Post it and pick it!

[Edessa]

Roman Republic. Anonymous. Transition from 2nd to 1st century BC. Æ Semis (20mm, 4.99g, 4h). Spanish(?) imitation, perhaps officially sanctioned. Obv: Laureate head of Saturn left; S behind. Rev: Prow of galley left; S above; ROMA (retrograde) in exergue. Ref: Cf. Crawford 56/3; cf. Sydenham 143a; Ripolles and Witschonke, “The Unofficial Roman Republican Semisses Struck in Spain" in Essays Burnett, Group D, 53f (O36/R43). Good Very Fine, hard dark green patina with sandy highlights. Interesting style. Ex-Atlantis, LTD.

Next: More Ships!

Edited September 19, 2022 by Edessa

[Ryro]

next up: well used but still cool

[Qcumbor]

3 hours ago, Ryro said:

next up: well used but still cool

Lucilla, Sestertius - Rome mint, circa 164-166 AD
LVCILLAE AVG ANTONINI AVG F, Draped bust right
VENVS, Venus standing left, holding an apple and raising drapery from left shoulder, SC in field
24.42 gr
Ref : Cohen # 77, RCV # 5507

 

Next : Venus
 

Q

[Octavius]

 Antoninianus of Caracalla with Venus Victrix reverse.

next , Venus' child.

[DonnaML]

Who else but Cupid, on a coin probably portraying Venus specifically as Venus Genetrix:

Roman Republic, Mn. Cordius Rufus, AR denarius, 46 BCE, Rome mint. Obv. Jugate heads of Dioscuri right, each wearing a laureate pileus surmounted by a star, RVFVS III VIR downwards behind and below / Rev. Venus Genetrix (or Venus Verticordia) standing facing, head left, holding scales in right hand and transverse scepter in left hand, Cupid hovering behind [Sear CRI, BMCRR] or perched upon [Crawford, RSC] her left shoulder, MN CORDIVS (MN ligatured) downwards to right. Crawford 463/1a, CRI 63 (ill. p. 45) [David Sear, The History and Coinage of the Roman Imperators 49-27 BC (1998)], RSC I (Babelon) Cordia 2a (ill. p. 36), Sear RCV I 440 (ill. p. 156), BMCRR 4037, RBW Collection 1606 (ill. p. 339), Sydenham 976. Purchased from Jordan Scheckells (Louisiana, USA) Feb. 2022; ex. Diana Numismatica (Via Quattro Fontane, Roma). With old coin envelope (early 20^th century?).* 

*If the reverse figure is identified as Venus Verticordia (“‘turner of hearts’, i.e. the goddess who turns minds from lust to chastity,” see Jones, John Melville, A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins (London 1990), entry for Venus, at p. 317), to whom a temple was specially dedicated in Rome in 114 BCE after the corruption and trial of the Vestal Virgins, the depiction “may not only be a punning allusion to the Cordia gens but may also refer to the family of Julius Caesar, which claimed its descent from Venus herself. The Cordia family came originally from Tusculum where there was a special cult of the Dioscuri.” See RSC I at p. 36 (quoting BMCRR I p. 523 n. 3 almost verbatim, without attribution). 

Crawford agrees that the moneyer was of Tusculan origin, citing a Tusculan inscription naming him, on which his tenure of the office of Praetor was recorded (Crawford I p. 474), and also agrees that the depiction of Venus on the reverse is a Caesarian reference (id.); the balance or scales she holds “perhaps suggests that the coinage of Mn. Cordius Rufus is in the tutela [guardianship] of Venus and is hence a further compliment to Caesar.” Id. However, Crawford’s position is that “there is no reason to regard Venus here as Verticordia.” Id. He proposes instead that “the type as a whole, with [her son] Cupid perched on the shoulder of Venus, may derive from the statue placed in the temple of Venus Genetrix [“foundress of the family,” from whom Caesar claimed descent] in 46 [BCE], the year of issue of this coinage.” Id. at 474-475. 

At CRI p. 45, Sear – who, contrary to Crawford, identifies the reverse figure as Venus Verticordia, but without explanation – states regarding this type (and Crawford 463/1b, which has the same design except that the Dioscuri are decorated with fillets instead of laurel-b) that “[t]his denarius coinage in the name of Manius Cordius Rufus is on a scale [it isn’t clear whether this pun was intended!] commensurate with the state’s requirements at the time of Caesar’s quadruple triumph when, it will be remembered, five thousand denarii were paid to each legionary soldier and ten thousand to each centurion. Other than his coinage, Rufus is known only from an inscription found at Tusculum [citation omitted] recording that he held the office of praetor. The obverse type of this denarius also indicates his Tusculan origin as there was a special cult of Castor and Pollux at this ancient city of Latium situated about 15 miles south-east of Rome. The reverse type of Venus was doubtless intended to be complimentary to Caesar, and the head of the goddess appears on another of this moneyer’s denarius types” (citing Crawford 463/3, depicting Venus on the obverse and her son Cupid riding a dolphin on the reverse, a type essentially reproducing the very similar depiction on the reverse of Crawford 390/2, issued by L. Lucretius Trio ca. 76 BCE.)   

