Ursus

Maybe: naval ram pointing upwards? See the picture of the Athlit ram below for comparison.

Lovely group of coins! The Elymaean tetradrachm is particularly outstanding imho.

Hey, what's the issue with severed heads on coins?! If you're otherwise into medieval coins, everything with a catalog entry and a halfway sensible date and attribution appears pretty close to the surface... Roman Republic, moneyer: M. Sergius Silus, AR denarius, 116–115 BC, Rome mint. Obv: EX·S·C ROMA; helmeted head of Roma, r., denominational mark X. Rev: Q M·SERGI SILVS; one-armed horseman (Marcus Sergius Silus) l., holding sword and severed head in l. hand. 17mm, 2.84g. RRC RRC 286/1.

A very nice and varied selection of coins! The Egyptian Hadrian obol and the sceatt stand out to me.

Lovely coin! My last bracteate for 2023 is below. A common high medieval type from Augsburg, yet in very attractive condition. Künker recently sold some twenty examples of this coin (Berger 2640) as well as Berger 2632 via their ebay profile. I managed to snatch this one for a good price. The fact that all the coins they offered had a similar patina makes me assume Künker got their hands on a small hoard. Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg, under Udalschalk von Eschenlohe or Hartwig II von Hirnheim, AR bracteate, ca. 1184–1208. Obv: bishop facing, raising both hands, pellets above hands. Rev: incuse design (bracteate). 22mm, 0.67g. Ref: Berger 2640; Slg. Bonhoff 1903; Slg. Wüthrich 313; Steinhilber 61.

I just received an unexpected envelope from a lovely neighboring country, and I very much suspect it to be from my Saturn. (Looking at the sender's address, I have somewhat of a hunch who it is.) Now I have to wait and resist the temptation of opening it right away!

Cassius Dio wrote from a senatorial perspective and under the patronage of Severus Alexander. That means he had a vested interest in making Elagabalus look as bad as possible. The details Dio gives about Elagabalus' unconventional sex life thus must be read as political propaganda. It is unclear how much truth is contained in his account, but his message can be summarized as follows: "Elagabalus was a crazy, outrageous, and effeminate decadent – look how great Severus Alexander is in comparison!" I find it a bit naive to uncritically take what is meant to be slander as historical fact. Reading a modern transgender biography into Dio's account furthermore ignores how different ancient Roman ideas about gender and sexuality were from our current debates. But I guess that is what happens when you try to reshape history in your own image...

Even further back, see, for example, the shield on the reverse of this coin: Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sigismund III Vasa, AR Ort (¼ Taler), 1622 AD, Bromberg mint. Obv: SIGIS • III • D • G • REX • POL • M • D • LI • RVS • PRV • M; bust of Sigismund III, crowned, with ruff and in ornamented cuirass, holding sword and orb. Rev: SAM • LIV • NEC • N • SV • GOT • VAN : Q : HRI : R; crowned and quartered shield with eagles (Poland) and rider (Lithuania), central inescutcheon with Vasa withy; in fields, 16-22; mint sign: arrow and stars. 29mm, 6.83g. Ref: Kopicki 1278.

A highly educational website! Thanks for posting it here. I bought this one from you a couple of years ago, @Valentinian: Roman Provinces: Mesopotamia, Edessa, under Caracalla, AE 21, 198–217 AD. Obv: M AVR ANTONINV[S PF AVG]; head of Caracalla, laureate, r. Rev: COL MET ANTONINIANA AVR ALEX; bust of Tyche, draped and turreted, r. 21mm, 6.17g. Sear Greek Imperial 2702; BMC 19 (for Carrhae).

I've just been to the post office. My gift is on its very long way to the other side of the globe, and I hope it will arrive safely and in time for Saturnalia.

Rumor has it that the "anatomical" look of the two Scandinavian countries on the early euro coins was a major reason for introducing the new design that now includes Norway despite it not being a EU member state. (Also, a Finnish friend once told me that it gave rise to a popular joke in his home country: stating that "the Swedes are d***s but we've got balls" and pointing at a piece of change to prove the point.)

Happy birthday to a hapless emperor! I haven't shown this denarius in a while, which I refuse to call a "tribute penny" (a term mostly invented to market these to religious people not otherwise interested in ancient coins): Tiberius, Roman Empire, denarius, 15–18 AD, Lyon mint. Obv: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate portrait right. Rev: PONTIF MA[XIM], Livia as Pax seated right on chair with ornately decorated legs, holding sceptre (or spear) and branch. 18mm, 2.8g. Ref: RIC I Tiberius 28; RSC II 16b; Sear 1763; Giard: Le monnayage de l'atelier de Lyon 1 (1983), group 2, 146.

