robinjojo

Beethoven's Emperor Concerto for piano and orchestra, number 5, is one of the great works of the Romantic period, but my favorite, going back to when I was growing up in Detroit, has been the third piano concerto, a transformative work in its own way. What coin compliments this work? That's hard to say, but here's a possible candidate, one more or less from the period of this composition. This coin embodies the spirit of the growing movement whose underpinning was the Enlightenment movement of the 18th century, which fueled revolutionary events from the Americas to Europe, bringing about the artistic transformation of music and art from classical to romantic. Cisalphine Republic, scudo. 1800, year 8. Davenport 199 23.12 grams

Thanks! I'll continue the research, such as it is with me. There's overlap between Aramaic and Paleo Hebrew for many characters, not to mention all the script/period styles - really gets rather bewildering.

Thanks! What do you think of the owl that posted today? It is a head-scratcher, but there seems to be a common pattern between the two coins.

I guess that I have a case of the squiggles. This is an eastern, possibly pharaonic owl, which arrived today, with the "droopy" style eye. Some experts assign the dies as originating from Athens, which is possible, but apparently these coins were struck in Egypt, possibly at Memphis. I purchased this owl from a seller on MA Shops because of what seems to be engraving added to the obverse die. Athens eastern imitation owl, late 4th-3rd centuries BC. 17.17 grams Here's the OP owl: Now, if we compare the obverse section of this owl with the detail shot of the OP owl, here's what we have: The OP owl: Here's the obverse section of the owl in this post: The lower sections are in basically the same locations on the portraits of both coins. There seems to be a lower "squiggly" line in both cases, similar in style, with what seems to be characters above. Mere coincidence? Possibly - they could be die breaks - but the fact that these features seem to occur in the same areas, near the chin and neck, might indicate a more deliberate intention by the die engravers. What could this be? The investigation continues...

No heavy metal music here. Instead very lyrical music by the Taiwanese ensemble Cicada. I just love the instrumentation and melodic lines of their music. And a cicada, of course... Athens, AE 14, 130-90 BC. HGC 4, 1734; Kroll 1993, no. 100 4.19 grams

Here's an arrival from Roma, from E-Sale 114, a remainder lot. The reverse is really cool. Valerian I, Æ 30mm, Anazarbus, Cilicia. CY 272 (25/-4 AD). RPC X Online Unassigned ID 60270 (this coin cited). 17.85 grams Obverse: AVT K Π ΛIK OVAΛЄPIANOC CЄ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right. Reverse: ANAZAPBOV MHTPOΠ, six prize urns, the middle one in upper row containing palm branch; Γ-Γ across upper fields, ET BOC (date) across central field, A M K T in exergue.

"I'm a wanderin' kind of coin...." Five tags no less. Licinius I, BI Pseudo-Argenteus, Treveri, 318-319 AD. RIC VII 210. 2.62 grams

Here's another pair of imitative owls that appear to be die matches. I believe these coins might be satrap owl of Sabakes, though that is a point of debate to say the least! They do not have his name in Aramaic on the reverse; instead there's the standard AOE, but the style is somewhat indicative of such an origin. The CMs are very interesting, and I am still trying to decipher them. Unlike the two OP coins, these owls have the later frontal eye instead of the classical profile eye. Van Alfen mentions that both types were produced as imitations in the east during the 4th early to roughly mid century BC Two eastern owls, circa 4th century BC. 16.86 grams (l); 17.09 grams (r).

Thanks! The juxtaposition of the two coins is very interesting. The fact is that both coins have been cleaned with thiosulfate to remove some horn silver, which is quite heavy in spots. One coin has toned a kind of light brown and black (horn silver), while the other, not treated as extensively is more grey with some black areas. I guess that the thiosulfate might have spread some of the horn silver over the entire coins, in the first case, causing the brownish color. You could be right about the reverses of the two coins. But that upper leaf seems different, but that be due to the effects of the strike. I do recognize that, as imitations, there's always the chance of fakes, and I am willing to take that risk. I will say that I've collected enough of these coins over the past years to the point where I feel comfortable collecting this series, and I hope that some day this part of the collection could be passed on for scholarly research. Unfortunately it is becoming increasingly difficult to donate ancient coins without a pre-1970 provenance, which is a pity, since this means many coins will go unresearched by institutions such as the ANS. As for the Bulgarian fake, I am glad that a confirmation has been made. I am surprised by the "price" in the listing of over $1,400. I don't know if this is the true sale price or if it part of the deception. I pick up this coin early on in my collecting Athenian owls on a large scale and probably should have been more cautious. But, even back then in the back of my mind I knew there was a good chance that it wasn't what it was claimed to be. I don't mind this, and I will save it as an educational object.

Thank you for the link. I've been searching, on and off, for more information about this coin. So, it is now definitely part of my "black box" of fakes.

Sorry not to chime in sooner, but the posts about this 1 real cob are spot on. As a lower denomination coin, it saw much more circulation as evidenced by the wear. I agree that it is a mid to later 18th century coin. Technically the coin should weigh around 3.3841 grams, but I am sure the OP coin weighs quite a bit less. One and two reales cobs are popular for use in jewelry. The denominations under two reales do not attract as many collectors compared to the larger "pieces of eight". However, these collectors are very dedicated to collecting these diminutive minors; the last Sedwick auction had some pretty spirited bidding for many of the one real cobs from the Clyde Hubbard collection. I think a one real or even a half real cob would make a nice prize coin. Worn examples are plentiful so you shouldn't have difficulty finding one for under $20. I can check with my local coin dealer to see if he has any, if you wish.

