Post your latest ancient!

[CPK]

This one took two months coming over from Spain. I like animals on coins, and this leaping lion is one of the nicest I've seen on a Roman coin. Gallienus commissioned an entire series of legionary coins; this one was struck in honor of Legio IIII Flavia Felix, a legion founded by Vespasian in A.D. 70. It was active primarily in Dacia (under Domitian and Trajan) and Moesia Superior.

 

 

 

[expat]

28 minutes ago, CPK said:

This one took two months coming over from Spain. I like animals on coins, and this leaping lion is one of the nicest I've seen on a Roman coin. Gallienus commissioned an entire series of legionary coins; this one was struck in honor of Legio IIII Flavia Felix, a legion founded by Vespasian in A.D. 70. It was active primarily in Dacia (under Domitian and Trajan) and Moesia Superior.

 

 

 

Nice portrait but a great rendition of the lion. Good pick up.

[singig]

This is a new antoninianus that I bought recently.  The photo was made with my cell phone , I discoverd recenlty the image clipper, a built-in feature in Samsung's Gallery app that makes lifting subjects from images quick and easy. 

Claudius II AE Antoninianus. Antioch Mint. RIC 213    
IMP C CLAVDIVS AVG, radiate and draped bust right, seen from the back / 
IVVENTVS AVG, Hercules standing front, head left, holding club and lionskin, dot in ex.  

Edited June 25, 2023 by singig

[singig]

Another coin that I bought recently. 

Have you ever seen a Claudius II silver antoninianus ?  My impresion is that is containing much more silver than copper, I don't think is billon.

Claudius II, AR ? antoninianus, Rome mint. RIC 100
IMP CLAVDIVS AVG, radiate head right / 
SECVRIT AVG, Securitas standing front, looking left, legs crossed, leaning on column and holding short sceptre. XI in right field.

Edited June 25, 2023 by singig

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Yes, Dr. Fishman had a couple of them in c. 2006. Both were from the Antioch mint.  I regret not buying at at least one of them.

[robinjojo]

The bidding for me was quite brutal during the Roma E-Sale 109.  I was able to snag a couple of Seleucid coins and a Postumus double sestertius.

Seleukid Empire, Antiochos II Theos AR Tetradrachm. In the name of Seleukos I, and types of Alexander III of Macedon. Susa, 261-246 BC. Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress / Zeus Aëtophoros seated to left, holding sceptre; ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ below, ΣEΛEYKOY to right, monogram in left field, monogram below throne. SC 603.3a; HGC 9, 235. 17.05g, 28mm, 9h.

Near Extremely Fine; beautiful light cabinet tone.

 

Seleukid Empire, Philip I Philadelphos AR Tetradrachm. Uncertain Eastern mint (possibly Antioch), circa 95-75 BC. Diademed head to right / Zeus Nikephoros seated to left on throne, holding sceptre; ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟY to right, ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟYΣ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΟY to left, monogram under throne, Π in exergue; all within laurel wreath. SC 2464b; HGC 9, 1320. 15.82g, 26mm, 12h.

Extremely Fine.

There are a lot of these tetradrachms on the market - must be a hoard or two of them.

 

Postumus Æ Double Sestertius. Treveri, AD 261. IMP C M CASS LAT POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / VIRTVS AVG, Jupiter advancing to right, head reverted to left, holding eagle in left and thunderbolt in right hands. RIC V.2 178 (Lugdunum); C. 414; Mairat, 2014 (unpublished PhD thesis), -; Bastien 289; Auctiones e-3, 128 (same dies). 19.55g, 30mm, 11h.

Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare; possibly the fifth known example as Bastien noted only three pieces, Mairat none, and there is only one on CoinArchives.

 

 

 

Edited June 25, 2023 by robinjojo

[Prieure de Sion]

Oh man! That's what happens to people when you take part in an auction with the (small) iPhone Mini while also taking part in a family entertainment with the other ear. Yes - we men are just not multitaskers. 

Then it happens that you thought you were buying a Gordianus & Tranquillina for a friend - but then you realise that you misjudged one or two lot numbers too late - and now you have (surprise!) a Philippus with his wife Otacilia.

Ok - it's a nice portrait - especially Otacilia has a really nice bust. But what do I do with it now? My friend wanted a Gordianus, I don't collect a Philippus. Well - the coin was not expensive, it will end up in the shop and a collector will pick it up sooner or later.