I very much like these exactly because of the precise dates. Mine is Apellaios (November) 152 AD, too: Parthian Empire, under Vologases IV, AR tetradrachm, SE 464, month Apellaios (November 152 AD), Seleukeia on the Tigris mint. Obv: Diademed and draped bust l., wearing tiara; B behind. Rev: [SEΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / Β]ΑΣΙΛΕΩ[Ν - ΑΡΣΑΚΟY / O]ΛΑΓΑΣΟ[Υ - ΔΙΚΑΙΟY - Ε]ΠΙΦΑΝΟY[Σ / ΦΙΛΕΛΛΗΝΟΣ], date: ΔΞY – ΑΠΕΛΑΙΟΥ; Vologases seated l. on throne, Tyche standing r. before him, presenting a diadem and holding sceptre. 27mm, 13.81g. Ref: Sellwood 84.13.

Nice idea for a thread! Chirple (also has an additional lizard): Macedonia, Eion, AR trihemiobol, ca. 460-400 BC. Obv: Goose standing r., head turned l.; lizard curving l. above; H to lower r. Rev: quadripartite incuse square. 12 mm, 0,71g. Ref: SNG Cop 179. Glurple (a tunny, a lion, and a boar on one tiny coin – what's not to love about it!): Mysia, Kyzikos, AR hemiobol (?), c. 480–450 BC. Obv: roaring lion’s head l.; star above. Rev: forepart of boar l.; tunny behind. 8mm, 0.25g.

Here they are: Domitian, Roman Empire, AR denarius, 88/89 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM PM TR P VIII, laureate head of Domitian right. Rev: IMP XIX COS XIIII CENS PP, Minerva standing left holding thunderbolt and spear, leaning on shield. 19mm, 3.22g. Ref: RIC II (2007) Domitian 669. Julia Domna, Roman Empire, denarius, 196–211 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA; bust of Julia Domna, draped, r. Rev: IVNO, Iuno standing l., holding patera and sceptre, peacock at feet l. 18mm, 3.20g. Ref: RIC IV Septimius Severus 559. Septimius Severus, Roman Empire, denarius, 197–198 AD, Rome mint. Obv: L SEPT SEV AVG IMP XI PART MAX, head of Septimius Severus, laureate, r. Rev: IOVI CONSERVATORI; Jupiter seated left, holding Victory and sceptre. 17.5mm, 3.30g. Ref: RIC IV.1 Septimius Severus 130.

...and sometimes, they even made their own! The coins in the picture below may look like Abbasid silver dirhams, but they are in fact forgeries cast from an alloy of lead and tin. They were found in the harbour of the Viking settlement of Haithabu/Hedeby in northern Germany. Numerous both real and fake Arabic dirhams unearthed at Haithabu are on display at the museum of this archeological site. Apparently, the local Vikings were rather apt when it came to both amassing and faking Arabic coins...

Nice haul! I particularly like the two LRBs – the bug-eyed Constantius is quite charming. The Trajan provincial is a good find, too. @Nerosmyfavorite68 already pointed you into the right direction. More specifically, your coin is: Regensburg, anonymous joint episcopal and ducal issue, AR pfennig, c. 1315–1374 AD. Obv: Head of duke above merlons, between H-O. Rev: Heads of bishop and duke facing within double arcade. Ref: Emmerig 246. As usual with late medieval Vierschlagpfennige, the reverse on your coin is weakly struck.

A fantastic write-up and lots of beautiful coins in this thread. I am excited to see what happens once you get to the more unusual deities, @Curtisimo. How many portraits of, for example, Hephaestus are there on Greek coins? I have no idea... For now, here is an attractive Apollo type not yet shown in this thread: Thessaly, Thessalian League, AR drachm, mid-late 2nd century BC. Obv: head of Apollo, laureate, r.; behind ΓAYANA (eroded). Rev: ΘΕΣΣΑΛΩΝ; Athena Itonia striding right, hurling spear, shield on arm; in fields, , Π-Ο-Λ-Y; to r., grape. 18mm, 3.90g. Ref: BCD Thessaly II 819.

Getting one shouldn't be hard. These are sold for little more than melt value in attractive condition. In my eyes, it's probably the most attractive mass-produced silver coin from the time of the German Empire 1871–1918.

The first of the good ones. Happy birthday, Nerva! Nerva, Roman Empire, denarius, 98 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP NERVA CAES AVG GERM PM TR P II, laureate head of Nerva right. Rev: IMP II COS IIII PP, Aequitas standing left, holding scales and cornucopiae. 18mm, 2.98g. Ref: RIC II Nerva 44.

