Your avatar - what? and why?

[Furryfrog02]

I just saw this thread even though it has been going on for a few days. Where have I been? Who knows. Not working every day for the last 2 months as really messed up my internal calendar. The hours/days/weeks all meld together.

My previous avatar over at the place that shall not be named, was my coolest coin roll hunting find; a 1972P Doubled Die Obverse 001.  But then I was banned and that now kind of gives me a gross feeling. Sooooooo..........Having transitioned almost entirely to ancient coins over the last few years with a side of roll hunting, I figured it was time for a change. New home, new "face". 

As a lot of you know, Victory/Nike is my favorite deity and I enjoy collecting as many different depictions of her as possible. This particular depiction is from a coin of Gordian III with a beautiful dark green patina that was minted in Hadrianopolis and is one of my favorites. 

I just did a hack job cut/paste so it's not that purdy but it'll work for now.

[Octavius]

 I have always been fascinated with Caligula since I first read Suetonius. Also, I got this coin from Tom Cederlind. He was a great guy who passed away way too soon.

 

[Ursus]

On 5/27/2022 at 8:58 PM, ambr0zie said:

I intend to keep posting there. Usually I avoid non-numismatic discussions and just ignore trolls.

Ditto. I will remain a dual citizen for the time being, though I was generally not happy with how CT evolved over the course of the last couple of months or so. On the one hand, there were too many trolls and too much vitriol spilled in completely non-numismatic discussions. On the other hand, I had the impression that quality content and well-researched write-ups became rarer or were quickly pushed to the second page by a flood of ID requests and threads showing new acquisitions without giving much numismatic background information. That made CT much less informative and fun to follow, and I hope things will be different here!

As to my avatar, it is a medieval bracteate penny showing a little dragon. It was minted in Freiburg, a city located in the Black Forest region in Germany and known mostly for its university, Gothic cathedral, scenic surroundings and efforts in environmentally sustainable urbanism. I bought it from Allen Berman in 2018. My main collection is medieval bracteates, dragons are awesome, and I currently live in Freiburg – so it seemed like the obvious avatar choice:

Freiburg im Breisgau, civic issue, bracteate penny ("vierzipfliger Pfennig"), ca. 1250 AD. Obv: dragon ("Lindwurm") r. Rev: incuse design (bracteate). 18mm, 0.37g. Ref: Berger 2432–3; Slg. Wüthrich 54; Wielandt, Breisgau 44.

[Egry]

I’ve always loved Rome, I feel a connection, it was one of the reasons I became an engineer, I was fascinated by the infrastructure they built.
 

However, I am equally fascinated that an empire once greater than Rome could be wiped off the face of the earth with their history rewritten by one who defeated them. In my opinion this should humble us all, for it is very possible that our civilization could have an equal fate. 
 

Carthage. My avatar is of my favourite coin a Punic Stater of Zeugitania. Most of what we know historically about the Punic civilization is what the empire that defeated wrote. 

Interesting fact. Cartagena, Colombia - city founded in the early 1500s owes its name to the port city of Cartagena in Murcia Spain which was founded by the Carthaginians in 200BC. Despite being razed to the ground 2000 years ago they still made it to the New World. 

 

Edited June 2, 2022 by Egry

[Alegandron]

1 hour ago, Egry said:

I’ve always loved Rome, I feel a connection, it was one of the reasons I became an engineer, I was fascinated by the infrastructure they built.
 

However, I am equally fascinated that an empire once greater than Rome could be wiped off the face of the earth with their history rewritten by one who defeated them. In my opinion this should humble us all, for it is very possible that our civilization could have an equal fate. 
 

Carthage. My avatar is of my favourite coin a Punic Stater of Zeugitania. Most of what we know historically about the Punic civilization is what the empire that defeated wrote. 

Interesting fact. Cartagena, Colombia - city founded in the early 1500s owes its name to the port city of Cartagena in Murcia Spain which was founded by the Carthaginians in 200BC. Despite being razed to the ground 2000 years ago they still made it to the New World. 

