Shea19’s Top 10 Coins of 2023

[Shea19]

I always enjoy reading everyone’s top 10 lists…some great lists this year, and I’ve only gotten through about half of them so far.  I unfortunately haven’t been as active on the site this year (busy year for me and my family), so it’s been great to be able to catch up a bit.  I didn’t buy nearly as many coins over the past year, but it was still a good collecting year overall.  I was especially happy to add a few coins that have been on my list for years…my Roman collection now finally has an Antony and a Brutus!  

Interested to see which of these are your favorites, and as always, please feel free to share any relevant coins. Wishing everyone on the site a very Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

1.  Marc Antony and Octavia cistophorus

My list is in no particular order, but this one is definitely my favorite new coin of the year.  I’ve always wanted to add a Marc Antony portrait coin, and this one has some great history.  It’s a dual portrait issue with Octavian’s sister Octavia, who Antony had married as a political move (which of course didn’t stop him from continuing his affair with Cleopatra).  He had 2 daughters with Octavia: one of their daughters was the mother of the emperor Claudius and grandmother of Caligula, and the other daughter was the grandmother of Nero.  This marriage wasn’t as exciting as his affair with Cleopatra, but it still resulted in 3(!) future emperors.

It’s a really nice big piece in hand: 

Mark Antony and Octavia, Cistophorus (Silver, 28 mm, 11.76 g, 11 h), Ephesus, summer-autumn 39. M ANTONIVS•IMP•COS•DESIG•ITER ET TERT• Conjoined heads of Antony, wearing wreath of ivy, and Octavia to r. / Rev. III•VIR• - R•P•C Dionysus, holding cantharus and thyrsus, standing l. on cista mystica flanked by interlaced serpents with heads erect. RPC I 2202

2. Brutus denarius- I’ve wanted an example of this very popular type for a long time.  It has some wear, but I like that it clearly passed through many Roman hands during one of the most eventful periods in Roman history.  When the coin arrived, I was pleasantly surprised that the surfaces (especially the reverse) were much better than I expected.  

M. Junius Brutus, 54 BC., AR Denarius (19 mm, 3.58 g), Rome. LIBERTAS Head of Libertas to r., wearing pendant earring and necklace./ Rev. BRVTVS The consul L. Junius Brutus, preceded by an accensus, walking l. between two lictors, each carrying fasces with an axe over his l. shoulder.

3.  Epeiros stater- I don’t collect many Greek coins, but I was happy to add this beauty.  I love the depiction of Athena (and I don’t mind the cut on her head, gives it some character).

Epeiros, Ambrakia. Circa 360-338 BC. AR Stater (21 mm, 8.54 g) Pegasos flying right; below, A./ Rev. Head of Athena to l., wearing Corinthian helmet; behind neck guard, oinochoe.

4. Thasos trihemiobol-  I usually don’t go for smaller coins, but this is a type that I’ve always really liked…it’s amazing how much detail they were able to get on such a little die.  This one is also now the oldest coin in my collection.

Thasos, Circa 412-404 BC. AR Trihemiobol (11 mm, 0.84 g). Bald satyr kneeling l., holding kantharos in his r. hand and resting his left on his hip; to l., grasshopper standing l./ Rev.ΘΑΣ-ΙΩΝ Large amphora with high handles; all within incuse square. 

5. Demetrios I drachm- This was a nice new addition to my small Maccabee era collection (I tend to add another one every year around Chanukah).

Seleucid Kings of Syria, Demetrios I Soter, 162-150 BC. AR Drachm (16.5 mm, 4.00 g), Ekbatana. Diademed head of Demetrios I to r./Rev.[B]AΣIΛEΩΣ - [ΔH]MHTPIOY / ΣΩTHPOΣ Apollo seated l. on omphalos, holding arrow in his r. hand and resting his l. on grounded bow.

