ValiantKnight's Top 10 Coins of 2022

[ValiantKnight]

At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t really expecting to end up achieving a good number of milestone coins. I am also glad that I was able to restart my Carolingian collection after it being dormant for a while (just got distracted by other areas). While they won’t really win any beauty contests (not really my #1 priority anyways with coins), they all have something unique and interesting to them. They span 1100 years of history; from the late 3rd century BC to the late 9th century AD, and include the very small to the very huge, rulers and mints I never had before, and representations of the merging of cultures.

I was really exited about getting this one in hand. A coin of Charlemagne has been on my want-list for basically forever, but as you might know, they are often small, ugly, and cost an arm. Fortunately, with the help of a forum friend, I was directed to a cheaper coin type that, while typically attributed to his grandson Charles the Bald (who also minted this same type), has certain distinguishing features as identified by academic research that make it more likely that it was struck under Charlemagne himself. It helps that a coin of this same type was found under Aachen chapel in 2008 and was conclusively dated to Charlemagne’s reign. For now I am confident to label this one as Charlemagne. I went a little crazy also, and found two others that I promptly scooped up. 

Charlemagne, Frankish Kingdom/Carolingian Empire
AR denier
Obv: CARLVS REX FR, cross above, cross within dotted circle in center
Rev: METVLLO, cross above, KRLS (Karolus) monogram within dotted circle in center
Mint: Melle
Date: 793/794-814 AD
Ref: Nou-94 

 

One of my white whales for the past couple of years ever since getting more into Ptolemaic coinage was one of these massive bronze octobols. Since they often go for many hundreds of dollars and even around a grand or two, in the meantime I bought a few of the not-as-large but still large bronze drachms. But I still kept my eyes peeled for an affordable octobol, and my patience paid off when I found this one; a whopping 93 grams. Also, I think it’s kind of funny that only a couple of weeks earlier I was gifted one of my smallest Ptolemaic coins, a sharp little bronze from Cyrene.

Ptolemy III Euergetes, Ptolemaic Kingdom
AE octobol
Obv: Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right
Rev: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΠTOΛEMAIOY, eagle with open wings standing left on thunderbolt, head right; E between legs
Mint: Alexandria
Date: 246-222 BC
Ref: Svoronos 446; SNG Copenhagen 142 (Ptolemy II); Lorber series 4
Size: 48 mm, 93 gm

 

While I’ve yet to truly expand into Roman provincials from Egypt, my interest in Ptolemaic coinage led me to wanting a coin depicting the famed Pharos of Alexandria. Due to the popularity of the type I thought I’d be waiting for a while and would need to fork over a good amount of cash but fortunately I acquired this one at what I thought was a good (i.e. budget) price, especially since the lighthouse, while worn, is clear, and the overall coin problem-free. It even sparked a small conversation with my parents about it, who normally aren’t into coins or history, so that was a special plus for me.

Hadrian, Roman Empire
AE drachm
Obv: [AVT KAIC TΡAIAN AΔΡIANOC CEB], laureate head right, slight drapery on left shoulder
Rev: Isis Pharia sailing right, holding sistrum, the Pharos Lighthouse to right with three figures on its summit. L-I-[H] across fields
Mint: Alexandria
Date: 133-134 AD
Ref: Milne 1414; RPC 5895; Dattari 1767

 

After I became interested in Ptolemaic coins, I began to look at coins from other periods of Egypt’s history. Since I am naturally drawn to the more obscure and rare, as well as having an interest in early Islamic history, I wanted to acquire an Egyptian coin from the country’s time as part of one of the powerful early caliphates. I found out about this type after a fellow member posted their example on another forum. I especially wanted an Islamic-era Alexandria coin, as a sort of book-end to my collection of coins from that city. Even during the early Islamic period, Greeks were still a numerous and influential force in Alexandria, and this is reflected by the inclusion of the first few Greek letters of the city’s name.

Marwan II and Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Umayyad Caliphate
AE fals
Obv: مِصر ("Misr": Egypt)  over AλE (ALE) in center, finance director's name in margin
Rev: Abbreviated Arabic name of al-Iskandariya "al-Is/rîya" in circle. caliph's name ("Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam" AKA Marwan II) in margin
Mint: al-Iskandariya (Alexandria)
Date: 749 AD
Ref: A-151, W-Kh.9

 

I love coins from the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Vandals, etc., and I often look for and try to pick up affordable ones whenever I can. This time it was one of the earliest coins ever minted by the Visigoths, and one connected directly to the events immediately following their famed Sack of Rome in 410 AD, when they moved into Gaul and started wreaking havoc there and causing headaches for the Romans. It was from these events that the Visigothic Kingdom was born.

In the name of Honorius, Visigoths in Gaul
AR siliqua
Obv: D N HONORI-VS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped bust right
Rev: VICTOR-IA ACGG, Roma seated left on cuirass, holding Victory on globe and spear
Mint: Narbonne (or another mint in Gaul)   
Mintmark: PSRV
Date: 415/418 to 423 AD
Ref: RIC X 3703 var.
Size: 1.1 grams, 11 mm wide

 

I was rather scarce on Carolingian coins overall in my collection in the past mainly due to cost, but as I got back into the history of the Franks/Carolingians, the itch to add more got stronger. I was hoping to find a nice one from Paris, since it was interesting reading about the Viking siege of the city. I wonder if my coin was within the city during this historic event? I also didn’t have a Paris-minted coin in my collection so that was a bonus (its too bad the Romans never established a mint there, but I guess they were covered money supply-wise in that region by Trier).