Don't use small mobile phone displays at auctions! And don't talk to family or friends on the side!

😂

 

Moesia Inferior. Marcianopolis. Philip I and Otacilia Severa AD 244-249
Pentassarion (5 Assaria) Æ 28 mm, 12,91 g, Varbanov 2085-86

ΑΥΤ Μ ΙΟΥΛ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟC ΑΥΓ Μ [ⲰΤΑΚ CЄΒΗΡΑ] [..], confronted busts of Philip I right, laureate, draped, and cuirassed, and Otacilia Severa left, diademed and draped / ΥΠ ΠΡΑCΤ ΜЄCCΑΛΛЄΙΝΟΥ ΜΑΡΚΙΑΝΟΠΟΛЄΙΤΩΝ, Tyche standing left, wearing kalathos, holding rudder and cornucopia; E (mark of value) in left field.

 

[Salomons Cat]

1 hour ago, Prieure de Sion said:

Ok - it's a nice portrait - especially Otacilia has a really nice bust. But what do I do with it now?

I've had a similar problem a while ago. I only collect Roman Imperial denarii, until Maximinus Thrax. I only had 2-3 coins that don't fit into that pattern.

But one day, there was a beautiful antoninianus of Otacilia on vcoins, with the most beautiful portrait of her that I could imagine and at 70$ the price seemed ok. So I bought it:

Then, the problem was, that she was quite alone in my collection. So I went to the YOTHR store and bought a Philippus antoninianus for her :,)
Now they sit next to my Roman Imperial denarii, together. But the gap between Maximinus and them will never be filled...

Back 2 topic:
I bought great coins recently, but they did not arrive yet. The last one that I bought, that has already arrived, is Julia Titi:

Julia Titi. Augusta, AD 79-90/1. AR Denarius (20mm, 3.44 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Titus, AD 80-81. IVLIA AVGVSTA TITI AVGVSTI F •, draped bust right, wearing stephane, hair in long plait at back / VENVS AVGVST, Venus, seen half from behind, naked to the hips, standing right, right knee bent, resting left elbow on column, holding helmet up in right hand and transverse spear in left. RIC II.1 388; RSC 14.

Edited June 25, 2023 by Salomons Cat

[Prieure de Sion]

16 minutes ago, Salomons Cat said:

But one day, there was a beautiful antoninianus of Otacilia on vcoins, with the most beautiful portrait of her that I could imagine and at 70$ the price seemed ok. So I bought it:

Ok... understandable - it's a really excellent and also very beautiful portrait!

 

17 minutes ago, Salomons Cat said:

I bought great coins recently, but they did not arrive yet. The last one that I bought, that has already arrived, is Julia Titi:

Wow... and another beautiful portrait! Not easy to find such a nice front and back of this guy. and as written - a very great portrait! It's rare to get such a good condition.

[Kamnaskires]

Had two auction wins over the past two days. Won’t have them in hand for several days, so these are dealers’ pics below. Looking forward to adding them to my collection. I already own a nice Orodes III tet similar to the top one – and in fact the one I have is an obverse die match. But I got the one below for a relatively low bid, so I couldn’t resist. While the coin below it (an Orodes I tet) doesn't look like much, it is very rare and has been one of my holy grails for years. I’m especially pleased with that pickup.

 

Above:

Orodes III (Elymais)

AE tetradrachm

2nd century AD

Variant of van’t Haaff type 16.3 or 16.4.

 

Below:

Orodes I (Elymais)

AE tetradrachm

Late 1st to early 2nd century AD

van’t Haaff 11.2.1-1a

[seth77]

This is not by far rare, nor of great numismatic importance, but for some reason I really love this coin, my first Gordian III denarius:

AR20mm 2.81g silver denarius, minted at Rome ca. summer 241.
IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG; laureate, draped cuirassed bust r.
VENVS VICTRIX; Venus standing left, leaning on shield, holding transverse scepter and helmet.
RIC IV 131

 

The pic is not suggestive enough but it's a pretty nice coin, despite the normal wear. Gordian had a series of denarii minted at Rome for his wedding in the summer of 241 and they are present in most auctions. They are of pretty good billon and many are offered in very nice quality, but I really like this one.

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by seth77

[Prieure de Sion]

A Germanicus made it to me tonight. I found the bronze quite nice - you often can't say exactly why you find a coin attractive. I find it somehow beautiful. Here is the bronze - and the description of the auction house (unchecked).

