I_v_a_n

14 hours ago, JeandAcre said:

But regarding style (to wallow in the obvious), what else would you expect from a bunch of iconoclasts?

🤣🤣🤣💯

At the other end here is an example of Macedonian dynasty Renaissance (in impressive piece with 30 mm diameter):

Constantine IX Monomachus AD 1042-1055. Constantinople
Histamenon Nomisma AV
30 mm, 4,40 g
+ IhS XIS RЄX RЄςNANTIҺm, Christ, nimbate, seated facing on lyre-backed throne, wearing tunic and pallium, raising His right hand in benediction and holding book of Gospels in His left, all within triple border of dots / + CωҺSτA-nτҺ bASILEЧS Rm, bust of Constantine IX facing, wearing loros and crown with pendilia, holding cruciform scepter with tendril-ornament in his right hand and globus surmounted by patriarchal cross in his left, all within triple border of dots.
good very fine
DOC 1a3; Sear 1828.

I have beautifully toned Athens tet from pre-hoards time.

On 4/6/2024 at 6:21 PM, voulgaroktonou said:

In the Byzantine series, I can perhaps think of no more historically significant coinage than the decidedly unaesthetically pleasing final issues of Contantine XI (never mind that in an unsupportable way, I find them beautiful. 😊)

I think approximately the same level of historical importance can be found in connection with empress Irene sole reign and connected to this event rising of Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne. I have a solidus with Irene portrait and all the members of iconoclastic dynasty (also historically significant period). Unfortunately these coins also not at the top of aesthetics.

Constantine VI and Irene, with Leo III, Constantine V, and Leo IV AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 787-790. COҺSTIҺOS C' C' b' [...], Constantine V, Leo III, and Leo IV seated facing, each crowned and draped / S IRIҺI AVΓ' MI[TR], crowned facing busts of Constantine IV, draped and holding globus cruciger, and Irene, wearing loros and holding [globus cruciger] and cruciform sceptre; two crosses above, pellet between. Cf. Füeg 2 (C.2.13 (same die as illustration?)/Ir.2); DOC -; Sear 1593; Gorny & Mosch 269, 1295 (same dies). 4.39g, 20mm, 6h.

Extremely Fine; areas of flatness. Rare. Second cross added erroneously.

I can add to thread this attractive hyperpyron of Andronicus I.

Andronicus I Comnenus AD 1183-1185. Constantinople
Hyperpyron AV
29 mm, 4,30 g
MP - ΘV, the Virgin Mary seated facing on throne, holding head of Christ on breast / ΑΝΔΡΟΝΙΚΟC ΔΕCΠΟΤΗC / IC - XC, Andronicus standing facing, holding labarum and globus cruciger, and being crowned by Christ standing to right.
good very fine
Sear 1983.

13 hours ago, Spargrodan said:

lifetime version and Philip II.

This is not an easy goal for lifetime Philipp II in both, gold or silver... but, done 😃

13 hours ago, Spargrodan said:

Alexander with horn for Lysimachus

This one my favorite! I've shown this tet earlier here but it worth to be shared again and again 😍

Also can be found in gold with not a scary price if choose later Bysantion / Kalchedon mints. Mine stater is from about 190 BCE Bysantion mint.

13 hours ago, Spargrodan said:

(I love the elephant head but I think the portrait is a better representation and also much cheaper and easier to find)

The price would strongly vary in a very wide range depending from variety, style and condition. This mine "Ptolemy as satrap" tet worth me approximately the same as Alexander's tet above.

Beautiful tets @Spargrodan, congratulations!

I have a tetradrachm from Babylon attributed by CNG as Struck under Archon, Dokimos, or Seleukos I, circa 323-318/7 BC.

My favorite motif with animals is this one from classical time Akanthion's tetradrachm: powerful, dynamic and realistic.

5 hours ago, Spargrodan said:

Such a nice coin I've never seen any of these, what are the measurements for a tribol like this?

They are tiny: about 10 mm diameter and weight of mine example 1,74 grams.

4 hours ago, AlexandroMagno said:

Hauck & Aufhäuser 21, 2009, Lot 452

4 hours ago, AlexandroMagno said:

Hauck & Aufhäuser 20, 2007, Lot 486

On 7/17/2023 at 6:06 PM, kirispupis said:

Ptolemy I

Ptolemy did mint some coins with his own image during his lifetime, but they're pricy. He was also depicted by his son, Ptolemy II, which I have here.

 

I can add one from the time of reign of Ptolemy I with his portrait. AV triobol or tetarta from Alexandria mint. 

22 hours ago, panzerman said:

I have one from Stacks event 2012 NGC MS-63

Superb example! Congratulations!

On my taste this type coins are one of the bests among the types with a city view and "must have" for your collection. And ofcourse you own it! 👍

31 minutes ago, rNumis said:

That auction is online at gallica. I just didn't add the link yet. Let me give it to you...

Dear @rNumis, thank you very much! Now provenance confirmed, my coin really originates from Brand's collection and for today it is most fabulous and old provenance in my collection. Thank you very much again!

Dear Collegues!

