Kazuma78

Another new addition for the RR collection. 

P. Aelius Paetus (ca. 138 BC). AR denarius (18mm, 3.70 gm, 9h). Rome. Head of Roma right, wearing winged helmet surmounted by griffin crest; X (mark of value) behind / P•PAETVS, Dioscuri on horseback right, each with couched spear, and wearing pileus with star above; ROMA in exergue. Crawford 233/1. Sydenham 455. Aelia 3. Areas of beautiful peach toning.

Hess-Divo, Auction 317 (27 October 2010), lot 509; F. Sternberg, Auction XXXII (1996), lot 154

It depends on the type of material, but I've consigned to Stacks Bowers and they were great to work with. They offered me 100% of hammer on a consignment of appx. $5k. They deal with a lot of world and US coins.

An accidental win, but a happy accident. I was dropping some bids when an auction first started, never expecting to win any of the lots at the initial bid I dropped, but instead for ease of following the lots of interest. I forgot about some of the bids and was surprised to get a random invoice for this coin. I can't say it was a bad surprise. 

M. Fannius C.f, 123 BC. Denarius (Silver, 18 mm, 3.89 g, 1 h), Rome. ROMA Head of Roma to right, wearing winged helmet, pendant earring and pearl necklace; before, X (mark of value). Rev. M•FAN•C•F Victory driving galloping quadriga to right, holding wreath in her right hand and reins in her left. Babelon (Fannia) 15. Crawford 275/1. RBW 1097. Sydenham 419. Beautifully toned, extremely fine.

Ex Chapponière & Firmenich 13, 16 May 2021, 230 and from the Dr. Harwood Collection, Baldwin & Glendining, 8 October 1975, 38 (with original ticket).

20 hours ago, lordmarcovan said:

@Kazuma78

Boy howdy, I miss that 1847 proof cent.  It is (or was) the finest known certified example, as you know.  Probably still is?

I think it still is of that type/denomination. There are proof 66's of bronzed specimens though I think

1 hour ago, Al Kowsky said:

Kazuma, Those coins are beauties 😲, thanks for posting ☺️. I'm guessing the slabbed 2 cent piece came from L.M. 😏.

I actually got the proof 1 Cent from him back in 2018 or 2019 (I can't remember when). It's gorgeous in hand. After that I felt compelled to also find the 2 cent version, which is when I bought the MS64 two cent.

I have a couple pieces from Liberia, one from the famed @lordmarcovancollection:

And one I bought so I had the 2 Cent larger version in MS to pair with it:

I added a couple from the latest Kuenker. I'm a sucker for punic issues (admittedly because of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History on the Punic wars), hence this coin which looks slightly above average for the type. 

BRUTTIUM, The Brettii. Circa 216-214 BC. AR Drachm (5.06 g). Second Punic War issue. Diademed bust of Nike right; simpulum to left / Dionysos standing facing, crowning himself and holding scepter; snake and Σ right. Arslan dies 38/56, Scheu S42; HN Italy 1961. Grey cabinet toning, a few light marks. Good VF.

I have always liked the style of the Mithradates II pieces like this, so when this one presented itself for a reasonable price, I bid a few times and won! 

Oriental Greek
KINGS of PARTHIA. Mithradates II. 121-91 BC. AR Drachm, 3.86 g. Ekbatana mint. Struck circa 119-109 BC. Diademed bust left / Archer (Arsakes I) seated right on omphalos, holding bow. Sellwood 24.9; Sunrise 286; Shore 69. Toned, EF.

Awesome! Something magical about holding an aureus in hand! I bet few Romans actually handled one in their lifetime since it signified such a substantial amount of pay. The cool thing about a circulated one like that is that is was used to transact lots of business over its contemporary life- if only it could talk! 

Awesome addition Rob!

@Kaleun96 that is a beautiful cabinet and display! The craftmanship is excellent and it looks like his patterning is very well planned and executed. I have done some fine woodworking myself, but not for a coin cabinet. From experience, I can say that it is difficult to get everything to look so crisp and clean. Again, beautiful cabinet and very well executed. I would also say his prices are reasonable for the quality of the cabinet. 

