Jump to content

an attractive Vabalathus & more


Nerosmyfavorite68

Recommended Posts

 

My order finally came in.  While not the most expensive coin of the lot I think this Vabalatnus/Aurelian potin Tet is the best of the lot.  I had been looking to upgrade my rather grotty examples.  It looks even better in person.

 

The regnal year for Aurelian was confusing.  That sure doesn't look like an A to me, more like a sideways gamma (but that would make it too late). However, it looks like Sear RCV 11720.  A spot of damage obliterates Vabalathus' date on this piece.  I suppose it must be delta.VabalathusAurelian-AETetradrachm-Alexandria-21mm_10.82gZurqiehnice.jpg.6925743a55fd93dcd6f080eb99b4a393.jpg

21mm., 10.82g.  Alexandria.  Year 4? Vabalathus and year 1 Aurelian.

Caracalla-198-217-BillonTetradrachm-LaodiceaadMare-29mm14.88g-4thconsulshipcfPrieur1179.jpg.1156f68e402ab65395e39a7ec5694805.jpg

I went back to the uncleaned well again.  Probably the last one for a while.

Seleucis and Pieria. Laodicea ad Mare under Caracalla (AD 192-217). Struck in 4th consulship (AD 215-217). AR tetradrachm (29mm, 14.88g). Laureate bust of Caracalla r. / Eagle with spread wings standing facing, head l., holding wreath in beak; star between legs. cf. Prieur 1179 (different legends).

KhrusruII-591-628-ARdrachm-32mm.4.01gencrustedsandonrx-zurqieh.jpg.9c8246de5fa56968f995e7f921e69637.jpg

32mm., 4.01g.

ID'd on this forum as possibly Bishapur, possible yr. 33.

The Khrusru, aside from the purplish horn silver encrustations, has a nice golden toning.  I certainly didn't expect that.  Can hoard toning be golden?  This is a nice surprise.  I was expecting a cleaned coin, other than the horn silver, kind of like the Heraclius Hexagrams.

ArtabanosIV-10-38-ARDrachm-Ecbatanamint-19mm.3.63gZurqiehuncleaned.jpg.c7a147378ea0957d0e78f8aad8fe01f0.jpg

Artabanos IV (10-38)

 

19mm, 3.63g, Ecbatana mint.

It's slightly less attractive in person, but I bought it because it was the most untouched of the uncleaned Parthian offerings.

However, I think this might be my first Parthian buy since c. 1993! 

And I do have a quick question.  My current order is from Numismatik Naumann, my first order from them.   However, I was informed that the coin would have to wait a bit for an export license (I was not aware of that fact when I ordered) and that it'd take c. 2-3 weeks.

Oh well, it's a pretty nice piece and I guess it's worth waiting for.  It was the nicest piece in that price point.  My parents took coins from H.D. Rauch (purchased in c. 2009) straight home.  Has something changed or were those different circumstances?

How long does it take from Spain?  They have a similar situation.  I have a couple of coins from Spanish dealers bookmarked, but I've been too scared to try.

Edited by Nerosmyfavorite68
  • Like 18
  • Heart Eyes 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great coins! I especially like the Aurelian. I recently bought one too! 

IMG_7400.jpeg.8a9a54d06326d5e64a84430a72363b42.jpeg
Aurelianus (270-272) - Alexandria, with Vabalathus - BI Tetradrachm (dated RY 1 and 4 = AD 270/271, 8.82 gm.) - Laureate, draped and cuir. bust right of Aurelian / Laureate, diademed, draped and cuir. bust right of Vabalathus (Dattari 5422 / Milne 4308 / Emmett 3914)

  • Like 14
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Nerosmyfavorite68 said:

And I do have a quick question.  My current order is from Numismatik Naumann, my first order from them.   However, I was informed that the coin would have to wait a bit for an export license (I was not aware of that fact when I ordered) and that it'd take c. 2-3 weeks.

This was my first order from them as well. I followed up after 20 days for an update and they were saying that I have to wait for the customs folks to visit their office to clear the packages. Not the longest that I've seen but definitely not as streamlined as other auction houses.

  • Mind blown 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This Vabalathus issue is one of the very few in the whole series where the portrait is better than other mints.  An XF one is still on my bucket list.   I'm pretty pleased with this one, both on condition and cost.  An Aur/Vab was one of my earliest coins. However, one side was destroyed by BD. My second wasn't too much better.  However, the one interesting thing about this one is that I think the white flecks are residue of the pseudo-silvering.  Vabalathus' year is clear on this one and obliterated on Aurelian's side.