 

Germanicus. Died AD 19. Æ As (28.5mm, 10.43 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Gaius (Caligula), AD 37-38. Bare head left / Legend around large S • C. RIC I 35 (Gaius). Brown surfaces, some roughness and spots of inactive, green corrosion. Good VF. From the Conti Collection, purchased from Harlan J. Berk.

 

[Prieure de Sion]

And another coin has found its way to me - this time from Tauler & Fau in Spain. Thanks to the Spanish authorities, I will have to wait 6-8 weeks until the papers are ready again 🙂 ... I hope it's worth the wait.

 

Gordian III. Denarius. 240 d.C. Rome. (Ric-IV 81). (Rsc-234). Anv.: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right. Rev.: P M TR P III COS P P, Gordian on horseback to left, raising hand and holding sceptre. Ag. 2,78 g (Data from auction house - not verified).

[expat]

This arrived this morning, kindly sent by @Sulla80

 

[Prieure de Sion]

Today I had this beautiful denarius of the Roman Republic with me for about 15min - then I passed the beautiful coin on. But even though the denarius was only "with me" for a short time - I find it so beautiful that I want to show it to you. It is a denarius of Quintus Philippus.

Q. Philippus was a Republican moneyer, presumably the grandson of the Q. Marcius Philippus who was Consul in 186 and 169 BC. The reverse refers to the campaign of Q. Marcius Philippus against the Macedonian king Perseus in 169 BC. The beginning of the war proved fortunate for Perseus, King of Macedonia. In the battle at Larissa, he was able to defeat the army of Publius Licinius Crassus, but due to the interference of Quintus Marcius Philippus, who assured Perseus that Rome did not want war and proposed negotiations, he lost time and allowed the Romans to retreat calmly to the sea. As the victor, he offered peace to Rome, but this proposal was rejected. There began to be problems with discipline in the Roman troops, and the Roman generals struggled to find a way to successfully invade Macedonia. Meanwhile, Perseus defeated another Roman army stationed in Illyria. At the same time, he attempted to conquer Pergamum, but this attempt was unsuccessful. In 169 BC, Quintus Marcius Philippus, now serving as consul, crossed Olympus and invaded Macedonia. However, his army was too exhausted from the difficult journey, and Marcius avoided a decisive battle. Finally, in 168 BC, the command of the Roman army was given to Consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus - an elderly man, but one known for his firm spirit, honesty, and incorruptibility. He quickly restored discipline in the troops and, as a result of successful operations, pushed Perseus out of the mountain passes.

 

Quintus Marcius Philippus
Denarius of the Roman Republic Period 129 BC; Material: Silver; Diameter: 21mm; Weight: 3.82g; Mint: Rome; Reference: Crawford RRC RRC 259/1; Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma, right, with curl on left shoulder; helmet has star on flap. Border of dots; Reverse: Macedonian horseman galloping right, wearing crested helmet, holding reins in left hand and spear in right hand. Border of dots. The Inscription reads: Q PILIPVS ROMA for Quintus [Marcius] Philippus, Roma.

 

I wish the new owner much and long joy with it!

[DonnaML]

I've been trying to slow down a bit in buying coins this year, so I bought only four ancient coins in June -- a lot fewer than I did in June of last year! Here's one that just arrived. There's something about the color that really appealed to me.

Claudius I AE Obol, Year 10 (AD 49/50), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, ΤΙ ΚΛΑV ΚΑΙ ϹƐΒΑϹ ΓƐΡΜ / Rev. Closed hand to left, holding two grain-ears and two poppies, ΑVΤ - ΟΚΡΑ across fields above hand, L - I (Year 10) across fields below hand. 20.4 mm., 4.10 g. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. I  5177 (1992); RPC I Online at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/5177; Emmett 89.10 [Emmett, Keith, Alexandrian Coins (Lodi, WI, 2001)]; Milne 116 at p. 4 [Milne, J.G., Catalogue of Alexandrian Coins (Oxford 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay, 1971)]; BMC 16 Alexandria 103 at p. 13 (ill. Pl. XXX) [Poole, Reginald Stuart, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 16, Alexandria (London 1892)], K&G 12.66 (ill. p. 52) [Kampmann, Ursula & Ganschow, Thomas, Die Münzen der römischen Münzstätte Alexandria (2008)]; SNG France 4, Alexandrie I 217 (ill. Pl. 16) [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, France Vol. 4, Alexandrie I, Auguste-Trajan (Zurich 1998)]. Purchased from Naville Numismatics Ltd., Mayfair, London, UK, Auction 82, 18 June 2023, Lot 296.

