ValiantKnight

That was quick! Great job @shanxi The attribution is as follows Zeno, Eastern Roman EmpireAE nummusObv: [D N ZINOS] P F AV, helmeted, pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust facing, holding spear over right shoulder and shieldRev: Victory advancing left, facing right, holding wreath and dragging captive, [NIC] in ex.Date: 476-491 ADMint: Nicomedia Ref: RIC 952 Perhaps. I figure the coin was worn and obscure enough to be somewhat of a challenge but I guess I was wrong! I only have access to internet sources but from what I've seen is that, yes, Nicomedia seems to be the only mint for RIC 952. It certainly is a scarce/rare type. Mine was mistakenly listed as a coin of Justin I. I couldn't remember if I actually came across this type before but it did seem kind of familiar, but I was also considering the possibility of a contemporary imitation or a downright modern fake/fantasy piece. I asked my collecting friend who was able to recognize it as Zeno, and so I went ahead and bought it. Cheaply too (about $20 shipped). Where are my manners lol? 😄 Anyone is invited to post anything relevant! And great example!

I knew in my gut this had to be a rare one (a Byzantine-style forward facing obverse paired with the Victory dragging reverse from earlier AE4 types) but I was stumped as to the attribution, until I reached out for help and found out what it is. But I thought we could have a bit of fun with this one and have you all try to find the ruler and attribution. I'll give it a few days until revealing what it is. ???, Roman/Byzantine Empire AE4/nummus Obv: helmeted, cuirassed bust facing. holding spear Rev: Victory dragging captive Mint: ??? Mintmark: ??? Date: ??? Reference: ???

Augustus, Roman EmpireAR denariusObv: CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, laureate head right.Rev: C L CAESARES AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT, Gaius and Lucius Caesars standing facing, shields and spears between them; simpulum and lituus above; X below.Mint: LugdunumRef: RIC I 212; Lyon 86; RSC 43d. Tiberius, Roman EmpireAR denariusObv: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head rightRev: PONTIF MAXIM, Livia (as Pax) seated right, holding long scepter in her right hand and olive branch in her left; plain chair legsMint: LugdunumDate: 14-37 ADRef: RIC 26

Hard to beat a Byzantine hexagram for $20 shipped, especially with a bit of provenance (it was in a previous sale back in 1999): Heraclius (with Heraclius Constantine), Byzantine Empire AR hexagram Obv: dd NN hERACLIUS Et hERA CONSt, Heraclius on left and Heraclius Constantine on right, seated facing on double-throne, each holding cross on globe in right hand, small cross above Rev: dEUS AdIUtA ROmANIS, Cross-potent on globe above three steps; monogram to left, I in left field Date: 615-638 AD Mint: Constantinople Ref: SB 801 22 mm wide, 6 gr.

No coins from Magna Graecia here but I do have an artifact from there:

(the top two I added the captions myself)

They don't involve coins but they are still related to ancient/medieval history, so hopefully they are still good for the thread. \ (I created none of these; credit goes to whoever made them)

Funny enough I never made an overall top 10 of 2021 either; just for the Ptolemaics I acquired that year. I think I was just lazy. Although I'm tempted to do it anyways and set a record for most belated top-10 list 😁. Anyways, here's a couple of my top 10 Ptolemaics from last year: Berenice II Euergetes, Ptolemaic Kingdom AE16 Obv: BEΡENIKHΣ BAΣIΛIΣΣHΣ, diademed and draped bust right Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, wings spread, EY to left Mint: Ras Ibn Hani Date: 246-221 BC Ref: Svoronos 1056 Size: 4 gr., 17 mm Ptolemy IV Philopator, Ptolemaic Kingdom AE drachm Obv: Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle with closed wings standing left on thunderbolt; filleted cornucopia to left, ΛI between legs Mint: Alexandria Date: 222-204 BC Ref: CPE B493, Svoronos 1126 Size: 69.29 gr., 42 mm

Hi @DonnaML. Sorry to briefly hijack your artifact thread but was hoping to get your thoughts on this little terracotta head I have. It was described as Roman from the 1st or 2nd century AD. Is it really Roman and does it resemble anyone in particular (an empress or goddess)? And does it look authentic? Regarding the latter I’m leaning towards yes due to the dirt on it. The bottom photo is a side-back view. Thanks for your help!

It could be, actually. I never thought of this. Makes a bit more sense given the obverse and the coin reform. Very nice example. And interesting that the Umayyads didn’t entirely do away with images.

Roman coins have been found in sites in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand) and even in a castle in Japan (although it’s suggested that these came with European traders in the 16th-17th centuries). https://theconversation.com/amp/how-did-4th-century-roman-coins-end-up-in-a-medieval-japanese-castle-66417

I took a moment and outlined the remaining parts of the Roman reverse. The figure on the left is the emperor holding his spear, and what remains of Victory is her arm outstretched holding the wreath, her head, and her wing.

Thanks! All all great coins you posted as well! That Jerusalem overstrike is especially interesting!

