Marsyas Mike

Lovely example of this type. It inspired me to post a couple of uglies - an overstrike and a countermark from the era: Here's the overstrike - as you can see, it didn't work out so well: France L’An 5 (1796-1797) First Republic, Directory 1 Décime over 2 Décimes Paris Mint / Limoges Mint Overstruck on 2 decime, n.d. (L’An 4-5 1795-1797) from the Paris Mint (?) KM 645.1 (20.53 grams / 30 mm) eBay Aug. 2018 Lot @ $0.25 Here's the later countermark, apparently issued when the full overstrike was not a success - my example is fairly attractive, but it is rather light-weight; should be 20 grams, but this is only 14.51 grams, so it might be a fake: France L’An 5 (1796-1797) First Republic, Directory 1 Décime over 2 Décimes Paris Mint Host Coin: Two Décimes L’An 5 (1796-1797), KM 638 Countermark: UN stamped over 2 and S effaced KM 637.1 (14.51 grams / 31 x 30 mm) eBay Aug. 2022 Notes: "In October of 1796, the French government ordered the earlier 2 Décimes coppers to be overstruck as 1 Décime coins. ...the overstriking was remarkably difficult, and the mint found themselves unable to produce a clear enough strike so as to obliterate the undertype. A simpler expedient was adopted: a counterstamp of the word UN." CNG Note: Host coin is very light for this type; should be 20 grams; possible counterfeit?

Nice detective work, @Roman Collector. Here's one that was sitting in my binder full of unattributables for a couple of years - unlike most of these, there was a lot of inscription remaining, but I just couldn't crack the case. A few days ago I decided to try again. My original approach was to find it via Dionysos-altar image searches on RPC, acsearch, etc. But since this wasn't working, I painfully wrote out the reverse Greek legend, which narrowed it down to Cyzicus; I even found a match for the Strategos behind the issue. Close, but no cigar! As far as I can tell, it is unlisted. Gallienus Æ 25 Aurelios Sostratos, Strategos (c. 253-268 A.D.) Cyzicus, Mysia ΑΥΤ Κ Π ΛΙΚ Γ[ΑΛ]ΛΙΗΝΟC, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right / AYP CΩCTPATOY KYZIKHNΩN | NEOKOPΩ in field, Dionysos standing left, holding thyrsus, altar at feet. (6.92 grams / 25 x 23 mm) eBay Feb. 2020 Lot @ $0.83 Attribution: Unable to find this type anywhere; obv. portrait in very fine style compared to others from Cyzicus of this era. Possible Obverse Die Match: Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 197; Lot 69; 15.10.2008 (Dionysos seated). "Apparently unpublished (but cf. SNG France 865 for same obv. die, different rev. type)." Here is the closest thing to a match I could find (as referenced above) - it may not be an exact obverse die-match, but it is similar. Most of the Cyzicus provincials of that era have crude busts, but for some reason, a few of them are finer style, like mine and the CNG example: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=526294 I don't know, for sure, but I'm closer than I was. In ancients, sometimes it's the journey, not the destination.

I like the coins in this post - these types with the fake XXX/NNN date reverse are interesting, I think. Late last year I managed to get two of them, neither one looking very appetizing in my photos - they are somewhat better in hand: Leo V and Constantine: Leo V the Armenian with Constantine Æ Follis (813-820 A.D.) Constantinople Mint LЄ[OҺ S(C) COҺ(ST)], busts of Leo left & Constantine right both wearing crown & chlamys / Large M, XXX left, cross above, NNN right, A below. SB 1630; DOC 7. (5.82 grams / 22 mm) eBay Dec. 2021 Nicephoros I follis: Nicephorus I Æ Follis (802-811 A.D.) Constantinople Mint ҺI-CЄFORI bAS, crowned bust facing with short beard wearing chlamys, holding cross potent and akakia / Large M, XXX left, cross above, NNN right, A below. SB 1630; DOC 7. (4.68 grams / 21 x 20 mm) eBay Dec. 2021

