JAZ Numismatics

Here's one I currently have in my store... However, I find the whole "persecution issue" interpretation dubious. It sounds like something a dealer made up to sell the coin to collectors of Christian themes. I've never found anything in the numismatic literature that even discusses a possible link between this particular coin type and the persecution of Christians. Christians were indeed being persecuted at the time, but there was a long-standing tradition of civic coinage that featured Roman deities alone, without reference to a ruler. In fact, it's an entire collecting specialty. More likely the coin was produced for a feast of Apollo in conjunction with the Olympic Games of AD 312 - a limited-run festival issue. We need to have a better discussion about these types, and I would suggest this thread at Cointalk as a start. David@PCC took a close look at these coins and offered a very intriguing analysis.

There are types that commemorate ongoing religious festivals, but were only struck for a year or two. For instance, the Nabataeans celebrated the Festival of Dushares (their chief deity) every year on December 25, but only one commemorative type is known... PROVINCIA ARABIA. Philip II, AD 244-247. AE28, 14.9g, Bostra mint. Obv.: MARC IVL PHILIPPOS CESAR; Radiate bust right. Rev.: COL METROPOLIS BOSTRA; AKTI/A ΔOVC/APIA in wreath. Ref.: Spijkerman 59, SNG ANS 1247-50.

The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man, by Frankfort, Wilson, Jacobsen and Irwin. University of Chicago Press, 1946. A tour de force of comparative religion, contrasting the cosmologies and philosophies of the Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Hebrews. Highly recommended!

I wonder if the coin was issued to commemorate a religious festival.

The Hercules C/M is found on coins in the lower Danube region, so it makes sense that most of them are found on provincial issues. Mike's coins with the PR mark look like they could be Agrippa asses struck during Caligula's reign. The OP coin may be an issue of Tiberius? Countermarks often served to re-tariff coins that were already in circulation, but we rarely know why they needed to be re-tariffed. In the case of these extremely worn early bronzes, my guess is that they were so worn that merchants refused to accept them. The countermarks were perhaps a way for local authorities to say, "these coins are still legal tender even though they're almost demolished." But that's just a wild guess.

There aren't many LRB's that reference specific historical events. This is one of them. It commemorates Constantine's victory over the Sarmatians, who he fought on the Pannonian stretch of the limes, earning him the newly-invented title Samarticus Maximus.

My first ancient coin was a falling horseman of Constantius II, and the coins of the Constantinian Dynasty became my first collecting passion. I never get tired of these coins for some reason, despite the fact that many of them are common. Here are a handful from my current inventory...

Im not an expert on Portuguese coinage, but I know some of these issues are undated. Dating coins was not always a common practice throughout history. Often, a reference to the issuing ruler was enough. The weight and size of your coin might give a clue as to its denomination.

...ANOC CEB seems clear to me, so Diocletian is probably a good guess.

Yeah, I don't understand the classification. Lots of dealers list their Sassanian coins as Greek, They have almost no connection to Greek coins.

It's interesting to note that many ancient coins are basically memes. One definition of a meme is "an amusing or interesting item or genre of items that is spread widely throughout society." In our case it happens by social media, in the ancient world by coins. Look at all the propaganda on Roman Republic denarii for example. It seems that most coin memes (and maybe modern memes as well?) have to do with the victory of one group of people or ideas over another. It's the eternal struggle of all creation.

Gorgeous! Congratulations.

I love this page - very informative. I suggest everyone read it. As far as B&M stores go, the one in my town will not sell me any ancient coins! He knows I'm a dealer on vcoins, and I guess he assumes I know something he doesn't (which is true), He doesn't get many ancient coins, but I've made fair offers for the ones he does occasionally have, and I guess he assumes they must be worth much more than my offers. Tells me he's going to sell them on eBay for twice as much. Okey Dokey.

Hey friends, if any of you are in the Lancaster PA area this Saturday, come to Red Rose Coin Show, at the Farm and Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Rd, 9AM to 3PM. I'll have a table there - I'm usually the only one with a lot of ancient coins so you can't miss me. But now I also stock a lot of different stuff: world coins, US, medals, and exonumia. Numisforums members get a free state quarter!!! (Just kidding.)

That's a pretty good assessment. I would add that many of the collectors of US coins that I meet at shows are not interested in numismatics, but rather in speculation. How low a price can I pay, how much profit can I make, etc. I have one friend that collects nothing but Morgan dollars in slabs so that he can flip them. There's nothing wrong with that of course, but if you don't care about numismatics, you may as well be collecting beanie babies. I'm a dealer and it's my job to speculate, and if I don't do it well, my business goes under. That being said, it's not my favorite part of the gig. What I really like is collecting beautiful and sometimes rare coins, researching them, photographing them, discussing them, learning something new, etc. I just happen to sell them as well.

When you've looked at thousands of coins, sometimes your instinct nudges you to get something you're not sure about. And sometimes you come away with a rarity. Congratulations!

An unusually good bronze of Antiochus I Soter, Apollo seated on Omphalos type. Those of you that collect Seleucid know how rough the bronzes are. A well-struck coin with no deposits and an unbroken patina is pretty scarce...

Wow, you stole that coin!

Don't forget to check your dryer!

Those Vota types are typically very well struck, and easy to find in EF grades. Sometimes it's hard to believe they're ancient coins. Great choice for a first follis!

To attribute those, you'll need Sum Ting Wong's exhaustive treatise "Non-Galvanized Proto Money of the Wang Dynasty."

It's a stunning coin! I always feel a thrill at acquiring a plate coin, even though I know it's not objectively a huge deal - most authors use whatever coins they have available to them for plates. Still, I feel like I've acquired a "famous" coin.

Phenomenal strike for a scyphate, great find! Here is something from my recent Spanish lot, a blanca of Enrique IV. The reverse shows a lion (traditional symbol of Christ) with the inscription XPS VINCIT XPS REGNAT, Christ conquers, Christ reigns. This legend is about as clear as they get on these types... SPAIN. Kingdom of Castile and Leon. Enrique IV, 1454-1474. BL Blanca, 22mm, 0.9g; Toledo mint, 1471-1474. Obv.: ENRICVS DEI GRATIA REX; Castle in double-lined diamond, circles at each side, mintmark T below, all within circular dotted border. Rev.: + XPS:VINCIT:XPS:REGNAT; Lion in double-lined diamond, circles at each side, all within circular dotted border. Ref.: AB 828.

The coin is authentic. A left-facing laureate bust is a legitimate variety in this series. Check Coin Archives for examples.

What I absoluely can't relate to when it comes to collectors of moderns is the obsession with minute differences in grade. Each to his own, but I just find that kind of discussion beyond boring.