Nerosmyfavorite68

Cool! There are some nice examples here. The only Constans ones I have are from very early in my collecting, mostly Allen Berman 'junk box' ones. I can't remember if I have a Constans solidus or not. I was on the verge of purchasing one at a coin show when I spied a Heraclius "Jerusalem' solidus. I think I ended up not getting a Constans.

Thanks; It appears I made a typo on the title. I meant John II. Interesting, I learned something; I didn't know it was called a Trikephalon! I rather like that better than Electrum Aspron Trachy. No worries about Andronicus; the price of Andronicus gold is way beyond my budget. A vcoins Andronicus Trikephalon is going for $1700. How soon did the de facto electrum coins of Michael and Nicephorus go out of circulation? Did those have anything to do with the creation of the Trikephalon denomination?

I hope you're able to fix the BD. Congrats on getting a thirty nummia. I bought one of Phocas (unphotographed) from Allen Berman many years ago. Is this one Tiberius II? Heraclius was one which I never got around to getting (unless I bought a low-grade one and forgot about it).

The History of Byzantium podcast also made me desirous of getting a Crusader coin, especially one close to the first Crusade. Folles of Tancred seemed to be the most abundant and they checked many boxes; they were close to the First Crusade, are fairly plentiful (and cheap), have a portrait, and as a bonus, are rather like Byzantine coins. It's supposed to be a turban on Tancred's head but doesn't it rather look like a hairpiece? I scanned vcoins to find the nicest Tancred follis I could find and it was from of one of my go-to shops of late, London Ancient Coins. It was much more expensive than most of the same types, but it was also much nicer. There were a handful with a clear,high grade portrait, but all had some issue or another; possible BD, etc. Tancred (Regent, 1101-03, 1104-12). Æ Follis (23mm, 4.46g, 6h). Bust of Tancred facing, wearing turban and holding sword. R/ Cross pommetée; IC XC NI KA in quarters. Metcalf, Crusades 63-9; CCS 4a It was also smaller than I expected. Although the description does say the size I had a somewhat larger module in my mind's eye. This is a pretty nice example of the Tancred type (it also seems to have Renaissance Wax or lacquer, which I like). However, I think my thirst of Crusader coins is quenched for now. Feel free to post pre-1204 Crusder coins. Does anyone have an ultra high grade version of this type?

This is my first electrum coin of the post-1092 reform. The History of Byzantium podcast got me in the Byzantine mood. Gold has been too outrageous lately to buy much of anything, but I came across what I thought was a good deal. (the Forum description): Electrum aspron trachy, DOC-1 IV 8d; Morrisson BnF 60/Cp/El/3; Wroth BMC 46; Ratto 2098; Grierson 1068; CLBC I 3.2.2; Sommer 60.5; SBCV 1942, VF, scyphate, obv. double struck, graffiti/scratches, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, weight 3.662g, maximum diameter 32.2mm, die axis 180o, 1122 - 8 Apr 1143 A.D.; obverse Christ seated facing on throne without back, bearded, wearing tunic and kolobion, raising right in benediction, gospels in left hand, IC - XC (Greek abbreviation: Ihso�s Xrist�s - Jesus Christ) flanking nimbus, three pellets at each side of throne; reverse + Iw / ∆ECΠO/TH in column of four rows on left, Θ / ΓE/PW/ΓI in column of four rows on right, John (on left) and St. George standing facing, together holding patriarchal cross on a small globe between them, John wearing crown, divitision, and chlamys with dot (control symbol) below the tablion, St. George nimbate, in military dress, left hand on sword at side; from the S. Lindner Collection; ex Numismatic Naumann auction 71 (4 Nov 2018), lot 680; There was a German example of the same type which I had my eye on for months, but it has a chip, is 90 or 100 dollars higher, and also had some striking issues. This one had a badly double struck obverse, but the reverse was what I bought the coin for. I was also glad to support Forum. I'll have to ask them about sending it via first class vs. priority next time. I didn't think about it until well after the order (as none of the dealers from whom I buy send via Priority) but I started worrying about what would happen if they used a regular Priority mailer; I.e. would the postman bend it or just toss it by the door? It was indeed the mailer which I worried about, but no harm was done; I had sense enough to write a note to the postman and it arrived when I was home. I am quite delighted with my purchase. I kind of remember them using a somewhat smaller padded envelope for past purchases. I'm always rather nervous about ordering scyphate coins. What if it gets squished? But the last scyphate one I remember ordering was back in 2009. I wonder what the gold percentage is on the John II issues? It doesn't look like there's much gold in hand. It's a shame that the History of Byzantium podcaster has so much stuff going on at the moment. I really wanted to hear a podcast about Andronicus. I also wanted a Trachy of Andronicus but found 0 on vcoins. On a scale of 1 to 10 (rarest), how scarce are Andronicus Bi Aspron Trachea? They can't be THAT rare. Who was it that posted about the electrum series being mostly used in Anatolia? Why did that happen? Feel free to post your AV and Electrum coins of the 1092-1204 Byzantine period.