That's an attractive coin. I don't have that exact pairing, but I do have this Marcianopolis with Julia Domna and one of her boys with Tyche in her temple. I recently spent some time re-attributing it; I'm finding my earlier attributions to be pretty sloppy! Caracalla and Julia Domna by Quintilianus Æ Pentassarion (c. 213-216 A.D.) Moesia Inferior, Marcianopolis [ANT]ΩNINOC AVΓOVCTOC IOVΛI[A] | ΔOMNA, vis à vis draped busts / [VΠ KY]NTIΛIANOY MAΡKIANOΠOΛEITΩN, tetrastyle temple with Tyche within holding rudder and cornucopiae, Є in exergue. Attribution, Dimensions and Provenance: Hristova & Jekov 6.19.46.14; Varbanov 1052. Moushmov 500; AMNG I 693; (12.48 grams / 26 mm) eBay Sep. 2018 Die Matches: Wildwinds, obv./ rev. "Varbanov 1052 (this coin)" obv. CNG auct. 228, Lot: 175 Note flaw: ΔOMNA

I was a Journalism major - the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism, which was top-ranked back then. Since then it got rolled into the School of Communications and Ernie Pyle Hall was turned into an undergrad greeting center or some such thing. My senior year I picked up a double major in history, since I'd taken so many history electives, my pointless eagerness to graduate on time made my sr. year far too packed. Neither degree was practical for me - I didn't have enough ambition or interest to do much with them. My interest in journalism was never very strong to begin with, but it was a hard school to get through back then and I'm glad I did it. I take more lit classes and better history classes if I had it to do over again. I graduated in spring '86, so I was leaving just as @DLTcoins was re-enrolling I keenly regret not taking more classes from Prof. Fears. There's a lecture series by him on YouTube (on American freedom; which I have not watched yet) - I recall his voice as being higher-pitched, but he may've done that to reach the whole hall? Or more likely, my memory's decaying! His appearance is about like I recall, though he was younger than in the video when I took his class - kinda looks like David Crosby. He has a Wikipedia page as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Rufus_Fears Most of my buddies were Business majors - that was a tough school too. I used to make fun of them for the huge piles of dot-matrix pin-fed computer code they had to haul around. Back in the '80s they were teaching business majors to code! The Ernie Pyle School of Journalism was still using typewriters in the reporting labs (which was starting to embarrass them, I think). I was wrong about almost everything back then, but I was not wrong about computers - my dad said I should take computer classes (again, back before PCs were common, that meant learning to code). I told him if computers were going to remain so difficult that you had to write code to use them, I would rather just get left behind and live with the squirrels! Decades older than me, my dad was good with computers even back then, but I was right about learning to code. Not so right about the squirrels though!

OMG - I was a moron and only took one class from Professor Fears. It was incredible - Ancient Greek history in one of those gigantic tiered lecture halls - 300 students? On the day he gave the lecture on Thermopylae he timed it so the last stand was at the moment the class ended. You know how noisy those lecture halls got five minutes before class was over - everybody shuffling together their stuff to leave. Not this time! Fears - who as I recall was not an especially commanding physical presence - a short, rotund guy with a kind of high-pitched voice, kinda like Truman Capote in his later years. But this didn't matter - Fears had the mind, and the gift for historical tale-telling - he was absolutely captivating. When he finished the Thermopylae lecture ..."and then all the Greeks died" (or however he put it) - you could hear a pin drop. Everybody - and I mean everybody - was stock still, glued to their seat even as the clock ran out. It was one of the most profound educational moments I've ever experienced...and I took a lot of classes in giant classrooms like that. So why didn't I take more classes from him? Because I was young and dumb and took classes based on how cool the course name was in the catalogue. Valuable lesson: professors who come up with clever names four their courses are often not very good teachers. IU had a lot of tenured deadwood in the History Dept. in those days. Yep, learned that far too late. Isaiah Thomas? Yikes. I was so goofy the athletes and I sort of went in different orbits. I dimly remember being terrified of the girls' volleyball team - the freshmen were in my dorm as well - they were all 7 feet tall and right out of a Beach Boys song... I did see Uwe Blab's foot up close once - I was sitting on the floor in Ballantine Hall when he walked by - Dingo cowboy boots, about a size 18 triple wide!