6. Nero tetradrachm- #1

The next two coins are both Nero tetradrachms from Antioch that I actually got from the same auction…the closing time was around 4:30 AM local time, so I put in bids on both of these the night before thinking I probably wouldn’t win either, and ended up winning both!  I like the different portrait styles, and the clear Nero Caesar (“ΝΕΡΩΝ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ”) in the obverse legends. The first one is from around the time of the Great Fire.

Nero, Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch. Tetradrachm (25 mm, 14.77 g,), RY 10 = 63-64 A.D., ΝΕΡΩΝ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ Laureate head of Nero to right wearing aegis./ Rev.  Eagle with spread wings standing right on thunderbolt; palm frond to R. 

7. Nero tetradrachm #2- This is an earlier portrait style, interesting to see the difference in style from year-to-year.

Nero, Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch, Tetradrachm (25 mm, 11.69 g), RY 9= 62-63 AD . NEPΩN KAIΣAP [Σ]EBAΣTOΣ Laureate head of Nero to r., wearing aegis./ Rev. Eagle with spread wings standing r. on thunderbolt; pellet and palm frond to r.  McAlee 261. RPC I 4185

8. Philip I sestertius-  Just a nice big AE of Philip with a strong portrait.

Philip I, Sestertius (Orichalcum, 27 mm, 14.24 g, 1 h), Rome, 246. IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philip I to r. seen from behind. Rev. AEQVITAS AVGG / S - C Aequitas standing front, head to left, holding scales and cornucopiae.  RIC 166a. From the Peter Corcoran Collection.  

9. Geta- Pisidia- I always like big provincial bronzes, and Pisidia is well-known for having some big heavy AEs…was happy to add this huge clunky Geta bronze.  I alsoreally like the emperor on horseback reverse.

Geta, Pisidia, Antiochia. 209-211 AD. AE 'Sestertius' (32 mm, 28.68 g). IMP CAES P SEPT GETA AVG Laureate head of Geta to r./ Rev. Emperor on horseback galloping to right, hurling spear. 

10.  Otacilia Severa tetradrachm- I’ve wanted a tet of Otacilia for a while, but just hadn’t found the right one yet.  I really love this portrait, especially the detail on her hairstyle.

Otacilia Severa, Antioch, BI Tetradrachm (26 mm, 13.29 g), 244 AD. Draped bust of Otacilia Severa set on crescent to r., wearing stephane./ Rev.  Eagle standing facing on palm with wings spread, head to l. with wreath in beak. McAlee 1086, RPC VIII online ID 29034

And a couple more, because why not?

11. Valerian ant-  This Valerian has an unusual portrait style and an interesting flan shape (which I always appreciate).

Valerian I, Antoninianus (22 mm, 3.00 g) Viminacium, 255 A.D., IMP VALERIANVS P AVG Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Valerian I to r./ Rev. SPES PVBLICA Spes advancing left, holding flower in her right hand and raising skirt with her left.  RIC 257.

12.  Maximinus I denarius- A nice early Max Thrax portrait…love the chin on this one.

Maximinus I, AR Denarius (19 mm, 2.50 g), Rome, 235-236. IMP MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Maximinus I to r., seen from behind/ Rev.PROVIDENTIA AVG Providentia standing front, head to l., holding wand over globe and cornucopiae.  RIC 13

Wishing everyone a very Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Edited December 25, 2023 by Shea19

[Furryfrog02]

Wow! For not being on here much this year, you still had quite a banner year for your collection!

 

They are all amazing but something about that beefy Antony and Octavia is doin it for me.  Wow...

Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to seeing what 2024 has in store for you!

[DonnaML]

These are all wonderful, and it's great to hear from you. My two favorites: #'s 1 (of course!) and 7 (I like the earlier Nero portrait style).

[ambr0zie]

Another top 10 that puts mine to shame. Congratulations!

My choices were #1 (obvious choice because of the beauty of the coin and the historical importance of the persons depicted); #2 - I have a much more modest version but it is one of the coins that made me happiest when buying it; and #3 - because this type with Pegasos and Athena is, for me, one of the most elegant designs. I was able to grab a Corinth archaic type very recently and I had not doubts in adding it to my Top 10. 