Charles II (the Bald), West Francia
AR denier
Obv: CARLVS REX FR, cross above, cross within dotted circle in center
Rev: PARISII CIVITAS, temple facade, cross within
Mint: Paris
Date: 840-864 AD
Ref: Coupland, Early 19; Depeyrot 762; M&G 827; MEC 1, 843

 

From what I noticed, apart from a couple of specific rare mints, there does not seem to be any coin type 100% attributable to the great-grandson of Charlemagne, Charles the Fat. Like with coins that may be either Charlemagne or Charles the Bald, when and where a hoard was deposited can be used to determine if a shared coin type can be attributed to a specific ruler. In the case of this CARLVS IMP AVG type, either Charles the Bald, Charles the Fat, or even Charles the Simple. With the help of academic research done in this area, I found that Carolingian deniers went through a weight reduction under an “Emperor Charles”, from a previous established standard of 1.7 grams by Bald, and this standard was reestablished during Fat’s immediate successor Odo. The only emperor between Bald and Odo was Fat, plus Fat reigned longer as emperor (7 years) than Bald (2 years). Simon Coupland himself believes that most of these CARLVS IMP AVG/Bourges coins were likely made by Fat. This coin is an upgrade to a previous one I bought for which I had initially read the research about regarding the weight. This example is 1.6 grams (while my original acquisition is 1.5 grams), below the 1.7 gram Bald/Odo standard, so it checks out as being likely a Fat coin. 

Charles the Fat, Carolingian Empire
AR denier
Obv: CARLVS IMP AVG, cross above, cross within dotted circle in center
Rev: BITVRICES CIVIT, cross to left, KRLS (Karolus) monogram within dotted circle in center
Mint: Bourges
Date: 881-887 AD
Ref: Depeyrot 198

 

Of course, as a Ptolemaic collector, I needed to have coins of the founder of the dynasty himself, Ptolemy I. I had already a small, scarce bronze during his time as satrap of Egypt, but definitely I wanted more. His silver can get expensive, so I found one at a price I found agreeable. It’s has a couple of issues, but its definitely him as evidenced by the delta behind Ptolemy’s ear. It also has a countermark on the lower right obverse that seems to be that of a right-facing bust, so that’s neat too.

Ptolemy I, Ptolemaic Kingdom
AR tetradrachm
Obv: Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis, Δ behind ear
Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, monogram in left field, shield in front of eagle
Mint: Alexandria
Date: 285-246 BC
Ref: Svoronos 256

 

Even after all these years of collecting, I have never forgotten my first love in coin collecting: late Roman coins. And Magnus Maximus is one of my favorite emperors from the era. Quite simply, I was looking to add a nice siliqua of him to my collection. Later I found out that this is a scarce variant due to the unique obverse legend break, and my example is an obverse and reverse die match to the one on Wildwinds.

Magnus Maximus, Western Roman Empire
AR siliqua
Obv: D N MAG MA-XIMVS P F AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: VIRTVS RO-MANORVM, Roma seated facing on throne, head left, holding globe and inverted spear
Mint: Trier
Mintmark: TRP
Date: 383-388
Ref: RIC IX Trier 84c

 

Another coin that represents the meeting of cultures. I was fortunate to have found one of these scarce Islamic overstruck Roman coins. I find the whole idea of old coins being reused hundreds of years later fascinating (such as with my 1st century Roman bronze countermarked by the Ostrogoths/Vandals).  Honorius’s bust is covered by the overstrike in a possible deliberate attempt to follow the then-newly-established prohibition of images on coins.

Umayyad Caliphate
AE fals (overstruck on a Roman follis of Honorius, Virtvs Exerciti type, RIC X 61)
Obv: The Kalima, in Arabic (old obv: D N HONORI [VS P F AVG], pearl-diademed, draped bust right)
Rev: Transformed cross(?) (old rev: VIRTVS-EXERCITI, emperor standing left, head right, holding spear and resting left hand on shield. Victory, standing beside him crowning him with a wreath)
Mint: (Constantinople for undertype)
Mintmark: (CON in ex.)
Date: 697-750 AD (post-coin reform; originally struck 395-401 AD)

 

Here's the other coin that almost made it to the list:

Another coin I was looking for specifically was a nice maiorina/AE2 of Magnus Maximus. At the very least it had to be  problem-free (no corrosion, chips broken off, ugly encrustations, etc.), and have a full obverse legend, clear bust, and a clear to mostly-clear reverse. For AE2s of Magnus Maximus, this is pretty difficult. This particular example was pretty much one of the best that I found, and especially one of the cheaper ones as well. It was initially offered at auction but there were no takers, then it was listed at fixed-price for cheaper so I did not hesitate in going for it.

Magnus Maximus, Western Roman Empire
AE2
Obv: D N MAG MAXI-MVS P F AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: REPARATIO REIPVB, emperor standing left, raising kneeling crowned female to right and holding Victory on globe
Mint: Constantia (Arles)
Mintmark: PCON
Date: 383-388
Ref: RIC 26a

 

And here are the other two Charlemagne Melle deniers I acquired:

 

And finally, the original Charles the Fat/Bourges denier I purchased before later upgrading (although the other coin is not a 100% upgrade since on that one the reverse legend is BITVRICES CIVIT while on this one it is BITVRICES CIVI).

