Victrix

Lepidus and Octavian. Spring-summer 42 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 4 g). Military mint traveling with Lepidus in Italy. Bare head of Lepidus right / Bare head of Octavian right. Crawford 495/2a; CRI 140; Sydenham 1323; RSC 2a.

This issue was struck by Lepidus to commemorate the foundation of the Second Triumvirate, and was probably struck from the proceeds of the proscriptions in preparation for the campaign against Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC. Lepidus is shown with the title Pontifus Maximus, an office which he received after the assassination of Julius Caesar and held until his death in 12 BC.

Mark Antony - Denarius (Gallic mint, 43 BC) Head of Anthony on the right. - R/ Head of Caesar on the right. - Cr. 488/2 AG (g 4.12) Rude 4, 1979, lot 132.

These type coins were struck when Antony was in Gaul following his defeat at Mutina in 43 BC, and was the first type struck by Antony's military mint. However this type in particular was struck following the settlement in November 43 BC between Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus, in which the Second Triumvirate was formed.

Roman Republican Coinage, Anonymous, Sicily mint,staff,seriesDenarius, 209-08, head of Roma right wearing winged helmet, x behind, rev. Dioscuri riding right, staff and roma with linear frame below, 4.05g (Craw. 78/1; BMCRR 300ff; RSC 20bb).

Next: a quadran

A minty Marcus Aurelius upgrade. 

Marcus Aurelius, (A.D. 161-180), silver denarius, Rome Mint, issued A.D. 172-3, (3.17 g), obv. laureate head of Marcus Aurelius to right, around M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVII, rev. around IMP VI COS III, German captive seated right at foot of trophy, shield behind, (cf.S.4911, RIC 278, RSC 297). Nearly extremely fine - extremely fine and scarce.

Ex Dr Hugh Preston Collection.

Previously Harlan Berk August 1997, lot 358.

If not allowed please remove this post. Have no real luck finding one for sale on auction or for a sensible price retail. 😄

All are Antony legionary denarii with a denarius of Titus and a drachm of Trajan that came with it.

Link: eagle

Messambrian Tetradrachm

5 hours ago, Orange Julius said:

Wow! How’d you clean it. It looks great!

Toothpick,needle and lemon juice. Thanks 😃.

Bought this encrusted Gallienus ant for a cleaning project. First time I attempted to clean a coin and the result is quite good 😄. 

Upgraded my column 😄.

Another batch of culls 😄.

Cnut (1016-1035), Penny, short cross type, York, moneyer Thulnoth, diademed bust left holding sceptre, +CNVT RECX, rev. small voided cross, +DVLNOÐ ON EO:, 1.06g

SERIES J 37  [c.710-60]
silver sceat- secondary series

obv.  facing heads with cross between;

rev.  4 birds clockwise.

Found: Driffield, Yorkshire, 2021.

Managed to win 2 migration period denarii imitations of Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. Not beautiful but quite interesting.

8 hours ago, Kamnaskires said:

Well, they do differ in some of the diagnostic details that differentiate attributions. The socket seems longer, proportionally, to the blade on yours (Victrix's). And, while both blades are lanceolate, yours is proportionally leaner (longer and narrower). And, importantly, the midrib on yours is flat and quite broad near the shoulders, tapering toward the point. I cannot tell if Albert's spearhead has a defined midrib. I certainly don't see a similarly broad, tapering shape evident on his.

 

Sadly, as compared to much ancient bronze weaponry (including spearheads), iron specimens like this are so exasperatingly difficult to attribute since their shapes and details were often fixed over long spans (of time) and great distances. And sometimes, it seems, sellers just make up attributions as they go along, figuring no one will know the difference. (For my own  collection of spearheads, daggers, and such, I only add items that I can confidently attribute based on specific scholarly references, and I catalog them as such.)

 

Here is a specimen that, while probably a bit larger, seems generally close to yours - it is iron with flat/tapering midrib, and elongated lanceolate blade. It was auctioned in January of last year (the first link) with, IMO, an inflated estimate. It was passed. It (the exact same spearhead - identifiable by the rust pattern) has now showed up again in an auction in NY. (The second link.) In the span of a year, this spearhead has gone from "Celtic Iron Age La Tene - 5th to 1st century BCE" to "Ancient Luristan - c. 1000-600BC."). I can safely say that the Luristani attribution is incorrect. (I don't know much, but I do know Luristani weaponry.)