Nice Wreath Crown Donna. Although I've scrounged crowns for decades, the Wreath Type never come up in the bargain bins, eBay depths, etc. However, your Wreath Crown did put me in mind of this one from the same "Wreath" era - a crown of George V issued for Cyprus, minted in London at the Tower Mint. What has long puzzled me about this issue is that although the UK crowns had gone to .500 silver, Cyprus issued this one in full sterling: Composition Silver (.925) Weight 28.2759 g https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces15505.html This 1959 Bermuda Crown was also minted to the same pre-World War I UK sterling standard - although per Numista, the Bermuda crown weighed slightly more...another mystery. QEII, may she rest in peace. Composition Silver (.925) Weight 28.28 g https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces14207.html And since I feel safe in this space I am going to share the results of a decade-long obsessions with 1951 Festival of Britain Crowns that some non-collectors may not understand. For years, whenever I saw one boxed, for under $5 or so, I snapped it up. Someday these will be worth a fortune...or not: There are two types of boxes - the slide-out kind is by far the most common, in my experience. The other kind is a lift-off top-opening lid. Here are both types; I only have one green and one red of the lift-off tops: Sometimes strays without boxes came my way - I remember my local dealer selling these for a buck or two from his junk bins 25 years ago. One of these even has a groovy chain welded to it - I've never found an occasion to wear it, however: In other scrounging news, here are two of by "best bargain" UK crowns...in my opinion. They aren't great...but I love a bargain. Or what I think might be a bargain. A few years ago, my local dealer had this in his case for $20 - an 1898 UK Trade Dollar that has been harshly cleaned, after some years circulating, with a few chopmarks: This turned up on eBay one day back in 2006 for $22 "Buy it now." 1902 Edward crowns do not normally sell for $22, even back then.

Fellow Hoosiers! I'm jealous I missed the Breaking Away shoot - Cutters! But I was still in high school. What a great movie. As for slacking, if I had it to do over again, I would've stretched college out three or eight years or so longer. I was in a hurry back then, for no apparent reason. Somebody said youth is wasted on the young. Yep. I was there from '83 to '86. Not really a sports fan, but it is hard to be a Hoosier and not get caught up in the basketball some: "The 1985–86 Hoosiers were profiled in a best-selling book A Season on the Brink. To write it Knight granted author John Feinstein almost unprecedented access to the Indiana basketball program, as well as insights into Knight's private life. The following season, in 1986–87, the Hoosiers were led by All-American Steve Alford and captured a share of the Big Ten title. The team won Indiana's fifth national championship against Syracuse in the 1987 NCAA tournament with a game-winning jump shot by Keith Smart with five seconds of play remaining in the championship game." Wikipedia Well, Steve Alford lived on my floor in Read Dorm his freshman (my sophomore) year - Knight made all the freshman players live in the dorm. I saw Alford exactly once during that year (in the dorm, I mean). And I was there for The Season on the Brink, and even the Bob Knight chair-throwing event (no, I was not at the game), but I missed the '87 championship and the Breaking Away shoot...my timing has never been great. The thing I really regret is not hanging around REM when they recorded Lifes Rich Pageant in Bloomington...I was too "busy." But as for The Bluebird, @DLTcoins - oh yeah. Great place. Didn't go to Nick's much until after I graduated - to me it was for paunchy old guys in red sweaters. Which is what I turned into, and since it hasn't changed much, I still drop by when in town, paunchy and red-sweater'd. And Mother Bear's...but the rest of Bloomington is starting to look like an avenue of boutiques. Three great used bookstores now down to one part-timer. Don't get me started... That's a great looking face-to-face husband-and-wife you got there @O-Towner. I'm almost embarrassed to share this one, but it is the only Septimius Severus twofer I have - I found it in my local dealer's junk box. That's a temple on the reverse, believe it or not: S. Severus & Caracalla Æ 23 (208 A.D.) Berytus, Phoenicia [IMPP CAESS SEVER ANT AVGG] Confronted laureate, draped, and cuirassed busts / [DEC-ENNAL ANT COS III COL BER], Astarte in temple, crowned by Nike on column. BMC 122-5. Lindgren III 1381. (10.84 grams / 23 mm) AZ Nov. 29, 2019 Notes: "This issue was struck in 208 AD to commemorate the decennalia of Caracalla's elevation to Augustus." CNG Elect. Auction 130 Lot 288, 04.01.2006

The tooling debate is interesting; I inexpertly lean towards the OP being "not tooled," based only on the many very worn Trajan AEs in my collection. My guess (only a guess) is that the central devices are often so highly struck originally on Trajan's big AEs that even after extensive wear they maintain a strong outline, even when most of the legend is worn away. Sure, I prefer higher grade coins, but one of the charming aspects of collecting ancients is the way even very worn specimens can still display fine portraiture. Here are Trajanic three smoothies from my collection - of course these could be tooled as well:

I'd gladly pay $5 for that coin! Nice find. Assuming it is a sestertius based on the color and the laureate portrait.

