Jeremy

A new Herakles from Maeonia in Lydia to complement the bearded one from Sala that I had. I got away from modern collecting a long time ago, but here I am collecting sets again! Lydia, Sala, Pseudo-autonomous Æ 1/3 assarion Circa 2nd - 3rd century AD Obverse: Bearded, laureate head of Herakles right. Reverse: СΑΛΗ-ΝΩΝ; Grape bunch on vine. References: SNG von Aulock -; SNG Cop 433-4; BMC 24; GRPC Lydia 35; Lindgren & Kovacs 798. Size: 15mm Weight: 2.18g Die axis: 11h Lydia, Maeonia, Pseudo-autonomous issue, possibly Time of Hadrian, Æ 15 mm 117-138 AD Obverse: Laureate and draped bust of Herakles right. Reverse: ΜΑΙΟΝΩΝ; Club and bow in bowcase, bee above. References: RPC III 2428; SNG Copenhagen 217; SNG von Aulock 3008. Size: 15 mm Weight: 1.92 g

I believe these are the only coins in my collection with a reverse die match. They were struck in Alexandria Troas in Asia Minor between 251 and 253 AD under the rule of Roman emperor Trebonianus Gallus. The Tyche obverse is significantly rarer (2 examples in RPC) than the obverse with the emperor's bust (11 specimens in RPC). The turreted head of Tyche represents a city and its fortune. The reverse shows an interesting mythological scene - a reconciliation between Apollo Smintheus (Apollo, Lord of mice, essentially) and Krinis, his high priest, in the company of a herdsman named Ordes. Apollo has presumably quelled the plague of mice he previously set loose on crops in revenge for some affront by Krinis. In the upper field appears a small, pierced animal, described as "uncertain animal" in the references, but quite possibly a mouse. I don't have the resources to dig into the underlying myth, so I can't tell you if the animal is supposed to be a mouse or not. It certainly looks like one in example #2, though. Troas, Alexandria, Pseudo-autonomous, Time of Trebonianus Gallus Æ 251-253 AD Obverse: CO ALEX TRO; Turreted and draped bust of Tyche right; vexillum to left. Reverse: COL AVG / TROAD; Apollo, nude to the waist, seated left, holding arrows with his extended right hand, his left hand rests on seat; to left, the priest Krinis, nude to the waist, seated right; at his feet, forepart of hound sniffing the ground; between Apollo and Krinis, the herdsman Ordes standing right, holding pedum; above, uncertain animal pierced by arrow. References: RPC IX 473 (2 specimens) var. (obv. legend); Bellinger A481. 24mm; 6.70g Troas, Alexandria, Pseudo-autonomous, Time of Trebonianus Gallus Æ 251-253 AD Obverse: IMP VIB TREB GALLVS AV; Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Reverse: COL AVG / TROAD; Apollo, nude to the waist, seated left, holding arrows with his extended right hand, his left hand rests on seat; to left, the priest Krinis, nude to the waist, seated right; at his feet, forepart of hound sniffing the ground; between Apollo and Krinis, the herdsman Ordes standing right, holding pedum; above, uncertain animal pierced by arrow. References: RPC IX 413 (11 specimens); Bellinger A402; A.R. Bellinger, "The Late Bronze of Alexandria Troas," ANSMN 8 (1958), Type 20, pl. VII, 20; SNG Hunter 1289. 24 mm; 7.5g I was impressed by the animated GIFs shard by @Ryro and @Deinomenid so I attempted a couple of my own. Does it look like a mouse to you?

Do you have two or more coins struck from the same die(s) that demonstrate a dramatic change in die condition? Please share comparison photos that include die wear, faults, and other forms of degradation!

Very interesting! I'd love to visit Chios and try it someday. Here's a large 3 assaria coin from Chios. It's a rare case where the denomination is spelled out in the coin. Islands off Ionia, Chios, Pseudo-autonomous issue, time of Trajan to Hadrian, 3 assaria 98-138 AD Obverse: ΤΡΙΑ / ΑCCΑΡΙΑ; Sphinx seated right on plain exergual line, lifting right forepaw over prow of galley. Reverse: Χ-Ι/Ω-Ν; Apollo and Dionysos standing facing on either side of altar on plain exergual line. Apollo, on left, holding phiale in right hand and resting left hand on hip, and Dionysos, on right, pouring libation from kantharos (or plemochoe?) in right hand. References: Mavrogordato 106 ; RPC III 1901 . 30mm; 4.80g

I can see how it would be difficult to pare down the list - they're all gorgeous examples. I'm drawn to the Hadrian travel series denarii - all of them are top-notch. Congrats on a successful year of collecting!

Beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing!

Lots of beautiful coins here! It's hard to pick a favorite. I'm rather fond of this tortoise stater from Aegina. Islands off Attica, Aegina AR stater Circa 456/45-431 BC Obverse: Tortoise with segmented shell. Reverse: Incuse square with skew pattern. References: Milbank pl. 2, 12. SNG Copenhagen 516ii. SNG Delepierre 1836; Dewing 1683; ACGC 127.

Thank you for the attribution help, @shanxi and @seth77! I didn't see "ϹƐΒΑ" (Sebastos) at the end of the obverse legend in #2. I'm glad to have confirmation of the later date of issue and the correct references now 🙂

These bronze coins of Nero were both struck in the Lydian city of Thyateira (present day Akhisar, Türkiye). The city possessed one of the seven churches in Asia Minor and was well known for its purple dye made from marine snails. The coins are the same size, have the same legends, but feature two notably different likenesses of Nero. The refined hairstyle, broader facial profile, and assertive pose in the second example lead me to think that Nero is older in that example than the first. The reverses show a labrys, a double-sided axe associated with Tyrimnos, a Lydian sun-god who was conflated by the Greeks with Apollo. Does anyone have a coin from Thyatiera struck under Nero you'd like to share? Lydia, Thyateira, Nero, Æ 17 mm 54-68 AD Obverse: NEΡΩN KΛAYΔIOC KAICAP ΓEP; Bareheaded bust of youthful Nero right. Reverse: ΘYATEIPHNΩN; Labrys. References: RPC I, 2381; SNG von Aulock 4268; SNG Copenhagen 595; BMC 58. 17 mm; 3.1 and 2.6 grams

Beautiful group of coins @Salomons Cat! They also illustrate the life of Commodus in an interesting way. Congrats!

Sorry that happened! At the end of the day, your results are better than the coin turning to dust, figuratively speaking. It's still an attractive coin. The exposed metal should darken over the years. I've had this result in coins I've treated where bronze disease underlaid the patina (sometimes completely). In one memorable case this was so bad the shiny black patina would flake off completely with light fingernail pressure. Now, I try to examine the edges of the coin before buying (as best I can from auction photos) to see if there's patina loss. It usually happens there first, which can be a symptom of deeper BD problems.

Your photos are amazing - well done! It sounds like you had a great trip. I'll be visiting Athens and Naxos in a couple of months and can't wait.

I just listed this beautiful sestertius of Commodus in the cabinet 🙂

Thanks, I appreciate it!

If anyone is looking for one of these types, I posted them to the cabinet yesterday: In the coming days and weeks I'll be listing the remainder of my Roman tray (the nicest examples I held onto through past sell-offs) and continuing to refocus my collecting efforts on Greek and Roman provincial issues. They make up the bulk of my collection at this point. Parting with my Romans is bittersweet - the sweet part is that their sale will help fund my wedding in a couple of months 🙂