On 6/6/2022 at 1:54 PM, robinjojo said:

 

I never tire of seeing your cinquentin! That is an amazing coin and probably your coin I am most envious of. I would LOVE to own one someday from Segovia. Spectacular.

Here is my only piece from Segovia which I bought about a year after visiting the city. Its just a 2 reale but its very nice- NGC gave it an MS66:

4 hours ago, Finn235 said:

Before getting into ancients seriously, my passion project was a type set of Japanese coins. I'm not a big fan of the recent (since the mid-90s) commemoratives, but I find Japanese coins to be very beautiful and usually tastefully done.

You and I have similar tastes! Japanese coins are really cool and one of the only modern types I still collect as my focus has shifted primarily to ancients in the last several years. You have a nice set there!

1 hour ago, robinjojo said:

 

 

Both of those are awesome also! You have great taste in coins. Here are some of my Japanese type coins. Please forgive the crappy photos on a few of them. 

Beautiful coin! 

I have several packages on the way but only 1 from overseas- from NAC. I've never bought directly through NAC before but when given the option of FedEx vs registered post, I chose registered post. For one thing, registered post was only 30 CHF v.s. their FedEx charge being 150 CHF. Also with the recent FedEx shenanigans I've heard about of them charging "import document fees" that were substantial and basically made up, I figured registered post was better to avoid those BS corporate charges from FedEx. I've also never had any issues getting ancient coins from anywhere overseas if it was sent registered post. 

On 6/6/2022 at 12:08 AM, robinjojo said:

Wonderful coins posted!

Yes, the Iceland 1930 10 Kronour is a fine example of the Art Deco movement of the 1920s-1930s.

 

Yes, detailed engraving enhances a coin no doubt, but sometimes simplicity also works, as with this 1 Quetzal, Guatemala, 1925.

 

 

In the area of world gold coins, I think the design of the Mexican 50 pesos is quite beautiful.

 

As is the caballito peso of 1910 to 1914.

 

Both coins show definite classical influences on their obverses.

Those are excellent designs! I agree that Mexico had some extremely artistic and beautiful coins. One of the countries and coinage near and dear to my heart as I lived on the border of Mexico for about 3 years when I was in the Army. Here are a few of my Mexican coins with beautiful designs. 

I only have one example of the Magna Graecia incuse types, though I would like to add other types still.

ITALY. Lucania. Metapontion. AR Stater (Nomos) (8.04 gms), ca. 510-470 B.C.
HGC-1, 1028; HN Italy-1482; Noe-184. Obverse: Barley ear; Reverse: Incuse barley ear. Quite deeply toned and pleasing, this charming specimen is nearly free from any problems, with the noted minor edge bend the only issue observed. Typically encountered with more distractions, this piece towers above most and presents a solid, well-centered strike. 

21 minutes ago, Al Kowsky said:

Josh, Congrats, that shekel is a jewel 🤩. Weight & diameter 🧐?

Thanks! It is 29mm and 14.27g

Here is a video of both sides. As with most ancient coins, much better in person than the photos show. 

That coin ring is impressive. I've made some with modern silver coins (including my own wedding band). I'm surprised he was able to do it without breaking the coin, though he does describe almost having an issue with that. 

1 hour ago, CPK said:

So many stunning coins lately!! That is a gorgeous shekel, congrats on the acquisition!!!

Thanks! I am thrilled to have been able to acquire it. 

7 minutes ago, robinjojo said:

That's an absolutely gorgeous example! Congratulations! 

Thanks! 

11 hours ago, Al Kowsky said:

Clovis style spear point, c. 11th-10th century BC, purported to be found in Colorado, 4 1/8 in. long. Possibly genuine. There are many clever fakes of these spear points being made by skilled craftsman.

If that is an authentic Clovis, its a fantastic specimen. Here are 3 paleo fluted points I found all on the same site over a period of 5 years or so. It must have been a hunt site, as a woolly mammoth tooth was found in that creek only 40 yards or so from where these points were found. I wish the black and pink one were whole, I bet they were stunning. 

