Post your latest ancient!

[Prieure de Sion]

Fantastic Trajanus Denarius with his father - so fantastic I bid against you. So sorry 🙂 … but I happy you won - and the coin comes into your hands and collection. 

[Furryfrog02]

This was one of the group that I bought from HJB's pick bin last week at the Baltimore Whitman Coin Show. I just got around to getting pictures done last night. I really liked the look of Christ and saw plenty of legends so I figured it would be an easy ID. I was wrong. Though I think I have narrowed it down to being a Bulgarian trachy. I'm not 100% on this though. I was hoping that maybe @quant.geek or @TheTrachyEnjoyer could help. I found a nice picture of some legends that quant posted a few months ago but I'm not sure any of mine match. They look similar though.

[TheTrachyEnjoyer]

On 11/18/2023 at 2:13 PM, Furryfrog02 said:

This was one of the group that I bought from HJB's pick bin last week at the Baltimore Whitman Coin Show. I just got around to getting pictures done last night. I really liked the look of Christ and saw plenty of legends so I figured it would be an easy ID. I was wrong. Though I think I have narrowed it down to being a Bulgarian trachy. I'm not 100% on this though. I was hoping that maybe @quant.geek or @TheTrachyEnjoyer could help. I found a nice picture of some legends that quant posted a few months ago but I'm not sure any of mine match. They look similar though.

[Furryfrog02]

@TheTrachyEnjoyer that's awesome! 
Might I ask what resource that is from? I could use some different Byzantine resourses.

[TheTrachyEnjoyer]

1 hour ago, Furryfrog02 said:

@TheTrachyEnjoyer that's awesome! 
Might I ask what resource that is from? I could use some different Byzantine resourses.

Late Byzantine Coins in the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford by Eleni Lianta

[TheTrachyEnjoyer]

A really excellent work, by far the easiest late Byzantine reference to use (although some rarities are missing)

[Furryfrog02]

Awesome! Thanks!
I found a pdf of it. I would love to have the physical copy....but $100 is a bit out of my price range. Free-Fiddy works best. 🙂

[Prieure de Sion]

I love the Koson Stater... I couldn't say no again 🙂

The Koson Gold Stater is surrounded by many - to this day - unsolved mysteries. It is assumed that the gold stater was used to pay the higher-ranking officers for the campaign of Brutus and Cassius against Octavian and Marc Antony. The coins contain Roman iconography: on the obverse, there is an eagle standing on a scepter and holding a wreath in their claw (inspired by the silver denarii issued by Pomponius Rufus); the reverse contains three men dressed in togas, two of them holding an axe on the shoulder (possibly inspired by the silver denarii issued by Marcus Junius Brutus in 54 BC).

You can also read the latest information on the state of knowledge here:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=koson 

 

King of the Scyths, probably Military mint for Marcus Iunius Brutus; Reign: Geto-Dacians Epoch, Roman Republic, Civil War; Mint: Probably Olbia (?), King of the Scyths; Date: ca. 44/42 BC; Nominal: Stater; Material: Gold; Diameter: 20mm; Weight: 8.38g; Reference: RPC I 1701A; Reference: BMC Thrace 208; Reference: Bahrfeldt, Berliner Münzblätter 1912, 366–81; Obverse: Procession of Konsul Marcus Iunius Brutus and two lictors, left; the foremost and hindmost carrying an axe over shoulder. Monogram in the field; Inscription: KOSON ΟΛΒ; Translation: Koson Olbia (?); Reverse: Eagle standing, left, on sceptre, holding wreath in on claw.

 

[Furryfrog02]

Wow...blows my latest ancient out of the water 😛
Absolutely beautiful!

[expat]

Picked this up at relatively cheap cost and received it this morning. It is the first horse drawn carriage I own that is not  a Republican coin.

Severus Alexander. AD 222-235. Æ As (24mm,  9.34 g.)
Rome mint, Special emission, AD 229.
IMP SEV ALEXANDER AVG, laureate head right, / P M TR P VIII COS III P P, emperor in triumphal quadriga right, holding eagle-tipped sceptre, SC in ex. Cohen 379. RIC IV 498a, Sear 8080
Very scarce

[Kaleun96]

On 11/20/2023 at 8:19 PM, Prieure de Sion said:

I love the Koson Stater... I couldn't say no again 🙂

The Koson Gold Stater is surrounded by many - to this day - unsolved mysteries. It is assumed that the gold stater was used to pay the higher-ranking officers for the campaign of Brutus and Cassius against Octavian and Marc Antony. The coins contain Roman iconography: on the obverse, there is an eagle standing on a scepter and holding a wreath in their claw (inspired by the silver denarii issued by Pomponius Rufus); the reverse contains three men dressed in togas, two of them holding an axe on the shoulder (possibly inspired by the silver denarii issued by Marcus Junius Brutus in 54 BC).