 

Please let me know which ones you like! Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

Edited December 22, 2022 by ValiantKnight

[Qcumbor]

I'll have to vote for the carolingians and the pharos. The whole selection is covetable tough

Q

[ambr0zie]

I am starting to become a big fan of the Pharos coin. I see it more and more often - I think this is a sign I need to get an example?

Although I don't focus on LRBs, I liked the Magnus Maximus siliqua very much.

The octobol is a majestic coin, very impressive, with a big plus for the homogeneous and pleasant patina.

[Hughie Dwyer]

A very nice set of coins - spanning various time periods. I especially like the Hadrian and late Roman examples!

[ValiantKnight]

Glad you like them! As for 2023, so far my plan is to continue my recent collecting patterns of focusing on Carolingians and Ptolemaics, while adding here and there coins from other areas.

[Al Kowsky]

4 hours ago, ValiantKnight said:

At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t really expecting to end up achieving a good number of milestone coins. I am also glad that I was able to restart my Carolingian collection after it being dormant for a while (just got distracted by other areas). While they won’t really win any beauty contests (not really my #1 priority anyways with coins), they all have something unique and interesting to them. They span 1200 years of history; from the late 3rd century BC to the late 9th century AD, and include the very small to the very huge, rulers and mints I never had before, and representations of the merging of cultures.

I was really exited about getting this one in hand. A coin of Charlemagne has been on my want-list for basically forever, but as you might know, they are often small, ugly, and cost an arm. Fortunately, with the help of a forum friend, I was directed to a cheaper coin type that, while typically attributed to his grandson Charles the Bald (who also minted this same type), has certain distinguishing features as identified by academic research that make it more likely that it was struck under Charlemagne himself. It helps that a coin of this same type was found under Aachen chapel in 2008 and was conclusively dated to Charlemagne’s reign. For now I am confident to label this one as Charlemagne. I went a little crazy also, and found two others that I promptly scooped up. 

Charlemagne, Frankish Kingdom/Carolingian Empire
AR denier
Obv: CARLVS REX FR, cross above, cross within dotted circle in center
Rev: METVLLO, cross above, KRLS (Karolus) monogram within dotted circle in center
Mint: Melle
Date: 793/794-814 AD
Ref: Nou-94 

 

One of my white whales for the past couple of years ever since getting more into Ptolemaic coinage was one of these massive bronze octobols. Since they often go for many hundreds of dollars and even around a grand or two, in the meantime I bought a few of the not-as-large but still large bronze drachms. But I still kept my eyes peeled for an affordable octobol, and my patience paid off when I found this one; a whopping 93 grams. Also, I think it’s kind of funny that only a couple of weeks earlier I was gifted one of my smallest Ptolemaic coins, a sharp little bronze from Cyrene.

Ptolemy III Euergetes, Ptolemaic Kingdom
AE octobol
Obv: Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right
Rev: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΠTOΛEMAIOY, eagle with open wings standing left on thunderbolt, head right; E between legs
Mint: Alexandria
Date: 246-222 BC
Ref: Svoronos 446; SNG Copenhagen 142 (Ptolemy II); Lorber series 4
Size: 48 mm, 93 gm

 

While I’ve yet to truly expand into Roman provincials from Egypt, my interest in Ptolemaic coinage led me to wanting a coin depicting the famed Pharos of Alexandria. Due to the popularity of the type I thought I’d be waiting for a while and would need to fork over a good amount of cash but fortunately I acquired this one at what I thought was a good (i.e. budget) price, especially since the lighthouse, while worn, is clear, and the overall coin problem-free. It even sparked a small conversation with my parents about it, who normally aren’t into coins or history, so that was a special plus for me.

Hadrian, Roman Empire
AE drachm
Obv: [AVT KAIC TΡAIAN AΔΡIANOC CEB], laureate head right, slight drapery on left shoulder
Rev: Isis Pharia sailing right, holding sistrum, the Pharos Lighthouse to right with three figures on its summit. L-I-[H] across fields
Mint: Alexandria
Date: 133-134 AD
Ref: Milne 1414; RPC 5895; Dattari 1767

 

After I became interested in Ptolemaic coins, I began to look at coins from other periods of Egypt’s history. Since I am naturally drawn to the more obscure and rare, as well as having an interest in early Islamic history, I wanted to acquire an Egyptian coin from the country’s time as part of one of the powerful early caliphates. I found out about this type after a fellow member posted their example on another forum. I especially wanted an Islamic-era Alexandria coin, as a sort of book-end to my collection of coins from that city. Even during the early Islamic period, Greeks were still a numerous and influential force in Alexandria, and this is reflected by the inclusion of the first few Greek letters of the city’s name.

