Marsyas Mike

Looks okay to me too. I think the low-grade silver/alloy can sometimes experience a leaching process that leaves them a bit pock-marked and light weight.

Happy New Year to you all. My latest Commodus is from the last year of his reign. I had a difficult time attributing it, for reasons I try to describe below (if anybody has corrections or clarifications, I'd be much obliged): Commodus Denarius (192 A.D.) Rome Mint L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL, laureate head right / P M TR P XVII IMP VIII COS VII P P, Fides Militum standing left holding standard and cornucopiae, star in right field RIC III 234; BMCRE 318-321; Cohen RSC 583a. (2.56 grams / 17 x 16 mm) eBay Dec. 2023 Note: Three types in OCRE: RIC III 232: No star, standing right RIC III 233: No star, standing left RIC III 234: Star, standing left For some reason, many auctions with stars cite RIC 233. Also, Wildwinds cites RIC 233 only, "star in left or right field, or no star. RIC 233, RSC 583-583a, BMC 316-317" British Museum citations are confusing: RIC 234 is not cited at all, though four of them match (with star) BMCRE numbers/stars: 316: No star (RIC 232); this seems to be an error; Fides is standing left like all the others; OCRE says she should be standing right on RIC 232. 317: Star left (RIC 233) 318-321: Star right (RIC 233) "The presence of the star on some coins issued late in Commodus' reign is referred to in BMC merely as a good omen, however Herodian records that a comet appeared at that time." Agora Auctions

Nice finds, @expat. Those little Cappadocian types with the grain ears are charming coins, I think. Here are my two, both cheapies (under ten bucks):

Very interesting @Roman Collector - I had no idea there were so many varieties. The globe/ostrich egg on the seat is compelling. I have the most common type, kind of scruffy, not the best artwork (headless peacock wearing a pantsuit variety):

Nice one, @expat - I like the big head on Juno - makes her look smart. I got one of these earlier this year: Roman Republic Denarius - L. Procilius (80 B.C.) Rome Mint S·C, laureate head of Jupiter right / L· PROCILI | F, Juno Sospita advancing right, brandishing shield and hurling spear, serpent before. Procilia 1; Crawford 379/1. (3.82 grams / 19 x 17 mm) eBay May 2023 Die-Match Characterstics: Obv: Hair at nape curls into C. Rev: Large R; crooked F. Die-Match Obv. & Rev.: Bertolami Fine Arts Auction 19; Lot 365; 11.11.2015 Die-Match Obverse: Bibliothèque nationale de France Identifier REP-17577 (CRRO example)

Thanks @DonnaML - as with all die-matches, I'm never 100% either. The nose on mine may match your example's but mine is somewhat clotted with green...snot? Patina, I mean! Yuck. Sorry. When I got this one, I did crawl around the web looking for die-matches and here is what I found - wishful thinking, perhaps: Die-Match Obv. & Rev.: Bertolami Fine Arts E-Auction 50; Lot 593; 10.12.2017 Die-Match Obverse: Roma Numismatics Limited E-Live Auction 6; Lot 235; 25.03.2023

@DonnaML that is a spectacular grouping, with top-notch attribution and issue notes. Thanks for sharing. My contribution - an obverse die-match to your Philip II Liberalitas sestertius? The wonky lettering here and there, the way the laurels point at the H...maybe?

Poking around a bit more on this, I found the British Museum has one of these at 4.84 grams - pretty light for an as/dupondius. I don't think it is a die-match to mine, but it is similar-looking, I think: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_R-3672

Thank you @John Conduitt @dougsmit @maridvnvm @Ancient Coin Hunter for weighing in on this topic - it is good to see those other AE examples. It certainly isn't an area I actively collect - I just go for cheap unusual stuff and hope I learn something along the way. Yeah, I wondered that too - sometimes finding a lot of die-matches is not necessarily a good thing, especially for a coin that (whatever it is) is going to be "unofficial" even if it is ancient. As with so many things, I'll never know.

That's a lovely medal @DonnaML - the die-work is much better than the Ottoman example above. Thanks for sharing that.

The mint didn't do a very good job with this one, but it's the thought that counts - Christ the King:

I just got skunked on eBay for a Sardinian Crimean medal - it was going for five bucks! Unfortunately, I'm not the only one to spot it...otherwise I would've opened up this thread again. These were issued by Turkey for France, England and Sardinia. The boat sank with most of the English medals, so a lot of English soldiers got the Sardinian medal. Here it is, mis-described - not an "etched" coin, but rather a struck medal: 1854 Turkey Silver 20 Karush. w/Crimean War Alliance Etching. Rare! https://www.ebay.com/itm/204571194851 Thank you for the kind words!

Nice pair of animals, @Tejas As for mine, I need an upgrade...

Thanks for sharing those, @JayAg47. I have a few Severan limes - all "silver" though. Here's my favorite - a posthumous Sept. Severus:

Me too!