I question whether there is any substantive reason to identify the reverse figure as Venus Verticordia other than the fact that this identification fits the presumed pun on the moneyer’s gens. Regardless of whether or not the coin’s depiction of Venus is actually based on the lost statue of Venus Genetrix in the temple that Caesar dedicated to that goddess, it would seem the presence on Venus’s shoulder of her son Cupid (hardly a model for chastity!), the fact that Caesar specifically claimed descent from Venus Genetrix, and the fact that he dedicated a temple to her in 46 BCE, the very same year in which the coin was issued, would all  militate in favor of Crawford’s Venus Genetrix interpretation. (Even if that interpretation destroys the Verticordia/Cordius pun!) See Jones, supra at p. 317: 

“It has been suggested that the figure of Venus, bearing scales and accompanied by Cupid, which appears on denarii of Mn. Cordius Rufus (46 BC) represents the cult statue of th[e] temple [of Venus Verticordia, built in 114 BCE], and that the type was chosen as a play on the name of the mint magistrate. . . . This is not impossible but it seems unlikely, and the coin and other coins of Cordus which show a head of Venus on the obverse, or a Cupid on the reverse, may only allude in a general way to Venus as the ancestress of the Julian family.” (Jones argues that it is “also unlikely” that the reverse figure specifically represented the statue of Venus Genetrix sculpted by Arcesilaus and placed in the temple to that goddess dedicated in the year of the coin’s issue, pointing out the many different numismatic representations of Venus Genetrix, and concluding that “there is enough variety to suggest that no particular work of art was automatically associated with this title.” Id.) 

See also the discussion of Venus Genetrix (and the variety of her images) at  https://publications.artic.edu/roman/api/epub/480/490/print_view#fig-490-13, from an analysis of a statue fragment of Venus at the Art Institute of Chicago. [Remainder of footnote omitted.]

Next, another Roman Republican coin depicting Venus in any of her manifestations.

[IanG]

 

Roman Republic, C. Naevius Balbus.

Serrate Denarius, Rome, 79 BC.

Diademed head of Venus right, SC behind / Victory in triga right, C NAE BALB in exergue.

Crawford 382/1a; Sydenham 769.

3.99g, 18mm.

 

NEXT: Another coin with diadem, earring and necklace

[shanxi]

Aelia Eudoxia
Obv: AEL EVDO-XIA AVG, Bust of Eudoxia, pearl-diademed, draped, right, wearing necklace and earrings, crowned by Hand of God
Rev: SALVS REI – PVBLICAE, Victory, winged, draped, seated right on cuirass, pointing to a shield inscribed with a ☧, supported on a low column
RIC 10, p.249, 103

Next: Another lady from the same century

[Roman Collector]

Aelia Flaccilla, AD 379-386.
Roman AE Maiorina (AE 2), 4.78 gm, 21.55 mm, 6 h.
Antioch, AD 383-386.
Obv: AEL FLACCILLA AVG, diademed and draped bust, right.
Rev: SALVS REIPVBLICAE, Victory seated r., inscribing chi-rho onto shield set on cippus. T in field r, ANTЄ in exergue.
Refs: RIC 61.3; Sear 20616; Cohen 4; c.f. LRBC II 2747.

Next: Pearls around the head.

 

 

[AncientOne]

Arcadius AE4. Heraclea

Obv: D N ARCADIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: VOT V in laurel wreath. Mintmark SMHA.   Next: A coin you have had for a very long time and are just now getting around to photograph.

[akeady]

I've had this since October 2013 and just photographed it this month.   At least, I was able to find out where I got it, some others seem to have been deposited by aliens while I was out.

Ruler:	Gnaeus Pompey (Imperator)
Coin:	Bronze As I - Laureate head of Janus; mark of value above CN·M͡AG / I / IMP - Prow of galley right
Mint:	Spain (46-45 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis:	33.34g / 35mm / 3h
References:	Sydenham 1040 Crawford 471/1 BMCRR Spain 84 HCRI 53
Acquisition:	Paco Private sale 20-Oct-2013

Next - another coin which has taken a while to process

[shanxi]

10 hours ago, akeady said:

Next - another coin which has taken a while to process

At the last Leu auction I had a coin in the watchlist. Shortly before the auction I decided to check not only my files  but also the tablets, and found an identical specimen. Bought in 1999 and not recorded. Now it is. 