Zeus: Achaian League (Arcadia, Pallantion), AR hemidrachm, early 1st century BC. Obv: head of Zeus r. Rev: AX (Achaian League) monogram; Π-A-Λ in fields, upright trident below; all within wreath. 16mm, 2.20g Ref: Clerk 217; BCD Peloponnesos 1592; Benner 1. Jupiter: Macrinus, Roman Empire, AR denarius, 217–218 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG; laureate and cuirassed short-bearded bust of Macrinus r. Rev: IOVI CONSERVATORI; Jupiter standing left, holding thunderbolt and sceptre; to left, small figure of Macrinus standing r. 20mm, 3.21g. Ref: RIC IV Macrinus 76b.

Hey, are these my tools?! I've got the same DeWalt orbital sander and the smaller version of the Makita belt sander. Good, chunky and reliable stuff. I absolutely feel you. It's one thing to buy an old house, but it's a completely different and far more difficult as well as cost intensive thing to remodel it. Below are the various stages of my living room over the course of the last year. It took a lot of money and elbow grease to get to the third picture. (And please, be so kind to give me a trigger warning if you plan on ever mentioning foundation work again – that's the stuff of my nightmares!)

Lovely coin, @expat! Trajan, Roman Empire, denarius, 101/102 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP CAESAR NERVA TRAIAN AUG GERM, laureate head of Trajan right. Rev: PM TRP COS IIII PP, Victory standing facing, holding wreath and palm branch. 18mm, 3.04g. Ref: RIC II, 58.

I've got little experience with boats, but you're spot on when it comes to old houses. Plus they cost a lot of time: I've reached the point where crafts and woodworking have become less a hobby than a regular chore that is necessary to keep my 150-year old house from falling into disrepair... And you haven't even mentioned kids. Our firstborn daughter is due to arrive very soon, and I'm gobsmacked by how expensive baby stuff is! As a result, my coin budget is way less than 20% of my income. On average, I have spent about 110€ per month on coins in the last two years. I can happily collect on this budget without turning my hobby into a financial burden. If it were otherwise, the whole thing would stop to be fun.

I'm in again! Secret Saturnalia is a lovely little tradition: an annual reminder of how generous and thoughtful even a mostly anonymous online forum can be. It's good to see that amongst all the vitriol that is flooding social media (not to mention the world in general), people from all over the globe can still use the internet to politely discuss a shared hobby, crack some harmless jokes, and send each other small gifts... In the past four years, I have received a number of wonderful coins from my Secret Saturns. I treasure all of them: Septimius Severus, Roman Empire, AR denarius, 202–210 AD, Rome mint. Obv: SEVERVS PIVS AVG; head of Septimius Severus, laureate, r. Rev: INDVLGENTIA AVGG IN CARTH; Dea Caelestis, draped, riding r. on lion, holding thunderbolt in r. hand and sceptre in l. hand; below, water gushing from rock. 19mm, 3.32g. Ref: RIC IV Septimius Severus 266. Ex Marc Breitsprecher; Secret Saturnalia 2019. Kingdom of France, under Henry II, AR douzain aux croissants, 1550 AD, Lyons mint. Obv: + HENRICVS 2 · DEI · G · FRANCORV · REX · F · (lis); crowned French coat of arms; to l. and r., crown above crescent. Rev: + SIT · NOMEN DNI · BENEDICTVM · 1550 · (lis); pellet below 12th letter; cross fleurée with H and crown alternating in quarters; D below. 27mm 2.46g. Ref: Duplessy 997. Ex @Qcumbor, Secret Saturnalia 2020. Megaris, Megara, AE dichalkon, ca. 275–259 BC. Obv: Prow of galley l. Rev: Tripod flanked by two dolphins. 12mm, 2.09g. Ref: BCD Peloponnesos 17; HGC 4, 1798. Ex BCD collection; ex CNG; Secret Saturnalia 2021. Anonymous, Roman Empire, ca. 81–161 AD, AE quadrans, Rome mint (?). Obv: head of Minerva r. Rev: owl standing r. 14 mm, 2.86 g. RIC II Anonymous 7. Secret Saturnalia 2021. Faustina II, Roman Empire, AR denarius, 145–161 AD, Rome mint. Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL; bust of Faustina the Younger, band of pearls round head, with hair waived and coiled on back of head, draped, r. Rev: VENUS; Venus, draped, standing l., holding apple in r. hand and rudder set on dolphin, which coils round it, in l. 18mm, 3.06g. Ref: RIC III Antoninus Pius 517C (denarius). Secret Saturnalia 2021. Low Countries, Diocese Utrecht, under Wilbrand of Oldenburg, AR denier/pening, 1227-1233 AD. Obv: bishop facing with mitre, holding crosier and book; legend (WIL - BRAND) off flan. Rev: cross with three pellets at the end of each limb, one small pellet in each angle near the centre; legend (TRAIECTVM) mostly off flan.10mm, 0.42g. Ref: van der Chijs 8.1–2. Secret Saturnalia 2022; ex Heritage Europe, November Auction 2022, lot 2894.