Marwan II and Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Umayyad Caliphate
AE fals
Obv: مِصر ("Misr": Egypt)  over AλE (ALE) in center, finance director's name in margin
Rev: Abbreviated Arabic name of al-Iskandariya "al-Is/rîya" in circle. caliph's name ("Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam" AKA Marwan II) in margin
Mint: al-Iskandariya (Alexandria)
Date: 749 AD
Ref: A-151, W-Kh.9

 

I love coins from the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Vandals, etc., and I often look for and try to pick up affordable ones whenever I can. This time it was one of the earliest coins ever minted by the Visigoths, and one connected directly to the events immediately following their famed Sack of Rome in 410 AD, when they moved into Gaul and started wreaking havoc there and causing headaches for the Romans. It was from these events that the Visigothic Kingdom was born.

In the name of Honorius, Visigoths in Gaul
AR siliqua
Obv: D N HONORI-VS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped bust right
Rev: VICTOR-IA ACGG, Roma seated left on cuirass, holding Victory on globe and spear
Mint: Narbonne (or another mint in Gaul)   
Mintmark: PSRV
Date: 415/418 to 423 AD
Ref: RIC X 3703 var.
Size: 1.1 grams, 11 mm wide

 

I was rather scarce on Carolingian coins overall in my collection in the past mainly due to cost, but as I got back into the history of the Franks/Carolingians, the itch to add more got stronger. I was hoping to find a nice one from Paris, since it was interesting reading about the Viking siege of the city. I wonder if my coin was within the city during this historic event? I also didn’t have a Paris-minted coin in my collection so that was a bonus (its too bad the Romans never established a mint there, but I guess they were covered money supply-wise in that region by Trier).

Charles II (the Bald), West Francia
AR denier
Obv: CARLVS REX FR, cross above, cross within dotted circle in center
Rev: PARISII CIVITAS, temple facade, cross within
Mint: Paris
Date: 840-864 AD
Ref: Coupland, Early 19; Depeyrot 762; M&G 827; MEC 1, 843

 

From what I noticed, apart from a couple of specific rare mints, there does not seem to be any coin type 100% attributable to the great-grandson of Charlemagne, Charles the Fat. Like with coins that may be either Charlemagne or Charles the Bald, when and where a hoard was deposited can be used to determine if a shared coin type can be attributed to a specific ruler. In the case of this CARLVS IMP AVG type, either Charles the Bald, Charles the Fat, or even Charles the Simple. With the help of academic research done in this area, I found that Carolingian deniers went through a weight reduction under an “Emperor Charles”, from a previous established standard of 1.7 grams by Bald, and this standard was reestablished during Fat’s immediate successor Odo. The only emperor between Bald and Odo was Fat, plus Fat reigned longer as emperor (7 years) than Bald (2 years). Simon Coupland himself believes that most of these CARLVS IMP AVG/Bourges coins were likely made by Fat. This coin is an upgrade to a previous one I bought for which I had initially read the research about regarding the weight. This example is 1.6 grams (while my original acquisition is 1.5 grams), below the 1.7 gram Bald/Odo standard, so it checks out as being likely a Fat coin. 

Charles the Fat, Carolingian Empire
AR denier
Obv: CARLVS IMP AVG, cross above, cross within dotted circle in center
Rev: BITVRICES CIVIT, cross to left, KRLS (Karolus) monogram within dotted circle in center
Mint: Bourges
Date: 881-887 AD
Ref: Depeyrot 198

 

Of course, as a Ptolemaic collector, I needed to have coins of the founder of the dynasty himself, Ptolemy I. I had already a small, scarce bronze during his time as satrap of Egypt, but definitely I wanted more. His silver can get expensive, so I found one at a price I found agreeable. It’s has a couple of issues, but its definitely him as evidenced by the delta behind Ptolemy’s ear. It also has a countermark on the lower right obverse that seems to be that of a right-facing bust, so that’s neat too.

Ptolemy I, Ptolemaic Kingdom
AR tetradrachm
Obv: Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis, Δ behind ear
Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, monogram in left field, shield in front of eagle
Mint: Alexandria
Date: 285-246 BC
Ref: Svoronos 256

 

Even after all these years of collecting, I have never forgotten my first love in coin collecting: late Roman coins. And Magnus Maximus is one of my favorite emperors from the era. Quite simply, I was looking to add a nice siliqua of him to my collection. Later I found out that this is a scarce variant due to the unique obverse legend break, and my example is an obverse and reverse die match to the one on Wildwinds.

Magnus Maximus, Western Roman Empire
AR siliqua
Obv: D N MAG MA-XIMVS P F AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: VIRTVS RO-MANORVM, Roma seated facing on throne, head left, holding globe and inverted spear
Mint: Trier
Mintmark: TRP
Date: 383-388
Ref: RIC IX Trier 84c

 

Another coin that represents the meeting of cultures. I was fortunate to have found one of these scarce Islamic overstruck Roman coins. I find the whole idea of old coins being reused hundreds of years later fascinating (such as with my 1st century Roman bronze countermarked by the Ostrogoths/Vandals).  Honorius’s bust is covered by the overstrike in a possible deliberate attempt to follow the then-newly-established prohibition of images on coins.