That's very sad news. I had some nice exchanges with Terrance on Coin Talk a couple of years back. Those brief encounters indicated to me that he was wonderful and enthusiastic person.

Acetone is certainly worth a try, but make sure you use 100% acetone, not the diluted nail polish remover sold in the pharmaceutical section.

I had one bid in the pre-auction bidding and was outbid. As desirable as that lot was, #364 I didn't participate in the live session. A neighboring lot, #366, hammered at $200,000. This was a lot that Aaron Berk talked about in his podcast. These live auctions, with the buyer's fees, currency conversions (where applicable), and credit card/PayPal fees just don't make them very attractive for me, regardless of the rarities and spectacular coins. So I relegate my buying activities to some e-auctions and buying retail online (VCoins, MA Shops). Overall I think there are better value coins.

Thank you for posting these wonderful photos, Donna. I must say that the ivory chest is an amazing work of art for the period. As a collector of Byzantine coins for a few decades I appreciate the reflections of the Byzantine icon style in the imagery of the artwork, as flat and static as they are. Great works of art, when compared to classic Athens or Rome, or the those of the Renaissance, they are not, but they do reflect the "world view" that existed from the 6th century AD into the medieval period. As such I appreciate these works on their own terms and as part of our cultural and artistic inheritance.

Here's a South Arabia hemidrachm, the first of this denomination I've owned. For such as small coin, the centering and detail on both sides are very nice! I'm using the seller's images - much better than my dark obscure ones! South Arabia, Qataban Kingdom, AR hemidrachm, circa 350-300 BC. Royal monogram on reverse, as usual for this denomination. 2.54 grams

Here's a very high grade, lustrous imitation (I believe) owl. that arrived late last week. There also seems to be a small countermark on the obverse, the nature of which I am still trying to figure out. The coin does have a couple of die breaks on the reverse. Athens, eastern imitation owl, late 5th-mid 4th century BC. 17.2 grams Here's a closeup of the possible countermark: There appears to be flow lines that would suggest that this is a countermark. On the other hand it is very small, quite discrete, compared to what I have seen with other countermarks. Also, for those interested in the Buttrey/Flament Egyptian owl types, here are some examples from the 1989 Syrian Hoard:

That is a definite possibility. Thank you for your insight.

None that I know of. Generally there doesn't seem to be much information about countermarks. Here are some tables from some documented hoards. The closest one resembling the countermark on the classical owl is #43 from the 1989 Syria Hoard.

Thanks! That is the coin's drawing card. The strike is nicely centered and quite bold.

I used to create a fair number of databases when I worked for the county hospital, using Access. The discussions in this thread are beyond my expertise, such as it is. I haven't worked with Access seriously since 2015, so I'm rusty to say the least. Still I think every now and then creating an in-house database for the collection. My basic rule it to keep the database simple, efficient and not require laborious data updates. I've found that too many gongs and whistles when creating a database just cause headaches and weariness somewhere down the road.

I don't dabble in minor coins as a rule, but this charming and scarce Athenian bronze, listed on eBay, became an exception. The strike is pleasant, but there is a flan flaw on the obverse - not too intrusive. Attica, Athens, AE 14, 130-90 BC. HGC 4, 1734; Kroll 1993, no. 100. 4.19 grams Obverse: Cicada. Reverse: Owl standing on thunderbolt, A and θ of city's ethnic to the left. Struck on a narrow thick flan.

This coin arrived today by way of MA Shops. While this is a typical standardized classical Athenian owl, it does have one interesting aspect: a counterstamp in what seems to be the shape of a heart within an incuse circle Attica, Athens, classical owl, 440-404 BC, with heart-shape counterstamp. 17.06 grams Here's the counterstamp rotated: I have one other owl with a heart-shape counterstamp: Attica, Athens, intermediate owl, possible imitation, 4th century BC, with a heart-shape counterstamp. 16.3 grams This heart counterstamp has significance due to the lucrative trade in the medicinal and extinct plant silphium, whose fruit had the shape of a heart. Now I am fairly certain the the first owl has a heart counterstamp, but it could be something else; what that could be I am not sure. So, what do you think? Are there other interesting counterstamps out there? Thanks

Very interesting coins and good sleuthing! There are indeed many script styles of Aramaic and others, such as Phoenician. I must say that it all becomes rather intimidating based on my relative lack of knowledge. I share your fascination of these imitations, Athenian and others, a prime focus of my collecting efforts for several years now. Also, that North Arabia drachm is a wonderful example! These regional attributions are about the best we can make right now. Possibly new coins might appear that shed more light on these enigmatic imitations.

Indo-Scythians, circa 1st century BC, Imitating Heliokles, AE Tetradrachm, Balkh Mint. Obverse: Diademed head facing right. Reverse: Zeus standing, facing left, holding a staff and ?, monogram to left. MIG 504b 16.18 grams Next: A "Limes" denarius or other denomination.