JayAg47's top 15 coins of 2023

[JayAg47]

Bit late to the party. Compared to 2022, when I only bought a dozen coins focusing solely on quality, in 2023 however, I didn't have any focus and just kept buying whatever I found fancy and within my range. Last year being hectic didn't help me either as I tried to fill my time with mindless scrolling of coin listings. While I'm happy to have most of the coins in my collection, some I could've done better. Only a few acquisitions were planned, the rest simply found their way to me. I made around 25 purchases (with 36 coins), and couldn't trim the list down to 10.

So here are my top 15 ancient coins for this year. 

 

15 & 14- Serapis-Agathodaemon from Alexandria

This is a 2-in-1 situation, as I like them both equally. The top one is a drachm issued under Antoninus Pius, featuring the human-headed snake Serapis-Agathodaemon riding a horse. When I first saw this type posted by @TIF on CT, it instantly became my favourite, and happened to grab this one at an ebay store for a nice price. The coin below is my first Agathodaemon, with thick red patina, and a nice portrait of Hadrian. 

 

13- Overweight denarius of Severus Alexander

Coins of SA are probably some of the most common Roman coins, but I lacked one till I saw this coin. Other than the great condition, what's more special is it's weight at 4.35 grams, which is an outlier for a 3rd century denarii. 

Severus Alexander
225 AD.
19mm, 4.35 grams, unusually heavy for a third century denarius.
IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate and draped bust of Severus Alexander to right.
Reverse - FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing front, head to left, holding two military standards. BMC 220; Cohen 52; RIC 139.

 

12- Gigantomachy 

Athena slaying the snake legged giant Enceladus might be my most favourite scene from Greek mythology. Despite someone biting a chunk off the coin, most important details are still present on both sides.

 

Valerian I
Seleucia ad Calycadnum
Obv. laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Valerian, Α Κ ΠΟ ΛΙΚΙΝ ΟΥΑΛƐΡΙΑΝΟϹ
Rev. Athena Promachos l. spearing at anguiped Enceladus who raises hands in resistance- ϹƐΛΕΥΚƐΩΝ ΤΩΝ Π[ ]ΚΛΥ(?)
253-260 AD, 6.3 g, SNG 1059.

 

11- Biggus Dickus

An all-time favourite among ancient coin aficionados (unless you're a prude). One of my last acquisitions of 2023, featuring Priapus, the Roman god of fertility and gardens in his full glory. 

Septimius Severus- Nicopolis ad Istrum
193-211 A.D.
3.23g
Obverse: AV KAI CEΠ CEVHPOC, laureate head right;
Reverse: NIKOΠOΛI-TΩN ΠPOC IC, Priapus standing and pointing at his phallus.

 

10- Pandian commemorative issue

Let's travel east for this coin, to the south Indian kingdom of the Pandyas. Issued by the Pandyan king Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I, it commemorates capturing the city of Kachi. What's special about this coin is that it's one of the few Pandiyan coins that can be dated, because of the event associated with it, also this coin shows that Pandyas have become the dominant power in the region, who by the way were subjugated by the Cholas for the previous 3 centuries. My write-up on this coin.

Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I
Copper Kasu, 2.85 g
Obv: Twin fish interlinked, with sceptre to left, conch below, crescent above, and unknown symbol to right.
Reverse: கச்சி வழங்கும் பெருமாள் Kachi-Valangum-Perumal in Tamil (The king who offers Kachi)
1258-1260 AD

 

9- LEG IIII of Mark Antony

LEG IIII is considerably less common compared to LEG IV, and it remains a mystery why the Romans opted to mint coins in both variations, with the IIII being minted in even fewer numbers. Anyhow, I not only got an upgrade to my previous Legionary denarius, but a scarcer issue with legible numbers.

Marcus Antonius
LEG IIII (Legio Scythica)
Ar Denarius, mint moving with M. Antony 32-31 BC.
3.42 g.
Obv: ANT AVG – III·VIR·R·P·C Galley r., with sceptre tied with fillet on prow.
Rev. LEG – IIII Aquila between two standards. Sydenham 1220, Crawford 544/16.