You can also read the latest information on the state of knowledge here:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=koson 

 

King of the Scyths, probably Military mint for Marcus Iunius Brutus; Reign: Geto-Dacians Epoch, Roman Republic, Civil War; Mint: Probably Olbia (?), King of the Scyths; Date: ca. 44/42 BC; Nominal: Stater; Material: Gold; Diameter: 20mm; Weight: 8.38g; Reference: RPC I 1701A; Reference: BMC Thrace 208; Reference: Bahrfeldt, Berliner Münzblätter 1912, 366–81; Obverse: Procession of Konsul Marcus Iunius Brutus and two lictors, left; the foremost and hindmost carrying an axe over shoulder. Monogram in the field; Inscription: KOSON ΟΛΒ; Translation: Koson Olbia (?); Reverse: Eagle standing, left, on sceptre, holding wreath in on claw.

 

Congrats, was going to bid on this one myself but I was hoping it'd stay a touch lower. I see you already managed to sell it on Vcoins too, or at least it's reserved.

[robinjojo]

I've been looking for a somewhat earlier new style owl over the past few years.  My experience has been that the middle period owls are relatively plentiful compared to the early and late period issues.  The problem is finding a decent example and within budget.  

I was finally able to locate one example, and while the die work is really nice, it does have corrosion on the obverse and a harsh cleaning for good measure.  The reverse is much nicer, albeit despite the die shift, which is not too severe.

Athens, new style owl ,155/4 BC. Grain ear on reverse.

Thompson 50

16.48 grams

[robinjojo]

Here's a coin that I think is quite unusual.  I photographed it before, with unsatisfactory results, so here is a re-shoot which is much better.

Otacilia Severa, 244-249 AD, AE 27, Coele-Syria, Damascus.  Astarte on reverse.

17.55 grams

Despite the rough surfaces the reverse is fairly well defined, with Astarte seated above, facing left, with five figures giving homage, one to the immediate left and four more below, something of an Astarte fan club I'd guess. 

Astarte is an interesting female deity, worshipped in the East, notably in Syria, but in other regions as well.  Originally a Canaanite and Phoenician deity, her worship became associated with fertility, sexuality, war and hunting, spanning from the Bronze Age to the Classical period.  While this coin well post dates the latter period, it is clear that Astarte continued to play an important religious role in Syria, well into the period of the Roman Empire.

For more information about Astarte, here's a link.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astarte

Edit:  I looked this coin up on the RPC website and found this information:  

RPC Volume VIII

Unassigned ID 26755

"For the reverse, in upper register, Fortuna seated l., on rock, holding fillet or diadem and cornucopia; in upper l. field, ram leaping l., head r.; before, Marsyas standing r., holding wineskin and raising hand; in lower register, four Tychai: the outer pair with hands raised towards Fortuna of Damascus; l. of centre figure holding up uncertain object; r. of centre figure sacrificing over altar."

There are 11 examples of this type, six of which are in the core collections.

So, does the reverse depict Astarte or Fortuna?  The leaping ram, obscure on this coin, is an interesting element and one that I would not associate with Fortuna.  Besides, Astarte is a far more interesting goddess!

 

Edited November 22 by robinjojo

[ela126]

I posted these 2 but I’m very proud and happy with them. I’ve cleaned both of them over the last 2 weeks or so.

Justinian 1 (527-565)
Salona Mint
Half Follis
3.72g
19mm
SB 331

Apparently these were lightweight issues prior to the Reconquest of Rome and were meant to be somewhat of IOUs to the army until they could be exchanged for full weight coins. Which were roughly 3x-4x heavier at the time.

Very difficult coin to photograph. Notoriously poor obverse strikes on these make capturing a meaningful portrait difficult.

This coin came with an extremely thick find patina, unlike some of these which have a nice hardened patina underneath, this came with a crumble, which made differentiating dirt from patina, very difficult. Some areas had to be left untouched as to not lose all detail.

In the end, a lovely reverse, and an acceptable for type obverse (with some dirt).

Justinian 1 (527-565)
Half Follis
Minted 540-550
Ravenna Mint
20mm 5.01g
Sb 328c

[shanxi]

A worn, smooth Sestertius of Faustina II.

I don't know why, but I like these smooth coins that have probably been in circulation for 100 years or more.

 

Faustina II

Obverse: DIVA FAVSTINA PIA, Bust of Faustina II, draped, hair elaborately waved and fastened in a low chignon at back of head.

Reverse: AETERNITAS S C, Aeternitas, veiled, draped, standing left, holding globe surmounted by phoenix in extended right hand and leaning left arm on column.

AE, 29mm, 20.46g

Ref.: RIC 1693

 

 

[AETHER]

Lysimachos Tetradrachm 

No clue on what year or control mark or mint, but might be a Müller 37 ? Does that look like a top half of a lion to the left of Athena?

[robinjojo]

This gold dinar came out of the Roma auction last July, Auction XXVIII, lot 419.  This coin replaces one that I sold over 30 years ago.  Given enough centuries, I do get around doing these things!

Kushan Empire, Vasudeva I, AV dinar, Balkh, Bactria, circa 190-230 AD.

MK 528 (O1a,R34, Vasudeva II)

8.12 grams

[Cordoba]

1 hour ago, robinjojo said:

This gold dinar came out of the Roma auction last July, Auction XXVIII, lot 419.  This coin replaces one that I sold over 30 years ago.  Given enough centuries, I do get around doing these things!

