Post your latest ancient!

[MrMonkeySwag96]

Lykian Dynasts. Perikles. Circa 380-360 BC. AR Tetrobol - 1/3 Stater (2.99g, 16.5mm). Obv.: facing lion scalp. Rev.: Π↑Ρ - ΕΚ - Λ↑, around triskeles within incuse circle. Müseler VIII.49-51; SNG von Aulock 4254-5. gVF.

[Simon]

A win from last night. I have several of his electrum trachea, they are always low in gold content. The price on this one made it a steal.

Alexius III Angelus-Comnenus (AD 1195-1203). EL aspron trachy (29mm, 4.30 gm, 6h). NGC Choice XF 4/5 - 3/5, edge chips. Constantinople, AD 1197-1203. IC-XC (barred), full length figure of Christ seated facing on backless throne, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, raising right hand in benediction, book of Gospels on lap / AΛЄZIΩΩ Δ-ЄCΠ KOMNHNΩ, Alexius III (on left) and St. Constantine (on right) standing facing, each wearing crown, divitision and loros, cruciform scepter on outer arm, both holding labarum between them. Sear 2010.

Ex Freeman & Sear, Mail Bid Sale 8 (5 February 2003), lot 548.

 

 

[ela126]

1 hour ago, Simon said:

A win from last night. I have several of his electrum trachea, they are always low in gold content. The price on this one made it a steal.

Alexius III Angelus-Comnenus (AD 1195-1203). EL aspron trachy (29mm, 4.30 gm, 6h). NGC Choice XF 4/5 - 3/5, edge chips. Constantinople, AD 1197-1203. IC-XC (barred), full length figure of Christ seated facing on backless throne, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, raising right hand in benediction, book of Gospels on lap / AΛЄZIΩΩ Δ-ЄCΠ KOMNHNΩ, Alexius III (on left) and St. Constantine (on right) standing facing, each wearing crown, divitision and loros, cruciform scepter on outer arm, both holding labarum between them. Sear 2010.

Ex Freeman & Sear, Mail Bid Sale 8 (5 February 2003), lot 548.

 

 

i watched this hammer. awesome price on it!

It did seem to be one of the few slabbed pieces that went at a discount. overall i thought the prices were on the higher side., albiet generally nice pieces.

[ela126]

I picked this one up a few days ago from Marc B.. my first Leo 3. Looking at a few other examples, while the strike leaves a bit to be desired, the size of the flan is huge for the type, it’s a wafer thin example, kind of amazing it survived unbent and undamaged.

I used Marc’s write up here:

Attribution: Sear Byzantine 1530 Syracuse mint
Date: AD 721-730
Obverse: Facing bust of Leo, holding globus cruciger
Reverse: Facing bust of Constantine V, holding globus cruciger; large M below
Size: 26.17mm
Weight: 2.99 grams
Rarity:  6
Description: VF. ex Bill Rosenblum with his tag priced at $150.
 

[singig]

This is my last set of Probus coins from the large lot of coins I started to post in february, I'm a little late but I hope you will like them.

Probus AE antoninianus, Ticinum mint.RIC 509, I star     
VIRTVS PROBI AVG, Radiate, helmeted, cuirassed bust left, holding spear over shoulder, and shield on left arm / 
MARTI PACIF, Mars walking left, holding branch, spear and shield. I in left field, star in right field. Mintmark QXXI. 

Probus Silvered AE Antoninianus. Rome mint.RIC 183     
IMP PROBVS P F AVG, radiate consular bust left holding eagle-tipped sceptre / 
ROMAE AETER, Roma seated, facing, in temple of six columns, holding victory and sceptre, R(winged thunderbolt)A below.

Probus AE Antoninianus. Lyons mint, 276 AD. RIC 28     
IMP C M AVR PROBVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right / 
FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing left, holding two standards, Mintmark III. 

Probus Silvered AE Antoninianus. Lyons mint, 281 AD.RIC 107     
IMP C PROBVS P F AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right / 
TEMPOR FELICIT, Felicitas standing right, holding caduceus and cornucopiae. Mintmark II. 