Ah - rather than a galley? But the OP does have a sail, at the stern, and another mast behind the figurehead? I'm no sailor, and these Hadrian variations get me every time! ☺️ Below is a link to an OCRE search I did for "ship" "FELICITATI" "Hadrian" and sestertius - 11 hits, but dozens of variations within each of the 11. Bewildering: http://numismatics.org/ocre/results?q=fulltext%3Aship+AND+fulltext%3AFELICITATI++AND+denomination_facet%3A"Sestertius"+AND+(material_facet%3A"Bronze"+OR+material_facet%3A"Orichalcum")+AND+portrait_facet%3A"Hadrian"

Since the RIC update on Hadrian, these can be tough to attribute, given there are so many variations. That "RIC 706" sounds like an old number from the earlier editions. The new numbers are on OCRE; the listings for Hadrian have been expanded so much, I've found there often isn't a direct correlation between old-new numbering. Poking around on OCRE, I came up with a close possibility: how about RIC II, Part 3, 2nd Ed., Hadrian 1338? http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.2_3(2).hdn.1338 This has the bare-headed draped bust left, and the ship is heading right - but the bust is not cuirassed, which the OP seems to be. That big thing on the prow of the ship is a figurehead, described in OCRE as "Neptune or Triton" - other similar examples are more clear (you can see the trident). Unfortunately there are no illustrated examples on OCRE of RIC 1338 (not all the Hadrian types have illustrations, as @idesofmarch01notes above) None on acsearch either, as far as I can tell. As for my very inexpert opinion, I think the OP coin looks very suspicious - and as @Prieure de Sion pointed out, the (original, non-eBay) auction sale price is too low for a genuine coin like this. That it turned up on eBay is probably not a good sign (I buy almost all my coins on eBay, so I am a fan, but I shy away from bargain-priced, fully-attributed "prestige" coins, such as the OP). As for what it is, I doubt anybody would bother to add a "sandy texture" patina to a genuine coin unless they were covering up serious flaws. Otherwise, they look like casting "pimples." Also, the style looks more Bulgarian to me than Imperial Rome, especially the bust. That being said, a quick search of Forgery Network didn't turn up any like the OP, which is a good thing. Again, this is a very, very inexpert opinion, but since you asked...

Thank you so much for sharing those marvelous Septimius Severus & Julia Domna coins, @Ryro @Al Kowsky @Spaniard and @dougsmit - there is so much beautiful material out there for these rulers, imperial and provincial. And wow, that @Alegandron and @DLTcoins are fellow Hoosiers is welcome news indeed. And yep, there were only 10 in the Big 10 when I was there, and Bobby Knight was still coaching basketball. It was right after I graduated that I got my first ancient, a Septimius Severus denarius, way back in 1987 - it is still one of my favorites: My most recent SS denarius was picked up last month - the only time I've deliberately bought a fourree - but I've wanted one of these posthumous types for a long time and I figured this was the only way I could afford one: Finally, Well @dougsmit I never mean to cause hurt with my posts! 😉 But you should reconsider at journey out to the heart of the heart of the country (as William H. Gass calls it) - these Severen busts are really worth a nostalgia trip to the Hoosier state - maybe look up an old girlfriend! The coin display at IU is not exactly the highlight of the collection - it is hard to get close to them and therefore hard to see and therefore photograph, but here's my effort (there's even a Faustina for @Roman Collector) - Finally, for you Hoosiers, I am happy to report that from my visit this past summer, I can assure one and all that the Nick's Burgers at Nick's are still spectacular (nobody, and I mean nobody ever, that I am aware, calls it "Nick's English Hut"). Anyway, from their website - like everything in Bloomington, fancier than it used to be (outdoor dining!) but intact - https://nicksenglishhut.com/gallery/