Kushan Empire, Vasudeva I, AV dinar, Balkh, Bactria, circa 190-230 AD.

MK 528 (O1a,R34, Vasudeva II)

8.12 grams

beautiful coin! we don't see enough kushans on here. you got it for a really good price too.

[Prieure de Sion]

Received a silver Denarius of Trajan today with a fantastic golden iridescent patina... 🙂 

 

 

Imperator Caesar Nerva Traianus Augustus; Reign: Trajanus; Mint: Rome; Date: 108 AD; Nominal: Denarius; Material: Silver; Diameter: 19mm; Weight: 3.34g; Reference: MIR 279b; Reference: Cohen 86; Reference: Woytek 279b; Reference: RIC II Trajan 119; Obverse: Bust of Trajan, laureate, draped on left shoulder, right; Inscription: IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P; Translation: Imperator Traiano Augustus, Germanicus, Dacicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate; Translation: Imperator, of Trajan, Augustus, conqueror of the Germans, conqueror of the Dacians, high priest, holder of tribunician power; Reverse: Aequitas, draped, seated left on chair without back, holding scales in right hand and cornucopiae in left; Inscription: COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC; Translation: Consul Quintum, Pater Patriae, Senatus Populusque Romanus, Optimo Principi; Translation: Consul for the fifth time, father of the nation. The senate and the Roman people. The best of princes. 

 

[seth77]

Another lady I like in a denomination I have come to appreciate, at 3.50g 18mm, this one is on the tail end of the small denomination series ca. 225:

Iulia Mamaea 3.50g 18mm unit

Despite the wear and the deep earthen patina, this issue has some really fine engraving, almost on par with the denarii of Iulia and Alexander at this time. Was also surprised to see only 8 specs in RPC, did not expect it to be that scarce.

[CPK]

50 minutes ago, Prieure de Sion said:

Received a silver Denarius of Trajan today with a fantastic golden iridescent patina... 🙂 

 

 

Imperator Caesar Nerva Traianus Augustus; Reign: Trajanus; Mint: Rome; Date: 108 AD; Nominal: Denarius; Material: Silver; Diameter: 19mm; Weight: 3.34g; Reference: MIR 279b; Reference: Cohen 86; Reference: Woytek 279b; Reference: RIC II Trajan 119; Obverse: Bust of Trajan, laureate, draped on left shoulder, right; Inscription: IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P; Translation: Imperator Traiano Augustus, Germanicus, Dacicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate; Translation: Imperator, of Trajan, Augustus, conqueror of the Germans, conqueror of the Dacians, high priest, holder of tribunician power; Reverse: Aequitas, draped, seated left on chair without back, holding scales in right hand and cornucopiae in left; Inscription: COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC; Translation: Consul Quintum, Pater Patriae, Senatus Populusque Romanus, Optimo Principi; Translation: Consul for the fifth time, father of the nation. The senate and the Roman people. The best of princes. 

 

Wow, that is gorgeous! 🤩

[Prieure de Sion]

1 hour ago, CPK said:

Wow, that is gorgeous! 🤩

I was also a bit surprised today after unpacking 😄 

[ewomack]

I wasn't able to retrieve a package from the mail carrier in time yesterday, so it's sitting at the post office waiting until after the holiday. Until I'm able to pick it up, this Tiberius II Constantine qualifies as my latest ancient. Though it's arguably not too bad for the type, I occasionally have some small pangs of regret that I bought it. Perhaps I should have waited for a better example? Oh well, it wasn't too expensive, so it's not a tragedy.

Tiberius II Constantine. 578-582 AD. Æ Follis (37mm, 16,64g, 12h). Constantinople mint. Dated year 5 (578/9 AD); Obv: d M TIb CONS-TANT PP AVC, crowned facing bust in consular robes, holding mappa and eagle-tipped sceptre; Rev: Large M; cross above, ANNO to left, u to right; CONE. MIBE 25; Sear 430.

Edited November 23 by ewomack

[CPK]

9 hours ago, ewomack said:

I wasn't able to retrieve a package from the mail carrier in time yesterday, so it's sitting at the post office waiting until after the holiday. Until I'm able to pick it up, this Tiberius II Constantine qualifies as my latest ancient. Though it's arguably not too bad for the type, I occasionally have some small pangs of regret that I bought it. Perhaps I should have waited for a better example? Oh well, it wasn't too expensive, so it's not a tragedy.

Tiberius II Constantine. 578-582 AD. Æ Follis (37mm, 16,64g, 12h). Constantinople mint. Dated year 5 (578/9 AD); Obv: d M TIb CONS-TANT PP AVC, crowned facing bust in consular robes, holding mappa and eagle-tipped sceptre; Rev: Large M; cross above, ANNO to left, u to right; CONE. MIBE 25; Sear 430.

I can't say I'm very familiar with this period of coinage, but it looks like a nice example to me! 👍

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Doesn't the post office leave a slip?  One can then sign and have it redelivered, any time Mon through Saturday.  I did that a lot, during my record collecting days.