs a lot of interesting control symbols which I think can easily transform a rather "dull" cistophor into something spectacular. At Ephesus, you'll often find dates on the coins, making them quite interesting as they are so easily tied to the time period in which they were struck. Here are a few coins that sold recently-ish that I think are representative of what I mean.