This past summer I passed through Indiana University in Bloomington, my alma mater. Although I didn't have much time, I decided to duck into the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art where I dimly recall there were busts of Septimius Severus and Julia Domna. Glad I did - these are spectacular: These are considered as being some of the finest Roman imperial busts in the USA - and I think I'd agree with this. Here they are individually (my photos, so feel free to draw spectacles on 'em): Next to them is a bust of Clodius Albinus that is almost as nice - my photo came out lousier than usual, so I will leave you wanting more! Here are a couple of links pertaining to these busts: https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=75.33.1 https://www.academia.edu/45309783/_Grounding_the_Ungrounded_The_Paired_Portrait_Busts_of_Septimius_Severus_and_Julia_Domna_in_the_Eskenazi_Museum_of_Art_Indiana_University_In_Roman_Sculpture_in_Context_edited_by_P_D_De_Staebler_and_A_Hrychuk_Kontokosta_Boston_Archaeological_Institute_of_America_2020_141_157 If you're in the Midwest, well worth a drive to the Hoosier Heartland to view these. There are other interesting Greco-Roman things as well, including a small collection of Roman coins, badly displayed in a horizontal case - hard to see, but better than nothing. ****************************************************************************************************************************************** Now for my coins - not nearly as spectacular in terms of portraiture, but I recently got a pair of SS-JD's from the provinces that are kind of interesting, I think. Here is Septimius Severus from Tyana, featuring on the reverse Perseus with harpa and severed head of Medusa. I had a hard time attributing this one, as it appears to be unpublished. One of my better eBay scrounging finds this year, I think: Septimius Severus Æ 22 Tyana, Cappadocia ЄTΔ = Yr. 4 (195-196 A.D.) [A]Y Λ CЄΠ CЄOYHPOC, laureate head right / TYANЄ[ωNT Π T IЄP ACYΛOY] K AY, ЄT-Δ across fields. Perseus standing facing, head right, holding harpa in left hand and severed head of Medusa in right. (9.10 grams / 22 x 21 mm) eBay Aug. 2022 Attribution: One other example: Zeus Numismatics Auction 10; Lot 488; 12 Jul 2020; same coin on ancientcoinage.org site where it is noted as unpublished. For a similar type with harpa and Medusa's head in opposite hands see: Wildwinds and Naumann Auction 72; Lot 335; 2 December 2018 Lindgren I A1741A = CNG 51, lot 971. Here's Julia Domna from Perga / Perge: Julia Domna Æ 17 Perga / Perge, Pamphylia (c. 193-217 A.D.) IOVΛIA Δ[OMNA CЄ], draped bust right / ΠЄP[Γ]AIΩN, Tyche standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia. SNG BN 434=Waddington 3363; BMC 35. (3.87 grams / 17 x 16 mm) eBay Aug. 2022 Attribution Notes: Found only three of this type, all auctions via acsearch. SNG/Waddington /BMC attribution comes from two of these (Naumann and Zeus Numismatics). The third auction was not attributed (Savoca). Although presumably scarce, none of these three were reverse die-matches to this one, but they were possible obverse matches (plus one with a Diana reverse). Hoping @dougsmit sees this one - not only is he a Septimius Severus/Julia Domna fan, he is a fellow-Hoosier as well. Go Big Red. Feel free to unleash your Severans, imperial busts, Bobby Knight throwing a chair, whatever.

Nice post and coin as always @Roman Collector I have a Roman Republican snake biga denarius that is in serious need of an upgrade; it is a Fourree with all the plating stripped off, and then a serious case of bronze disease - the reverse photos is askew (I have trouble seeing through my camera viewer, and just seeing in general) - the two serpents are just visible through the pitting. There are other, far nicer (and silver) examples owned by Forum members; I hope they will share them: Roman Rep. Fourrée Denarius M. Volteius M.f. (78 B.C.) Rome Mint (imitation) Head of Bacchus right wearing ivy wreath / Ceres in biga drawn by two serpents, [symbol behind?], [M.VOLT]EI[. M.F.] in exergue. Crawford 385/3; Volteia 3. (3.01 grams / 18 mm) eBay Dec. 2017

I've never song-posted before, but I am obsessed with this version of The White Stripe's "Seven Nation Army" in Attic Greek. I hope this hasn't already been posted...there's a lot of pages in this post! This has subtitles - Greek-English, which is helpful - and you can see the modifications they made to keep things "ancient." It also shows how completely off my efforts to pronounce Greek are! Instrumentation is antique too: As for the coin, a random drachm of the Alexander type - he took on 7 nations, at least:

I'd agree with other posters - that new denarius looks fine to me, @The_Collector - as others have noted, Severan-era denarii can run quite light. That being said, when it comes to Roman Republican denarii, I tend to be more demanding when it comes to weights - at least 3.5 grams unless there's a tremendous amount of wear, giant hole, etc. And at the risk of looking like a complete fool, here is a purchase I made this summer off eBay. I love bargains, and for the most part, poorly-photographed, poorly-described ancients work out pretty well for me - I've picked up many coins this way that otherwise would not be within my budget. But sometimes not! 😒 Seller's photos - looks promising, I thought (blurry feeds into to my eBay coin fantasies!): My photos after I got it - hmm, still not too bad (but note weird plating-effect along the edges): My photo, on a scale. Nope. These just do not weigh this low, at least that I've ever seen. The odd plating look to it sealed its fate for me, although it is not an obviously pressed fake, I suppose it is a cast (and a fairly well-done one at that; the edges looked okay). Why the counterfeiter didn't just use fine silver and get the weight up puzzles me - it would've fooled me. Seller accepted the return, so no harm done beyond the hassle: Here's one I'm still not absolutely convinced is a RR fake - but at 3.00 grams it is too light for this issue (my photos screwed up the color; it is very silvery in color both sides, as if cleaned). And yet, it looks struck, not fourree. Maybe those are casting bubbles on the reverse, but it sure doesn't look cast on the edges. The flan is thicker on one end than the other, like many hammered coins have. I don't know. Probably fake, but somebody went to a lot of trouble making it (and making it with such an off-center reverse). The seller had provided the weight in his auction description, so I knew it was iffy when I bought it, so I kept it. The edges look okay to me: Here it is - top row left - with the other Censorinus "Marsyas" types in my scruffy collection. To me it does not scream "Obvious Fake"! But it is too light - even that very, very worn example top right is 3.36 grams (my avatar)- over the years I have trolled acsearch looking for other light Marsyas issues sold in legit auctions, and I have found about a half dozen or so that hover around 3 grams...so maybe it is okay. I have a few light-weight Flavians that also puzzle me (weight controls were supposedly pretty tight during that period, but I notice that quite a few of them run lighter than wear accounts for). But by Marcus Aurelius-Commodus, denarius weights go all over the place, in my experience.

@DonnaML, your UK crown collection is remarkable - nicely done indeed. My own crown collection is very haphazard, random, incoherent, etc. After the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, I poked around my box full of various UK things, feeling a little sad. In that mess, I found a 1960 New York British Exposition crown in a scratched up plastic case, which I bought on eBay years ago. Modern cupro-nickel crowns are not really my thing, but the plastic case is not something I'd seen very often. I am not sure if it was an official-issue case or not. Here it is - the case is quite scuffed up, but the coin looks proofy - I've never taken it apart.

Nice catch, @Orfew I really enjoy finding misattributed coins on eBay - there's good stuff out there if you don't mind wading through the sludge. As for Vespasian, I bought this one earlier this summer. It was described as: "69-79 AD Roman Empire AE Dupondius Vespasian Coin" Actually, it is an As/"Large AE" issue from Ephesus / Asia Minor. It is pretty rough, but as far as I can tell, quite scarce: Vespasian Æ Large (As?) (77-78 A.D.) Ephesus / Asia Minor Mint [IMP CAESAR VESPA]SIAN AVGVS[TVS], laureate head right / [PONT MAX TR PO]T P P · COS · VIII [CENS], [S] C in fields, Ceres seated left, holding two corn-ears and torch. RPC II 1472; RIC II 1498/1499. (11.99 grams / 28 x 26 mm) eBay June 2022 Notes: OCRE list RIC 1498 and RIC 1499 with identical descriptions but no examples for either; RPC Online references RIC 1498 only and Kraay 3. RPC has single example with SC in exergue; this one has it in the fields (C is behind Ceres; S not visible). Dots and line over VIII reverse not noted in references but visible here. Another one, a Vespasian of sorts, is this one, Vespasian the Younger (or Vespasian II or Vespasian, Jr.) - a guy I'd never heard of. This one came in an undescribed lot of miscellaneous ancients. Vespasian the Younger was an adopted son of Domitian. He didn't make it very long, and as far as I can tell, this issue from Smyrna is the only issue for him: Vespasian the Younger Æ 16 Smyrna, Ionia (c. 94-95 A.D.) ΟΥƐ[ϹΠΑϹΙ]ΑΝ[ΟϹ] ΝΕΩΤΕΡΟϹ, bare-headed bust right / [ΖΜ]ΥΡΝ[Α]ΙΩΝ, Nike walking right holding wreath and palm branch over shoulder RPC II 1028; BMC 319; Klose, XLII, 1; plate 31, V1/R1. (3.02 grams / 16 mm) eBay June 2022 Lot Attribution Notes: The portrait on this Smyrnian bronze.. (with) the inscription OYEC P ACIANOC NEW TEPOC (‘the younger Vespasian’), has been a subject of much debate...An accidental mulling of a Vespasian Junior portrait die and a reverse die(of) Nemesis intended for an issue of Domitian’s wife Domitia makes it clear that the subject must be Vespasian Jr. Beyond this single issue, no other coins are known to name or portray Vespasian Junior..." NAC AG Die Matches: Per RIC, there are two obverse dies, which looks to be the case from many online examples. For obv./rev. die match, see: Numismatica Ars Classica AG Auction 62; Lot 2031; 06.10.2011 For obverse die match (only), see RPC 1028, specimen No. 24 Although I rarely buy slabs, every once in a while one comes along cheap. I went for this one because although slabbed by ANACS as a Vespasian as, it is actually Titus, and not an as, but rather a dupondius. Oops. Titus Æ Dupondius (c. 79 or 80-81 A.D.) Rome Mint IMP T CAES VESP AVG P M TR P CO[S VIII], radiate head right / [CERES AVGVST] S C, Ceres standing left, holding corn-ears and torch RIC 67 or 189 (see notes). (Slabbed ? grams / 26 mm) eBay Feb. 2022 Attribution Note: ANACS slab No. 7206889 erroneously described as Vespasian as. Obverse legend obscure at end, the two possibilities for this type are: RIC 67: COS VII (79 A.D.) RIC 189: COS VIII

