happy_collector

I recently added a triga to my denarius collection. 🙂 C. NAEVIUS BALBUS. Serrate Denarius (79 BC). Rome. Obv: Diademed head of Venus right; S C to left. Rev: C NAE BALB. Victory driving triga right, holding reins; control-mark above. Crawford 382/1b. Weight: 3.84 g. Diameter: 19 mm.

Nice to see so many nice portraits in one thread. Thanks, @David Atherton Here are a few fine Faustina portraits in my collection. 🙂

T for Tyche. 🙂 Demetrios I (162-150 BC). AR Tetradrachm (30mm). Antioch Julia Domna Æ 33mm of Mopsus, Cilicia. AD 194-195. Troas, Alexandria. mid 3rd century AD. Æ 21mm

I guess my Faustina Junior denarius is a good example of "a tale of two coin sides". 🙂 I just love the obverse portrait. 😃

Next: Another Faustina the Elder denarius

S is for Snakes 😅 S is also for Sicily:

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, @Steve. You have a cool collection of biga coins. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

Nice coins, @Ryro. I like both portraits in addition to the bigas! 🙂

Wow! A very cool snake biga design. Thanks for sharing, @jdmKY. 🙂

Nice coin, @Roman Collector. I like the reverse design of Artemis drawing arrow while driving a biga of stags. It has more action than simply driving the biga. 🙂

BITHYNIA. Prousias II. Æ23 🙂

Very interesting reverse design, @seth77. Thanks for sharing. Here is my Crispina sestertius. I like its large size. 🙂 Crispina, Augusta. 178-182 AD. Sestertius. 30mm, 24.64g Obv: CRISPINA AVGVSTA. Draped bust right. Rev: LAETITIA / S-C; Laetitia standing front, head to left and holding wreath and anchor. RIC 669, C.27

S for Sabina coins. 🙂

Thanks for the photo, @Roman Collector. So nice to see a greater-than-life sized figurine with a Faustina Senior hairstyle. 🙂

One of my collection focus is on bigas driven with unusual creatures. I have slowly picked up snakes, stags, goats, lions, and centaurs. A hippocamp biga is on the very top of my lookout list. Recently, I am very pleased to add a decent example directly from vcoins. No need to wait for auctions. This one has serratus along the border, which is a nice feature to me. It probably will end up as one of my top 10 pickups this year. I have also added two panther biga coins earlier this year. The first one is a bit flat, but I like the large size of the biga coin. The second one is from Greek Sicily. Please post any biga coin you find interesting. QUINTUS CREPERIUS M. F. (Marcus Filius) ROCUS. Rome, 72 BC. Serratus denarius. 18.5mm, 3.7g. Obv: Draped bust of Amphitrite, wife of Neptune and goddess of the Ocean. Octopus behind her head. Rev: Neptune, holding reins and brandishing trident, driving sea-chariot right, drawn by two hippocamps; Q CREPER M F ROCVS in exergue. Craw. 399/1b; Syd. 796a. Incitatus Coins. Sept 2022 Sebaste in PHRYGIA. Severus Alexander 222-235 AD Tetrassarion (Bronze, 30 mm, 10.41 g, 1 h). ΑΥ Κ Μ ΑΥ CЄΒ ΑΛЄΞΑΝΔΡΟC Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander right. Rev: CЄΒΑCΤΗΝΩΝ Dionysos driving biga of panthers to right, holding a long thyrsos in in his right hand and reins in his left. BMC 38. RPC VI online 5672. Leu Numismatik, July 2022 Katane, Sicily. Æ20. 212 BC Obv: KATANAI-Ω-N, wreathed head of Dionysos right Rev: Dionysos seated in biga pulled by panthers 20.09mm, 7.51 grams SNG Copenhagen 200 Marc Breitsprecher, April 2022. Ex Ray Johnson Collection, purchased from Irv Carroll in 1965, with his ticket

Nice additions, @DonnaML. Great portraits on both coins. 🙂 Here are 2 of my Alexandrian coins. Hadrian, BI-Tetradrachm 125/126 AD (= year 10). 24mm, 13.23g, 11h Obv: armored and draped bust with laurel wreath r., Rev: Agathodaemon wearing skhent, facing Uraeus, wearing horns and disc, with a sistrum; L ∆ EK ATOV (date) 24mm, 13.23g, 11h Dattari/Savio 7508; Geissen 894 var.;RPC III 5596. Nero. BI tetradrachm. 64-65 AD (year 11) Obv: Radiate bust of Nero right, wearing aegis Rev: Draped bust of Poppaea right; L IA (date) before 13.51 g, 24 mm Köln 168; Emmett 128; RPC I 5280

Happy Faustina Tuesday, @Roman Collector. You picked up a nice rare Faustina coin. I have one with a similar hairstyle. 🙂 Faustina Junior. Augusta, AD 150-152. Rome mint, under Antoninus Pius. Æ Sestertius (32.5mm, 27.51 g, 6h). Obv: Draped bust right Rev: Venus standingleft, holding apple and scepter. RIC III 1387 (Pius); Banti 132. CNG Auction. Feb 2021.

Happy Faustina Friday, @Roman Collector. Yes, type 8 hairstyle is not easy to find. Here is my type 7...

Link: Seleukid Seleukid Kings, Demetrios I (162-150 BC). AR Tetradrachm (30mm, 16.73g, 1h). Antioch. 162-155/4 BC. Obv: Diademed head r. within wreath. Rev: Tyche holding baton and cornucopia; winged Tritoness supporting throne, monogram in exergue. SC 1638.2a; HGC 9, 795f. Bertolami, Oct 2021.

I understand your heart-broken feeling, RC. It really is a cool and rare coin. Left facing and with one of her earlier portraits. Such a great combination. I overslept and totally forgot about the whole auction. 😅

I have this coin design on my watch list for quite some time. I was hoping to find one with lighter bronze color, ok details, and not expensive. Super-glad to see one on vcoins, which I instantly made purchase within a minute. 😀 ANTONIA AE orichalcum Dupondius. Obv: ANTONIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right. Rev: TICLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP S-C, Claudius, head draped and togate, standing left ,holding simpulum. Cohen 6, RCV 1903 29mm, 13.1g Incitatus Coins. Sept 2022.

Link: Athena Athenian Owl Tetradrachm

Nice purchase, @robinjojo. Great motion of the bull. Somehow the last pic reminds me of the bronze bull in front of Wall Street. 🙂

Link: Domitia 🙂 Domitia (Augusta, 82-96). Phrygia, Laodicea ad Lycum. Æ (20mm, 4.89g, 6h). Kornelios Dioskourides, magistrate. Obv: Draped bust right. Rev: Tetrastyle temple. RPC II 1290; SNG von Aulock 3846; BMC 188. London Ancient Coins. Jan 2022.

A very nice addition, @Roman Collector. Faustina II and snake biga are both my favorite coin themes. It is great that such a coin combination exists. I wonder if the Cyzicus coin is the only one with the Faustina II/snake biga combination. Here are some in my snake biga team. 🙂