Sisebut, Visigothic KingdomAV tremissisObv: + SISEBVTVS REX, bust facingRev: + TOLETO PIVS, bust facingMint: ToledoDate: 612-621 ADRef: Miles 183a Al-Hakam I, Emirate of CordobaAR dirhamObv: (center, in Arabic) "There is no God but Allah. He has no equal"(in margins, in Arabic) “In the name of Allah. this Dirham was struck in al-Andalus in the year six and ninety and one-hundred ” (AH 196)Rev: (center, in Arabic) "Allah is One God. The eternal and indivisible, who has not begotten, and has not been begotten and never is there His equal"(in margins, in Arabic) “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. He sent him with guidance and the true religion to reveal it to all religions even if the polytheists abhor it”Mint: Cordoba (al-Andalus)Date: 811-812 ADRef: Album 340Abd-al-Rahman III, Caliphate of CordobaAR dirhamObv: (center, in Arabic) "There is no God but Allah. He has no equal"(in margins, in Arabic) “In the name of Allah. this Dirham was struck in al-Andalus in the year two and thirty and three-hundred ” (AH 332)Rev: (center, in Arabic) "The Imam / al-Nasir Li-Din / Allah Abd al-Rahman / Commander of the Faithful / Qasim"(in margins, in Arabic) “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. He sent him with guidance and the true religion to reveal it to all religions even if the polytheists abhor it”Mint: Cordoba (al-Andalus)Date: 943-944 ADRef: Album 350Abd-al-Rahman III, Caliphate of CordobaAR dirhamObv: (center, in Arabic) "There is no God but Allah. He has no equal"(in margins, in Arabic) “In the name of Allah. this Dirham was struck in al-Andalus in the year five and thirty and three-hundred ” (AH 335)Rev: (center, in Arabic) "The Imam / al-Nasir Li-Din / Allah Abd al-Rahman / Commander of the Faithful / Qasim"(in margins, in Arabic) “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. He sent him with guidance and the true religion to reveal it to all religions even if the polytheists abhor it”Mint: Cordoba (al-Andalus)Date: 946-947 ADRef: Album 350.5

Heraclius (with Heraclius Constantine), Byzantine EmpireAR hexagramObv: dd NN hERACLIUS Et hERA CONSt, Heraclius on left and Heraclius Constantine on right, seated facing on double-throne, each holding cross on globe in right hand, small cross aboveRev: dEUS AdIUtA ROmANIS, Cross-potent on globe above three steps; monogram to left, I in left fieldDate: 615-638 ADMint: ConstantinopleRef: SB 80122 mm wide, 6 gr. Constans II with Constantine IV, Byzantine EmpireAR hexagramObv: D N CONSTANTINUS C CONSTANS, crowned and draped busts of Constans with long beard on the left, and Constantine IV, beardless on the right, cross between theirheadRev: dEUS AdIUtA ROmANIS, cross-potent on globe above three steps; B in right fieldDate: 641-668 ADMint: ConstantinopleRef: SB 99622 mm wide, 6.2 gr.

I am not the type to do very in-depth scholarly analyses or studies (although I did do my fair share of research papers in my college and graduate program years), so would my non-scholarly-but-informative threads (like my recent Pharos thread) fall under this category? I would not mind bringing over my threads on CT that fit the bill.

Thank you guys for the additional posts/words of support.

An Arab overstrike on a then-300 year old Roman coin (more about it here in my thread). Umayyad Caliphate AE fals (overstruck on a Roman follis of Honorius, Virtvs Exerciti type, RIC X 61) Obv: The Kalima, in Arabic (D N HONORI [VS P F AVG], pearl-diademed, draped bust right) Rev: Transformed cross(?) (VIRTVS-EXERCITI, emperor standing left, head right, holding spear and resting left hand on shield. Victory, standing beside him crowning him with a wreath) Mint: (Constantinople for undertype) Mintmark: None (CON in ex.) Date: 697-750 AD (post-coin reform; undertype struck 395-401 AD)

Jovinus, Western Roman Empire AR siliqua Obv: D N IOVIN-VS P F AVG, Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right Rev: VICTOR-IA AVGG, Roma seated left on stylized cuirass, holding Victory on globe and reversed spear Mint: Lugdunum Mintmark: SMLDV Date: 411-413 AD Ref: RIC X 1717 Poemenius in the name of Constantius II, Western Roman Empire AE2 Obv: D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right Rev: SALVS AVG NOSTRI, large Chi-Rho flanked by A-W Mint: Trier Mintmark: TRP Date: 352 AD Ref: RIC VIII 332

