JAZ Numismatics

I love that engraving. It's definitely something I would have bid on. I wonder if anyone generated more exonumia than Napoleon I. Ludvig Branson identified over 2300 medals struck in France, Italy, Great Britain, and Germany. He published them in three volumes from 1904 to 1913. You can read them here if you're interested in a very deep rabbit hole. And that's just the medals. Then there are all the little tokens and pendants like this one. Great find!

Small Greek bronzes are underrated. They offer a wide variety of mythological themes, and many of them are aesthetically pleasing, and most of them won't break the bank. MYSIA. Adramytion. 3rd-2nd century BC. AE16, 4.7g, 12h. Obv.: Laureate bust of Zeus right. Rev.: AΔPYMTHNΩN; Horseman riding right with hand raised. Ref.: SNG France 5 OLYMPIA. Elis. AE Dichalkon, 18mm, 5.8g. Late 3rd century - 191 BC. Obv.: Laureate head of Apollo right. Rev.: Zeus standing right hurling thunderbolt and holding eagle; F - A / Σ across fields; monogram to lower left. Ref.: BCD Olympia 294. TROAS, Aioleion. Circa 330-280 BC. Æ (16mm, 3.6 g). Laureate head of female (Hera?) right / Thunderbolt; kerykeion below. Lazzarini, Iniziop. 11; SNG Arikantürk 339–41. PAMPHYLIA. Perge. AE15, 3.7g; c. 50-30 BC. Obv.: Cult statue of Artemis Pergaia facing, within distyle temple. Rev.: APTEMIΛOΣ ΠEPΓAIAΣ to either side of bow and quiver. Ref.: SNG BnF 373-8

Did the seller give a catalog reference for the attribution to Adramyteion? Because AΔPA is a legitimate possibility according to that pic.

Can you post a few pics of the reverse with lighting from different angles?

You didn't overpay. You could have spent twice as much for a coin in a better grade, but 100 euros for that example is about right.

Where did you get the coin? One doesn't stumble across new types every day. Was it misattributed?

Hello friends. As many of you know, I hold private auctions focusing on ancient coins, with an occasional smattering of world and US issues. These auctions are in the style of Frank Robinson's auctions, if you're familiar with those: no fancy software, low overhead, no buyers fees. I send you a list of coins (with images and occasional write-ups), and you send me a message if you want to bid on any of them. The auctions are listed on Mondays at 9 AM EST and close on Thursdays at 9 PM EST. As with any auctions, there is no obligation to buy anything, and you can opt out from receiving the lists at any time.Payments can be made by way of PayPal, Wise, Stripe, Check, or Money Order. I offer a lifetime guarantee of authenticity on all the coins I offer and a 14-day "no questions asked" return policy. I have an eBay store with 100% positive feedback here, and a Vcoins store here.Most of the lots I offer are ANCIENT COINS, so be aware of that. Because of my low overhead, I can frequently offer high-quality coins at opening bids that are substantially below retail costs, and I try to include a range of coins for collectors of all budgets, from $10 to $1000.If you're interested in taking a look-see at these auctions, send me a PM. Auction 206 is up and running, with lots of great bargains!

My score from the same CNG auction. Exceptional centering for a cistophoric tet, excellent strike, minimal wear, and Priapus as a minor device! (When have you ever seen that?) Not to mention the coin might be unique with this particular date. What's not to love? IONIA, Ephesos. Circa 180-67 BC. AR Tetradrachm (26.5mm, 12.67 g, 1h). Cistophoric standard. Dated CY 57 (78/7 BC). Cista mystica with serpent; all within ivy wreath / Two serpents entwined around bow and bowcase; above, Priapos facing; to left, NZ (date) above EΦE, torch to right. Kleiner, Dated 58; DCA 325; SNG Copenhagen 331. Lightly toned, scrape at edge on obverse. Good VF. Rare date, none in CoinArchives.

I love this sestertius of Lucilla. It definitely saw its share of circulation, but the patina is unbroken and lovely, the bust is still very recognizable, and the coin has no damage at all...

Constans...

Don't spend it all in one place!

Gordian III Nicaea...

I'm always a little embarrassed when someone does a write-up on an ancient city that I had no idea even existed. It underscores the fact that we're always newbies in certain fields. But then, looking at the wiki article on Hermione, it's no wonder! Archeological research into the city only began in 2015. There's so much about the ancient world we have yet to uncover. Judging from the examples of that type I found online, you've got a very nice specimen.

I agree that the OP coin is a reverse die match to the RIC plate coin. Also, an informal metrology (looking at all the quinarii of SA on acsearch) gives a range of weights from 0.96 to 1.58 grams. The size of the flan is irrelevant. I vote quinarius, which if so, is a tremendous find!

I knew you had an impressive collection of RR denarii, Donna. Seeing them altogether underscores that fact in a huge way. Tremendous!