Lol. I wish I could have bought more at Trivet's. They had a killer selection of c. 1970 platform shoes during the early 90s, but I was just a teen with not a lot of spending money. The cats didn't get to the shoes. They still were musty, though. Why cat pee? For as long as I can remember, the owner's cats were allowed to roam the place.

Some people do have a heightened sense of smell. Perhaps that's teh case? I hope things improve with the book. You sure wouldn't have liked a cool vintage shop that was in town for half a century. It specialized in NOS hippie clothes, but the downsides were the musty smell and decades of cat pee.

Sooo, what's the point of the silver if it's painted over? We can have a poorly rendered globe for $400!

How neat! Is the Libo the most 'common' of the bunch?

Thanks to everyone for the good suggestions and references. Is there a good search term for Crusader coins, which would bring up a lot of results? For example, Syd* brings up a lot of Roman Republican coins. Did the imitation Dihrams begin early? I think I'd like one of them.

It's a wonderful coin and congratulations! What kind of coin was the one which gave you problems, if you don't mind me asking? I.e. So I don't have problems if I order from Germany.

The History of Byzantium podcast created an urge to get a few crusader coins. While I've collected Byzantine off and on for 25 years I know little about Crusader coins, save for the 1204 occupation. Tancred was perfect for the initial coin; it has a portrait, is fairly plentiful, is close to the first crusade, etc. I picked out what I thought to be the nicest one on vcoins and ordered it. I'll post it when it arrives. Of coins minted by the crusaders in the Levant, which ones are the most common? I understand that they also used a lot of European coinage. Was Antioch the most prosperous of the crusader states? Antioch seems to have the most commonly available coinage on vcoins. I'm more interested in the ones of 1097-1187, the earlier the better.

Yes, I experienced that also when buying from Germany . FedEx would have charged an extreme amount (with no insurance). We ended going the pony express way, the post office, which is what I wanted. DHL Express was about 1/3rd or 1/4th the price of FedEx, IIRC.

oh, and try to get the more robust style. Most of the slimline ones are super flimsy and kind of inconvenient to use. When I had my PC built, it was initially a hangup because I couldn't find an in-house case (or else build would have been super expensive) with a drive. I initially got a slimline one, but it was so flimsy and a pita to load (have to be so careful) that I got a thick and more robust Asus external blu-ray deck. I think it was $150.

The photography of my crystallized Hadrian was pretty close to reality, in terms of tone. I noticed those coins before, having a soft spot for Seleucid Tets. I'm no super-expert, but wouldn't the 220s-150s B.C. be unusual for a hoard, and wouldn't the earliest ones be much more worn then they are? The Demetrius ones also had some wear.

It's certainly lovely, as are the coins. Are there tags underneath the coins?