I'm liking all those beards. Here's my latest, a Postumus. Thanks to @Orielensis on CT for additional info on this one: Gallic Empire Postumus Antoninianus (266-267 A.D.) Trier or Cologne (RIC) Mint IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped, cuirassed, bust right / SERAPI COMITI AVG, Serapis standing to left, raising hand and holding sceptre; prow to left at feet. RIC 329; Cunetio 2421. (3.92 grams / 21 x 20 mm) eBay July 2022 Note: "My (unproven) theory is that Postumus coins often show deities popular with the soldiers serving in the Rhine fleet, arguably the most important military units under Postumus' control. Epitaphs from Cologne and Trier show that many sailors from the eastern parts of the Roman Empire were stationed there. The depiction of Serapis and the ship's prow might have constituted a nod to these members of the fleet." Orielensis Coin Talk Attribution Notes: "...in the end it boils down to RIC being profoundly mistaken about the mint locations of the Gallic Empire. An extensive 2014 study and catalaogue by Jerome Mairat,curator of coins at the Ashmolean Museum shed some new light on the topic. Based on hoard evidence...he was able to propose a new chronology and mint attributions for the coins of the Gallic Empire." Orielensis CT Mar. 2022

Another very helpful "Faustina Friday" - I appreciate the pains you take, @Roman Collector This post helped me correct some errors I had in my collection - I have both the sestertius and the denarius from the OP (inferior copies), but I had the sestertius attribution all buggered-up, confusing it with an earlier Ceres type. Thanks to this post, I've cleaned it up. Here is the sestertius - it is quite wretched, but until a better (cheap) one shows up, here it is: Faustina I Æ Sestertius 5th Phase: Anniversary of Faustina’s Deification (c. 160-161 A.D.) Rome Mint [DI]VA FAVSTINA, draped bust r. / CERES, Ceres standing left, holding corn-ears and long, vertical torch; S-C across fields. RIC III Antoninus Pius 1128a. (18.01 grams / 30 mm) eBay June 2020 Awful as it is, I do believe the obverse of mine is a die-match to the OP example. Below is mine with the @Roman Collector specimen - note matching irregularities in the obverse lettering - the surfaces on mine are so poor the portrait has a beard - or is this a rare variety?: Here is the denarius: Faustina I Denarius 5th Phase: Anniversary of Faustina’s Deification (c. 160-161 A.D.) Rome Mint DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed draped bust right / CERES, Ceres standing left, holding corn-ears and long torch. RIC III Antoninus Pius 378a. (2.87 grams / 16 mm) eBay June 2019 And to round things out, here is a limes version of the denarius, sent to me by Coin Talker @tenbobbit Thanks again, RC for the fine post. 😀

