seth77

'Don't believe everything you read on the internet.' - Constantius II

I wanted an Antioch issue for Publius Quinctillius Varus but not the regular yellow-reddish dirt or stripped specimens, and this one was offered unidentified, with a pleasant although uneven green patina:

Way better thank you.

Were they drug dealers?

Another one: https://www.nummus-bible-database.com/monnaie-78047.htm

Interesting article, although a bit hard to read. I wish the author would have just written it in Italian rather than translating it in English and using terms that seem Google translated.

Two cups of hot coffee from Sparta.

Thank you, this is an unexpectedly good pic. It's a Stobi for Caracalla sole reign. I have a book by a Bulgarian numismatist about Stobi, if anyone wants it let me know.

20 years ago these were very popular, now not so much, there are just a couple showing on the forums:

Reason to post this dupondius again: With the stars.

I always check it for Late Romans, it's very helpful if you don't have RIC VII onward, but even if you have it, it's a decent resource to extrapolate the relative rarity of a given variation in the overall type.

This is such an interesting type. The multitude of Smyrna reverses in such a short time is also interesting in itself.

I bought from Fitz Coins (and I wish I could buy more from them, in a lot of ways they remind me of Savoca and Gitbud & Naumann in 2014-15), which is a very new enterprise, at least online: 15EUR for DHL Paket, and I think it's a flat rate for EU. So not even the excuses I have read on a German forum about new auction houses being charged unreasonably by transporters pans out. I sometimes buy medievals from a big Polish auction house: 10EUR UPS straight to door delivery. I buy from an incredibly swift Slovenian firm, also I think a newcomer in the business: 15EUR 16-24hr DHL Express delivery, if I pay on Sunday the envelope is at my doorstep on Tuesday morning. I made it a habit to buy from Savoca weekly even if I'm not particularly thrilled by anything, because the prices of item+shipping are right and they provide excellent contact and post-buy services and I really want them around for a long time. I would say that this is the ballpark of normality. Unfortunately "normality" is increasingly rare.

I agree 100% with @ambr0zie. At this point most quotas for intra-EU shipping from biddr auction houses are disrespectful towards would-be buyers. How are you going to charge 15 to 30EUR registered letter from AT, NL or DE to 2-3 countries away when I know for a fact from getting the same postal service from ebay at c. 5-6EUR? What is the added value that you bring when asking 5-6 times the postal fee for the same basic service? That is why I keep giving business to the good guys: those who answer emails, who are reliable to keep their service transparent cost-wise and are predictable with their ETA. The whole Covid situation has been great for unscrupulous individuals and businesses in providing a cover for their predatory practices and in encouraging an overall lack of respect towards the collector.

Gesundheit, Donna. I had it a few times, most recently in 2023. I'm not sure if it's the same strain now, but aside from fever, the strain from 2023 was particularly hard on my mood and psyche, probably because of the fatigue and drowsiness. So, whatever you do, if you feel like bad thoughts circle you these days as you struggle with the physical symptoms, treat them as symptoms too and try to keep them at bay if you can't just chase them out. I hope you recover soon and completely.

@Furryfrog02 if you dont have access to RIC VII, you can always check Nummus Bible database. In fact they are right now searching for a pic of your exact coin, which means that it is probably rare.

Short-haired milf Mamaea from Antioch:

Thank you, that one an a couple of Mamluks are similar, especially with the hexagram design. Since I can't read Arabic it's the inside of the hexagram that I have been focusing on, and it doesn't fit what I have seen. The more I look at what's in the hexagram the more it looks like 𐍀P.

Excellent Mamea 😘😘

Alexander as Caesar dated to the fifth year of Elagabal, c. September 221 to mid March 222:

Thanks for your replies. Yes, I know of Zeno and Mamluk was one of my first thoughts. Unfortunately I could not find it, as I can't read any of the legend. I am also unsure of the calligraphy, as most of the Islamic coins I have seen have a much more elegant lettering and style, but since I know nothing about these coins, this might be wrong.

Up?

I have considered Coropissus too, but taking into account the reverse legend and the spacing between the letters it seems less likely. I can't help it but think that the key to positively id this is the pediment underneath the bust on the obverse. Has anyone seen something similar before?

This coin was added to an order in November as more-or-less fun identification challenge: AE26mm 10.77gg copper-based alloy, possibly orichalcum (brass) laureate bearded bust r. - placed on supporting base Zeus standing facing, slightly left, holding something in his right hand over eagle at his feet and long sceptre in his left hand; possibly chlamys hanging over left shoulder; fragments of legend. But I could not make a positive identification. Closest I think I am is Tium in Bythinia for Marcus Aurelius. But I am far from certain. Aspects taken into consideration: - this is an as-sized coin - the overall style might be Bythinian, Mysian or even Achaean(?) - the emperor is likely one of the following: Marcus Aurelius, Commodus or Severus, less likely: Aelius or Lucius Verus - the effigy seems to be positioned on a base, similar to the pediment of statuary busts - the reverse legend might be T I A N - [...] but that is just my interpretation of the fragmentary lettering - the figure might be Zeus Syrgastes or similar? When I take all this into consideration, the closest identification seems to be Marcus Aurelius from Tium. But such a coin is not in RPC. Could someone help out? Has anyone seen this statue-like bust type, placed on a base? Thanks for looking!

Everybody knows the Imperial issues of Antoninus Pius with young Marcus Aurelius, but here is a Syrian Imperial (probably Antioch minted) unit from the S - C series: AE22mm 9.41g Very similar in style and module to the Laodicea ad Mare coinage with Pius and Tyche from around 140.