 

Probus, AE Antoninianus, Rome, AD 279. RIC 155 Wreath Z. 
IMP PROBVS P F AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right. / 
ADVENTVS AVG, Probus on horseback left, holding sceptre and raising right hand, captive under the horse's hooves left. Mintmark R-wreath-Z.

Probus Silvered AE Antoninianus. Rome Mint, 276 AD. RIC 151    
IMP C M AVR PROBVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right / 
FIDES MILIT, Fides standing, holding sceptre and transverse ensign. Mintmark XXIE.

[Limes]

7 hours ago, ela126 said:

 

I picked this one up a few days ago from Marc B.. my first Leo 3. Looking at a few other examples, while the strike leaves a bit to be desired, the size of the flan is huge for the type, it’s a wafer thin example, kind of amazing it survived unbent and undamaged.

I used Marc’s write up here:

Attribution: Sear Byzantine 1530 Syracuse mint
Date: AD 721-730
Obverse: Facing bust of Leo, holding globus cruciger
Reverse: Facing bust of Constantine V, holding globus cruciger; large M below
Size: 26.17mm
Weight: 2.99 grams
Rarity:  6
Description: VF. ex Bill Rosenblum with his tag priced at $150.
 

Besides the coin, I also like your rarity bar 🙂 Did you create it yourself? How does it work / do you use it; from a scale of 1 - 10? 

Edited April 23 by Limes

[expat]

Another first for my collection. Short reign of 2 years

Volusian, AR Antoninianus, Antioch.. AD 251-253. 22 mm, 4,30 g

IMP C V AF GAL VEND VOLVSIANO AVG, radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right, three dots beneath bust / ADVENTVS AVG, Volusian on horseback, riding left, holding spear and raising right hand. RIC IV 224a; RSC 2a.

[JAZ Numismatics]

14 hours ago, singig said:

This is my last set of Probus coins from the large lot of coins I started to post in february, I'm a little late but I hope you will like them.

Probus AE antoninianus, Ticinum mint.RIC 509, I star     
VIRTVS PROBI AVG, Radiate, helmeted, cuirassed bust left, holding spear over shoulder, and shield on left arm / 
MARTI PACIF, Mars walking left, holding branch, spear and shield. I in left field, star in right field. Mintmark QXXI. 

Probus Silvered AE Antoninianus. Rome mint.RIC 183     
IMP PROBVS P F AVG, radiate consular bust left holding eagle-tipped sceptre / 
ROMAE AETER, Roma seated, facing, in temple of six columns, holding victory and sceptre, R(winged thunderbolt)A below.

Probus AE Antoninianus. Lyons mint, 276 AD. RIC 28     
IMP C M AVR PROBVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right / 
FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing left, holding two standards, Mintmark III. 

Probus Silvered AE Antoninianus. Lyons mint, 281 AD.RIC 107     
IMP C PROBVS P F AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right / 
TEMPOR FELICIT, Felicitas standing right, holding caduceus and cornucopiae. Mintmark II. 

 

Probus, AE Antoninianus, Rome, AD 279. RIC 155 Wreath Z. 
IMP PROBVS P F AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right. / 
ADVENTVS AVG, Probus on horseback left, holding sceptre and raising right hand, captive under the horse's hooves left. Mintmark R-wreath-Z.

Probus Silvered AE Antoninianus. Rome Mint, 276 AD. RIC 151    
IMP C M AVR PROBVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right / 
FIDES MILIT, Fides standing, holding sceptre and transverse ensign. Mintmark XXIE.

Wonderful variety of types in beautiful grades!

[ela126]

11 hours ago, Limes said:

Besides the coin, I also like your rarity bar 🙂 Did you create it yourself? How does it work / do you use it; from a scale of 1 - 10? 