 

8- Tetradrachm of Mazakes

An imitation of the Athens owl tetradrachm, issued by Mazakes. He was the last Achaemenid satrap of Egypt under Darius III. Despite the numerous test cuts, I won this coin as a part of a lot for really cheap, making it one of my favourite scores. 

Mazakes
Persia/Alexandrine Empire. Satrap of Mesopotamia, circa 331-323/2 BC.
AR Tetradrachm, 17.08g
Imitating Athens. Helmeted head of Athena right / Owl standing right, head facing; olive spray and crescent to left, "Mazakes symbol" and Aramaic MZ[DK] to right in retrograde.

 

7- Pompey Magnus

Possibly a lifetime issue minted between 64/63 BC to 48 BC, the time between the founding of Pompeiopolis to his assassination. Definitely a cheap way to own a portrait coin of Pompey Magnus with his iconic hairstyle. 

Obv: Head of Pompey the Great right; A behind.
Rev: ΠΟΜΠΗΙΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ.
Nike advancing right, holding palm frond and wreath; two monograms to right. Countermark in the center. 4.62g.

 

6- Massive Alexander Tetradrachm

I've always wanted one of those tetradrachms minted on a broad flan of >35mm, and these ones from Temnos seem to be the cheaper option. I love the feel of this coin in hand! 

In name of Alexander III, Aeolis, Temnos mint
circa 188-170 BC, 35mm., 15.2 g.
Obv: Head of Heracles wearing lion skin headdress.
Rev: Zeus Aëtophoros seated holding eagle and sceptre; monogram and E above knee, oinochoe within vine tendril at feet. Price 1676.

 

5- As of Nero

This one is not really special, and most of us have one in our collection. But I've always wanted one of the 'fat busts' and I really love the imperial portraiture of Nero on this coin, and also the strong legends that state his name. 

Obv: IMP NERO CAESAR AVG P MAX TR P PP. Nero, bare head right.
Rev: SC left and right in the field. Victory, draped, flying to the left, holds a shield inscribed SPQR. 10.2g

 

4- Julia Domna Veneri Victr

Another one of my long-sought coin, Julia Domna's denarius featuring the nude Venus. I waited for the right specimen with definite features. They say that the gods on coins often represent the attributes of the emperor/empress, I'm not sure what Domna and Severus were trying to prove having naked Venus and ithyphallic Priapus on their coinage!  

Julia Domna, 193-195 AD, 2.36g.
IVLIA DOMNA AVG
VENERI VICTR, Venus standing right, naked to waist, leaning on column to left, holding palm and helmet.

 

3- Lysimachos Tetradrachm

One of my dream coins that depicts Alexander as himself and not as idealised Hercules. I love the high relief and the upward gaze of these Greek portraits. Moreover, there were no specific attribution when I bought it, and part of the fun was hunting down the mint as well as the obverse die-match. 

Kings of Thrace (Macedonian). Lysimachos, AR Tetradrachm, 16.43 g, 27 mm. 305-281 BC, Sardes mint.
Obv: Diademed head of the deified Alexander right, wearing horn of Ammon.
Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ. Athena seated left on throne, holding Nike and spear over shoulder. ΠPΕ monogram outer left, ΔK monogram in exergue.
Ref: Thompson 86; HGC 3.2, 1750d.

 

The Rise...

2. Denarius of Augustus 

I bought this coin from ebay as nothing more than an unattributed junk covered in thick layers of horn silver, and after some cleaning, I turned it into one of my favourite coins that I own. My post on this coin.

Augustus
AR Denarius (3.32 gm), Lugdunum mint.
circa 15-13 BC.
Obv: AVGVSTVS DIVI F, bare head right with chopmarks.
Rev: IMP X Bull butting to right.

 

...and The Fall

1- Solidus of Basiliscus

Sometimes a coin just finds its way to you. I never intended to acquire such a coin, in fact, I wasn't even aware of who Basiliscus was until a few months ago. Nevertheless, I now own it, and it has become my most cherished possession. Regarding the significance of the coin, It was minted right around the year when Rome, at-least the Western-half fell to the Barbarians! 