 

Very much agreed. What if...

This was the last series that Carthage minted just before they were exterminated by the Romans in 146 BCE. The City was razed, with it not being resettled until Caesar's veterans almost 100 years later. No coins until even later.

This is an odd issue from Carthage, as they did not produce serrated coins until their demise. This one is kinda hard to obtain.


Carthage Third Punic War Serrate Double Shekel 149-146 BCE 12.8g 26mm Wreathd Tanit-Horse pellet raised leg SNG COP 404

Edited June 2, 2022 by Alegandron

[ChrisB]

I finally pulled the trigger and moved over here this morning thanks to a gentle nudge.

The core of my collection is German States Thalers, especially ones depicting the Wildman. My avatar is a head shot of one of my favorites. Not a particularly scarce variety but one of the more nicely struck pieces.

 

[Dafydd]

My Avatar is very simple to explain.

It is the reverse of a Welsh Pound Coin. I live in Wales ( Birthplace of St Patrick) and I am proud of my  Dutch/Welsh heritage. Most people have heard of Holland or the Netherlands but not everyone has heard of Wales so I advertise my birthplace.  The Red Dragon has been used as a symbol of Wales since the reign of Cadwaladr ( Cadwallader), King of Gwynedd from around 655 AD. The Red Dragon was only really incorporated into our national flag in 1959. 

In the past, when I have explained where I am from, the odd person has said "Wales" I thought that was a fish? I then have to explain some zoological facts before explaining that Wales is not part of England and has its own identity and heritage. 

I had considered using an ancient coin or possibly a Tudor coin as the Tudor Dynasty began 5 minutes from my home but I thought the Dragon better. In reality I'm more of a non-nationalist than nationalist and there is no real division between the separate nations of the United Kingdom except for sports events. 

Here is a history of Wales in 99 seconds!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i02GWuIJqnI

 

Edited June 2, 2022 by Dafydd

[maridvnvm]

I know where Wales is. I can see it outside right now. FYI My tag - Maridvnvm is the Roman name for my home town of Carmarthen.

[Alegandron]

20 minutes ago, Dafydd said:

My Avatar is very simple to explain.

It is the reverse of a Welsh Pound Coin. I live in Wales ( Birthplace of St Patrick) and I am proud of my  Dutch/Welsh heritage. Most people have heard of Holland or the Netherlands but not everyone has heard of Wales so I advertise my birthplace.  The Red Dragon has been used as a symbol of Wales since the reign of Cadwaladr ( Cadwallader), King of Gwynedd from around 655 AD. The Red Dragon was only really incorporated into our national flag in 1959. 

In the past, when I have explained where I am from, the odd person has said "Wales" I thought that was a fish? I then have to explain some zoological facts before explaining that Wales is not part of England and has its own identity and heritage. 

I had considered using an ancient coin or possibly a Tudor coin as the Tudor Dynasty began 5 minutes from my home but I thought the Dragon better. In reality I'm more of a non-nationalist than nationalist and there is no real division between the separate nations of the United Kingdom except for sports events. 

Here is a history of Wales in 99 seconds!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i02GWuIJqnI

 

I knew from your NAME.  😄 

I am an American of Scot-Irish Heritage, and I expatted in Wales for 3 years.  I absolutely loved it there, and my kids attended local schools, we lived on a farm out in the Hedgerows (had 50 head of sheep, several Welsh Cobbs, couple Arabians, 36 Chickens).  Huge fun, awesome people, and very fond memories!  One of the best places that I have lived.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Alegandron

[Dafydd]

Well that was a surprise! One member having lived here and another 30 minutes from where I live.

Both will know we have more sheep in Wales than people which is something we are often reminded of.

[Furryfrog02]

29 minutes ago, Dafydd said:

Well that was a surprise! One member having lived here and another 30 minutes from where I live.

Both will know we have more sheep in Wales than people which is something we are often reminded of.

How cool is that? Basically neighbors!

