Levinyu's Top 20 of 2022

KyNumis · December 13, 2022

Hello everyone! Greetings and welcome to all of the new members here. In this topic, I wanted to post some of my favorite coins that I have bought this year. This has been a very fruitful experience for my collection and has increased my collection from 50+ coins, up to 200 coins! 🤩

I'd like to say a thank you to all of the members who interacted with all of my posts this year, And a thank you for all of your wonderful posts and great writeups. Now with that being said, Let's move onto the coins!

20. C. Vibius CF Pansa AR Denarius, Republic Of Rome, 2nd Cent BC

Bought March 2022. Got it from a close friend for about 40$

19. Achaemenid Empire (AR Siglos)

5th Century BC, 5.7g, 15mm (Obv: Archer Sprinting) (Rev: Incuse Punch)

Bought June 2022. on Ebay for 30$

18. Type IIIb Siglos!

A semi recent pickup. Bought October 2022, From Aegean Numismatics!

17. Numidia, Micipsa (Or Massinissa) 2nd Or 1st Century BC. AE Unit (Horse galloping/Laureate portrait left)

An Interesting bronze coin minted in Northwest Africa. Got for a bargain in January 2022.

16. Seleucid Kings, Syria. Antiochos I Soter (Joint reign with Seleukos I, 294-281 BC). Obol. Uncertain mint.

Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin. Rev: ΣΑ. Nike standing right, holding wreath. Very rare. otherwise unpublished. Good VF, toned, 0.8cm and around possibly 0.5g or so. With few examples known, I was surprised to realize that this coin I bought on ebay for 65$, was so historically important and rare!

15. Tooled, But nonetheless amazing!

Nero, AE Sestertius

(Picture was a bit blurry so I enhanced it)

The only level of tooling here is the waxing and tooling on the portrait according to Kunker.

This example features perhaps, One of the most uncommon obverse legends for the DECVRSIO issue.

On the obverse we see the laureate portrait of Nero, Facing right. "NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P IMP P P"

And on the Reverse we see a scene of two warriors riding two horses "SC" "DECVRSIO"

Ex. Kunker Auction 39, Lot 217 Hammer Price: 310 Euro.

14. Histiaia, Euboia AR Tetrobol. (Barbarous Imitation) Provenance from Herakles Numismatics in April 2001.

Another rare one! This is a particularly interesting coin because it is a Barbarous imitation of a Euboian tetrobol! The style is completely different than the usual euboian tetrobol and that's what gives away the fact that it's an imitation of the type. Example of a Non-Imitated one here:

Pretty interesting, Right? Although this is placed above the Nero, I personally think the Nero is atleast top 10. But since I've already completed the write up for the Nero I guess I will just keep it there haha

13. Lycia(?) Unidentified AR Trihemiobol. (9mm. 2 grams) Obverse: Boar(?) Reverse: Incuse Punch divided by 8 lines.

One of my most interesting coins. Ive had a few friends attempt to help in identifying this, But no one could find anything similar. Although, Roma Numismatics has a similar type that comes up every once in a while. But the type is a stater and not an obol. Perhaps this is a fractional denom of that type?

12. Cilicia, Uncertain Tetartemorion, 4th cent.

Persian great king kneeling to the right with dagger and bow. Rev: Female head left with Taenia in long curly hair, earring and pearl necklace. Troxell-Kagan, Kraay-Mørkholm Essays -. 0.28g. 5mm. Very rare. Almost excellent.

Another interesting Persian Archer portrait! But this time its exceptionally small haha. Bought this guy for 65$ In July 2022.

11. Pakor I Obol. Kings of Persis, 1st Cent AD

Another parthian/Persian coin! The portraits on this 12mm obol are exceptionally detailed.

10. Pamphylia Aspendos Stater, Circa 465-430 BC. AR Stater (22mm, 10.81 g, 12h).

Warrior advancing right, holding sword and shield / Triskeles; [E]Σ above; all within incuse square. SNG BN –; SNG von Aulock 4477; SNG Copenhagen 175. Lightly toned, Test cut. Green spots, Good VF. Quite an interesting piece. An Archaic warrior!

9. Chalkidian League, Olynthus

Circa. 417-412BC

Hemiobol, 0.30g (9mm)

BMC-28 Robinson/Clement-p.

19,d. SNG Ashmolean 2349

Obv: Laureate head of apollo left, hair on head methodically arranged in strands. Dots as border.

Rev: Tripod with shallow holmos on which three ring handles, legs on Tripod end in lions paws. KI to left

Ex. Harlan J Berk (Email Auction)

A flawless fraction minted in the 4th century BC. The Chalcidian League ( "League of the Chalcidians"), also referred to as the Olynthians or the Chalcidians in Thrace to distinguish them from the Chalcidians in Euboea, federal state that existed on the Chalcidice peninsula, on the shores of the northwest Aegean Sea, from around 430 BC. until it was destroyed by Philip II of Macedon in 348 BC.

8. Phrygia, Apameia AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Circa 88-67 BC.

Kelai magistrate. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within ivy wreath / Two serpents entwined around bow and bowcase; [A]ΠA to left, KEΛAI above, aulos (double flute) to right. Kleiner, Late 8; Pinder 11; SNG von Aulock 3459. 10.27g, 27mm, 12h.

