JayAg47's Top 10 Coins of 2022!!

[JayAg47]

It was a great year for me numismatically; I happened to tick off most of my bucket list coins. It's my third year of collecting ancient coins, and I have only bought coins once or twice a month with a total of around 15 coins, compared to 40 last year and more than 100 in 2020, so it was easier for me to make this list. Also I think I'm done purchasing coins for this year.

Here we go!

10. At number 10 is an impulse purchase of Hadrian with a curious reverse of Aeternitas holding the head of Sol and Luna, denoting the eternity of the Roman empire, also this is an early issue of Hadrian with a nice younger bust, while I bought this coin on last year's Christmas eve, I've only received it in March!

118 AD
Obv: IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG
Rev: P M TR P COS DES III (AET AVG)
Aeternitas standing, holding heads of Sol and Luna

 

9. His adopted heir Aelius Caesar, this coins was misattributed as Hadrian, so I got him for only 20 bucks! I also like the appearance of the natural wear on this coin.

137 AD
Obv: L AELIVS CAESAR
Rev: TR POT COS II, Felicitas standing, holding caduceus in left, and cornucopia in right.

 

8. 8 Cob Reales for number 8. While not technically ancient, I thought it deserved a place as it's one of my all time favourites as I've been on the look for a cob reales ever since I've started collecting coins. It's a nice feeling to hold a chunky hammered silver from the pirate era!

8 Reales - Felipe IV, Spain
Philip IV (1621-1665)
1621-1665
26.17g
 

7. A Ptolemaic hockey puck. My heaviest coin, these coins seem to be either too expensive or too poor or simply tooled, and I happened to get this coin at a nice budget to wear ratio with some colourful patina. I really like both the bust of Zeus and the eagle on the reverse.

Ptolemy IV Philopator
Æ Drachm.
70g
222-205/4 BC.
SNG Copenhagen 205–6

 

6. Chola silver drachm, it's an upgrade to my previous lead/debased issue. I had to wait nearly two years to come across one with the right budget, with this coin I've completed my tri-metal issues of the Chola empire. 

Uttama Chola
Silver Stater
4.15g
970-985 AD
Coin of Uttama Chola portraying the subjugation of neighboring kingdoms of Chera, and Pandya, depicted as the royal emblems-Cholan tiger, flanked by the Pandyan twin fish to its right, and the Cheran bow behind the tiger, all under the single rule symbolized by the umbrella, also there are two lamps on the either end of the fish and the bow to denote auspiciousness. And the legends in Nagari states, Uttama Chola.
MCSI2 326, R

 

5. Augustus denarius, this is an impulse purchase I made at a coin show, I've always wanted a denarius of him with a nice youthful bust, ironic that this coin celebrates his grandchildren! While this coin is probably the most common issue of Augustus, it also happens to be a scarcer variant with a tiny X mark in the reverse. 

2 BC - 4 AD
3.36g
Obv: CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE
Rev: C L CAESARES AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT
Gaius and Lucius Caesar standing, each, togate, resting hand on shield and spear, simpulum, left, and lituus, right, flanking, right and left respectively; X below.
RIC 211

 

4. The bull wresting Thassalos from Thessaly, an iconic coin, still an expensive type compared to other hemidrachms which put me off from getting one, but @zumbly had this coin reasonable priced, so I happened to buy it. And to boot it, the coin is an ex BCD, that came with a handwritten tag and polaroid cut outs, making it my oldest provenance (1987). 

Thessaly, Trikka
AR Hemidrachm. 2.76g, 15.9mm
440-400 BC
REF: BCD Thessaly II 781.1 (same dies); HGC 4, 311
OBV: Thessalos, petasos and cloak tied at neck, holding band around head of forepart of bull right.
REV: [T]-P-IK, forepart of bridled horse right; all within incuse square.
Ex BCD Collection, with handwritten tag stating, “T/ne ex Thess., Jan. 87, £50” and polaroid cut outs.

