Troyden

8 hours ago, ewomack said:

After an overthrow, one way to quickly mint coins is to just reuse the old ones. Someone in early 7th century Sicily had that same thought. Despite what some say about the aesthetics of their coins, the Byzantines definitely exemplified numismatic resourcefulness, as this specimen shows. Someone transformed a Follis of Anastasius I into a Follis of Heraclius with two simple punches.

When first encountering this coin, I had to look at it for a while to "get it." What was going on? It exuded visual cacophony. Then I noticed that it actually had its own Sear number. A quick read and everything made sense instantaneously. This type represents more than a mere overstrike, it signifies a complete coin takeover. Obtain a coin of an Emperor some 100 years past, leverage its copper weight, and just repurpose it with a new Emperor. Why not? Smack on a new happy portrait for good measure. He does look happy planted on top of Anastasius I's face, as he probably was following the successful overthrow of Phocas, often referred to as "the Nero (or Caligula) of Byzantium," in 602. Also, never mind that pesky "CON" on the reverse, make it an "SCL" and launch the coin into circulation. No questions asked. Well, would you ask? I loved the tiny portrait on sight, and, paradoxically, it's one of the better preserved portraits of Heraclius that I've come across. His Monogram stands to the right of his smiling portrait (Monogram 22 in Sear).

This coin also fills a significant chronological gap in my pile that separated Phocas from Constans II. So, my still somewhat small collection now covers all Emperors from Anastasius I through Constantine IV, corresponding to the years 491 to 685. Further below is my own example of the original not overstruck coin type (though it has a slightly different style). Some unknown person somewhere in Sicily didn't wield their happy stamp on that one. Whoever that person was, I wonder if they felt resourceful while overstriking? In any case, the good times for the Byzantines would not last as the Muslim invasions ate voraciously into their territory by the end of Heraclius's reign. The smiling coin had apparently witnessed happier times.

Heraclius (610-641), Æ Follis (30/32mm, 16,54g); Sicily, undetermined mint, 616-622; Obv: coin of Anastasius I from Constantinople countermarked by crowned and bearded bust of Heraclius facing forward wearing chlamys, with Monogram to right; Rev: SCL topped by a line within small oval, stamped below the "M" of the original coin;  MIB Km 4, Sommer 11.113. Ex Rauch 86 (2010) 1380, Sear 882

Sear says that the type above also exists struck onto Folles of Justin I and Justinian I (one known example appears on a rare Justin and Justinian dual Follis). They kept those stampers busy.

Anastasius I (491-518), Æ follis-17.41g, 33 mm, Constantinople mint; Obv: DN ANASTASIVS PP AVG, Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Anastasius right; rev: Large "M", delta below, cross above, star to each side, "COM" in exergue; Sear 19

 

Please share your Anastasius I or Heraclius coins!

Cute how happy he looks.

22 hours ago, Tejas said:

Danzig is a very tragic place. Detaching this city with its predominantly German population, its German history and traditions from the German state was likely the single biggest mistake of the Versailles Treaty. It was one important catalysts for the rise of the Nazis and it made war between Germany and Poland nearly inevitable. 

"German history". As if it wasn't founded by Poles and part of Poland for most of its actual history.

Plus, the tensions between interwar Poland and Weirmar/Nazi Germany were manageable, until Hitler pulled Danzig as a pretext for wholesale aggression which he planned anyway. 

Miss Athena packs heat.

Thrace, Lysimachus (306-281 BC)
Denomination: Tetradrachm
Mint: Lampsacus
Time: 297-281 BC
Weight: 17.08 g
Diameter: circa 27.9 mm
Catalogue: Thompson 42

Obverse: Head of the deified Alexander right, diademed and adorned with bull horns (horns of Ammon).
Reverse: Seated Athena Nikephoros ("Athena Bringer of Victory") left, resting on shield and holding winged Nike, spear behind. Monogram ΠA left, torch right. Legend: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΛYΣIMAXOY (of king Lysimachus).

My Judea Capta denarius (RIC II 2) is only 2.53 g.
Probably the deformed flan and heavy wear are responsible for it being underweight.

It might be all pareidolia, I can vaguely see on the reverse a goddess holding a cornucopia. There are two either trees or thick military standards right to her. There also seem to be something protruding from the goddess' body, though I have no idea what's that.
This type seems to vaguely resemble common reverses from the Antoninian era.

4 hours ago, Amarmur said:

Bought in a group lot. Has a colorful patina and has a bearded man most likely Marcus Aurelius on the Obverse and a goddess and some Greek goddess on the reverse. Can you help me ID it?

I see absolutely nothing on the first photo.

Which of these provincial coins actually display Glykon and not some other serpent deity or even just a cultic serpent?

All hail Glykon!

Oh, I do have a few of them

AE Prutah, Jewish Revolt, second year (67/8 AD), Hendin 661.
Weight 3,12 g, diameter 18 mm.

Sestertius of Vespasian, Judea Capta series, Rome mint, RIC II 159.
Weight 21.44 g, diameter 32 mm.