Obv: Basiliscus in Military dress standing facing. DN BASILISCVS PP AVG
Rev: Victory standing left supporting long jeweled cross. In right field star. VICTORIA AVGGG Δ. CONOB in exergue.
Weight: 4.45g
475 - 476 AD
RIC 1003
 

Honourable mention: 

While not an ancient, this is certainly a coin that I've wanted for a long time in this grade, even before I started collecting ancient coins. I think it deserves a place in this thread.

And that concludes my list of favourite coins from 2023. Thank you for viewing and please vote for your favourites! 

 

 

Edited January 7 by JayAg47

[Qcumbor]

Great coin year. I like the Augustus/bull denarius since I first saw it in your post about it. Also Domna for its excellent reverse and Severus Alexander and its huge weight

Well done

Q

[Hrefn]

@JayAg47, a fine collection of finds for 2023.  As a collector of late Roman and Byzantine solidi, I have to ask how you came to acquire the Basiliscus?  I almost never see them, and I have yet to acquire one.

[JayAg47]

1 hour ago, Hrefn said:

@JayAg47, a fine collection of finds for 2023.  As a collector of late Roman and Byzantine solidi, I have to ask how you came to acquire the Basiliscus?  I almost never see them, and I have yet to acquire one.

I frequent a dealer's website but often overlooked their gold section, but once I peeked and saw this one listed, at first look I was not interested but then read the name of the emperor whom I didn't know before, after some research I had to have it, so I bought the coin for a reasonable price (which was still more than twice as much as a normal solidus, but still cheap for a Basiliscus). 

Edited January 7 by JayAg47

[JeandAcre]

I have to like your last three, the Lysachimos tetradrachm, the (expertly cleaned) Augustus denarius, and the frankly mind-blowing solidus of Basiliscus.  The irony of the most accurate portrait of Alexander being on a still-recently posthumous issue is really registering.  ...Got to at least Wiki Basiliscus! 

[panzerman]

I like the AV Soldus of Basiliscus/ and the Peace Dollar. I used to collect Morgan and Peace Dollars when I first started into coins. I bought them from Paramoumy nt. Still have them 40 MS Morgans/ 17 Peace Dollars. I bought these cheap after they found a hoard in a guys basement. I have a Salus Republicae type Basiliscus & Marcus Solidus (Roma event) Still need your type.

[Marsyas Mike]

Nice grouping.  That Lysimachos tetradrachm is my favorite, if only because I wanted one for a long time.  Someday...

I also voted for Pompey - I agree, that is a cheap way to get his portrait.  I blundered onto one in '22:

[Limes]

Some fantastic and very interesting coins you got this (last) year, well done! I like the fact that they all have something special about them, or a story to tell: big size, weight, or story. I ended up voting for the Hadrian Agathodaemon (I cant pronounce or spell that properly...), your Valerian with the Gigantomachy on the reverse, and the Lysimachos tetradrachm with Alexander on the obverse. Have a great 2024!

[Al Kowsky]

On 1/7/2024 at 8:14 AM, JayAg47 said:

Bit late to the party. Compared to 2022, when I only bought a dozen coins focusing solely on quality, in 2023 however, I didn't have any focus and just kept buying whatever I found fancy and within my range. Last year being hectic didn't help me either as I tried to fill my time with mindless scrolling of coin listings. While I'm happy to have most of the coins in my collection, some I could've done better. Only a few acquisitions were planned, the rest simply found their way to me. I made around 25 purchases (with 36 coins), and couldn't trim the list down to 10.

So here are my top 15 ancient coins for this year. 

 

15 & 14- Serapis-Agathodaemon from Alexandria

This is a 2-in-1 situation, as I like them both equally. The top one is a drachm issued under Antoninus Pius, featuring the human-headed snake Serapis-Agathodaemon riding a horse. When I first saw this type posted by @TIF on CT, it instantly became my favourite, and happened to grab this one at an ebay store for a nice price. The coin below is my first Agathodaemon, with thick red patina, and a nice portrait of Hadrian. 

 

13- Overweight denarius of Severus Alexander

Coins of SA are probably some of the most common Roman coins, but I lacked one till I saw this coin. Other than the great condition, what's more special is it's weight at 4.35 grams, which is an outlier for a 3rd century denarii. 