So another spectacular rarity (har) from eBay came my way. Seller took decent photos, but no indication of size. An As issued for Julia Domna with Diana in a biga on the reverse - an interesting, desirable type. Bidding was ferocious and I got it for $4.74 (plus shipping). Seller shipped quickly (from Canada) and I ripped open the envelope like Ralphie on Christmas morning, only to find the thing was, in the words of Monty Python, "wafer thin" - at 22 mm it was somewhat small for the type, but the weight - 3.13 grams is way too light to be a plausible as, even during the Severan era. Not even close. Here it is: It doesn't look too bad - and the hints of metal under the patina look very much like brass - so a grossly underweight dupondius to boot? Fake, I said to myself, sadly. Normally I wouldn't pester the Forum with junk like this, but here's the weird thing - looking (without much hope) on acsearch, I found three - yes, three - die-matches for this coin, all freakishly light weight. I'm a scrounger, I admit it, but these auction houses are supposed to be experts. Naumann: "very light specimen" https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=10412707 Roma: no comment, but Israel export noted: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5576800 and (same coin) https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=6973747 Paul-Francis Jacquier: "Sehr schön Zu ähnlichen Gußprägungen (Limesfalsa) aus der Severer-Zeit vgl. Jacquier 31, 2003, 316 (As des Caracalla) sowie Jacquier 23, 1999, 506 (As des Geta). Es scheinen nur Limesfalsa gallischer Herkunft bekannt zu sein" (translation: "Very nice For similar cast coins (limesfalsa) from the Severan period, see Jacquier 31, 2003, 316 (As of Caracalla) as well Jacquier 23, 1999, 506 (As des Geta). Only Limesfalsa of Gallic origin seem to be known." https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=2120661 and https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1670048 Here's comparison photos - die-matches, but they don't look like mass-produced modern cast fakes, based on flan centering, ancient crud, etc. The die-work is quite good, in my opinion - I especially like the horses. And if you were faking these nowadays for the collector market, why not boost the weight and make them plausible? Any thoughts? Any Severan experts out there aware of this sort of thing? I always thought limes were exclusively silver, but there were a ton of Claudius AE imitations minted in Gaul in the first century. Did this happen again, as Jacquier suggests, in Severian-era Gaul? Are these supposed to be quadrans? Please share.

This is interesting. Thank you for sharing the knowledge and the coins @seth77 Here is what I think is an Antioch early portrait of Severus Alexander - I posted it on CT a few years ago and the consensus was "Eastern" rather than "Rome." This is the third or fourth ancient I ever purchased, long ago: Severus Alexander Denarius (222-223 A.D.) Antioch or Eastern Mint IMP C M AVR S[EV AL]EXAND AVG, laureate, draped bust right / PIETAS AVG Pietas standing left, holding right hand over altar, incense box in left arm. RIC IV 292; BMCRE 1057. (2.75 grams / 19 x 16 mm) Columbus, Ohio c. 1987 $23.00

I know! But I thought everybody liked Marcus Aurelius?

The sestertius version of Philip I "the Arab" Adventus issue, just in this past week - it is pretty nice for one of mine, but the edges have been bashed in here and there - some auctions like to call this a gaming piece conversion, but I don't know, I wasn't there and I didn't do it: Philip I Æ Sestertius (245 A.D.) Rome Mint (2nd Officina; 4th emission) IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right / ADVENTVS AVGG SC in exergue | Philip on horse pacing left, raising right hand, holding spear (sceptre) in left RIC IV 165; Cohen RSC 6. (18.92 grams / 29 x 26 mm) eBay Nov. 2023 MAW Note: Dates, emission info: CNG: "Rome mint, 2nd officina. 4th emission, AD 245." and "holding scepter" RIC IV 165 corr. (horse left, not right); Banti 2. British Museum: has six, but with no BMCRE numbers. Die-Match Obverse: Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 531; Lot 1155; 25.01.2023

And in any case, you call that a nick? Now here's a nick for ya - I bought this on eBay because I really loved the overall appearance. The giant obverse gash appears to be ancient, as it is toned/patinated along with the rest of the coin.

Gee whiz! I like it! A nick like this doesn't bother me at all. But then I'm a coin-slob... Does it matter that it is mis-attributed? It was sold as RIC 38 (136 specimens in OCRE). But the legends on yours match RIC 54 (18 specimens) - meaning yours is rarer? There is also RIC 47 (8 specimens) that seems identical to RIC 54, but OCRE often baffles me this way. So, again, I think yours might be far scarcer than the as sold attribution? RIC 38: C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT RIC 54: C CAESAR DIVI AVG PRON AVG P M TR P IIII P P http://numismatics.org/ocre/results?q=deity_facet%3A"Vesta"+AND+portrait_facet%3A"Gaius%2FCaligula"

Great coins in this thread. Here's a couple showing Juno in her shrine - Trebonianus Gallus and Volusion sestertii.

Just in the mail, this very worn sestertius showing the adorable young monster Caracalla on both sides. I've not attributed it yet, but I think it is RIC IV Caracalla 398A dated to 196-197 AD (per OCRE). This may be one of my top tens for 2023 - despite the massive wear, it has a wonderful green patina with dusty-desert highlights around the devices.

Gee, I wish you'd do all my coin photography - that color adjustment is an improvement in terms of seeing detail. That tiny pimple at 10/11 o'clock obverse is interesting - I hadn't noticed it before. I had noticed the lumpy truncation/drapery area at the bottom of the bust, but have no idea what it means. If these are fake, they don't seem to be cast (as I've said before) - especially the Hirsch with its overstrike on a Philip. I don't understand the mind of the counterfeiter, but this seems like a lot of work to go too for only two examples showing up on the market in 10 years (and one of them somehow winding up on eBay for $50). But some of them play the long game, I suppose. Maybe some more will show up on the market. Thank you for the effort you put into looking this over. Even fake, this is interesting.

Thank you for looking into this - this is good to know, if not what I wanted to hear! Although I'm not an expert, I am still somewhat puzzled by the "style" argument, especially for the portrait. The variations I've seen are numerous - like I said before, like Valerian, who never really has a firmed up "look" the way, say, Philip I does. My Pacatian portrait (and the Hirsch) just doesn't look like an outlier. "Art criticism" opinion only! So the Hirsch is overstruck on a Philip? I hadn't seen that - it looked double-struck to me, rather than a strike-over. But now that I look more carefully - yep, that's Philip's chin, and furthermore, that's PHILIPP... faintly in the field. Interesting! I feel kind of dumb for not noticing that. Thanks for sending that FORVM link - I had not seen it.