Denarius of Vespasian, Judea Capta series, Rome mint, RIC II 2.
Weight 2.53 g, diameter 16 mm.

Bonus: my favorite Vespasian.
Denarius, Rome mint, RIC II 546.
Weight 3.49 g, diameter 19.3mm.

Nerva, circa 97 AD, Rome mint, weight 3,22 g, diameter circa 17 mm, catalogue: RIC 7

5 minutes ago, ambr0zie said:

This is why I don't like Apollonia Pontika. The large number of (well executed) forgeries made me skip these. I had (and still have) doubts about mine. 

Here is my coin compared to specimen 40 of the hoard

Top - specimen 40, bottom, mine. 

This is not a die match - the pearls and the snakes are different. But the style of the artistry is similar. 
Is this coin genuine? No idea. Is yours? I am sure that if you find a collector who specializes in these he/she will be able to provide a verdict. 

Overall, Apolonia Pontika drachms with anchor/gorgon would be an excellent collecting area due to the large number of gorgon depictions. But about all the topics about these coins turned into this kind of problem - trying to determin if the coin is genuine or not.

Like I already wrote, I bought them before I got to know the whole story. Moreover, I purchased them from reputed dealers.
At first glance my also aren't clear die matches. But the style of these fakes is uncanny. 

Hello again. I'm writing asking for a second opinion.

I've been contacted by one of members of this forum that my drachm might be counterfeit and possibly part of the "New York hoard". Said member (whom I won't name unless they wish to reveal themselves but to whom I am very thankful for bringing this up regardless of outcome), pointed out similarities to some fake specimens listed by Reid Goldsborough(web archive link to the original site).

I am posting again the photo of my drachm. The member pointed out obverse similarities to specimens 19, 28, 37, and 43 and reverse similarities to specimens 6 and 30.

Being human, I still grasp onto hope it's a false positive. I see (though my senses might fail me) minuscule differences between my coin and the indicated fakes. For instance, on the obverse both two lowermost coils of the Gorgon's "hair" are split, while confirmed fakes have only one or none coils split. Plus, there are "beads" inside of coils on my specimen, while I don't see this feature on any of the fakes. Regarding the obverse, I put my hopes in observation that the center groove on the anchor does not go through the entire length and is of a different shape. Plus, the shape of the anchor's head (i.e. the lowermost part of the anchor on the coin) is different in my opinion.

The coin in question was purchased years ago on ma-shops from a reputable dealer. Weight: 3.48 g.

It seems that a similar, if not the very same, throne was also depicted on the mosaic of Leo VI in Hagia Sofia. This style of chair must have been en vogue at the time.

3 hours ago, Sulla80 said:

Yes, I think yours is SC 2463 (click link for reference in SC Online) or more specifically 2463.3j (reflecting the sigma in exergue) that is described in Seleucid Coins (2008) as "Antioch on the Orontes from 88/7 BC" after a single issue with primary control N/A, Φ/A was adopted for the remainder of his reign and secondary controls and dates from the reign of Philip I and your coin circa 88/7-76/5 BC.  Here I've annotated your coin: primary control (off flan to left - with and example of the N/A and Φ/A from other coins);  secondary control (in exergue) on your coin is Σ; and there is a frozen control shown in blue (under throne).   Weight of the coin can also be useful....

Thank you for this analysis.

The weight is 15.22 g and diameter is about 24 mm.

6 minutes ago, Sulla80 said:

Good question @Troyden and differentiating is not always possible - my coin above is uncertain - control marks (often off flan) are the important detail on the lifetime and portrait style is useful for Roman.  Here’s a Roman example - same (ok - not as nice) as the one of @Al Kowsky above.

SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch. Aulus Gabinus, Proconsul, 57-55 BC. Tetradrachm

Obv: Idealized diademed head of the Seleukid king Philip Philadelphos to right.
Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟV / ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟVΣ - ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΟV Zeus seated on throne to left, holding Nike in his right hand and long spear in his left; below throne, monogram of ΔΙ; in field to left, monogram of ΑΥΛΓΒ

I have another dated example from year 4 of a Caesaream Era posted here:

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/julius-caesar-in-antioch

So I assume my specimen is lifetime. The portrait is far from idolized, it's pretty brutal in its depiction.

I have both drachm and diobol. By a weird twist I acquired them before I learnt about the proliferation of fakes. I spent a good deal of time analyzing them afterwards but I couldn't find any die match with known fakes.

1 hour ago, expat said:

Nice to see what appears to be a genuine one, thanks for showing it. @Ed Snible has a wonderful page on the vast number of fakes attributed to the Black Sea Hoard,

http://www.snible.org/coins/black_sea_hoard.html 

It makes very interesting reading.

and quite a number were removed from the Wildwinds page because of previous attributions which were identified later as fakes. https://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/thrace/apollonia_pontika/i.html

Mine is a drachm

There's also separate batch (dubbed "New York hoard") of equally dangerous fake drachms.
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=new york hoard

As to the Black Sea hoard, I somewhat like the story of them being conceived because the finder of the initial (genuine) hoard was duped by coin dealers. Talk about a revenge.