41084q00.jpg.82dec059ca7ba107c906632f447348c1.jpg

 

Too bad about the Austria export permit thing. I guess I'll only order from Austria at last resort.  Thank goodness they reached out immediately and informed me about it.  The shipping cost was also pretty modest; $21 for DHL Express.  I almost didn't open the email, however.  The person had used their first name only in the header and the topic was cryptic.  I only discovered that it was from N-N when I was about to make a junk mail filter.  It could even out in the end; 3 weeks for a permit and then fast shipping would make it about the same as some of the Captain Slow dealers (like LAC when the strike was going on or Biga).  It is fortunate that I stuck with tried and true Savoca for my dad's present, which I needed quickly.

The Caracalla looks slightly different in hand. I had anticipated the whitish stuff at the top to be hardened  sand.  However, part of it's like the glossy calcite snotcicles that one sees in abandoned mines with a lot of water penetration. (I've been watching abandoned mine explorations lately).

  

  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi All,

 

A good read about these coins is Roger Bland's "The coinage of Vabalathus and Zenobia from Antioch and Alexandria", Numismatic Chronicle 171, 2011 available from Academia.com . The dating is interesting. Quoting Bland:

"Aurelian’s reign began with a small issue of coins in his sole name dated Year 1 (Sep - c Dec 270), and was succeeded by an issue with year one of Aurelian and no regnal year for Vabalathus (c Dec 270 - c Mar 271), followed by another in the names of Aurelian & Vabalathus dated Years 1 & 4 (c Mar 271 - 28 Aug 271. This was succeeded by another issue for Aurelian & Vabalathus of about the same size dated Years 5 & 2 (29 Aug 271 - c Mar 272, and then by a much smaller issue in the names of Vabalathus Augustus & Zenobia from the same year (c Mar - c Jun 272)."

 

Here's one of the early issues.

image.png.b4dcdfaf925e378995520d00e8a26846.png

AURELIAN AND VABALATHUS (270 - 271 CE)
ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT Year 01 (Dec 270 - Mar 271 CE

Bi Tetradrachm
Size: 20x21 mm
Weight: 7.76 g
Axis: 11:00
Broucheion Collection R-2018-01-07.001

Obv: Aurelian laureate cuirassed bust facing right. Legend: AVTKΛΔAV[PHΛIA]NOCCЄB. In left field: L; In right field: A. Dotted border.
Rev: Vabalathus laureate draped cuirassed bust facing right. Legend: IACOVABAΛΛAΘOCAΘHNOVA[VTCPω]. No date in fields. Dotted border.
Refs: Emmett-3914.01; Geissen-3053; Dattari-5421 var, pl vi; Milne-4303; SNG Copenhagen-897; Mionnet 3526; Turin 8514 (corr.); Berne 292, pl vii; Staffieri 'Alexandria In Nummis' #244
Note: Seller's photos.

- Broucheion

  • Like 7
  • Clap 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, Broucheion said:

Hi All,

 

A good read about these coins is Roger Bland's "The coinage of Vabalathus and Zenobia from Antioch and Alexandria", Numismatic Chronicle 171, 2011 available from Academia.com . The dating is interesting. Quoting Bland:

"Aurelian’s reign began with a small issue of coins in his sole name dated Year 1 (Sep - c Dec 270), and was succeeded by an issue with year one of Aurelian and no regnal year for Vabalathus (c Dec 270 - c Mar 271), followed by another in the names of Aurelian & Vabalathus dated Years 1 & 4 (c Mar 271 - 28 Aug 271. This was succeeded by another issue for Aurelian & Vabalathus of about the same size dated Years 5 & 2 (29 Aug 271 - c Mar 272, and then by a much smaller issue in the names of Vabalathus Augustus & Zenobia from the same year (c Mar - c Jun 272)."

 

Here's one of the early issues.

image.png.b4dcdfaf925e378995520d00e8a26846.png

AURELIAN AND VABALATHUS (270 - 271 CE)
ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT Year 01 (Dec 270 - Mar 271 CE

Bi Tetradrachm
Size: 20x21 mm
Weight: 7.76 g
Axis: 11:00
Broucheion Collection R-2018-01-07.001

Obv: Aurelian laureate cuirassed bust facing right. Legend: AVTKΛΔAV[PHΛIA]NOCCЄB. In left field: L; In right field: A. Dotted border.
Rev: Vabalathus laureate draped cuirassed bust facing right. Legend: IACOVABAΛΛAΘOCAΘHNOVA[VTCPω]. No date in fields. Dotted border.
Refs: Emmett-3914.01; Geissen-3053; Dattari-5421 var, pl vi; Milne-4303; SNG Copenhagen-897; Mionnet 3526; Turin 8514 (corr.); Berne 292, pl vii; Staffieri 'Alexandria In Nummis' #244
Note: Seller's photos.