[maridvnvm]

I still live in Wales today just the right side of the English border.

[velarfricative]

On 5/29/2022 at 7:38 PM, quant.geek said:

For this site, I figured a different avatar was needed 😁.  In my family, we have a tendency to name our first born using one of the many names of the Hindu God of War, Kartikeya. It is a tonge-in-cheek pun wrt. the CoinTalk exodus. One of the few coins that has this deity depicted is the Yaudheyas' Tetradrachm where my avatar comes from...

Yaudheyas: Anonymous (ca 190-340 CE) Æ Tetradrachm (MACW-4707)

Obv: Kartikeya standing facing, holding a spear in his right hand, with a rooster to right; Brahmi legend Yaudheya-ganasya jaya around
Rev: Goddess Devasena standing slightly turned to her left with right hand extended

Whoa, very nice Yaudheya Tet! It's a shame that Kartikeya coins are so hard to find, but the ones that exist are very attractive; the Kushan dinars are quite nice, and the rare 6-headed silver drachm is stunning.

[Alegandron]

1 hour ago, Dafydd said:

Well that was a surprise! One member having lived here and another 30 minutes from where I live.

Both will know we have more sheep in Wales than people which is something we are often reminded of.

I lived in LLanbedr-y-Fro (Peter-super-Ely), kids went to school in Cowbridge, I worked in Bridgend, and hit the Pub all the time at The Bush in St. Hillary. 😄

[Dafydd]

4 hours ago, Alegandron said:

I lived in LLanbedr-y-Fro (Peter-super-Ely), kids went to school in Cowbridge, I worked in Bridgend, and hit the Pub all the time at The Bush in St. Hillary. 😄

Ha ha, I know all the places and have an office in Talbot Green and meeting someone in The Bush next week!

The world is a smaller place than we all  imagine @Alegandron  Hopefully I will make the acquaintance of @maridvnvm one day.

In the 1980's I visited a man in Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania and he was the secretary of a local historical society. I was there on business and had never heard of Wilkes Barre before I visited.. I explained  to him that I knew that my great grandfather on my mothers side had visited Pennsylvania in the 1880's and I had a carte de visite photograph of him with a Pennsylvania address.  In the photograph my grandfather was dressed in his "chapel best" suit with an Albert chain I still have. I explained to my new friend  that my grandfather  was unusual as he travelled back and forth to the USA , made some money, then travelling back home with his fortune only to lose it and go back again, He was involved in the Klondike in the 1890's. The person I visited said if I gave him the town named  on the photograph he would check if he had paid any local taxes, booked in a hotel or struck a claim as most records in the USA are extant. A couple of weeks later I looked at the photograph to see that the town was Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania and the name  of the photographer  on the photograph was the same name as the man I had visited.  His great grandfather had photographed my great grandfather more or less 100 years before I had met him and he was  also named after his great grandfather.  I called him to share this and he explained how his ancestors  started business as a photography company before moving into something else.

The population in the USA was around 240 million  at that time so the odds of this happening must be 240 million to one!

The odds of winning the UK lottery are about 50 million to one and I have never won!

 

 

 

 

[Alegandron]

9 minutes ago, Dafydd said:

Ha ha, I know all the places and have an office in Talbot Green and meeting someone in The Bush next week!

The world is a smaller place than we all  imagine @Alegandron  Hopefully I will make the acquaintance of @maridvnvm one day.

In the 1980's I visited a man in Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania and he was the secretary of a local historical society. I was there on business and had never heard of Wilkes Barre before I visited.. I explained  to him that I knew that my great grandfather on my mothers side had visited Pennsylvania in the 1880's and I had a carte de visite photograph of him with a Pennsylvania address.  In the photograph my grandfather was dressed in his "chapel best" suit with an Albert chain I still have. I explained to my new friend  that my grandfather  was unusual as he travelled back and forth to the USA , made some money, then travelling back home with his fortune only to lose it and go back again, He was involved in the Klondike in the 1890's. The person I visited said if I gave him the town named  on the photograph he would check if he had paid any local taxes, booked in a hotel or struck a claim as most records in the USA are extant. A couple of weeks later I looked at the photograph to see that the town was Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania and the name  of the photographer  on the photograph was the same name as the man I had visited.  His great grandfather had photographed my great grandfather more or less 100 years before I had met him and he was  also named after his great grandfather.  I called him to share this and he explained how his ancestors  started business as a photography company before moving into something else.

