Coins and a cold one

[wuntbedruv]

The first Saturday of September is always a good day. Why so? This is the day of the London coin fair. One dealer was having a big clear out with reductions and I snaffled two interesting ancients along with a nice English pattern for resale. 

Coin number 1 was a decent Seleucid drachm of Antiochus VII Eugertes. The toning suggests it has spent some time in an old collection, perhaps a peruse through some catalogues may come up trumps with a distinguished provenance.

Coin number 2 was a chunky, square double Indo-Greek unit of Apollodotos Soter. I've been after one of these for a while, but hadn't found the right price/condition ratio. The bilingual inscriptions and shape are of particular interest to me.

Finished up in the local with a pint of something cold and flavourful. Cheers! 

 

[ominus1]

...ah dark beet and great coins...fine combo on a Saturday.....:)

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Very nice.  I'm glad you had a good time!

[Valentinian]

3 hours ago, wuntbedruv said:

The first Saturday of September is always a good day. Why so? This is the day of the London coin fair.

I envy you your ability to visit a coin fair. When I spent time in England I loved the numerous coin fairs, from very small to large. Now, I live in the Rocky Mountain part of the Pacific Northwest and the closest coin fair ("coin show" in the US) with ancients is very far away. 

Here is a rare Magnus Maximus I bought in 1996 at one of the "Cumberland Coin Fairs" in London:



14 mm. 1.35 grams.
DN MAG MAXIMVS PF AVG
VO/TIS/V in wreath, SCON in exergue.
RIC IX Arelate (named Constantina at the time, which explains the "CON") 28. 

But, now living far from anywhere is not as bad for ancient-coin collecting as it once was. The electrons of the internet get to me pretty fast!
   

[MrMonkeySwag96]

That drachm looks sharp & beautifully toned!

[Curtisimo]

Nice ones @wuntbedruv! The drachm is quite beautiful. The indo-Greek is super fun too. Here is my example.

Indo-Greek Kingdoms
Apollodotus I
AE Hemiobol, mint in northwest India, struck ca. 175-164 BC
Dim.: 22x22 mm
Wt.: 9.27 g
Obv.: BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΠOΛΛOΔOTOY ΣΩTHPOΣ; Apollo standing facing holding arrow in right hand and bow in left.
Rev.: Karoshthi legend; tripod and monogram surrounded by square of dots. 
Ref.: BMC 17, SG 7594
Ex Deacon Ray (2019 Secret Saturnalia gift)

[Herodotus]

Cool!!!

I also acquired one of these Indo-Greek types a while back. Neat square coin.

Indo-Greek Kingdoms BACTRIA: Apollodotus I. (175-164 BC). Square AE unit.
O: BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΠOΛΛOΔOTOY ΣΩTHPOΣ; Apollo standing facing, holding arrow in right hand and bow in left.
R: Kharoshthi legend on three sides: maharajasa/apaladatasa/tratarasa; Tripod within dotted border, monogram at right.

   

 

[wuntbedruv]

2 hours ago, MrMonkeySwag96 said:

That drachm looks sharp & beautifully toned!

It is. Difficult to pick the full toning up with a phone camera but it's a really good coin.

[wuntbedruv]

1 hour ago, Curtisimo said:

Nice ones @wuntbedruv! The drachm is quite beautiful. The indo-Greek is super fun too. Here is my example.

Indo-Greek Kingdoms
Apollodotus I
AE Hemiobol, mint in northwest India, struck ca. 175-164 BC
Dim.: 22x22 mm
Wt.: 9.27 g
Obv.: BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΠOΛΛOΔOTOY ΣΩTHPOΣ; Apollo standing facing holding arrow in right hand and bow in left.
Rev.: Karoshthi legend; tripod and monogram surrounded by square of dots. 
Ref.: BMC 17, SG 7594
Ex Deacon Ray (2019 Secret Saturnalia gift)

The reverse is really sharp. Like that a lot!

Edited September 8, 2024 by wuntbedruv

[panzerman]

Back when I was eight/ after doing farm chores/ my Dad and I would sit on the porch and have a cold beer. It was usually always a different brand. One hot July evening he got a six pak of Guiness. I took a swig same time as Him/ our reaction was one of utter disgust/ that was the worst beer I had ever tasted, and never wanted to try again. Thankfully on the next day he gave me a Back Horse ale/ MUCH better. GREAT coins/ thanks for sharing/ I will take a pass on the brew!