 

3. Alexander tetradrachm, life time issue. I've always wanted a life time tetradrachm of Alexander the Great ever since I got a life time drachm of him back in 2020, and not only it's a life time issue, but also minted in the city of Babylon! also I like the high relief on both sides of this coin.

Ar Tetradrachm, lifetime issue.
17.02g,
325 - 323 BC
Babylon mint, M below monogram under throne.
Price 3601?

 

2. Justinian I Solidus, my oldest gold and the most expensive coin that I've ever bought. I've wanted a gold coin from Roman empire, the early ones are out of reach, while the later Byzantium coins are cheap, but it lost the typical Roman style, and also debased, so early Eastern Roman empire or late Western Roman empire was my sweet spot, yet most of the emperors from that time were inept, and I didn't want to spend large sums on emperors like them. Since Justinian I is one of my top Roman emperors (1. Augustus, 2. Trajan, 3. Aurelian, 4. Justinian, 5. Vespasian), I settled on buying his coin, I was looking for a tremissis/semissis, yet they were priced as much as a worn solidus in retail, so I went for a nice solidus itself. 

Justinian I solidus
4.48g, 21mm, Constantinople mint (1st Officina), 545-565 AD.
D N IVSTINIANVS PP AVG
VICTORIA AVGGG A CON OB

 

1. Finally for my most favourite coin of 2022, a Julius Caesar denarius featuring the conquest of Gaul. A life time issue of Julius Caesar is a must have in my collection, I really didn't believe I'd acquire one in this year itself! I like the honest wear on the coin, with the name Caesar still readable on the reverse. This coin also happens to be the prototype for trophy and captive issues minted by the future emperors. 

Military mint travelling with Caesar in Spain, 46-45 BC, 3.38g.
Obv: Head of Venus to right, wearing stephane; Cupid behind shoulder
Rev: Trophy of Gallic arms between two seated captives (could they be Gallia and Vercingetorix?); CAESAR in exergue.
Crawford 468/1

Thanks for viewing my list!

 

 

Edited November 25, 2022 by JayAg47

[CPK]

Very nice haul for the year! Picking a favorite is difficult. I like the Aelius Caesar denarius, especially at that price. The 8-reales is a coin that's on my own wish list...and of course that Byzantine gold is hard to beat!

I think though my vote has to go to the Julius Caesar denarius. The history behind the coin is captivating (pun unintended), the wear means a long history of circulation but the main details are still there, and all for a very good price! It's a winner in my book. 

[Spaniard]

Sweet list!...Very diverse...

Picking just one is impossible but I went for that lovely Chola Drachm..❤️

Congrats on a great year of collecting.

[ambr0zie]

Only 1 option to vote? Not enough. I chose the Hadrian denarius because of the interesting reverse - which is one of my main criteria when buying coins. A good year.

[happy_collector]

Nice selections, @JayAg47.
I like your #10 coin, especially its reverse design. Holding the heads of Sol and Luna is so imaginative IMO.  🙂

[Al Kowsky]

4 hours ago, JayAg47 said:

It was a great year for me numismatically; I happened to tick off most of my bucket list coins. It's my third year of collecting ancient coins, and I have only bought coins once or twice a month with a total of around 15 coins, compared to 40 last year and more than 100 in 2020, so it was easier for me to make this list. Also I think I'm done purchasing coins for this year.

Here we go!

10. At number 10 is an impulse purchase of Hadrian with a curious reverse of Aeternitas holding the head of Sol and Luna, denoting the eternity of the Roman empire, also this is an early issue of Hadrian with a nice younger bust, while I bought this coin on last year's Christmas eve, I've only received it in March!

118 AD
Obv: IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG
Rev: P M TR P COS DES III (AET AVG)
Aeternitas standing, holding heads of Sol and Luna

 

9. His adopted heir Aelius Caesar, this coins was misattributed as Hadrian, so I got him for only 20 bucks! I also like the appearance of the natural wear on this coin.