Umayyad Caliphate
AE fals (overstruck on a Roman follis of Honorius, Virtvs Exerciti type, RIC X 61)
Obv: The Kalima, in Arabic (old obv: D N HONORI [VS P F AVG], pearl-diademed, draped bust right)
Rev: Transformed cross(?) (old rev: VIRTVS-EXERCITI, emperor standing left, head right, holding spear and resting left hand on shield. Victory, standing beside him crowning him with a wreath)
Mint: (Constantinople for undertype)
Mintmark: (CON in ex.)
Date: 697-750 AD (post-coin reform; originally struck 395-401 AD)

 

Here's the other coin that almost made it to the list:

Another coin I was looking for specifically was a nice maiorina/AE2 of Magnus Maximus. At the very least it had to be  problem-free (no corrosion, chips broken off, ugly encrustations, etc.), and have a full obverse legend, clear bust, and a clear to mostly-clear reverse. For AE2s of Magnus Maximus, this is pretty difficult. This particular example was pretty much one of the best that I found, and especially one of the cheaper ones as well. It was initially offered at auction but there were no takers, then it was listed at fixed-price for cheaper so I did not hesitate in going for it.

Magnus Maximus, Western Roman Empire
AE2
Obv: D N MAG MAXI-MVS P F AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: REPARATIO REIPVB, emperor standing left, raising kneeling crowned female to right and holding Victory on globe
Mint: Constantia (Arles)
Mintmark: PCON
Date: 383-388
Ref: RIC 26a

 

And here are the other two Charlemagne Melle deniers I acquired:

 

And finally, the original Charles the Fat/Bourges denier I purchased before later upgrading (although the other coin is not a 100% upgrade since on that one the reverse legend is BITVRICES CIVIT while on this one it is BITVRICES CIVI).

 

Please let me know which ones you like! Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

V.K., Excellent variety in your additions this year 😊! My favorites are the 3 Charlemagne deniers & the Hadrian drachm 😍.

[ValiantKnight]

10 minutes ago, Al Kowsky said:

V.K., Excellent variety in your additions this year 😊! My favorites are the 3 Charlemagne deniers & the Hadrian drachm 😍.

The deniers and the Hadrian are my favorites as well, along with the Octobol. I also have a particular liking of the Charles the Fat upgrade; so sharp and well struck for a denier of this time period, and the toning is great.

[panzerman]

Great selection of coins! My picks are the Carolingians. I remember Charles the Bald from the Viking series. Here with Rollo's future wife.

[ValiantKnight]

1 hour ago, panzerman said:

Great selection of coins! My picks are the Carolingians. I remember Charles the Bald from the Viking series. Here with Rollo's future wife.

From my understanding, the Charles in the series is not meant to be any particular historical Charles, but rather a combination of Charles the Bald, Fat, and Simple. Bald was king during Ragnar’s siege; Fat reigned during another, later Viking siege and had Count Odo at his side (who historically succeeded him as Frankish king instead of being killed as in the series); and Simple, who negotiated with Rollo and granted him Normandy, and whose daughter was Gisela. The series overall takes several historical liberties and so is not meant to be a true representation of events.

Edited December 20, 2022 by ValiantKnight

[Curtisimo]

Wonderful list @ValiantKnight! The Hadrian Lighthouse is my favorite but the Charlemagne deniers and the Charles the Bald temple coin are great as well.

[ValiantKnight]

16 minutes ago, Curtisimo said:

Wonderful list @ValiantKnight! The Hadrian Lighthouse is my favorite but the Charlemagne deniers and the Charles the Bald temple coin are great as well.

Thanks Curtisimo! The temple denier is definitely a cool one, different from the more common XPISTIANA RELIGIO temple type (not that there’s anything wrong with it; I need to get one of them!).

Edited December 20, 2022 by ValiantKnight

[Magnus Maximus]

Based coins of Magnus Maximus. 

 

[David Atherton]

13 hours ago, ValiantKnight said:

At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t really expecting to end up achieving a good number of milestone coins. I am also glad that I was able to restart my Carolingian collection after it being dormant for a while (just got distracted by other areas). While they won’t really win any beauty contests (not really my #1 priority anyways with coins), they all have something unique and interesting to them. They span 1200 years of history; from the late 3rd century BC to the late 9th century AD, and include the very small to the very huge, rulers and mints I never had before, and representations of the merging of cultures.

I was really exited about getting this one in hand. A coin of Charlemagne has been on my want-list for basically forever, but as you might know, they are often small, ugly, and cost an arm. Fortunately, with the help of a forum friend, I was directed to a cheaper coin type that, while typically attributed to his grandson Charles the Bald (who also minted this same type), has certain distinguishing features as identified by academic research that make it more likely that it was struck under Charlemagne himself. It helps that a coin of this same type was found under Aachen chapel in 2008 and was conclusively dated to Charlemagne’s reign. For now I am confident to label this one as Charlemagne. I went a little crazy also, and found two others that I promptly scooped up. 

Charlemagne, Frankish Kingdom/Carolingian Empire
AR denier
Obv: CARLVS REX FR, cross above, cross within dotted circle in center
Rev: METVLLO, cross above, KRLS (Karolus) monogram within dotted circle in center
Mint: Melle
Date: 793/794-814 AD
Ref: Nou-94 

 

One of my white whales for the past couple of years ever since getting more into Ptolemaic coinage was one of these massive bronze octobols. Since they often go for many hundreds of dollars and even around a grand or two, in the meantime I bought a few of the not-as-large but still large bronze drachms. But I still kept my eyes peeled for an affordable octobol, and my patience paid off when I found this one; a whopping 93 grams. Also, I think it’s kind of funny that only a couple of weeks earlier I was gifted one of my smallest Ptolemaic coins, a sharp little bronze from Cyrene.

