Severus Alexander

You have an increasingly impressive FTR collection, Martin. I hope they fix the Wildwinds error soon! Here's a Nicomedia I couldn't resist recently at only 10 EUR or so. I love the expression on the poor horse:

My ex @Steve lion: Happy to send this coin up the street to you, buddy, if you want it back!! Next: something that looks incongruously modern on an ancient coin (like the "TV" above the zebu/cow on the reverse of the coin above)

I've found that the slightly later portrait issues, like yours, tend to have oblong flans, whereas the earlier ones are better rounded, like this one: Increasing haste in production as the prospective invasion of Parthia neared?

Good to see you again! That's an impressive rarity to start off with. Here's my much more common Artabanos... 10-38 CE, whatever number he is! 🤔

For me it would depend entirely on the price. I do think one should get a significant discount, as I did on this Constans II due to the flan flaw on the rev: I don't do gold much due to high cost, the coin has to be on the low end or a super bargain. Here's another Byzantine gold coin I have, a tremissis of Justinian II: I hope you enjoy the new project. I certainly have! I'm pretty close to getting all the emperors I consider essential and reasonably obtainable. Constantine XI is not on that list, sadly!

Here's a Philip As: And a Hostilian as Augustus ant from Antioch: I'd say a FEL TEMP REPARATIO with a phoenix is in order too! 😄 (Constans 1/2-centenionalis, Siscia)

Glad to see a thread on this mysterious topic! Other than some Palembang pitis and Vietnamese coins I got from Frank Robinson (no photos unfortunately) I have very few coins from this part of the world. Here are two that I love, though: Beikthano, Pyu city states, c. 5th century CE, AR unit (96 ratti), 9.47g and 31mm (nice and hefty!): And from Burma, Kingdom of Srikshetra, a 1/4 unit (scarce) dating to c. 800-832, Wicks Class D (makes it sound like I know what I'm talking about, but I don't): I love your Ming imitation coin, @TuckHard!

Charlemagne AR denier, Melle: Ireland: Sihtric III Olafsson (Silkbeard) (995-1036), Dublin mint penny: FRANCE: Louis VII Le Jeune (the Younger) (1137-1180), AR denier. Bourges: ITALY, Milan: Frederick I Barbarossa or Henry VI (1152-1197), denaro scodellato: ITALY, Florence, Republic c. 1237-1250, fiorino vecchio: Papal States: Leo X (1513-1521), AR giuilio: Wow @robinjojo, I didn't know you had such an amazing collection of English hammered... that half pound is incredible! What's the diameter and weight of that coin?

Hey @Alegandron, it's not a die match, but I think my Marius reverse must surely have been engraved by the same guy as your Laelianus reverse! (Probably the closest I'll ever get to a Laelianus!)

I think my Byzantion was maybe struck during the siege by nervous mint workers!! 🥴 (90 degree rotated double strike on obv. - both cows pretty clear)

Awesome sauce!!! RESTITVTOR MON(eta):

A fascinating dynasty, historically speaking! Persians claiming to descend from the famous Sassanid Bahram Chobin, they considered themselves the heirs to the Sassanid empire. Bukhara and Samarkand became great cultural centres under the Samanids. I have three coins to summarize the dynasty. First is a dirham of Isma'il ibn Ahmad (892-907), dated 280 AH; Samarkand mint (the first capital). He was the first to fully assert their power independent of the Abbasids (they had previously been Abbasid governors): Here's his stunning tomb in Bukhara: Photo attribution: Ljuba brank from sl, GFDL <http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html>, via Wikimedia Commons Next, here's a fals of Nasr II (914-943), 315 AH, Bukhara mint. He ruled at the height of the dynasty's power, when Bukhara became a centre for learning and culture: (Lots of these falus have the file marks, presumably from some sort of flan preparation process.) And the bookend, a fals of the same ruler as the very nice OP dirham, Nuh III (976-997), dated 378 AH, also Bukhara mint. Nuh III was the philosopher Avicenna's first patron, continuing the cultural life at court. Unfortunately he also had to deal with the aggressive Buyids, Turkish rebellions, and finally the Qarakhanids who defeated him. Chaos ensued after his death and the dynasty fell in 999. Incidentally here's the dude who conquered Bukhara in 999, Nasr ibn Ali, a fals minted in Ferghana:

It's so very hard to choose. Like @AncientJoe I prefer coins "dripping in history" so I guess (today) I'll go for my Julius Caesar portrait coin: I chased these high and low, bought one then sold it, and finally landed one I was happy with at a surprisingly reasonable price. I wouldn't feel my collection was complete without one, that's for sure!! That's the coin of yours I would have picked!! How lovely that you picked an SA coin, Q! (I bet the black sestertius was close competition for it...)