Very Fine. Rare.

An Interesting combination of Snakes and Ivy! Minted in Phyrgia. Kelai is a much harder magistrate to find than most common cistophoric magistrates. Acsearch brings few examples. I got this in July of 2022 on Vcoins.

7. PARTHIAN KINGDOM. Pacorus I (ca. AD 78-120). AR drachm (17x20mm, 12h). XF. Ecbatana.

Bust of Pacorus left with long pointed beard, wearing double banded diadem with double loop, spiral torque, ear-ring visible, dotted border / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩN / ΑΡ-ΣΑΚΟY / EYEPΓETOY / ΔΙXΑΙΟY / ΕΠIΦΑNOYΣ / ΦΙΛΕΛΛΗXΟΣ, archer (Arsaces I) enthroned right, monogram with pellet below bow. Sellwood 78.6 (Vologases III). Shore -. Sunrise 439.

The parthian drachma is a great coin type within a friendly budget! For example, I paid about 120$ for this guy. It features clear legends and a sharp portrait. Pacorus I was son of Orodes II and a commander of ancient parthia. He was also a prince of Ancient parthia. Following the Parthian victory against the Romans at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC, the Parthians attempted to capture Roman-held territories in Western Asia, with Pacorus acting as one of the leading commanders.

6. Philip III Arrhidaios AR Drachm (Sardes Mint) 336-323 BC

Obverse: Head of Herakles right wearing lions sking.

Reverse: Zeus enthroned left holding eagle and sceptre, torch left, A below.

This coin was actually what got me into the drachmae and tetradrachmae! This coin was also one of my most expensive purchases at the time of August 2022, I paid about 130$ for the piece which is about average for the type.

5. Thrace, Thasos AR Tetradrachm.

(Circa 148-90/80 BC). Obv: Head of Dionysos right, wearing ivy wreath. Rev: HPAKΛEOYΣ / ΣΩTHPOΣ / ΘAΣIΩN. Herakles standing left, holding club and lion skin. Control: Monogram to inner left. SNG Copenhagen 1040-5; HGC 6, 359. Condition: Very fine. Weight: 16g. Diameter: 33 mm.

SNG Copenhagen 1040; HGC 6, 359

A nice thracian tetradrachm I bought back in September of 2022! Lying close to the coast of Eastern Macedonia, Thasos was inhabited during the Palaeolithic period onwards, but the earliest settlement to have been explored in captivating detail is at Limenaria, where remains from the Middle and Late Neolithic are related closely to those found at the mainland's Drama plain. In contrast, Early Bronze Age remains on the island align it with the Aegean culture of the Cyclades and Sporades.

4. ATTICA, Athens. Circa 165-42 BC. AR Tetradrachm (31mm, 15-16g, 12h).

New Style coinage. Miki– and Theofra–, magistrates. Struck circa 137/6 BC. Helmeted head of Athena Parthenos right / Owl standing right, head facing, on amphora; magistrates’ names in fields; to right, Nike driving quadriga right; Unreadable letter on amphora, MH below; all within wreath. Thompson 318b; HGC 4, 1602. Good/Fine. Cost 130£

My first Athens tet! I want to give a huge thanks to NewStyleKing for helping me with this one. I was surprised to find that this is the second known type in Thompson. With a quadriga, Owl, And Athena, You know you got yourself a nice coin 😛

3. Thrace, Maroneia After 148 BC, Tetradrachm, 15.15g.

SNG Cop-640 corr.,

Sear-1635 var.

Obv: Head of young dionysus right wreathed with ivy and with band across forehead.

Rx: ΔIONYΣOY - [Σ]ΩTHPOΣ - [M]APΩNITΩN Dionysus, naked standing. Holding grapes and two narthex wands, Monogram in field "[]O" in reverse field ΛE.

SNG Cop-640, Probably in error, reads ΛΘ rather than ΛE in r. Field of reverse

Ex. Harlan J Berk.

Another thracian tet! Very similar to the one above but minted in Maroneia, This piece is exceptionally well struck and detailed. Managed to pick up this one for around 300$ in September 2022.

2. SELEUCID KINGDOM. Antiochus III the Great (222-187 BC). AR tetradrachm (31mm, 14.80 gm, 12h). edge chips, die shift. Antioch, 197-187 BC.

Diademed head right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ANTIOXOY, Apollo seated left on omphalus, testing arrow in right hand, left hand on grounded bow to right; bow in bowcase to outer left. SC 1045.2.

Just bought this coin. Been looking for a reasonably price antiochos for awhile! Excellent engravings

At last... My Favorite coin of The Year!

1. Kingdom of Macedon, Philip III Arrhidaios AR Tetradrachm. Struck under Asandros, in the name and types of Alexander III. Miletos, circa 323-319 BC.

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress / Zeus Aëtophoros seated to left, holding sceptre; AΛEΞANΔPOY to right, monogram to left. Price 2120; Müller -. 17.08g, 27mm, 2h.

And that is my writeup guys! Can't wait to see everyone else's coins and once again thank you to the NumisForums community for making my experience on this website more entertaining and exciting. Merry Christmas to everyone and may Santa bring all of you a hoard of solidii!