Ptolemy III Euergetes, Ptolemaic Kingdom
AE octobol
Obv: Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right
Rev: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΠTOΛEMAIOY, eagle with open wings standing left on thunderbolt, head right; E between legs
Mint: Alexandria
Date: 246-222 BC
Ref: Svoronos 446; SNG Copenhagen 142 (Ptolemy II); Lorber series 4
Size: 48 mm, 93 gm

 

While I’ve yet to truly expand into Roman provincials from Egypt, my interest in Ptolemaic coinage led me to wanting a coin depicting the famed Pharos of Alexandria. Due to the popularity of the type I thought I’d be waiting for a while and would need to fork over a good amount of cash but fortunately I acquired this one at what I thought was a good (i.e. budget) price, especially since the lighthouse, while worn, is clear, and the overall coin problem-free. It even sparked a small conversation with my parents about it, who normally aren’t into coins or history, so that was a special plus for me.

Hadrian, Roman Empire
AE drachm
Obv: [AVT KAIC TΡAIAN AΔΡIANOC CEB], laureate head right, slight drapery on left shoulder
Rev: Isis Pharia sailing right, holding sistrum, the Pharos Lighthouse to right with three figures on its summit. L-I-[H] across fields
Mint: Alexandria
Date: 133-134 AD
Ref: Milne 1414; RPC 5895; Dattari 1767

 

After I became interested in Ptolemaic coins, I began to look at coins from other periods of Egypt’s history. Since I am naturally drawn to the more obscure and rare, as well as having an interest in early Islamic history, I wanted to acquire an Egyptian coin from the country’s time as part of one of the powerful early caliphates. I found out about this type after a fellow member posted their example on another forum. I especially wanted an Islamic-era Alexandria coin, as a sort of book-end to my collection of coins from that city. Even during the early Islamic period, Greeks were still a numerous and influential force in Alexandria, and this is reflected by the inclusion of the first few Greek letters of the city’s name.

Marwan II and Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Umayyad Caliphate
AE fals
Obv: مِصر ("Misr": Egypt)  over AλE (ALE) in center, finance director's name in margin
Rev: Abbreviated Arabic name of al-Iskandariya "al-Is/rîya" in circle. caliph's name ("Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam" AKA Marwan II) in margin
Mint: al-Iskandariya (Alexandria)
Date: 749 AD
Ref: A-151, W-Kh.9

 

I love coins from the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Vandals, etc., and I often look for and try to pick up affordable ones whenever I can. This time it was one of the earliest coins ever minted by the Visigoths, and one connected directly to the events immediately following their famed Sack of Rome in 410 AD, when they moved into Gaul and started wreaking havoc there and causing headaches for the Romans. It was from these events that the Visigothic Kingdom was born.

In the name of Honorius, Visigoths in Gaul
AR siliqua
Obv: D N HONORI-VS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped bust right
Rev: VICTOR-IA ACGG, Roma seated left on cuirass, holding Victory on globe and spear
Mint: Narbonne (or another mint in Gaul)   
Mintmark: PSRV
Date: 415/418 to 423 AD
Ref: RIC X 3703 var.
Size: 1.1 grams, 11 mm wide

 

I was rather scarce on Carolingian coins overall in my collection in the past mainly due to cost, but as I got back into the history of the Franks/Carolingians, the itch to add more got stronger. I was hoping to find a nice one from Paris, since it was interesting reading about the Viking siege of the city. I wonder if my coin was within the city during this historic event? I also didn’t have a Paris-minted coin in my collection so that was a bonus (its too bad the Romans never established a mint there, but I guess they were covered money supply-wise in that region by Trier).

Charles II (the Bald), West Francia
AR denier
Obv: CARLVS REX FR, cross above, cross within dotted circle in center
Rev: PARISII CIVITAS, temple facade, cross within
Mint: Paris
Date: 840-864 AD
Ref: Coupland, Early 19; Depeyrot 762; M&G 827; MEC 1, 843

 

From what I noticed, apart from a couple of specific rare mints, there does not seem to be any coin type 100% attributable to the great-grandson of Charlemagne, Charles the Fat. Like with coins that may be either Charlemagne or Charles the Bald, when and where a hoard was deposited can be used to determine if a shared coin type can be attributed to a specific ruler. In the case of this CARLVS IMP AVG type, either Charles the Bald, Charles the Fat, or even Charles the Simple. With the help of academic research done in this area, I found that Carolingian deniers went through a weight reduction under an “Emperor Charles”, from a previous established standard of 1.7 grams by Bald, and this standard was reestablished during Fat’s immediate successor Odo. The only emperor between Bald and Odo was Fat, plus Fat reigned longer as emperor (7 years) than Bald (2 years). Simon Coupland himself believes that most of these CARLVS IMP AVG/Bourges coins were likely made by Fat. This coin is an upgrade to a previous one I bought for which I had initially read the research about regarding the weight. This example is 1.6 grams (while my original acquisition is 1.5 grams), below the 1.7 gram Bald/Odo standard, so it checks out as being likely a Fat coin. 