Severus Alexander
225 AD.
19mm, 4.35 grams, unusually heavy for a third century denarius.
IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate and draped bust of Severus Alexander to right.
Reverse - FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing front, head to left, holding two military standards. BMC 220; Cohen 52; RIC 139.

 

12- Gigantomachy 

Athena slaying the snake legged giant Enceladus might be my most favourite scene from Greek mythology. Despite someone biting a chunk off the coin, most important details are still present on both sides.

 

Valerian I
Seleucia ad Calycadnum
Obv. laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Valerian, Α Κ ΠΟ ΛΙΚΙΝ ΟΥΑΛƐΡΙΑΝΟϹ
Rev. Athena Promachos l. spearing at anguiped Enceladus who raises hands in resistance- ϹƐΛΕΥΚƐΩΝ ΤΩΝ Π[ ]ΚΛΥ(?)
253-260 AD, 6.3 g, SNG 1059.

 

11- Biggus Dickus

An all-time favourite among ancient coin aficionados (unless you're a prude). One of my last acquisitions of 2023, featuring Priapus, the Roman god of fertility and gardens in his full glory. 

Septimius Severus- Nicopolis ad Istrum
193-211 A.D.
3.23g
Obverse: AV KAI CEΠ CEVHPOC, laureate head right;
Reverse: NIKOΠOΛI-TΩN ΠPOC IC, Priapus standing and pointing at his phallus.

 

10- Pandian commemorative issue

Let's travel east for this coin, to the south Indian kingdom of the Pandyas. Issued by the Pandyan king Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I, it commemorates capturing the city of Kachi. What's special about this coin is that it's one of the few Pandiyan coins that can be dated, because of the event associated with it, also this coin shows that Pandyas have become the dominant power in the region, who by the way were subjugated by the Cholas for the previous 3 centuries. My write-up on this coin.

Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I
Copper Kasu, 2.85 g
Obv: Twin fish interlinked, with sceptre to left, conch below, crescent above, and unknown symbol to right.
Reverse: கச்சி வழங்கும் பெருமாள் Kachi-Valangum-Perumal in Tamil (The king who offers Kachi)
1258-1260 AD

 

9- LEG IIII of Mark Antony

LEG IIII is considerably less common compared to LEG IV, and it remains a mystery why the Romans opted to mint coins in both variations, with the IIII being minted in even fewer numbers. Anyhow, I not only got an upgrade to my previous Legionary denarius, but a scarcer issue with legible numbers.

Marcus Antonius
LEG IIII (Legio Scythica)
Ar Denarius, mint moving with M. Antony 32-31 BC.
3.42 g.
Obv: ANT AVG – III·VIR·R·P·C Galley r., with sceptre tied with fillet on prow.
Rev. LEG – IIII Aquila between two standards. Sydenham 1220, Crawford 544/16.

 

8- Tetradrachm of Mazakes

An imitation of the Athens owl tetradrachm, issued by Mazakes. He was the last Achaemenid satrap of Egypt under Darius III. Despite the numerous test cuts, I won this coin as a part of a lot for really cheap, making it one of my favourite scores. 

Mazakes
Persia/Alexandrine Empire. Satrap of Mesopotamia, circa 331-323/2 BC.
AR Tetradrachm, 17.08g
Imitating Athens. Helmeted head of Athena right / Owl standing right, head facing; olive spray and crescent to left, "Mazakes symbol" and Aramaic MZ[DK] to right in retrograde.

 

7- Pompey Magnus

Possibly a lifetime issue minted between 64/63 BC to 48 BC, the time between the founding of Pompeiopolis to his assassination. Definitely a cheap way to own a portrait coin of Pompey Magnus with his iconic hairstyle. 

Obv: Head of Pompey the Great right; A behind.
Rev: ΠΟΜΠΗΙΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ.
Nike advancing right, holding palm frond and wreath; two monograms to right. Countermark in the center. 4.62g.

 

6- Massive Alexander Tetradrachm

I've always wanted one of those tetradrachms minted on a broad flan of >35mm, and these ones from Temnos seem to be the cheaper option. I love the feel of this coin in hand! 

In name of Alexander III, Aeolis, Temnos mint
circa 188-170 BC, 35mm., 15.2 g.
Obv: Head of Heracles wearing lion skin headdress.
Rev: Zeus Aëtophoros seated holding eagle and sceptre; monogram and E above knee, oinochoe within vine tendril at feet. Price 1676.