The closest to reach the top 3 was #4. Again a type I love. And I have the same thoughts when seeing a small Greek fraction:

1 hour ago, Shea19 said:

it’s amazing how much detail they were able to get on such a little die.  

 

[happy_collector]

Nice additions, @Shea19. My favorites are your #1, 3, and 10. Thanks for sharing!  🙂

[lordmarcovan]

Your #1 and #2 are what I’d pick as #1 and #2 myself.  The Antony and Octavia cistophorus is stunning, and combines both historic appeal and eye appeal.  And large size, to boot.  Hard to top that!

#5 and #8 also caught my eye, though I admired everything.

[Di Nomos]

Excellent coins. I voted 1, 2 & 3, in that order. All very desirable and beautiful.

[singig]

All coins are great , my favorites are the Epeiros stater , the Brutus denarius , nice portraites of Nero , Philip I and Maximinus I . Congratulations !

[Limes]

Now those are some quality coins, congratulations! I really like the cistophorus, but also that Geta provincial is really impressive. Have a great 2024! 

[Shea19]

16 hours ago, ambr0zie said:

and #3 - because this type with Pegasos and Athena is, for me, one of the most elegant designs. I was able to grab a Corinth archaic type very recently and I had not doubts in adding it to my Top 10. 

Thanks!  Yes, I’ve always loved this design as well.  For whatever reason, the Corinth staters tend to be way more expensive, so I went for Epeiros…I was lucky to get a pretty good deal on this one.

Edited December 26, 2023 by Shea19

[Shea19]

On 12/25/2023 at 6:22 PM, DonnaML said:

These are all wonderful, and it's great to hear from you. My two favorites: #'s 1 (of course!) and 7 (I like the earlier Nero portrait style).

Thanks Donna, hope to be around the site more this year.  I really like the earlier portrait style of Nero as well…the other Nero tet was a bit more expensive,  but I think I may actually like the earlier style better.  Very happy to have both! 😁

Edited December 27, 2023 by Shea19

[savitale]

A wonderful set, thanks for sharing! The Marc Antony and Octavia cistophorus is remarkable, especially the reverse in my opinion, so I voted for that among my favorites. I also picked the Valerian antoninianus, as nice ones of those are hard to find and I am still looking for one for my collection.

[Curtisimo]

Great list @Shea19! My favorites are your #1, 3 and 2! Congrats on a great year.

[panzerman]

I picked #1 #3 and #4 as my favorites!

 

Looks like you had a good coin year/ thanks for sharing!

 

John

[El Cazador]

I chose 1 and 11, I know how hard it can be to get a quality Valerian portrait- really well done!!

here is mine for comparison- took me 5 years… cc @savitale

Edited December 28, 2023 by El Cazador

[Al Kowsky]

I voted for #1, 8, & 10 😍.

[Qcumbor]

From this excellent selection I voted as many here for the Cistophorus. My two other picks are the Geta provincial (very impressive big flan with an artistic portrait and beautiful reverse) and the Valerian (finding a good style portrait of his is very difficult IMO)

Q

[Shea19]

20 hours ago, El Cazador said:

I chose 1 and 11, I know how hard it can be to get a quality Valerian portrait- really well done!!

here is mine for comparison- took me 5 years… cc @savitale

Thanks!  Yours is one of the best Valerian portraits I’ve seen, great coin.

I got lucky on mine…I got it on the last day of one of those 4-day marathon Leu auctions for very cheap (I think most bidders had lost interest by the time it got to Valerian 😁)

[El Cazador]

37 minutes ago, Shea19 said:

Thanks!  Yours is one of the best Valerian portraits I’ve seen, great coin.

I got lucky on mine…I got it on the last day of one of those 4-day marathon Leu auctions for very cheap (I think most bidders had lost interest by the time it got to Valerian 😁)

Absolutely fantastic Valerian you got, really neat as those usually pretty ugly 🤣

Edited December 29, 2023 by El Cazador