Charles the Fat, Carolingian Empire
AR denier
Obv: CARLVS IMP AVG, cross above, cross within dotted circle in center
Rev: BITVRICES CIVIT, cross to left, KRLS (Karolus) monogram within dotted circle in center
Mint: Bourges
Date: 881-887 AD
Ref: Depeyrot 198

 

Of course, as a Ptolemaic collector, I needed to have coins of the founder of the dynasty himself, Ptolemy I. I had already a small, scarce bronze during his time as satrap of Egypt, but definitely I wanted more. His silver can get expensive, so I found one at a price I found agreeable. It’s has a couple of issues, but its definitely him as evidenced by the delta behind Ptolemy’s ear. It also has a countermark on the lower right obverse that seems to be that of a right-facing bust, so that’s neat too.

Ptolemy I, Ptolemaic Kingdom
AR tetradrachm
Obv: Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis, Δ behind ear
Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, monogram in left field, shield in front of eagle
Mint: Alexandria
Date: 285-246 BC
Ref: Svoronos 256

 

Even after all these years of collecting, I have never forgotten my first love in coin collecting: late Roman coins. And Magnus Maximus is one of my favorite emperors from the era. Quite simply, I was looking to add a nice siliqua of him to my collection. Later I found out that this is a scarce variant due to the unique obverse legend break, and my example is an obverse and reverse die match to the one on Wildwinds.

Magnus Maximus, Western Roman Empire
AR siliqua
Obv: D N MAG MA-XIMVS P F AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: VIRTVS RO-MANORVM, Roma seated facing on throne, head left, holding globe and inverted spear
Mint: Trier
Mintmark: TRP
Date: 383-388
Ref: RIC IX Trier 84c

 

Another coin that represents the meeting of cultures. I was fortunate to have found one of these scarce Islamic overstruck Roman coins. I find the whole idea of old coins being reused hundreds of years later fascinating (such as with my 1st century Roman bronze countermarked by the Ostrogoths/Vandals).  Honorius’s bust is covered by the overstrike in a possible deliberate attempt to follow the then-newly-established prohibition of images on coins.

Umayyad Caliphate
AE fals (overstruck on a Roman follis of Honorius, Virtvs Exerciti type, RIC X 61)
Obv: The Kalima, in Arabic (old obv: D N HONORI [VS P F AVG], pearl-diademed, draped bust right)
Rev: Transformed cross(?) (old rev: VIRTVS-EXERCITI, emperor standing left, head right, holding spear and resting left hand on shield. Victory, standing beside him crowning him with a wreath)
Mint: (Constantinople for undertype)
Mintmark: (CON in ex.)
Date: 697-750 AD (post-coin reform; originally struck 395-401 AD)

 

Here's the other coin that almost made it to the list:

Another coin I was looking for specifically was a nice maiorina/AE2 of Magnus Maximus. At the very least it had to be  problem-free (no corrosion, chips broken off, ugly encrustations, etc.), and have a full obverse legend, clear bust, and a clear to mostly-clear reverse. For AE2s of Magnus Maximus, this is pretty difficult. This particular example was pretty much one of the best that I found, and especially one of the cheaper ones as well. It was initially offered at auction but there were no takers, then it was listed at fixed-price for cheaper so I did not hesitate in going for it.

Magnus Maximus, Western Roman Empire
AE2
Obv: D N MAG MAXI-MVS P F AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: REPARATIO REIPVB, emperor standing left, raising kneeling crowned female to right and holding Victory on globe
Mint: Constantia (Arles)
Mintmark: PCON
Date: 383-388
Ref: RIC 26a

 

And here are the other two Charlemagne Melle deniers I acquired:

 

And finally, the original Charles the Fat/Bourges denier I purchased before later upgrading (although the other coin is not a 100% upgrade since on that one the reverse legend is BITVRICES CIVIT while on this one it is BITVRICES CIVI).

 

Please let me know which ones you like! Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

Superb list VK!

If I had to choose a favourite, the Hadrian drachm with the Pharos on the reverse ... incredible coin!

[Limes]

Great coin, congratulations on such a fine collecting year! Good to read that your parents had shown an interest in one of your coins. More then the average 'meh' I get 😉 And it happens to be my favorite too. Also the Ptolemy I tet is really nice, despite its flaws. Great portrait en the eagle shows lovely details! 

[panzerman]

10 hours ago, ValiantKnight said:

From my understanding, the Charles in the series is not meant to be any particular historical Charles, but rather a combination of Charles the Bald, Fat, and Simple. Bald was king during Ragnar’s siege; Fat reigned during another, later Viking siege and had Count Odo at his side (who historically succeeded him as Frankish king instead of being killed as in the series); and Simple, who negotiated with Rollo and granted him Normandy, and whose daughter was Gisela. The series overall takes several historical liberties and so is not meant to be a true representation of events.

You are correct/ not many historical movies/ series are accurate to real events. Genghiz Khan (Omar Sharif) version was a good example. The new netflix series Vlad the "Impaler" vs Mehmet II is still on my watch list. Evil vs good.

[ValiantKnight]

Thanks for the additional comments! The Pharos drachm definitely appears to be a fan-favorite; I was so psyched when I first got it in hand, and surprised it didn’t go for more during the bidding.

On 12/19/2022 at 4:12 PM, ambr0zie said:

The octobol is a majestic coin, very impressive, with a big plus for the homogeneous and pleasant patina.