Again, I am looking for help to confirm an old provenance. In this case I need a photo from Auktion Leu 69, 1997, Lot Nr. 4388 (volume IV of Virgill Brandt collection of German coins) unfortunately absent in rnumis database.

The problem originated from mistake in SINCONA 43 auction catalogue where lots Nos. 3197 and 3198 are the same type coins both originated from Brand's collection but references mistakenly changed vise versa.

Due to rnumis database I prooved provenance for lot 3197 from volume III of Brand's collection.

And finally now I need a proof for my own lot 3198 from volume IV, and here I have a problem and looking for help...

On 12/4/2023 at 9:02 PM, Curtisimo said:

This coin is absolutely beautiful @I_v_a_n! A top shelf coin for sure.

Just for fun, you should post some of your runners-up to this thread. 🙂 I always enjoy looking at everyone’s top coins this time of year.

At the end of the year I have an addition to my now top 2! 😊

Thank you again @Curtisimo for your help with a provenance confirmation, it was a great pleasure and surprise for me.

Nero 54-68.
Aureus 64/68 -Rom-. NERO CAESAR. Belorbeerte Büste nach rechts / AVGVSTVS GERMANICVS. Der Kaiser in Toga mit Strahlenkrone frontal stehend, in den Händen Zweig und Victoria auf Globus. RIC 46, Calicó 402. 7,32 g selten, Avers leicht dezentriert, winziger Randfehler, gutes sehr schön.

Erworben aus Lagerliste 380 der M&M Basel im July 1976, Nr. 23.

The reverse depicts Nero’s Colossus, a roughly 120-foot tall bronze statue of the emperor as Sol that was created by Zenodorus for the vestibule of the Domus Aurea, or Golden House, the massive palace constructed by Nero after the fire of AD 64. Its memory was retained in the popular name of the amphitheater constructed by the Flavians close to the site – the Colosseum.

Congratulations on such a great collection of both: coins and provenances! I am impressed with provenances and great work done to find them. My vote for #2.

On 3/5/2023 at 2:54 AM, ChrisB said:

Please feel free to post anything related especially if you have any of these to share. 

I've seen this thread from your @ChrisB Top list of 2023 and decided to take a part. Now I have to keep only one russian coin, this 1/4 ducat from year 1654, because it was minted with the main purpose to award a troops of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, so related to Ukrainian history. "Yefimok" is a consequense of monetary reform of 1654 with fiat rouble also connected with the process of joining of Ukraine and russia (1654 roubles includes ukrainian (Small Russia) titul of Moscow tsar). And the main area of circulation of "Yefimoks" was Ukraine until the end of XVII c.  In Moscow they was restricted for circulation very soon - at year 1659.

3 hours ago, kirispupis said:

Annual rent for the joy of having the coin in my collection: $15 per year (3% CAP rate) * 40 years I expect to live = $600

I think here is a mistake in this line... 🤔

There was de Callatay's study about an average life expectancy for different fields of activities during last about 500 years. The conclusion was that numismatists had a bonus +5 years to contemporary average expectancy. So, the result of this line must be $675 🤣

Congratulations, John! Your list and @AncientJoe are always the most desirable for me to see. Thank you for sharing!

For me the most interesting coin is your No. 7 EL trite, this type was a subject for my studies with cuneiforms. Nos. 2 and 10 are also very beautiful for me.

1 hour ago, panzerman said:

Too bad we have no way of carbon dating coins. That would end the problem.

 

It's not so bad from the technical point of view with instrumental analyses. We have reliable method of dating of gold objects based on measurement of Helium concentration. Method usable for archaeological gold objects (of cource coins too) and determines a time dating back to last melting point of an object.

I know for shure from literature that such a device used by Hermitage. From rumors I have heard that the same device present in British Museum and Roma has access to analyses (only rumors...). Also from rumors I have heard that NAC has an access to such type analyses.

This is also a question for me to think about it. If coin genuine, you can easily sell it throught Roma, NAC, CNG and etc. and obtain a hummer 50-100 kEUR. Why are you sell a coin for 16 kEUR if it's for shure worth much more?

An unusual stater with left-hand orientated Herakles was sold at last Rauch Auction 117 lot 275 for absolutely bargain price for such an interesting unique, unpublished piece.

I was very tempted to bid on it but after o lot of hesitations decided to follow my general rule to avoid any unpublished and unique in gold. I can not say anything regarding authenticity from photo and I am shure that even in hands too because for me it looks OK. But I have had a bad experience with a gold forgeries which can be identificated only throught databases with clones and only by experts with acces to such a data.

So, what do you think (or may be someone even knows) about this stater? 

Here is a link for discussion of this piece:

https://www.lamoneta.it/topic/219281-taras/

My own rule borned from very bad experience with "unique, unpublished and etc. highly important variant" of gold coins is totally to avoid any "unique, unpublished and etc.". This is a case with left-hand orientated Herakles at Tarentum stater which was sold at last Rauch, I'll open a separate thread for it.

9 hours ago, Curtisimo said:

What a beautiful coin @I_v_a_n. See below for the relevant pages.

Dear @Curtisimo!

For me it's looks like a magic, absolutely incredible!!! Thank you very much!