I'm enjoying Seleucid Sunday very much. My collection is not especially vast when it comes to Seleucids, but I have some countermarks I find interesting. Here are two "bulls" for Seleukos I Nikator with anchor and monogram countermarks. These are similar host coins, but two different sizes: Small one: Seleucid Kingdom Æ 14 Seleukos I Nikator (312-281 B.C.) Sardes mint (?) Winged head of Medusa right / [BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣEΛE]YK[OY], bull butting right; [controls?]. Cf SC 6.1; HGC 9, 107a. Countermark: Seleucid anchor on bull's flanks, 3 x 2 mm. (3.46 grams / 14 mm) eBay Oct. 2019 Attribution Note: Host: This issue comes in several varieties with various monograms and controls, not visible on this example. This type comes in two sizes, this is the smaller. Countermark: Small Seleucid anchor. For this host found only one in combination with helmet, Bertolami F.A. E-Auction 68. Larger one: Seleucid Kingdom Æ 18 Seleukos I Nikator (312-281 B.C.) Uncertain mint Winged head of Medusa right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ [ΣEΛEY]K[OY], bull butting right; [controls?]. Cf. SC 21, 152, and 191; HGC 9, 92. Countermark: Monogram on bull's flanks, 5 x 4 mm. (6.14 grams / 18 mm) eBay Sep. 2019 Attribution Note: Host: This issue comes in several varieties with various monograms and controls, not visible on this example. This type comes in two sizes, this is the larger. Countermark: Found a few Online, but information was basically nil (Oct. 2019).

Scotland Forever! That's a nice one, @UkrainiiVityaz. This one's not so pretty, but it is Scottish and it is a "crown" sort of. This turned up on eBay as a "damaged" 8 reales - it is indeed damaged, countermarked by a Scottish business to use for payroll. There are several firms that made these, and they are now all rather scarce: Scotland 4 Shillings 6 Pence McFie, Lindsay & Co. (c. 1815-1828) Host Coin: Mexico City Mint 8 reales, 1797-MoFM, KM 109. Countermarks: Manville 57, p.112; KM CC58. (26.77 grams / 39 mm) eBay July 10, 2011 Countermark Obverse: Ring countermark, 20 mm, * McFIE L[INDSAY & COY *] G[REENOCK, 4/6 in centre]; Countermark Reverse: Ring countermark, 20 mm, * McFIE LIN[DSAY & COY *] GREE[NOCK, 4/6 in centre]; reverse countermark cancelled with grid-pattern stamp.

Right after I loaded that photo, I thought "Bronze Disease"! It is soaking right now in distilled water, and already some of the BD is lifting away. The appearance hasn't changed since the 2019 photo, so I think no harm done. Thanks for the sharp eye!

Great new acquisition, @ambr0zie Janus on Imperial coins is a tough guy to find. I have a few plug-uglies - you're going to have to take my word on it for a couple of these slugs: The best of an ugly lot - a Commodus sestertius: Commodus Æ Sestertius (186 A.D.) Rome Mint M COMMODVS ANT P FELIX AVG BRIT, laureate head right / [P M TR P XI IMP VII] around, COS V PP below, domed distyle temple w. Janus standing facing, holding sceptre, SC across fields. RIC 460; Cohen 489; Sear 5780. (24.77 grams / 30 mm) eBay April 2019 Antoninus Pius as - Antoninus Pius Æ As (140-144 A.D.) Rome Mint [ANTO]NINVS AVG [PIVS P P], laureate head right / [TR POT COS III], S C Janus standing front, head left and right, holding sceptre RIC III 693a; BMCRE 1369; Cohen 882. (6.95 grams / 23 mm) eBay April 2022 Hadrian as - the new RIC usually has interesting things to say about Hadrian's coins, as here: Hadrian Æ As (124-125 A.D.) Rome Mint [HADRIANVS] AVGVSTV[S], laureate bust right (slight drapery? Busts vary this issue) / [COS III] [S]C, Janus Quadrifons standing facing, faces left and right, holding sceptre. RIC II, 3 748 (RIC 662-663). (11.42 grams / 25 x 24 mm) eBay May 2022 Lot @ $5 BIN Note: "The Janus can have the very early bust form...it suggests the transition to the new legend had occurred in the New Year, with Janus commemorating January of this significant year of image change or perhaps just heralding the start of a peaceful New Year following truce with Parthia." Roman Imperial Coinage II.3: From AD 117 to AD 138 – Hadrian, page 16. Those second two are barely identifiable, and might be wrong, but even if you can't see Janus's two-faced head, the way he stands and is dressed makes him somewhat recognizable (sort of like Jupiter, but on the coins, usually with a few differences).