This is a well-known axiom of the coin trade. It's a bear market when I'm selling, and a bull market when I'm buying. 😡

Hey man, good sleuthing! That certainly adds a dimension to the coins I hadn't thought about. I've corrected the dating of my coin according to the CNG catalog. It would indeed be interesting to find out whose side Damothoinos and Philoxenides were on!

AH, so you're the one that bought that medal! The obverse was engraved by Gilroy Roberts, designer of the Kennedy Half Dollar. He was a master of portraiture on coins and medals. Here is a very rare medal, also with obverse by Gilroy Roberts... Bronze medal of William Howard Brett, director of the US Mint from July 1954 to January 1961. The obverse is by Gilroy Roberts, designer of the Kennedy Half Dollar, who throughout his career was a master of portraiture. This is #317 in Medals of the United States Mint (Failor and Haydn), and the catalog describes the reverse as such: "The kneeling female figure represents the Mint. Allegorical figures surround the central figure, depicting mining, assaying, melting and refining, and coining. The seal of the Treasury Department appears below." The reverse was designed by Engelhardus von Hebel. 3 inches in diameter, 217 grams.

This is a lovely and educational thread. My contribution today will be a 50 centavos bronze of Bolivia. The emblem of Bolivia is quite striking and the toning on this coin is unreal. These were struck for Bolivia by the Philadelphia mint in 1943, but dated 1942. A one-year only issue... BOLIVIA. Æ 50 Centavos, 5.1g, 24.6mm, 12h; Philadelphia mint. Obv.: REPUBLICA DE BOLIVIA; Emblem of Bolivia: The sun, two mountains (the Cerro Rico and the Cerro Menor), chapel, palm tree, lama. Rev.: CINCUENTA CENTAVOS; 50 – C; Caduceus; Olive sprays below // 1942 Ref.: KM #182a.

The value of good coins always goes up. I started collecting seriously as an adult in the 90's, and the value of many of those coins has doubled or tripled since then. It doesn't matter to me if I overspend on a coin (within reason of course), because I'm willing to play the long game. If I acquire something below market value, of course I'll look to make a quick profit. But the majority of my stock comes from consignors, and consignments are great because you don't have to invest any of your own capital to earn your salary. I'm also in the position where I have a full-time job that pays all the bills and I don't need a consistent income from coin sales - it's a hobby. All that being said, yes, I can relate to the OP's auction frustrations. The message I receive most often throughout the day is that I've been outbid.

An excellent lesson in history through the lens of numismatics. Thank you David! I like the YouTube clip very much. It really demonstrates how limited a static image can be. It's a tremendous coin!

No, you didn't. That's a thousand buck coin all day long. Beautiful!

My understanding is that they were in fact minted until the mid 1st century. Thessaly was no longer independent after 146 BC, but the staters were produced for another 100 years. This was a common occurrence under Roman occupation. The Romans didn't want to disrupt the economies of their occupied cities, so they allowed the continuation of local issues which oftentimes circulated side-by-side with provincial coins.

The Thessalian League was a koinon, or loose confederation of tribes and poleis in ancient Thessaly. The seat of the Thessalian League was Larissa. Independent for centuries, it fell under Macedonian rule in 344 BC. After the Romans defeated Philip V of Macedonia in 196, Thessaly was established as a free koinon by the Roman general Titus Quinctius Flamininus. The League's independence was short lived, however. 50 years later, the Roman commander Mummius razed the city of Corinth, disbanded the various independent leagues, and reduced Greece to provincial status. Thessalian League staters are among the last autonomous (and semi-autonomous) Greek issues. They are wonderful coins for the new collector of Greek silver because of their excellent style, large size, and affordability. Today I'm offering an example that's well-struck with pristine surfaces and lovely cabinet tone. Here is the listing at Vcoins. Compare it to the other examples offered at Vcoins here, and you'll see that the $180 price tag is a great deal for this exceptional example of the type. This coin also demonstrates an ancient minting technique. the "tab" that sticks out from 2 to 4 o'clock on the obverse and 8 to 10 o'clock on the reverse is where the flan was held by tongs as it was being struck. GREEK THESSALY. Thessalian League. AR Stater, 24mm, 4.8g, 12h; Mid to late 1st century BC. Damothoinos and Philoxenides, magistrates. Obv.: Head of Zeus right, wearing oak-wreath. Rev.: ΘΕΣΣΑΛΩΝ, Athena Itonia right; ΔAM OΘOINOY above, [Φ]ΙΛΟΞΕΝΙ[ΔΟΥ] in exergue. Ref.: BCD Thessaly II 870.4 var. 4.76g. Auctioned in association with and on behalf of Dutch Numismatic Auction by Agora Numismatiek, Amsterdam. Ex - Frank S Robinson ex Agora Coin, ex Roma E-Sale 81 Lot 84, 25 Feb 2021. Ex DNA Auction 4 Lot 10, Nov 2019.