JAZ Numismatics

The Celts living immediately north of Paeonia were generally friends and trading partners with the Paeonians, although they had their disagreements. So the enemy of the Paeonians (Macedonia) was the enemy of the Celts. But again, not always. It is recorded by contemporary sources that these same Celtic tribes offered their military services to Alex III when he went on his expansionist rampage. Sulla80 and I did a joint project on these coins at CT. Click here.

Well, as a dealer I've bought a number of coins in that range, but as a collector, the last coin I spent (over) a grand on was this Celtic imitation of a Paeonian tetradrachm. They are exceedingly rare and this one is arguably the best of its type...

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The countermark looks like an anchor, which suggests it's Seleucid, which fits the timeline of the coin and the northward expansion of the empire in the 2nd century BC. In their push for Greece, the Seleucids were particularly interested in securing the coastal cities of Anatolia, like Herakleia ad Latmon.

I don't think that coin can be helped. It is what it is. It looks like someone already tried to remove the horn silver under Athena and scratched the hell out of it.

Well that settles it. No more Eid Mars for me!

A lilliputian gem!

Ed has a coin about everything.

Boy that's a nice big coin. It has the style and size of a medallion. I hope you can work out a deal with the owner!

The story of my life. First you buy the coins. Then you find a way to pay for them. Hope that helps!

I like your idea very much, but why only once a week? Why not once a day? A week-old thread gets stale.

I hope this is permissible - I would like to discuss a coin that I happen to have for sale. I know that we have The Cabinet here, but I would like to do more than just list it. If I'm out of bounds, the thread can be deleted with no hard feelings on my part. Today's featured coin is a denarius of T. Vettius Sabinus, struck 66 BC. According to the Roman foundation myth, Titus Tatius, king of the Sabines, attacked Rome in retaliation for the infamous Rape of the Sabine Women, an incident in which the men of Rome committed a mass abduction of women from neighboring tribes. (That subject is depicted on two denarius types of Lucius Titurius Sabinus, 89 BC.) Ironically, it was the abducted Sabine women that convinced both sides to reconcile. Romulus and Tatius ruled Rome jointly, and the Sabines were gradually integrated into Roman culture. The reverse of the coin poses a bit of an enigma. The word IVDEX means "judge" (more properly "arbiter") but there was no such formal office, and any magistrate could be called "IVDEX." Michael Harlan suggests that the figure in the biga is the moneyer himself, who may be the same Titus Vettius who served as Quaestor in Sicily circa 73 BC. The grain ear would refer to Sicily, Rome's chief grain supplier. I have a very pleasing VF example of this type for sale at vcoins here. For comparison, here are some auctions at CNG. Almost all of the CNG coins are in grades of EF and higher, so they hammer between $600 and $2500. My coin is offered at $350, which is a great price for a scarce type that's well-struck with smooth, clean surfaces and no damage! ROMAN REPUBLIC. T Vettius Sabinus. AR Serrate Denarius, 4.0g, 20mm, 6h; Rome mint, 66 BC. Obv: SABINVS; S.C; Bare and bearded head of King Tatius to right; below chin, monogram TA. Rev.: IVDEX / T.VETTCS; Togate figure in low biga to left, holding reins in his right hand and scepter in his left; behind, grain ears. Ref.: Babelon (Vettia) 2. Crawford 404/1. RBW 1446. Sydenham 905. Ex - Leu Web Auction 18, Lot 2449. Please post anything you feel is appropriate: your examples of the type, other serrate denarii, slow bigas, anything to do with the Sabines, etc...

Adam Eckfeldt struck the first US coinage in 1792 using a screw press of his own invention. By the end of his career at the Philadelphia Mint, he had guided the mint through its transition from horse to steam power, and preserved coins for the mint's collection that are now national treasures. In 1996, the ANA inducted Eckfeldt into the Numismatic Hall of Fame. But a decade prior to Eckfeldt's tenure, Americans were already experimenting with their own coinage. A proposal for large coppers was put forth by Robert Morris, superintendent of finance under the Articles of Confederation, and approved by Congress. Eckfeldt's father, John Jacob was paid $5.18 on February 8, 1783, to forge the dies. They were cut by silversmith Abraham Dubois, who was paid $72 for sinking and hardening four pairs of dies to produce the 1783 Nova Constellatio patterns. More dies were produced in 1785 (six pairs) with a flamboyantly cursive US on the reverse. Another variety was produced in 1786. The coins circulated throughout the colonies until various states began minting their own, heavier coppers, at which point the Nova Constellatio issues were taken out of circulation.