This is MArc Breitsprecher's Rarity bar/scale. I can't claim any credit. I only look at his Byzantine's coins, but i never see anything below a 5, although i've seen coins listed up to 10's. (coins which i've never seen before)

I assume it's his 40+ years of experience regarding how he does the rarity's

[zanzi]

This isn't ancient, but it's pretty old and I don't know enough about it to get it's own thread. It was a pretty impulsive $5 add-on to a few other coins I was already getting, but it seemed rare enough and I don't have any Dutch coinage this early so I threw it on.

Dutch Republic, AE Duit
City of Groningen, dated 1690 AD
Size: 2.1 grams, 19.6 x 19.8 x 0.9 mm, pierced
Obv: City name "Gro Ninga." in two lines within a quatrefoil
Rev: Crowned shield with a two-headed eagle, 1690 date above, two rampart lions facing, floral below 
References: KM #46, also on Oriental Coins Database Zeno.ru as 332344
Ex. Don Erickson (DNECoins)

[seth77]

This Lysimachos from Lysimacheia or a Western Black Sea mint (Kallatis?):


AE16mm 2.68g copper unit, minted at Lysimacheia/Callatis(?) c. 286-281BCE
Head of Lysimachos as Herakles right, wearing lion skin
BAΣI / ΛYΣI; legend within grain-ear wreath.
SNG Copenhagen 1168-9; Müller 15, pl.II-14.

Mueller (Den thraciske Konge Lysimachus's Mynter p. 17) assigns this type (15) to a mint in the Thracian Chersonesos to a period after Lysimach's conquest of Macedonia in 286BC. On the basis of design similarities with Lysimacheia 'civic' coins it is possible that the type was struck at Lysimacheia.

An alternative mint for some of this type is Kallatis, likely on the account of the similarities with the silver coinage of Kallatis from the late 4th century to 3rd century BC. Similar here, here and here attributed to Kallatis.

Could also be a type struck by more than one mint.

Edited April 25 by seth77

[robinjojo]

Here's an owl that arrived today, in a NGC slab (probably set for liberation).  This is an eBay purchase.

This is fairly typical intermediate owl, from the mid-4th to early 3rd century BC.  However, what makes it somewhat unusual is a good portion of the crest on the obverse visible and quite complete, which doesn't occur too often with this "dumpy" type.  Also, the Pi is in the style of V (Bingen Pi V).  The centering is a bit off on the obverse, but, as is the case with ancient coins, something is lost and something is gained in terms of detail.  These coins, after all, are not productions of the US Mint.  The reverse is actually quite good in terms of centering.

Please forgive the lousy photo.  Slabbed coins are a bear for me.

Athens, tetradrachm, Pi Style V, 350-297 BC.

Kroll Pi-Style p. 245, fig. 9

[CPK]

Here is a recent purchase, picked up in one of the latest Artemide auctions. I had slapped on a lowish bid and didn't really expect to win, but apparently all the other bidders had bigger fish to catch because when the lot went live, there were no additional bids.

I thought it was a very handsome portrait of Hadrian, nicely centered, with an interesting reverse type that is also well-struck. Plus, the coin is nicely toned. Choice VF, I'd call it. 😉 

HADRIAN, AD 117-138
AR Denarius (17.73mm, 3.00g, 6h)
Struck AD 137. Rome mint
Obverse: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare head of Hadrian right
Reverse: VOTA PVBLICA, Hadrian, togate, standing left, sacrificing from patera over tripod-altar
References: RIC II 2326, RCV 3550
Attractively toned with a fine portrait. The reverse of this coin depicts Hadrian performing one of his many duties as Emperor - offering votive sacrifices on behalf of the public well-being (VOTA PVBLICA).

[Victrix]

Lepidus and Octavian. Spring-summer 42 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 4 g). Military mint traveling with Lepidus in Italy. Bare head of Lepidus right / Bare head of Octavian right. Crawford 495/2a; CRI 140; Sydenham 1323; RSC 2a.

This issue was struck by Lepidus to commemorate the foundation of the Second Triumvirate, and was probably struck from the proceeds of the proscriptions in preparation for the campaign against Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC. Lepidus is shown with the title Pontifus Maximus, an office which he received after the assassination of Julius Caesar and held until his death in 12 BC.