Agreed. And I think an additional plus is that it does not look to be tooled, as many of these are. It might possibly be smoothed a bit, but not tooled.

Edited December 21, 2022 by ValiantKnight

[ValiantKnight]

On 12/20/2022 at 8:37 AM, panzerman said:

You are correct/ not many historical movies/ series are accurate to real events. Genghiz Khan (Omar Sharif) version was a good example. The new netflix series Vlad the "Impaler" vs Mehmet II is still on my watch list. Evil vs good.

Thanks for the heads up. I’ll have to check this one out. I saw Rise of Empires: Ottomans and thought that was very good.

[DonnaML]

Great coins! My favorites: the Charlemagne, the Hadrian Isia Pharia, and the Magnus Maximus siliqua.

[ValiantKnight]

Thought I'd give an idea of how huge a Ptolemaic octobol is in hand. Compared to my smallest Ptolemaic (12 mm, 1.1 gm) and one of my drachms (42 mm, 65.9 gm).

[Roerbakmix]

Nice haul! I'm most interested in the backstory behind the Charlemagne / Chalres le Chauve denier from Melle. I knew there was some unresolved dispute, and actually once bought this coin (attributed as Chalres le Chauve) for about 100€ (back in 2019 or so), only to sell it as Charlemagne a few months later with a nice profit:

I'm curious: what new evidence since then has come to light? The Aachen denier is certainly interesting! I would be most interested to read your thoughts (or the friend you refer to) - perhaps an idea for a new thread? 

Here is my (currently only) Caroloingian, which I kept as an 'end coin', for my Early Medieval collection. It's not rare, but the toning is spectacular. 

CAROLINGIAN, Charles II "le Chauve". Denomination: AR Denier (.), minted: Le Mans, France; 834-877
Obv: + GRATIA D-I REX, monogram
Rev: + CINOMANIS CIVITAS, cross in the middle
Weight: 1.69g; Ø:19mm. Catalogue: Nou.146c-Dep.559-Prou.420. Provenance: Found near Amiens, France; acq.: 01-2020
 

I sold this one, from BITVRICES, to fund the purchase of my Dronrijp Tremissis, posted earlier. 

CAROLINGIAN, Lotharius. Denomination: AR Denier, minted: Bourges, France; 954-986
Obv: +BITVRICES CIVITAS Tetrastyle temple, with cross on top. Inside, small cross.
Rev: + LOTERIVS REX, cross within dotted border, outside, dotted border
Weight: 1.19g; Ø:19mm
Catalogue: TTB. Nou.7-Prou.755. Provenance: Found near Amiens, France; acq.: 01-2020.
Minted on a relatively small flan, small portion with weak strike

 

 

[Severus Alexander]

Coingrats on a fabulous year!!  Canadians love Anne of Green Gables, and she often speaks of certain friends as "kindred spirits." We are certainly numismatic kindred spirits, I would say. I love every coin on your list, all of which I either have or are high on my want list.

Here are a couple of matching additions of mine from this year.  First, a Pharos drachm:

Also a Visigothic siliqua very similar to yours, including the cast flan and horn silver:

I'm thinking there are two varieties of these, depending on the type of flan used.  What do you think?  I don't actually have this one in hand yet, but will write to you about it when I do! (I wonder if our flan type also has a composition making it more susceptible to horn silver?)

Let me plop in a Carolingian too, since they are so prominent on your list, and I love this period:

Odo (Eudes). King of West Francia, 887-898. AR Denier (22mm, 1.56 g). Limovicas (Limoges) mint. + GRΛTIΛ D - I RE, ODO with qudrilateral Os across field; cross pattée above and below / + LIMOVICΛ(horizontal S) CIVIS, cross pattée. M&G 1332; MEC 1, 973.

As you might remember I was also excited to pick up a fals overstruck on a Roman coin this year, and even bought a Mag Max bronze! I've been chasing a Ptolemy I tet, but no luck so far. As you know I love my oktobol and my Melle Charlemagne. As I said: clearly kindred spirits! ☺️

 

4 hours ago, Roerbakmix said:

I'm curious: what new evidence since then has come to light? The Aachen denier is certainly interesting! I would be most interested to read your thoughts (or the friend you refer to) - perhaps an idea for a new thread?

That'd be me. ☺️ I relied primarily on a series of papers by Simon Coupland, especially this one.  Briefly: based on hoards and other finds, he identifies a number of signs that a coin is Charlemagne’s rather than Charles the Bald’s: the coin is neatly produced; it has barred A’s on the reverse; it features a chevron in the central lozenge of the monogram; and finally a cross occurring at 1 o’clock with respect to a vertical monogram.  In addition, MEC asserts that long thin cross crossbars is another indicator (again based on hoard evidence, those dating from 800-825).  Each of these indicators raises the probability that a particular coin was produced under Charlemagne, so I set out to find one that had all of these indicators. (Most important, I think, are the barred A’s and chevron, which are a little tougher to find.)  No doubt there are coins lacking some of these indicators that were minted under Charlemagne, but it's a very high probability indeed (near certainty, I'd say) that a coin featuring all of them is a Charlemagne coin... especially considering another Coupland observation, which is that the output of the Melle mint under Charlemagne was high.