I had started this as a post on another thread, but since I had already planned to make a thread for this in the near future, I decided to push it to the front of the queue and make the thread now. I like collecting Roman coins. I like collecting early Islamic coins. And I am into Arab-Byzantine coins (even though it is like 40th on my mental list of collecting priorities, so I only have one or two). So imagine my surprise when I found this at auction. Up to that point, I don't think I had ever seen a non-Byzantine Roman (or at least, I hadn't seen a late Roman) coin overstruck by the Arabs, so I knew I had to have this interesting coin. Umayyad Caliphate AE fals (overstruck on a Roman follis of Honorius, Virtvs Exerciti type, RIC X 61) Obv: The Kalima, in Arabic (D N HONORI [VS P F AVG], pearl-diademed, draped bust right) Rev: Transformed cross(?) (VIRTVS-EXERCITI, emperor standing left, head right, holding spear and resting left hand on shield. Victory, standing beside him crowning him with a wreath) Mint: (Constantinople for undertype) Mintmark: None (CON in ex.) Date: 697-750 AD (post-coin reform; undertype struck 395-401 AD) It actually basically combines aspects of three different types: The Kalima (the Islamic declaration of faith: "there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”), here overstruck on the obverse, became a central feature (literally and figuratively) of Islamic coins after the 697 coinage reform that did away with pictures/icons. It seems the Kalima was deliberately struck over Honorius's face as a way to conform to the reform. My coin, a late Umayyad bronze from Tiberias (the Kalima is on the left photo, obverse): Despite the reform, it looks like the Roman reverse was overstruck with a "transformed cross" reverse found on the Standing Caliph type from before the reform. Also mine, a Standing Caliph type from Aleppo: And of course, the Roman undertype (not mine; from Wildwinds): The Umayyad Caliphate became one of the largest empires in history in less than a century: Please post your Arab-Roman, Arab-Byzantine coins, and/or anything else relevant!

Thank you so much for all the supportive posts. And all the wonderful pets posted. It means a lot to me. I have been feeling somewhat better these past couple of days, I think. Baby’s absence has become more noticeable (I guess the reality is setting in more), but work and other things have helped distract me. I try not to look at her empty cage, but it’s difficult since I have one big cage divided into two portions; one that was for Baby and the other for my budgies. @Ryro @Alegandron @Helvius Pertinax @Ancient Coin Hunter @UkrainiiVityaz @Severus Alexander @Finn235@Steve So very sorry to hear of the passing away of your animal friends as well. And for hearing about what Ziggy is going through@DonnaML. He sounds like a trooper and I hope you get to spend as much remaining time with him as possible.

Crispus, Roman EmpireAE follisObv: FL IVL CRISPVS NOB CAES, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust rightRev: PROVIDEN-TIAE CAESS, campgate, 6 layers, 2 turrets, star above, no doorsMint: London; Mintmark PLON (in ex.)Ref: RIC VII 295

My quaker parrot, Baby, passed away yesterday. I had her since 2011 when she was only a couple of months old. She had started to feel unwell on Saturday but became worse in the evening. I wasn’t sure what was happening exactly (first time ever she was sick/unwell) and I thought she was just having a minor illness (I was planning to take her today to a local vet/pet hospital), but it was worse than I realized and Baby died Sunday morning. She had laid two unfertilized eggs within a few days of each other in the past week so I think this might have strained and weakened her little body too much, despite her behaving normally a couple of days afterwards. I think the suddenness of her death left me numb initially and it was only today that the pain really hit me when I gave myself time to process it. I tell myself she is in a better place but it hurts to think that she might be feeling alone without me with her, wherever she is now. RIP Baby (2011-2022) Please help me honor Baby (and your own pets, living or resting eternally) by posting anything relevant: your pets, coins with animals, etc. Thank you. Ptolemy II, Ptolemaic Kingdom AR tetradrachm Obv: Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, monogram in left field, shield in front of eagle Mint: Alexandria Date: 285-246 BC Ref: Svoronos 574

I have never been one to focus on a specific set of coins, such as a one-per-ruler or 12 Caesars; only recently did I decide on obtaining a one-per-mint set of forward facing Justinian folles from the earlier years like 12, 13, etc. (basically the largest ones that are ~40 mm). I’ve instead always collected in a general manner from the historical areas and cultures that I am most interested in. I also have specific targets I am on the lookout for. That being said, these are the collecting areas I have the most interest in and focus on: Early Greek (400s-300s BC) Ptolemaic Seleucid Late Roman (Constantine I to Zeno) Early Byzantine (491 to ~700 AD) Migration Period/Germanic kingdoms Western European medieval (up to 1000 AD) Early Islamic caliphates

Attica, Athens AR tetradrachm Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right Rev: Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig to left, crescent behind, AΘE to right, all within incuse square Date: 454-404 BC Ref: SNG Copenhagen 31 Size: 17.19g, 24mm Attica, Athens AR drachm Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right Rev: Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig to left, crescent behind, AΘE to right, all within incuse square Date: 454-404 BC Ref: Sear SG 2527 Attica, Athens AE15 Obv: Helmeted bust of Athena right Rev: Two owls facing on thunderbolt, AΘE below, all within olive wreath Date: 130-90 BC/166-57 BC Ref: Kroll Agora 99; Svoronos pl. 24.60-68; Kleiner Type 16