[Roman Collector]

My latest is this elephant as. You may read about it in today's Faustina Friday!

[Meander]

Hi, not really my most recent purchase, but due to export licensing requirements in France I received this coin only 4 months after the auction. Still worth the wait. An issue of Trajan honoring Nerva and Trajan's father on the reverse. In addition, a nice pedigree to the collection of a famous tenor Enrico Caruso.

Trajan, with Trajan Pater and Nerva. AD 98-117. AV Aureus. Rome mint. Struck AD 112-113. IMP TRAIANVS AVG GER • DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / DIVI • NERVA • ET • TRAIANVS • PAT, laureate bust of Nerva right, slight drapery and bareheaded and draped bust of Trajan the Elder left, vis-à-vis. Calicó 1138a

From the Enrico Caruso collection, Canessa, 28 June 2023, lot 296, and J. Tyszkiewicz, R. Serrure, Paris 25.6.1901, lot 78

 

Edited April 27 by Meander

[CPK]

5 hours ago, Meander said:

Hi, not really my most recent purchase, but due to export licensing requirements in France I received this coin only 4 months after the auction. Still worth the wait. An issue of Trajan honoring Nerva and Trajan's father on the reverse. In addition, a nice pedigree to the collection of a famous tenor Enrico Caruso.

Trajan, with Trajan Pater and Nerva. AD 98-117. AV Aureus. Rome mint. Struck AD 112-113. IMP TRAIANVS AVG GER • DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / DIVI • NERVA • ET • TRAIANVS • PAT, laureate bust of Nerva right, slight drapery and bareheaded and draped bust of Trajan the Elder left, vis-à-vis. Calicó 1138a

From the Enrico Caruso collection, Canessa, 28 June 2023, lot 296, and J. Tyszkiewicz, R. Serrure, Paris 25.6.1901, lot 78

 

Wow, what a coin! 🤩

[JAZ Numismatics]

6 hours ago, Meander said:

Hi, not really my most recent purchase, but due to export licensing requirements in France I received this coin only 4 months after the auction. Still worth the wait. An issue of Trajan honoring Nerva and Trajan's father on the reverse. In addition, a nice pedigree to the collection of a famous tenor Enrico Caruso.

Trajan, with Trajan Pater and Nerva. AD 98-117. AV Aureus. Rome mint. Struck AD 112-113. IMP TRAIANVS AVG GER • DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / DIVI • NERVA • ET • TRAIANVS • PAT, laureate bust of Nerva right, slight drapery and bareheaded and draped bust of Trajan the Elder left, vis-à-vis. Calicó 1138a

From the Enrico Caruso collection, Canessa, 28 June 2023, lot 296, and J. Tyszkiewicz, R. Serrure, Paris 25.6.1901, lot 78

 

Great provenance on a beautiful coin. I had no idea Caruso collected Roman coins.

[Roman Collector]

15 minutes ago, JAZ Numismatics said:

Great provenance on a beautiful coin. I had no idea Caruso collected Roman coins.

Here's the auction catalog from his collection at the Canessa sale a century ago.

Canessa 1923 06 28 Caruso : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

[JAZ Numismatics]

2 minutes ago, Roman Collector said:

Here's the auction catalog from his collection at the Canessa sale a century ago.

Canessa 1923 06 28 Caruso : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Great, thank you! He certainly had the resources to collect the best of the best of the best. Those plates are unreal.

[seth77]

While I am doing separate threads with writeups for 20EUR coins, people add here Marc Antony denarii and Trajanus+Nerva aureus like it is nothing 😅🧛‍♂️

[DonnaML]

Here is a newly-arrived tetradrachm of Nero to add to my very modest collection of Syro-Phoenician tetradrachms with eagles on the reverse (all minted in Antioch with one exception, the Septimius Severus, struck in Tyre). My current total of nine hardly compares to the wonderful collections of @Al Kowsky and other members here, but I enjoy looking at all of them nonetheless. And I had been specifically looking for a relatively inexpensive Antioch tetradrachm of Nero for quite some time.

