zadie

I've bought from them before, no issues to report. I'd suggest you wait a few more days or simply contact them again directly and ask the current status of your purchase.

If you're not tired of Sponsianus yet, here's a great video by Robert Bracy with a more measured take on the current findings:

Seems reasonable yeah. Aaron uploaded the video in May of 2019 and HJB's turnaround time might be a bit longer than other firms. He mentioned that he'd remove them from the plastic holders so I can imagine they were just discarded afterwards.

Sorry! That I can't do. However, I've done the next best thing and uploaded the video in it's entirety here:

Great list! I'm having trouble deciding which I like better, #1 or #3... Amazing coins all around

Woah! Must have missed this one when browsing your website. This sure is a rare type, I'm only a little jealous 😩

This has been an awful year for me personally but when it comes to coins I think I've done quite well. Here's two coins from 2022 that I'm thankful for: Second Triumvirate. Lepidus and Octavian. AR Denarius. Military mint travelling with Lepidus, November-December 43 BC. Bare head of Lepidus right, LEPIDVS · PONT · MAX · III · V · R · P · C/ Bare head of Octavian right, CAESAR · IMP · III · VIR · R · P · C. 17 mm, 3.84 g. Crawford 495/2a; RBW 1752; RSC 2a. This type has been high on my list for a good long while and this was the year I was finally able to snag one! The portrait type of the triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus used to be considered somewhat scarce but there seems to have been a small hoard recently that is being dispersed. I've counted more than 15 examples sold this year alone! I was quite happy to pick up this particular example. The portraits have suffered immensely from die wear but I still think it retains some quality to it, especially the portrait of Lepidus. The other coin that I'm thankful for (there are many others but I wont destroy the thread posting them all 😁) is this cistophoric issue of Publius Cornelius Lentulus Spinther (Consul in 57 BC) from Laodicea: 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 (Hammer 600 CHF). Overstruck on a previously issued cistophor from Laodicea. I've previously shared this coin so I wont rant about it, if anyone's curious to read more:

I believe the correct label in this case is overstrike as opposed to double strike. What you're seeing on the reverse is the remnant of an undertype, with the standard pontificate reverse die having been struck over it. If allowed to speculate on why this was done, I would imagine that the coin was struck with the obverse elephant die on both sides in error. The mint worker then remedied this by overstriking with the proper reverse die.

My clear favourite is #7. Partly because I'm stuck in Lepidus purgatory when it comes to his moneyer issues. None of them in my collection! Yours is absolutely wonderful

I must confess not having known about this moneyer or the extreme rarity this type brings. But truth be told, this is exactly my type of coin. Congratulations on a lovely win!

It's absolutely insane how high prices have become considering how abundant these coins are. I'm reminded by a video Aaron over at HJB did a few years ago when he recieved a consignment of 110 new style tets (all slabbed!) from a collector who had passed: It's definitely a fun series to collect with the immense amount of variety between issues. At present however they don't feel very viable for the every man to pursue...

Interesting! Yeah, it's curious how the obverse style seen here compares to the subject coin struck one year later

Two types from this year are plated in L'histoire des guerres mithridatiques vue par les monnaies: Skimming through the article you sent I've yet to find any of the AIΣ coins plated.

Yep, he even plates two of them. None of the ones listed match the monogram on mine however. This is great though, I didn't know the catalogue was available on PDF, thanks!

Bithynia. Nikomedes IV Epiphanes (94-74 BC). AR Tetradrachm, dated year 211 of the Pontic era (87/86). Diademed head of Nikomedes II right / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΝΙΚΟΜΗΔΟΥ, Zeus standing left, holdring wreath and sceptre. To inner left, eagle standing left on a thunderbolt and AIΣ (date). De Callatay D217-R- (same year). I recently got my hands on this intriguing piece and as I always do with new arrivals I started to look for a proper attribution. However, to my surprise, I couldn't find any coins of Nikomedes IV with the same date on asearch. Nor could I find any with this monogram... Increasingly desparate and with no easy access to the primary resource for these coins I'm starting to think this is an unpublished issue. I had a brief opportunity to study De Callatay's plates for this year but none of them come even close to matching my coin. The portrait on the above coin seems stylistically divergent from other depictions of Nikomedes II this late in the series. So much so that it'd be hard to fault someone for thinking that this is a coin of Prusias II. However tempting an earlier attribution is, the date AIΣ (211/87-86 BC) definitively places the coin during the reign of Nikomedes IV. Are there any Bithynian collectors in our midst who could help me out? Furthermore, if someone has L'histoire des guerres mithridatiques vue par les monnaies by De Callatay available I'd be most grateful for a few pictures from the page concerning year 211. Additional pictures: Stylistic comparisons, Prusias II and Nikomedes IV:

A lack of transparency is exactly what allows situations like these to be swept under the rug in the first place. How can you think the auction house will make the coins disappear after having this come to light publicly? Handling this behind closed doors seems like the worst recourse to take here

Impressive that you were able to find these. You should get in touch with Oslo directly. probably send off an email to them if you haven't already. However, I'm not so certain this situation is as clear cut as just giving the coins back, considering the current ruling authorities in Kabul and their track record for destroying pre-islamic artefacts.

Ahhh! Now this is fun. I'd be over the moon finding this hidden in a group lot. Congrats @Harry G and thanks @Phil Davis for the highly interesting info on the type. I had never thought of the parallell to the coinage of Koson (though in retrospect it does seem rather obvious).

Amazing set. The Lysian Brutus is probably my favourite, hard to pick though!

Sometimes "experts" like this have coins I want. I'm not going to forgo getting a rare type or a good deal because I don't want to "patronise" incompetent dealers

Felt it best not to leave you all with an annoying cliffhanger... After many trials and tribulations, an attribution for this coin has finally been found! This has easily been the hardest, most obscure coin that I've ever researched. After many hours and many people pitching in to help, we had just about given up when by pure coincidence this very similar coin was spotted on Edgar L. Owen's site: Once we were able to find this piece of puzzle things progressed very quickly. SNG Copenhagen provided more insight and finally we were able to land on a definitive attribution. Ladies and gents, I give you... SICILY, Uncertain Roman mint. Circa 190 BC. Æ (17mm, 8.60 g, 12h). Head of Hephaistos right, wearing pilos / Head of Hermes right, wearing petasos. Cf. Bahrfeldt 67; cf. BAR 52; cf. CNS 155-6; (for similar type with different legend arrangement and lower weight) HGC 2, –. Brown patina, slightly off center. Near VF. Extremely rare and unpublished with this legend variety and weight. BAR gives a weight range of only 2.14-3.40 g. No examples of any of these types are in CoinArchives.While tentatively dated to roughly 190 BC, it is quite possible that this rare issue was struck during the Second Punic War, when Rome was struggling to dislodge Carthage from Syracuse and the rest of the island. This coin is for sale in the current CNG e-sale, here: https://auctions.cngcoins.com/lots/view/4-7NCT51/sicily-uncertain-roman-mint-circa-190-bc-17mm-860-g-12h-near-vf

I bought this bronze from Opisthodomos on September 9th and though the experience was less than ideal I still got the coin in the end. Good to see VCoins take action! Provincial coins of the Republican era. Gaius Sosius or Augustus (?). Æ, struck at an uncertain mint either Asia Minor or Syria. Head of a man right / Prow. Q below. 17 mm, 5.4g. RPC 5411

CNG today went much better than hoped, winning 2/3 targets I had set out before the sale. Special issues. C. Domitius Calvinus. 39 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.68 g, 9h). Osca mint. Bare head of Hercules right / Emblems of the Pontificate: simpulum, aspergillum, securis, and apex. Crawford 532/1; CRI 342; Sydenham 1358; ACIP 1427; RBW 1819. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 45 (18 March 1998), lot 1758. The Pompeians. L. Cornelius Lentulus and C. Claudius Marcellus. April-June 49 BC. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.58 g, 1h). Apollonia mint in Illyricum. Head of Apollo right / Jupiter, nude, standing facing, head right, holding thunderbolt and eagle; to left, star of eight rays above Q; garlanded altar to right. Crawford 445/2; CRI 5; Sydenham 1030; Cornelia 65; RBW 1563. Post your wins from either today's session or tomorrow when session two closes!