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/celtic-iron-age-la-tene-forged-iron-spear-head-15-c-b03427ebdd

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/173518589_ancient-luristan-iron-socketed-spear-head-c1000-600-bc

 

It allegedly was found in Belgium. I'm not sure how easy it is to fake these so it might be a fake for all I know. Bought it back when I was nooby and found it nice for display but I always felt a bit uncertain over it. It can be much newer and maybe even medieval but I always found veins of the blade giving me ancient vibes but who knows 😛

On 3/16/2024 at 6:27 PM, antwerpen2306 said:

I have only one spearhead, Celtic, found in the Donau river in Germany. I think yours is iron as mine. It is dated in the fourth century BC, sizes 162 x29 mm, 53 gr. There are still some rests of wood in the  socket.The point and the sides are still sharp.

Very nice! It does seem to be somewhat in the same style. Is your socket the same as mine ? 

Auction was a bit more succesfull then I wanted :P. 

Nero & Drusus Caesar, died 31 and 33, respectively. Dupondius,Rome, struck under Gaius (Caligula), 37-38. NERO•ET•DRVSVS•CAESARES Nero and Drusus riding on horseback to right, their cloaks flying behind them. Rev. C•CAESAR•AVG•GERMANICVS•PON•M•TR•POT• around large S•C.


Gaius (Caligula). AD 37-41. Æ As Rome mint. AD 37-38. C • CAESAR • AVG • GERMANICVS • PON • M • TR • POT, bare head left / VESTA, Vesta, veiled and draped, seated left on ornamental throne, holding patera in outstretched right hand and transverse scepter in left; S C flanking. RIC I 38; BMCRE 45-8; BN 54-71.

Tiberius. AD 14-37. Æ As . Rome mint. Struck AD 21-22. Bare head left / Legend around large S • C. RIC I 44.

On 2/29/2024 at 4:33 PM, Tejas said:

Very interesting thread.

I have those two buckles. Not sure if they are Roman military or not. Both were found in western Ukraine, i.e. far beyond the Roman borders. If they are Roman, they could have belonged to Goths, serving in the Roman army. They may also be Germanic imitations of Roman miliary buckles.

The top one is silver with engraved ornaments running around the edges. It measures 5 X 5 cm.

The bottom one is bronze. It measures 5.5 X 4.6 cm

When reattached to a belt, both would be fully functional.

 

I've checked some references and style-wise they're very close to byzantine buckles and even some examples found in Germany. Your attribution might be right and I'd guess these are from 4th-6th century..

On 2/19/2024 at 3:58 AM, bcuda said:

I have some military items but have always wondered what these are and if they might be military items. 

They indeed are military!  Small scallop, or pelt, plates for belts of horse harness  Dated to 2nd - 3rd c AD.

Septimius Severus. AD 193-211. AR Denarius. Legionary type. Rome mint. Struck AD 193. Laureate head right / LEG XIIII G EM • M • V, TR P COS in exergue, aquila between two signa. RIC IV 14; RSC 272.

Roman Empire - Julius Caesar. Silver denarius (4,06 g. 18 mm.) Military mint travelling with Caesar (48-47 B.C).

Diademed and wreathed female head right; LII behind. Roman graffity TARNA in obverse.

CAESAR. Gallic trophy, holding oval shield and carnyx; securis to right.

C-18; Craw-452/2; BMC-3955; RRC-1009.

next: Carnyx or a celtic shield

Celtic Leuci tribe, 100-50 BC

6 minutes ago, robinjojo said:

Nice coin!  The revers looks as if it was struck with a worn die.

Indeed this seems to be the case with most emperors after Gordian III. Also a quite ironic reverse since he's the first emperor to die in Battle 😛.

The duality of a crisis coin. Crisp obverse die and a completely battered reverse. Hard to pass Gordian III and Trajan decius coins when they're so cheap in high grade 🙃.

Managed to buy a set of 5 roman (Dura-europos type) belt buckles from Mid 2nd to Mid 3rd century. Not the flashiest type but think of the stories these things could tell if they could talk🙂. Most of the buckle tongues made of iron degraded but on some remnants still remain.