- Broucheion

That is a great informational read. We discussed this back in 2020 on CT. I have one of those scarce Aurelian year 1 coins and I was interested in the chronology. Below is that I posted at the time on the coin, taken from the article:

So, I finally got time to read this article.

I was looking to find out who held Alexandria when these Aurelian year one eagle coins were minted. Was it the short time that Aurelian was in control of the city in 270 (makes sense), or where they minted when Alexandria was under the control of Zabdas occupying the city for Vabalathus/Zenobia before minting the Vabalathus/Aurelian year 4/1 coins? 

The paper lays out the timeline well but does not seem to directly comment on who was in charge when these were minted. Common sense seems to say that they were minted under Aurelian before the city was re-occupied by Zabdas.

Here's some quotes from the paper laying out the timeline in regards to these coins:

  • Autumn 270 - Zabdas invades Egypt, probably shortly after Aurelian’s accession in October. The Roman governor Tenagino Probus briefly regains control of the province but is defeated and killed by the Palmyrenes in December 270. Mint of Alexandria strikes coins in names of Aurelian year 1 and Vabalathus.
  • Zenobia’s general Zabdas conquered Egypt at about this time (October 270). Some of the sources (Zonaras 12.27, Syncellus 721; Dodgeon and Lieu 1991, pp. 86-8; Peachin 1983, p. 327, Watson 1999, pp. 61-2) place the Palmyrene invasion of Egypt early in Aurelian’s reign, although others (Zosimus 1.44, Historia Augusta, Claudius 11.1; Dodgeon and Lieu 1991, pp. 86-7) incorrectly place it in Claudius’s reign. Tenagino Probus, the Governor of Egypt and loyal to Aurelian, briefly regained Alexandria from the Palmyrenes in about November, before the Palmyrenes recaptured it, with support from within the city. Zabdas’s army subsequently defeated Tenagino Probus’s force, and Probus committed suicide (Watson 1999, pp. 62-3).
  • The papyri provide more precise dating evidence for these events: documents from 12 October to 11 November 270 are dated according to ‘the consuls of the current year’, suggesting some confusion as to who was in authority, while twopapyri dated respectively to between 7 and 15 December and 27 December 270 and 25 January 271 are dated to Aurelian’s year one and Vabalathus, suggesting that the Palmyrenes had defeated Tenagino Probus by 15 December 270 (Rathbone 1986, p. 123).
  • Aurelian’s reign began with a small issue of coins in his sole name dated Year 1 (September - c.December 270), and was succeeded by an issue with year one of Aurelian and no regnal year for Vabalathus (c.December 270 – c.March 271), followed by another in the names of Aurelian and Vabalathus dated Years 1 and 4 (c.March 271 - 28 August 271
  • It seems that initally the Egyptian authorities placed Aurelian’s dies imperii after the start of the New Year on 29 August 270, and that coins were issued on this reckoning firstly for Aurelian alone (Year 1), then for Aurelian and Vabalathus (in Aurelian’s Years 1 and 2, December 270 - spring 272)...

With these comments, it seems that these year 1 sole Aurelian eagle coins were minted in October/November - early December 270 when Aurelian's forces controlled the city before Zabdas gained control back in December, then minting of the Vabalathus/Aurelian coins began.”

AurelianMilne4301.jpg.6794317adbf83b48445c6766f7028339.jpg

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This coin has an obvious "LB" tilted the same way the example above has "LA" tilted. 

Aurelian5AlexandriaVabalathus05110.jpg.552b4ed09c463544b62d2c1015aa3f5f.jpgAurelian and Vabalathus, 271-272
20 mm. 9.63 grams.
Tetradrachm of Roman Egypt struck at Alexandria.
AKΛ ΔOM AVPHΛIANOC CEB
Bust of Aurelian right

IAC OVABAΛΛAΘΟC AΘHNΟV...
Bust of Vabalathus right
Struck year 2 of Aurelian (LB) and year 5 of Vabalathus (LЄ).


Sear III 11721. Milne 4330. Emmett "270-271" 3914.

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...