The population in the USA was around 240 million  at that time so the odds of this happening must be 240 million to one!

The odds of winning the UK lottery are about 50 million to one and I have never won!

 

 

 

 

LOL! Well, hope THAT luck passes to you when you play the Lottery!

Croeso

[Alegandron]

5 hours ago, maridvnvm said:

I still live in Wales today just the right side of the English border.

🙂 I know what you said….

[Ryro]

The new avatar is to celebrate a pretty unlucky dude, as far as the fates were concerned. Call me a romantic, but I'm so stupid that every time that I read the Iliad I STILL root for Hector despite knowing his horrible outcome!? A guy who gave it his all and came up short. I might have s post laying around here about it... somewhere

[Magnus Maximus]

Hey guys,

I’ve always liked reading about the late Roman Empire (350-400 AD). The character of Magnus Maximus has always intrigued me as to my knowledge he is the only usurper to get recognized as a legitimate Emperor. Plus his name sounds pretty bad ass!

 

[Topcat7]

@Magnus MaximusGood to see you here.

 

Edited June 3, 2022 by Topcat7

[Qcumbor]

15 hours ago, Dafydd said:

Most people have heard of Holland or the Netherlands but not everyone has heard of Wales so I advertise my birthplace.

 

I know where that is ! 🙂

I've visited Wales twice and loved it. I could hardly pronounce any word or name though !!

Q

 

[Alegandron]

4 hours ago, Qcumbor said:

 

I know where that is ! 🙂

I've visited Wales twice and loved it. I could hardly pronounce any word or name though !!

Q

 

LOL, yeah I bet as a native French speaker, Welsh was difficult !

i learned some of Welsh, as it was compulsory for my girls when they were going to school, and a lot of Folks at my facility spoke Welsh. It was enjoyable for me to learn some pleasantries and basic terms, as well as how to read placenames, etc. 

[airhead1983]

My avatar is of this guy, Herbert.  He was my bearded dragon.  He passed away unexpectedly a couple of months ago.  He was 11.

He was an awesome guy who just liked to hang out on his hammock and eat hornworms.

I just sold his tank a few days ago and it was hard to swallow.  I can’t have pets where I live and my parents were gracious enough to take him in.  I won’t be having another one for a while. 😢

He’s inspired me to focus on getting more ancient coins with reptiles on them for a while. 😃🦎

Erin

 

[quant.geek]

22 hours ago, velarfricative said:

Whoa, very nice Yaudheya Tet! It's a shame that Kartikeya coins are so hard to find, but the ones that exist are very attractive; the Kushan dinars are quite nice, and the rare 6-headed silver drachm is stunning.

There are some other coins with Kartikeya that are difficult to get in any reasonable condition.  These have a 6-headed Kartikeya. I have a few, but I am always looking for more...

 

Pre-Kushana Yaudheya: Unknown? Six-headed Karthikeya / Shashthi Drachm (Pieper-1113var)

Obv: Six-headed Karthikeya holding spear in his r. hand, his l. on his hip; Unknown circular Brahmni legend to the right
Rev: Female deity (Shashthi) standing above wavy line, ten-arched hill with nandipada on top on r., railed tree on l.

 

Edited June 3, 2022 by quant.geek

[Bailathacl]

I opted for a man-headed bull image from a killer coin that got away — i waited too long deciding whether to buy it and the seller sold elsewhere.  It is a reminder to myself to not let something get away if I truly love it. Also, my wife thinks the face looks just like me!  Anyway I did obtain one of these Campania beauties later, albeit in less wonderful condition.