At the risk of sounding stupid, how to tell apart the lifetime, posthumous and Romans coinage?

I also have this Caligula's type. Seems to be the most common one.

1 hour ago, robinjojo said:

Here's an interesting short article from today's Guardian on efforts by the Swedish Coast Guard to protect wrecks off of Sweden's coast from looting of artifacts.  According to the article there are an "estimated 100,000 shipwrecks in the Baltic".

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/01/baltic-sea-swedish-coastguards-saving-shipwrecks-from-looters

 

Most of these "shipwrecks" are finishing boats or similar vessels. 

38 minutes ago, SimonW said:

Great coin and thread! 🙂

 

They used to be much rarer a few years ago. Now you see them every now and then. Here's one of mine with a slightly different obverse legend.

 

Titus, Quadrans (3.12 g), uncertain mint (Thrace?), 80-81 AD.
Obv. IMP T CAESR DIVI VESPAS F AVG, head of Titus, laureate, r. Rev. IVLIA AVGVSTA, Julia seated left holding patera in her right hand and transverse scepter with her left. RIC 505/6 var. (CAES [...] VES(P) F). RPC 507C var. (CAES [...] VES F).

 

If you're interested in fractions, have a look at this thread:
https://www.numisforums.com/topic/826-fractional-bronzes-of-the-roman-empire-quadrantes-semisses-tesserae/

 

That's an exceptional specimen. Congratulations.

29 minutes ago, CPK said:

Very interesting! Never saw one of these before.

There's surprisingly few of them around.

Numismatics.org has only one specimen https://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.2_1(2).tit.506
There's also only one currently on retail https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/praefectus_coins/130/product/titus_with_julia_titi_7981_ae_quadrans_uncertain_eastern_mint_possibly_in_thrace_8081_very_rare/1700580/Default.aspx

When studying Roman numismatics, we usually focus on "considertable" coins such as sesterces, denarii or aureuses. However, let's not forget that the average inhabitant of the empire lived hand to mouth. They were much more familiar with small change such as quadrantes than with denarii. So, show up your tiny Roman coins that were the monetary bread and butter of your average Roman proletarian.

Rare orichalcum (brass) quadrans of Titus. Unknown Balkan mint, possibly Perinthus at the Sea of Marmara.
16 mm, 2.96 g, RIC II 505-506.
Obv: Laureate head of Titus, IMP T CAES DIVI VES F AVG around
Rev: Julia Titi seated, holding patera and sceptre, IVLIA AVGVSTA around.

This interesting and quite rare coin, unusually minted in brass, was probably the result of a local, short issue. The style clearly indicates some provincial mint, most likely located in the southern Balkans.

Last week I had the pleasure and privilege of visiting the Czapski Museum in Krakow (link to museum's webpage) with my dear friend @Barnaba6. One of the most valuable numismatic collections in all of Poland is hidden in a small, inconspicuous building in the middle of the historic old town. The museum began in the earliest years of the 20th century with the countal Hutten-Czapski couple (hence the Museum's name) bequeathing their gargantuan private collection for public purposes, then grew even more with further donations. Almost miraculously, the collection survived the Second World War, impoverished only by a few stolen gold coins.

As befits a Polish collection, the Czapski museum has an almost unimaginable assembly of old Polish numismatics, both coins and exonumia. However, I was naturally most interested in antique coins. Even in this department, the collection is nothing else but stunning. As we were informed, only tiny part of the actual collection is put onto display.

The only "flaw" (if you even can say so) of the Museum is the lighting at the exhibition, which sometimes makes it difficult to visually distinguish the metal from which the coin is made.

For me personally, the highlight was the beautiful assemblage of coins from Sicily and Magna Graecia. Including, of course, the crown jewel of every possible coin collection - the dekadrachm from Syracuse itself.

Of course, there were also coins from other areas and eras of the ancient world.

As I wrote, my attention was mainly focused on ancient coins. However, I could not be indifferent to at least some of the treasures of Polish coinage. And here the Museum had something to show. Not only were there the oldest Polish coins in general (10th and 11th century) or the oldest Polish gold coins (14th century), but also treasures such as one of the most expensive coins in the world - the massive gold 100 ducat coin of King Sigismund III from the first half of the 17th century.

One 100 ducat? How about two? Because then we went to the Wawel Castle, where there is a second copy on display.
That's some chonky coin.

Much more photos can be seen here
https://imgur.com/a/K4j4hcj

I know another story. Dozens of Prussian golden coins from early 19th century were melted down. 

But I totally approve it. How?

After the Partitions of Poland in late 18th century between Prussia, Austria and Russia, Polish territories were thoroughly looted. Among other things, Prussians stole took ownership of Polish crown jewels, which included the Crown of Boleslaus the Brave,  the coronation crown of Polish monarchs. And they melted it down in 1811, because why now. The gold was melted down and minted into coins, the jewels were dispersed.

In early 21st century, a replica of the Crown was made. The gold was deliberately obtained from melting down early 19th century Prussian gold coins in a hope that at least some of the original gold went back into the Crown.