I'm sure everyone secretly loves their Gordies! I know I do! 😍 And I'd say "roach" is actually a term of endearment! An amazing number of Farnese Hercules reverses in this thread... might as well add mine, it's probably my favourite roach: Here's an Antioch roach from before the fateful invasion of the Parthian empire: Look at little Gordie all kitted up with his cuirass! 😄 I like the Gordie denarii, as the last substantial issue of this denomination: Nice sestertii, @Roman Collector! Here's my only one: And now for some wackier stuff. A fourrée and a fourrée core: Plus a wild imitation denarius. Diana is not looking too sexy on this one:

Electrum hekte from somewhere in northern Ionia, 625-600 BCE: Hekte from Lesbos, Mytilene, c. 454-427 BCE And finally my electrum histamenon of Nicephorus III Botaniates (1078-81):

Great resource! I'm really nervous buying late Byzantine silver, there are so many fakes out there. If you, @Glebe, and @quant.geek were to collaborate on this I think it would be FABULOUS. 👍👍

Here's my Maximinus "SALVS AVGVSIT" As: I'm aware of a few examples of dupondii using this misspelled reverse die (and RIC mentions it), but mine is the only As I know of. I guess it's maybe a double error - wrong spelling, wrong die too! (Dupondius: RIC 65; As: RIC 66)

Here's a slightly earlier version with rather more realism: OMG that is so awesome!!! Some coins that came to mind include my Gallienus Salus-beard flip-over double strike: For imagery, the child-eating dragon of the Visconti (called a "biscione" and still featured on the Alfa Romeo logo) fits the bill I think: (The coin is a grosso of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, 1395-1402) A Lilavati (1197-1212, Sri Lanka): How about Julius Caesar on a coin from the 12th century?!? Details: FRANCE, Sancerre: Etienne (Stephen) I (1152-1191), AR denier. 0.8g, 20mm.
Obv: IVLIVS CESAR, Mitred and bearded head of Julius Caesar right Rev: STEPANVS COMES, Short cross pattée; pellets in lower quarters. Dupl. Féodales 641. From the @Orfew collection. One Romanus IV anonymous follis overstruck on another, showing Mary emerging from the head of Christ, like Zeus--Athena: Some Merovingian portraits are pretty bad, but this fourrée chicken head takes the cake: What the heck happened here?? 🥴

Both are nice, that first one is a real beauty!! Note that it's the same mint: Seville = Hispalis. Cool, I look forward to the post! I have 2 or maybe 3 Lombard coins, hopefully at least one will be relevant!

Off the top of my head: 1) Tiberius 2) Domitian 3) Septimius Severus Though I'm sure I've been tricked! 🥴

Postumus: Aureolus was a bit offended by that beard so he shrunk it and tidied it on some on his coins: Marius (not much there!!): Victorinus: Tetricus: Tetricus actually does a bit better beardwise on this unusual imitation:

Well, there's Frank Robinson's photos... need I say more? 😆

Re: the authenticity question, I lean towards the view that it's genuine. It does have some of the worrisome signs that @TheTrachyEnjoyer pointed out, in particular the surfaces and odd misalignment, but the surfaces are not unlike the other examples that @ValiantKnight linked. I disagree that the patination is a bad sign - looks like normal horn silver to me, which can be purple. I also agree with VK that this Visigothic silver is a very different kettle of fish from the Vandal silver. Coupled with the expert opinion that VK has had already I'm betting it's genuine. In which case: what a great coin! 👍 I wish I had one!! (In general I think it's best to send someone a pm first if you have an authenticity concern about their coin. I know I appreciate this, though I haven't always remembered to do it myself!) Here's a Honorius from around the time of the Sack of Rome, VRBS ROMA FELIX (haha!): And one of the crappy Rome mint products from just after the sack (410-415), GLORIA ROMANORVM: Finally here's a recent acquisition, a tiny Visigothic AE nummus (6mm, 0.23g!) from early in the 7th century after the Visigoths had moved to Spain: Seville mint, Obv: SP, Rev: Cross on steps; Crusafont Group A type 2.

I wonder if some people were intimidated by your rare examples, thinking they had to do likewise for it to be interesting! (Also we're all just finding our way around here, your post may have slipped below the waterline.) I know @Claudius_Gothicus will be able to go to town on this theme (please do!) but I will get things rolling with some more common examples. Here's an ex David Hendin coin I've had for ages, issued in Antioch around 263-4 (RIC 673, Göbl 1616i): And here's another Antioch from the same time (264 actually) that's dated TR P XII COS V: Did you mean for us to include Claudius II at Antioch, or only his Smyrna/Cyzicus stuff? Here's an Antioch (late 268-early 269, MER/RIC temp 1018): I think the style similarity to the Gallienus Antioch products is pretty clear. Here's my only Claudius Cyzicus, but it's a later one, mid-Sept. 270 (MER/RIC 983temp): OK, now for some wild speculation. Are you familiar with the "other" mint of Macrianus and Quietus? Here's an example: These have a very different style from the (presumed) Samosata products. Mattingly suggested the mint was Emesa, but nobody seems to have much idea. It occurred to me the style is somewhat similar to the Smyrna/Cyzicus products from Gallienus and CII. Is this a crazy idea?! The Macriani were limited as to the mints they could use, and I think this is a possibility. If Smyrna had this previous experience as an Imperial mint that might also explain why Gallienus decided to use it later, despite its vulnerability to attack by sea. Grateful for any thoughts you have about this "other" mint of the Macriani.

Awesome series of coins, but can I get the Coles' Notes version of the text, VGO/ @JeandAcre? Especially your main conclusions? 🥺 (Hopefully I'll get around to reading the whole thing, but you might consider doing that as a matter of course... the bullet point summary of the main ideas, followed by the details for those who want to delve further. I've definitely had a better response when I do that with my longer posts.)