That's a truly tremendous collection of non-equine conveyance. Bravo!!

We should find a way to collaborate. Many of your ideas jibe with my plans to expand JAZ Numismatics into show venues. For one thing, I'd like to offer workshops on ancient coins, starting with all the small local shows (and clubs) in Pennsylvania. Nobody is offering those kinds of educational programs around here, and I mean NOBODY. Even the biggest international show in the area, Baltimore, rarely offers seminars on ancient coins. How would you feel about presenting your material in a multi-media lecture format? I also need someone to write informative tracts about the coins I'm selling (for a salary). Many collectors at shows ignore ancient coins because they know nothing about them. It would be great if I could hand people short, printed blurbs about certain general topics, say, Sicilian coinage, RR denarii, the debasement of antoniniani, LRB's, etc. One of the frustrations I've experienced at shows is that some newbie wants to talk at length, which is great, but while I'm doing that, another newbie is looking at the coins, mystified by the disparate little blobs of metal, and walks away. It would be great if I could have a rack of free pamphlets about ancient coin topics. Would you be willing to have some of your material printed up and used for that? I would also be willing to go in with you on offering grants to YN's for research.

I resemble that comment! My conjecture is that my ancestors were forcibly converted during the Ukrainian pogroms of the 19th century. The first generation may only have been ostensibly Christian, but by my grandparents' generation, everyone was staunchly Catholic. Either that, or my gentile ancestors were enjoying a bit of canoodling with the Jews.

Someone needs to solve the mystery of the enigmatic dashes. Those things have been bothering me for years. What the hell do they mean??!!

Great, thanks for the recommendation. I'll get the book too. I've never thought that the cult of Mary was a direct descendant of the cult of Cybele, only that certain aspects of the latter may have been taken up by the Catholic Church, which after all, spent centuries trying to incorporate Greek and Roman ideas into Christian theology (read Scholasticism).

I've always wondered how much influence Cybele had on the Roman Catholic idea of Mary as the mother of God and queen of heaven. It would seem that the cult of Cybele transitioned into the cult of Mary, although I haven't researched the subject in the least, so I could be completely wrong.

Hello my friends! Thank you for your concern. I've missed you all very much. In October I was struggling with a sinus infection, for which I was taking antibiotics. It seemed to be receding, but it suddenly morphed into sepsis, and I contracted a very serious case of vasculitis, a variety known as Wegener's Disease. My hands and feet went numb, and my heart was racing out of control. I spent a month in the hospital, twelve days in ICU. I started bleeding internally and had to get three transfusions. Then my kidneys failed and I had to go on dialysis. By the time I left the hospital I had lost fifty pounds and had to use a wheelchair. A month later I graduated to a walker, and I can now get around pretty well with a cane. The neuropathy in my hands and feet has not diminished - I feel like I'm walking on a couple of big marshmallows. But my kidneys are (miraculously) making a comeback, and they've reduced the number of days I have to get dialysis. It's been a rough haul, but I'm slowly recuperating. I look forward to returning to coining soon. Peace and blessings to you all. :)

Watch out for that clown at JAZ Numismatics. He'll rob you every time.

Hello Paul! Not for now. I'm trying to expand the Vcoins store, and as far as auctions go, I now have the Vauctions format at my disposal. Not many dealers use it, but I'm eventually going to give it a try, see how it works...

Hello friends, I've discounted over 100 items at my Vcoins store. You guys know how prices have been going through the roof. Here's some relief from the madness! Add some quality pieces to your collection today...JAZ Numismatics Summer Sale at VcoinsPeace and blessings - John