137 AD
Obv: L AELIVS CAESAR
Rev: TR POT COS II, Felicitas standing, holding caduceus in left, and cornucopia in right.

 

8. 8 Cob Reales for number 8. While not technically ancient, I thought it deserved a place as it's one of my all time favourites as I've been on the look for a cob reales ever since I've started collecting coins. It's a nice feeling to hold a chunky hammered silver from the pirate era!

8 Reales - Felipe IV, Spain
Philip IV (1621-1665)
1621-1665
26.17g
 

7. A Ptolemaic hockey puck. My heaviest coin, these coins seem to be either too expensive or too poor or simply tooled, and I happened to get this coin at a nice budget to wear ratio with some colourful patina. I really like both the bust of Zeus and the eagle on the reverse.

Ptolemy IV Philopator
Æ Drachm.
70g
222-205/4 BC.
SNG Copenhagen 205–6

 

6. Chola silver drachm, it's an upgrade to my previous lead/debased issue. I had to wait nearly two years to come across one with the right budget, with this coin I've completed my tri-metal issues of the Chola empire. 

Uttama Chola
Silver Stater
4.15g
970-985 AD
Coin of Uttama Chola portraying the subjugation of neighboring kingdoms of Chera, and Pandya, depicted as the royal emblems-Cholan tiger, flanked by the Pandyan twin fish to its right, and the Cheran bow behind the tiger, all under the single rule symbolized by the umbrella, also there are two lamps on the either end of the fish and the bow to denote auspiciousness. And the legends in Nagari states, Uttama Chola.
MCSI2 326, R

 

5. Augustus denarius, this is an impulse purchase I made at a coin show, I've always wanted a denarius of him with a nice youthful bust, ironic that this coin celebrates his grandchildren! While this coin is probably the most common issue of Augustus, it also happens to be a scarcer variant with a tiny X mark in the reverse. 

2 BC - 4 AD
3.36g
Obv: CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE
Rev: C L CAESARES AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT
Gaius and Lucius Caesar standing, each, togate, resting hand on shield and spear, simpulum, left, and lituus, right, flanking, right and left respectively; X below.
RIC 211

 

4. The bull wresting Thassalos from Thessaly, an iconic coin, still an expensive type compared to other hemidrachms which put me off from getting one, but @zumbly had this coin reasonable priced, so I happened to buy it. And to boot it, the coin is an ex BCD, that came with a handwritten tag and polaroid cut outs, making it my oldest provenance (1987). 

Thessaly, Trikka
AR Hemidrachm. 2.76g, 15.9mm
440-400 BC
REF: BCD Thessaly II 781.1 (same dies); HGC 4, 311
OBV: Thessalos, petasos and cloak tied at neck, holding band around head of forepart of bull right.
REV: [T]-P-IK, forepart of bridled horse right; all within incuse square.
Ex BCD Collection, with handwritten tag stating, “T/ne ex Thess., Jan. 87, £50” and polaroid cut outs.

 

3. Alexander tetradrachm, life time issue. I've always wanted a life time tetradrachm of Alexander the Great ever since I got a life time drachm of him back in 2020, and not only it's a life time issue, but also minted in the city of Babylon! also I like the high relief on both sides of this coin.

Ar Tetradrachm, lifetime issue.
17.02g,
325 - 323 BC
Babylon mint, M below monogram under throne.
Price 3601?

 

2. Justinian I Solidus, my oldest gold and the most expensive coin that I've ever bought. I've wanted a gold coin from Roman empire, the early ones are out of reach, while the later Byzantium coins are cheap, but it lost the typical Roman style, and also debased, so early Eastern Roman empire or late Western Roman empire was my sweet spot, yet most of the emperors from that time were inept, and I didn't want to spend large sums on emperors like them. Since Justinian I is one of my top Roman emperors (1. Augustus, 2. Trajan, 3. Aurelian, 4. Justinian, 5. Vespasian), I settled on buying his coin, I was looking for a tremissis/semissis, yet they were priced as much as a worn solidus in retail, so I went for a nice solidus itself. 