Nero AR* Tetradrachm, AD 60/61 (Year 7), Syria, Seleucis & Pieria, Antioch Mint. Obv. Laureate beardless bust of Nero right, wearing aegis with snake rising up along the side of his neck (see McAlee p. 137 n. 203), ΝΕΡΩΝΟΣ [ΚΑΙΣΑΡΟΣ – ΣΕΒ]ΑΣΤΟΥ (Nero Caesar Augustus) around from upper right / Rev. Eagle** standing on a thunderbolt, head left, wings spread; to left, palm branch upright; to right, Ζ (retrograde) over ΘΡ ( = Regnal Year 7 / Year 109 [9 + 100] of Caesarian era, calculated from 49 BCE). 24.9 mm., 14.596 g. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. I  4181 (1992); RPC I Online 4181 (see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/4181 ); McAlee 257 (ill. p. 137) [McAlee, Richard, The Coins of Roman Antioch (2007)]; Prieur 81 [Michel and Karin Prieur, Syro-Phoenician Tetradrachms (London, 2000)]; BMC 20 Syria 190 p. 174 (ill. Pl. xxi.8) [Warwick Wroth, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 20, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Syria (London, 1899)]. Purchased April 20, 2024 from Forvm Ancient Coins, Morehead City, NC.  

 

*See McAlee Table 2 p. 17, stating that the mean percentage of silver in Nero’s Antioch tetradrachms from AD 59-63 was 79.39% (subsequently declining after the reign of Marcus Aurelius to a low of 10.77% under Trebonianus Gallus).

**See McAlee p. 133 on the introduction of the standing eagle reverse to Antioch tetradrachms under Nero: “In 59/60 there was an important reform of the silver coinage: the standing eagle became the standard reverse type, and continued as such for the nearly two centuries during which Antioch continued to coin this denomination. This change coincided with an increase in the silver content from 9.15 g. in the tetradrachms of 56/57 to 11.63 g. in the new coins. . . . [T]here is little doubt that the eagle tetradrachms struck from 59/60 to the end of Nero’s reign were worth four denarii.” See also id. p. 6, explaining that the “original significance [of the eagle] was as a symbol of Zeus, and it first came into common usage on coinage used in the east on the Hellenistic tetradrachms issued by the Ptolemaic kings. Later, it became the standard reverse type on the autonomous tetradrachms (or shekels) of Tyre, which contained more silver than most other contemporary tetradrachms and were valued at four Attic drachms, which were probably equal to four denarii. The adoption of the eagle as a reverse type on the Roman Syrian silver, under Nero, coincideds with an increase in the silver content of the tetradrachm and the cessation of the Tyrian shekels. Consequently, it is likely that the eagle on the tetradrachm was meant to signify that they were struck on the Tyrian standard, and thereby to indicate that they were valued at four Attic drachms.”

The other 8, without the writeups:

Septimius Severus

Caracalla

Macrinus

Gordian III

Philip I

Otacilia Severa

Philip II

Trajan Decius

[AETHER]

@DonnaMLbeautiful Nero from Antioch ! I'm a fan of these 

[Furryfrog02]

This barbarous imitative arrived with my new Byzantine half follis overstrike today. I can't find an example on any of the reference sites like @Victor_Clark's or the one he links to off of his page. This example has a [_]Δ over Γ in the shield area.

[AETHER]

Bought for the portrait..

Kingdom of Macedon Demetrios I Poliorketes AR Tetradrachm 306-283 BC

 In the name and types of Alexander III (the Great) of Macedon. Struck in Tyre mint,  circa 290-286 BC.

Price 3534 (maybe obv die match to the Price 3534A variation here)

TBH I can't tell both apart.

@Kaleun96 what do u think? 

As usual, not my photo.

 

 

EDIT: I'm leaning towards yes, what do you think?

 

Edited Sunday at 05:14 PM by AETHER
Die link?