4 hours ago, DCCR said:

That's a lovely wolf. Quite a few have the heads missing for some reason, so it's great to see the jaws and teeth.  It's a collage put together in Photoshop like@idesofmarch01 said.  These photos are just piles. It's faster to make the image this way, but putting them back into the trays is a pain 😂

 

 

Lots of great coins in this pile! Very cool display. 

On 5/28/2022 at 12:30 PM, idesofmarch01 said:

I had posted this coin and the story behind its acquisition on a previous ancient coin website, but the coin is worth a re-posting here especially since I just changed my avatar to be the obverse!

I bought this coin solely for its artistry -- abstract modern art that was created 2000 years ago.  Still awe-inspiring and breathtaking!

This is a spectacular coin and a wonderful addition. I love the abstract design. 

On 5/30/2022 at 2:04 PM, Edessa said:

Eastern Europe. Imitations of Philip II of Macedon. Circa 3rd-2nd centuries BC. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 12.13g, 4h). Zigzag Group (Zickzackgruppe). Mint in the middle Danube region (Hungary). Obv: Stylized laureate head of Zeus left. Rev: Stylized rider, devolved to curved lines, on horseback left; zigzag line (in form of a series of Λs) above, ornaments around. Ref: OTA 460; Flesche 568; KMW 1386. Good Very Fine. Lightly toned, spots of green encrustation. Ex Hirsch 336 (7 Feb 2018), Lot 2009. Ex CNG 115 (16 Sept 2020), Lot 374. 

Nice coin! I've always thought this was an interesting design. 

On 5/31/2022 at 5:48 PM, AncientJoe said:

@idesofmarch01's coin (and avatar) take the cake but here's my related Parisii stater, a few grades lower than his but still a proud resident in my collection:

 

Stunning as always. What a wonderful coin. 

A friend of mine bought this coin back in 2019 and he showed it to me early in 2021 and I have loved the coin since then. After talking with him about it several times, he decided he could part with it, so it is now on its way to my collection. I am THRILLED to add it, as a shekel of Tyre has been on my list of types I want for a long time. Please feel free to post anything related! 

PHOENICIA. Tyre. 126/5 BC-AD 65/6. AR shekel (29mm, 14.27 gm, 12h). NGC Choice AU★ 5/5 - 5/5. Dated Civic Year 24 (103/2 BC). Laureate head of Melqart right, lion skin around neck / TYPOY IEPAΣ-KAI AΣYΛOY, eagle standing left on prow, palm frond over left wing; to left, ΔK (date) above club; to right, M, Phoenician alef between legs. DCA Tyre 77. DCA 919. Amazing toning with blue and purple hues.

Ex. Coin Galleries (Stacks) September 10, 2008, lot 138

Ex. Spink, April 1939

I posted this in another thread, but since it's relevant, I will repost it. I lost all of my primary lots but did win this as a side bid. 

Mysia, Cyzicos
Hemihecte circa 480-460, EL 1.35 g. Naked male figure kneeling l., holding tunny fish by tail. Rev. Quadripartite incuse punch with irregular surfaces. von Fritze 112. Boston, MFA 1489. von Aulock 1202.
In an exceptional state of preservation and perfectly struck and centred. Good extremely fine
Ex Triton sale VI, 2003, 306.
Graded Ch AU* Strike 5/5 Surface 4/5, NGC certification number 6159317-006.

Just now, Phil Davis said:

Congrats! That's a great coin, at a very reasonable hammer compared to the outlandish prices some other really pedestrian EL are bringing.

It was "reasonable" compared to many other coins I've seen sell at this sale. In fact only about $280 more than it sold for in 2003. 

I just won this little fella today, does that count? 

Mysia, Cyzicos
Hemihecte circa 480-460, EL 1.35 g. Naked male figure kneeling l., holding tunny fish by tail. Rev. Quadripartite incuse punch with irregular surfaces. von Fritze 112. Boston, MFA 1489. von Aulock 1202.
In an exceptional state of preservation and perfectly struck and centred. Good extremely fine
Ex Triton sale VI, 2003, 306.
Graded Ch AU* Strike 5/5 Surface 4/5, NGC certification number 6159317-006.

I lost all my lots unfortunately. I was close-ish on 1 of them.