Here's a question about the coin: I see the two grain-ears and two poppies. But what's the 5th object, in the middle? None of the catalog descriptions I consulted seems to identify it.

[CPK]

6 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

I've been trying to slow down a bit in buying coins this year, so I bought only four ancient coins in June -- a lot fewer than I did in June of last year! Here's one that just arrived. There's something about the color that really appealed to me.

Claudius I AE Obol, Year 10 (AD 49/50), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, ΤΙ ΚΛΑV ΚΑΙ ϹƐΒΑϹ ΓƐΡΜ / Rev. Closed hand to left, holding two grain-ears and two poppies, ΑVΤ - ΟΚΡΑ across fields above hand, L - I (Year 10) across fields below hand. 20.4 mm., 4.10 g. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. I  5177 (1992); RPC I Online at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/5177; Emmett 89.10 [Emmett, Keith, Alexandrian Coins (Lodi, WI, 2001)]; Milne 116 at p. 4 [Milne, J.G., Catalogue of Alexandrian Coins (Oxford 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay, 1971)]; BMC 16 Alexandria 103 at p. 13 (ill. Pl. XXX) [Poole, Reginald Stuart, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 16, Alexandria (London 1892)], K&G 12.66 (ill. p. 52) [Kampmann, Ursula & Ganschow, Thomas, Die Münzen der römischen Münzstätte Alexandria (2008)]; SNG France 4, Alexandrie I 217 (ill. Pl. 16) [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, France Vol. 4, Alexandrie I, Auguste-Trajan (Zurich 1998)]. Purchased from Naville Numismatics Ltd., Mayfair, London, UK, Auction 82, 18 June 2023, Lot 296.

Here's a question about the coin: I see the two grain-ears and two poppies. But what's the 5th object, in the middle? None of the catalog descriptions I consulted seems to identify it.

Nice obol! 

To me, the object in the middle looks like another poppy. But I could be wrong!

[DonnaML]

11 hours ago, CPK said:

Nice obol! 

To me, the object in the middle looks like another poppy. But I could be wrong!

That's what I thought, but every description says 2 grain-ears and 2 poppies, and I assume they all knew how to count!

Edited June 30, 2023 by DonnaML

[Prieure de Sion]

6 hours ago, DonnaML said:

Here's a question about the coin: I see the two grain-ears and two poppies. But what's the 5th object, in the middle? None of the catalog descriptions I consulted seems to identify it.

Looks like a third Poppy pod... but I don't see a plant stem in the middle.

 

 

[DonnaML]

I double-checked, and not every catalog specifies the numbers of poppies and grain ears. So I'm going to change my description to two grain-ears and three poppies, even if the one in the middle doesn't have a stem!

[Steppenfool]

Philip II, £42 from eBay auction. GOAT reverse. Some of the grain is from my terrible camera!

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Steppenfool

[Prieure de Sion]

Post your latest ancient - not a coin - a book...

Today I buy kind of "weird" things. First the coin from medieval Venice. Now I actually bought a book at an auction (I had only made a small basic bid). 

Tacitus - Excerpta Ecorn. Tacito Or The Paintings Of Tyranny Under Tiberius And Nero, From The Annals Of Tacitus - the book are from 1756 and I got it for 25 euros. I hope it's not too much to pay....

 

 

[Prieure de Sion]

Don't they make a beautiful couple? Tonight a Province Bronze with Nero and Agrippina II found its way to me. I think it's a pretty pair - that's why I grabbed the coin. 

 

 
PHRYGIA. Apameia. Nero with Agrippina II (54-68). Ae. (25mm, 10.73 g) Marios Kordos, magistrate. Obv: NEPΩN KAIΣAP ΣEBAΣTOΣ AΓPIΠΠINA ΣEBAΣTH. Draped bust of Agrippina and bareheaded bust Nero, wearing aegis, facing one another. Rev: EΠI MAPIOY KORΔOY KOINON ΦPYΓIAΣ AΠAMEIΣ. Eagle standing left on wreath.

 

Edited July 1, 2023 by Prieure de Sion

[CPK]

@Prieure de Sion That is a very nice example! The reverse in particular - perfect centering.👍

[mark]