 

5- As of Nero

This one is not really special, and most of us have one in our collection. But I've always wanted one of the 'fat busts' and I really love the imperial portraiture of Nero on this coin, and also the strong legends that state his name. 

Obv: IMP NERO CAESAR AVG P MAX TR P PP. Nero, bare head right.
Rev: SC left and right in the field. Victory, draped, flying to the left, holds a shield inscribed SPQR. 10.2g

 

4- Julia Domna Veneri Victr

Another one of my long-sought coin, Julia Domna's denarius featuring the nude Venus. I waited for the right specimen with definite features. They say that the gods on coins often represent the attributes of the emperor/empress, I'm not sure what Domna and Severus were trying to prove having naked Venus and ithyphallic Priapus on their coinage!  

Julia Domna, 193-195 AD, 2.36g.
IVLIA DOMNA AVG
VENERI VICTR, Venus standing right, naked to waist, leaning on column to left, holding palm and helmet.

 

3- Lysimachos Tetradrachm

One of my dream coins that depicts Alexander as himself and not as idealised Hercules. I love the high relief and the upward gaze of these Greek portraits. Moreover, there were no specific attribution when I bought it, and part of the fun was hunting down the mint as well as the obverse die-match. 

Kings of Thrace (Macedonian). Lysimachos, AR Tetradrachm, 16.43 g, 27 mm. 305-281 BC, Sardes mint.
Obv: Diademed head of the deified Alexander right, wearing horn of Ammon.
Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ. Athena seated left on throne, holding Nike and spear over shoulder. ΠPΕ monogram outer left, ΔK monogram in exergue.
Ref: Thompson 86; HGC 3.2, 1750d.

 

The Rise...

2. Denarius of Augustus 

I bought this coin from ebay as nothing more than an unattributed junk covered in thick layers of horn silver, and after some cleaning, I turned it into one of my favourite coins that I own. My post on this coin.

Augustus
AR Denarius (3.32 gm), Lugdunum mint.
circa 15-13 BC.
Obv: AVGVSTVS DIVI F, bare head right with chopmarks.
Rev: IMP X Bull butting to right.

 

...and The Fall

1- Solidus of Basiliscus

Sometimes a coin just finds its way to you. I never intended to acquire such a coin, in fact, I wasn't even aware of who Basiliscus was until a few months ago. Nevertheless, I now own it, and it has become my most cherished possession. Regarding the significance of the coin, It was minted right around the year when Rome, at-least the Western-half fell to the Barbarians! 

Obv: Basiliscus in Military dress standing facing. DN BASILISCVS PP AVG
Rev: Victory standing left supporting long jeweled cross. In right field star. VICTORIA AVGGG Δ. CONOB in exergue.
Weight: 4.45g
475 - 476 AD
RIC 1003
 

Honourable mention: 

While not an ancient, this is certainly a coin that I've wanted for a long time in this grade, even before I started collecting ancient coins. I think it deserves a place in this thread.

And that concludes my list of favourite coins from 2023. Thank you for viewing and please vote for your favourites! 

 

 

Jay, Looks like you had a great year & posted a lovely presentation🤩! My 3 favorites are #1 the gold solidus of Basiliscus, #3 the Lysimachus tet, & the 1923 Peace $1. I'm impressed by the full strike of the Peace $1 😲. This coin looks better than most of the MS65 examples I've seen 😉.

[AETHER]

I like your selections.  I will go with the Augustus, because I seen what you did with it and how it looked, what a find. 

Edited January 9 by AETHER

[Salomons Cat]

I just noticed that I have not reacted to this post yet.

Great presentation of your coins! It's a very interesting selection. My favorites are Basiliscus (incredible coin!), Julia Domna with the Venus reverse and probably Priapus.  The ancient Romans were certainly not prude 😄 I have not seen many coins with Priapus yet, so I assume that they're quite scarce. 

I cannot say anything about the last coin, except that I have absolutely no clue about US coins. I do not know what makes it special or why it is in a slab. That's how my friends must feel when I show them my ancient coins.

Edited February 16 by Salomons Cat