 

Freiburg im Breisgau
Grafen von Urach-Freiburg
Egino IV – Egino V, AD 1218-1236
Obv.: Male head to right, cross and pellet in right field
Rev.: Incuse of obverse
Vierzipfliger Pfennig (Silver, 0.38g)
Ref.: Wiel. Breisgau 13
Ex Kricheldorf

Next: bracteate

Edited September 21, 2022 by shanxi

[TuckHard]

Bracteates weren't only made in Europe, contrary to general thought! There was a smaller tradition amongst the coastal and river kingdoms of Southeast Asia stretching from the Ganges output in Bengal, through the Mon city-states in Burma, and into the Dvaravati city-states in Thailand. Not all too much has been published about them, certainly not in a way that groups them together and suggests they are related like I am doing now, but they are certainly an interesting niche!

Another interesting bit is that these small Mon silver bracteates are the smallest standardized coins of the ancient world. They are consistently 0.03 grams heavy. If anyone knows of any other ancient coin that comes close, I would love to know! I've heard of Nepal bracteate coins that were cut into halves, some of which are smaller than these, but these were minted and struck to be just 0.03 grams.

Mon city-states of the Gulf of Martaban
Issued anonymously
Circa 700-900s AD
AR bracteate | 0.03 grams | 7mm wide
Obv: Simplified srivatsa (here upside down) appearing as a flower with four petals, a dimple, and stem
Rev: Repoussé effect of obverse

Next: another bracteate coin OR very small coin, less than 0.10 grams

[JayAg47]

The lightest coin in my collection, Nepal 1 Dam - Rana Bahadur Shah, 1777-1799. 

Measured it on a laboratory scale!

Next, a coin that makes you wonder why they even bothered minting it.

Edited September 21, 2022 by JayAg47

[TuckHard]

Super cool! That's a part of the Nepalese bracteate coins that I was mentioning. Here is a tiny contemporary counterfeit (probably, although rights were apparently leased out to private mints) of a tin pitis from the Palembang Sultanate. I'll include an official example below it for a good example. The size decline is amazingly drastic. The weight of the coin dropped from 0.74g to 0.12g. The width of the coin was shortened from 18.5mm to only 11mm wide, although the center hole was increased to save metal from 6mm to 8.5mm on the counterfeit. 

 

Next: more counterfeit/private mint

[Ryro]

Next up: not barbarous coins

[Spaniard]

4 hours ago, Ryro said:

Next up: not barbarous coins

???😃....This one's official...

Next ..A heavy brow.

[Ryro]

Next: Alexander III portrait

[Steve]

6 hours, right?

... ummm, here is an Alex-III lifetime (super-cool patina)

 

 

NEXT => Wonderful and/or colourful patina

 

Hi

 

Edited September 23, 2022 by Steve

[expat]

3 hours ago, Steve said:

6 hours, right?

... ummm, here is an Alex-III lifetime (super-cool patina)

 

 

NEXT => Wonderful and/or colourful patina

 

Hi

 

Red/brown Antoninus and an emerald green Trajan

NEXT: Any green coin

[TuckHard]

Green is about all this coin has, besides a nice solid attribution.

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Issued under John II Casimir Vasa at the Ujazdów Castle mint
1663 AD
AE Szela
Obv: King's bust facing right
Rev: Eagle center

Next: another coin related to a castle

[AncientOne]

6hr.

Caria, Antioch ad Meandrum. Marcus Aurelius AE15. Liknophoros   Obv: ΒΗΡΟϹ ΚΑΙ. Bare head of Marcus Aurelius (short beard), r. Rev: ΑΝΤΙοΧƐΩΝ. Liknophoros r., clad in short chiton, supporting basket on his head. RPC IV.2, 821 (temporary)   Next: Cult of Dionysos

[Spaniard]

3 hours ago, AncientOne said:

Next: Cult of Dionysos

Pontos, Amisos. temp. Mithradates VI, c. 105-85 or 85-65 BC. Æ (16mm, 3.98g, 12h). Struck under Mithradates VI.
Obverse..Ivy wreathed head of Dionysos right.
Reverse..Filleted thyrsos, bell attached with fillet, AMI-ΣOY flanking across field, monogram lower right.
Mint..Amisos (Samsun, Turkey)
SNG Black Sea 1192-5; HGC 7, 251. Good VF

Next...Thyrsos.

[AncientOne]

2 hours ago, Spaniard said:

Next...Thyrsos.

Bithynia, Nicaea. Geta, AE17. Infant Dionysos

Obv: Π CEΠTI ΓETAC K, bare head r. Rev: NIKAIEΩN, Infant Dionysos in Liknon cradle r., raising hands; thyrsos behind.   Next: Green!

[Octavius]

 RR of Lucius Cassius with Bacchus (Roman equivalent to Dionysus) , with his consort, Libera.

next , another Bacchus...

[Octavius]

 sorry -  too slow with Bacchus.

 

Green sestertius of Domitian...

next ,  another green coin...