I can certainly understand why you'd be livid. I'd certainly be like the Captain in the Dr. Who episode, the Pirate Planet were I in that situation. I was mainly asking about his non-Germany shipments. As much as U.S. collectors have been sold down the river in recent years, those packaging laws and import restrictions sound insidious. It must be pretty tough to collect there. I purchased one of my first overseas coins from Byzantium coins in 2009. I seem to recall that he was in Germany. He's been a pretty long-time dealer there. I think he was there by 2010? There's been a coin or two I've considered but they've either been a bit overpriced or something always caused me not to purchase.

I've thought of ordering from Mr. Pavlou in the past. Is he ok?

Yes, very interesting and Donna has a nice coin! The table was also very informative.

I overcame my reticence and made a minor order from Zurquieh. It was super-fast, arriving within a week and a half from the order, and postage was under 6 dollars. Many factors had made me stay away; I was warned against that dealer by another in around 2008 (same type of concerns voiced here), I used to be afraid to order from overseas, especially a place so far away, and the orange patina thing. It was purchased for the Hadrian, which was probably aXF by wear, but crystallized and chipped. The bust was mostly spared. The AEs were all 'impulse' buys, mainly as box tickers. The bonus: the Nabataean was the most expensive of the AE at $9. I don't know if the patina's faux on the the AE's, but for $6 and 7 respectively, one can't really squawk. For $6, it should be a bd encrusted lump. And $6 is about what I'm willing to pay for a widow's mite. I actually like Zurquieh better than the other, closer to home orange dealer. At least the silver's mostly left alone. Per the coins, there was one Alexandrian Drachm which didn't look quite right. It was probably genuine and corroded - same type of situation as the Hadrian, but I kept away from that one. The coins arrived in paper envelopes but now that I've ordered 200 flips (100 lasted me since 2009), so I'm good now. After my good experience, I'd certainly return. My experience certainly flipped my opinion.

Cool Sestertius. I don't have any AE with the Janus Temple, at least none that I can recall. My other Corbulo arch is a Perinthus? Sestertius, purchased in the 1990s. The dark and matte patina makes mine somewhat unattractive but it wasn't a bad price. Nowadays truly decrepit ones go for that or more.

I decided to put my forgotten about 2021 state refund to use and I purchased a Nero Sestertius. Nero Sestertii haven't been cheap for a long time; even a nice one with a tiny hole was $400+ in 2009. This one was among one of the cheaper ones available on vcoins. Lugdunum is my favorite Nero mint and while I have another arch Sestertius, this is my first left-facing portrait. Many thanks for Jorn Klepper of NeroNumi for taking additional pictures of the coin after I explained my inability to take a decent coin picture at the present moment. It's a difficult coin to photograph, having a very dark matte green patina. I ended up using the orignal dealer's photo, which is closer to what the coin looks like in hand. I was also glad not to come home to a Thursday PC freeze. My pc had been freezing certain Thursdays since March; very frustrating and I tried many things. One particular clue pointed toward RAM and I downloaded a new firmware version of my Corsair RAM and so far, so good. Everything also seems to be running faster. This particular DHL Express driver disregarded my delivery request (which isn't onerous) and dumped it at the door. At least it wasn't raining. First time that's happened. My flip order also came in, and thanks to Mr. Klepper for also throwing in a few flips. AE Sestertius. Lugdunum mint. 33 mm 21,89 gr RIC I 433 (R2)

Awesome, I hope it works out well!

Valentinian I AE 1 Attribution: RIC IX 2 Heraclea Date: AD 364-367 Obverse: DN VALENTINI-ANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right Reverse: RESTITVTOR REIBVBLICAE, emperor standing right holding labarum and Victory; SMHA in exergue Size: 27.77mm Weight: 7.95 grams Valens (364-378). AR Siliqua (18mm, 1.60g, 6h). Treveri, 367-375. Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust r. R/ Roma seated l., holding Victory on globe and spear; TRPS•. RIC IX 27e; RSC 109†b. Edge broken,

S 1514, small module, Leo III Constantinople. Tiberius Apsimar, Constantinople. I have yet to look up the Sear number.