Justinian I solidus
4.48g, 21mm, Constantinople mint (1st Officina), 545-565 AD.
D N IVSTINIANVS PP AVG
VICTORIA AVGGG A CON OB

 

1. Finally for my most favourite coin of 2022, a Julius Caesar denarius featuring the conquest of Gaul. A life time issue of Julius Caesar is a must have in my collection, I really didn't believe I'd acquire one in this year itself! I like the honest wear on the coin, with the name Caesar still readable on the reverse. This coin also happens to be the prototype for trophy and captive issues minted by the future emperors. 

Military mint travelling with Caesar in Spain, 46-45 BC, 3.38g.
Obv: Head of Venus to right, wearing stephane; Cupid behind shoulder
Rev: Trophy of Gallic arms between two seated captives (could they be Gallia and Vercingetorix?); CAESAR in exergue.
Crawford 468/1

Thanks for viewing my list!

 

 

The Justinian solidus is clearly my favorite ☺️.

[Ancient Aussie]

Looks like you had a great year and picked up some awesome coins, I especially like your Alexander Tet, congrats.

[robinjojo]

JayAg47, that's a very nice, diverse group for 2022!

Your Ptolemaic hockey puck is very impressive!

Edited November 25, 2022 by robinjojo

[Limes]

Great selection of coins, it's been a great year for you. I have the same Hadrian denarius, and like you, I got it because of the interesting reverse. I did not vote for that one however, but went for your Caesar, which is an lovely, and also historically interesting piece! 

[Qcumbor]

A pity you can just vote for one. I chose #4 but might have aswell taken the #1 or #2

Nice selection and you apparently had a great coin year, well done !

Q

[thenickelguy]

I voted for the Julius Caesar, a coin with someone on it I'll probably never be able to afford. I like the Gold Byzantine and cob too. I will get a nice cob someday.

Very nice!

[singig]

O also like the Julius Caesar denarius , the Justinian solidus and the hemidrachm , in this order. Congratulations !

[Kazuma78]

I chose the Solidus, great additions! 

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

I was going to vote solidus but I went for the cob; I rather like those.

[Roman Collector]

I went with the Thessalian hemidrachm because of its artistry. You had a fantastic year of collecting, @JayAg47

[Sulla80]

Congrats on a great 2022, @JayAg47, an interesting and diverse set of coins.  I pick your Uttama Chola AR kahavanu with its symbols of unification/subjugation, the solidus of Justinian would be my second pick.

[John Conduitt]

Now you've ticked off most of your bucket list, do you have a new bucket list?

[JayAg47]

4 hours ago, John Conduitt said:

Now you've ticked off most of your bucket list, do you have a new bucket list?

I think I'm mostly done with Roman empire, I gave a thought about putting together the 12 Caesar set, but backed off as I didn't want to spend too much on Otho/Galba/Vitellius or on Claudius or Caligula (emperors that don't excite me much, except maybe Caligula), although I'm still on the look out for some Severan women (I only have a cruddy Domna), as well as I don't mind having Republican denarii with interesting motifs. In regards to Indian coinage, I'm done with all the cheap Chola issues, and the coins I want are mostly listed by Indian auctions that don't ship overseas anyway, and the ebay sellers keep listing the same common issues that I have already. So my main focus is shifting back to Greece, so much varieties, probably will make an upgrade to my owl tetradrachm (but definitely won't pay anything over 600 usd or 1000 aud, not only for the owl but for any coins that are not gold/electrum). 

[Steppenfool]

I vote for Justinian for the sole reason I've been going through that exact same thought process. 😂