I’ve finally acquired a dream coin of mine! BEHOLD THE LIGHTHOUSE OF ALEXANDRIA! From the collection of Giovanni Dattari himself (1853–1923) and among the best preserved in existence for the type!

[AncientCoinnoisseur]

EDIT: Video for anyone interested.

—-  

I'll take a better picture in the following days (so far I've worked with the auction one), but in the meantime look at this beauty:

EDIT: Digitally colored version:

Before you come at me: yes, I know that there are many Hadrian ones in better condition (Ancient Joe's one from the Colosseo Collection is UNMATCHED! Most likely the best Hadrian Pharos in existence!) but I challenge you to find a better overall Antoninus Pius Drachm with Isis and the lighthouse in private hands. You will probably find a few with some better features (slightly better obverse, slightly better stairs...) but I bet not many, if any, better overall coins (and trust me, I’ve looked!). 

 

Also — and this is purely a matter of personal taste — I very much prefer the style and proportions of Isis Pharia in these dies than in many of the Hadrian ones. I feel she gives off ‘Art Nouveau’ vibes and the face traits are way more gentle and charming. Also, the dress has some nice detail above the knee and the sistrum is meticulously rendered. 

 

 

Another thing I really like is the left Triton, shown here blowing in a conch (very likely a Charonia tritonis), a detail often lost in other dies with Isis. Same thing with the statue of Helios-Serapis, often missing in some coins. It is also interesting to note the elevated doorway (as protection against a rising tide):

 

 

There is another similar reverse die which in its prime was probably among the best, and it shows a perfect solar disk with cow horns as Isis’ headgear, but I could not find well preserved specimens of it online. This is probably as good as it gets:  

 

 

If we take a closer look at the headgear we can notice the details (I suppose mine is similar, just less detailed?):

 

 

Fun fact: if you look at the outline of the inner circle, you can spot the centre they used to draw the circle as a guide, which was then implemented in the final design:

 

 

Overall I’m pretty satisfied with it, this coin ticked all the boxes for me and I think I paid a really good price (800 CHF hammer, although between buyer’s premium, shipping, customs and insurance it ended up costing 1212€. Still fairly good IMHO), especially these days and with such a provenance (Ex Giovanni Maria Staffieri, bought from Italo Vecchi in London in 1988, ex Giovanni Dattari collection, 1853–1923). I believe I lucked out since the same auction had three more pharos coins, of which an extremely fine Hadrian people fought over which hammered at 2,200 CHF, so it probably drew the attention away from this. It also helped that it wasn’t identified as belonging to the Dattari collection 😉 (Thanks to another user from Reddit who spotted it for me!). 

 

I’m actually starting to wonder if there’s something wrong with my coin (Maybe it has bronze disease? 😉 ) Why this didn’t shoot in the thousands is beyond me, but oh, well, lucky me I guess  🙂 .

 

Oh, and it is also a multiple plate coin:

• Dattari-Savio 8561 (This coin illustrated)
• Figari - Mosconi 645 (This coin)
• RPC IV.4 74 (This coin, No. 13).  

 

 

If anyone has a better picture (or ideally a picture from Figari-Mosconi 645) you are more than welcome to post it! I inverted the colors in the illustration above to better show that it is indeed my coin that was traced with pencil by Dattari:

 

 

And here is my coin on RPC IV.4 74, specimen 13 (I’m now waiting for user Anaximander to get his copy and check if it also appears in the physical copy of the book!): https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coin/112781

 

EDIT: It does appear in the book and it is indeed a plate coin for the printed version of RPC!

Here Plate 6 with my coin (74/13):

BONUS: Giovanni Dattari himself looking at a pile of coins! It's so surreal to think that my coin could be in there 🙂 

 

Phew! And with this I'm done!

 

What do you think? 🙂 Show me your Pharos of Alexandria coins!

 

 

Edited November 27, 2024 by AncientCoinnoisseur
Added pictures

[CPK]

Truly, a fabulous coin @AncientCoinnoisseur! That is a spectacular specimen with the best provenance an Alexandrian/Egyptian coin can have. Congratulations!

Also, thanks for the interesting and very well-done writeup!

[Homer2]

What a specimen! Congratulations and thanks for posting. Great write up and description. The legacy of the piece is brilliant!

[Kali]

Wow, what a fabulous coin. Congratulation on getting a desirable piece.

[Robi]

Faboulos and very well preserved! Congratulation! 🙂

[AncientCoinnoisseur]

@CPK Thank you! I had been trying to get one of these for quite some time but with no luck! I remember losing a specimen from Gorny & Mosch some time ago, which ended up costing more than mine, but now that I think about it, I'm happier this way, I like this one much more! (And it has a very interesting provenance as well!)

@Homer2 Thank you! I'll try to take great care of it (Speaking of which, I wonder if anyone knows if the flips used by Astarte - Brand is "Master Phil" - are PVC free. I'm way too scared that this coin could get bronze disease, but I don't have a coin cabinet right now (ideally a mahogany one), so I keep my coins in the flips!)

@Kali @Robi thank you!

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@AncientJoe Your Hadrian Pharos is the best I have ever seen, so I cheated a bit and said mine is among the best for this type 🙂 I wasn't trying to even remotely compete with yours, but I think I have a fair chance if only the Antoninus Pius ones are battling 😉 By the way, is there a reason why people often get the Hadrian ones instead of the Antoninus ones for the Pharos reverse? I think all the specimens in this forum are Hadrians! (I.E. @TIF @DonnaML @ValiantKnight @Limes are all Hadrian ones!)

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@Anaximander Now I'll just have to wait for your copy to get home to find out if it's in RIC as well 🙂 

 

Edited November 6, 2024 by AncientCoinnoisseur

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Great coin, provenance, and presentation. Pass the popcorn for some great numismatic entertainment!

[AncientCoinnoisseur]

Thank you @Ancient Coin Hunter, I always try to learn as much as I can about anything I buy, and I love sharing my findings with some good presentations! I cannot wait to digitally colorise this one, although I want to take some high resolution pictures first! 🙂 

[Croatian Coin Collector]

A very nice coin, congratulations on acquiring it.

[kirispupis]

That's a gorgeous example! I'm officially jelly belly, because this has long been a bucket coin for me too (even though it's Roman).

[David Atherton]

Fantastic acquisition!

I know the feeling! The Pharos is one of my dream coins as well.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=168103

 

 

[AncientCoinnoisseur]

@kirispupis thanks, it was in my wishlist for the longest time, I just had to wait for the stars to align! Good luck in your search 🙂 

@David Atherton wow, that Domitian is something else!!! Extremely rare type, the first time the Pharos is depicted on coins, and yours is not only the best looking in circulation, but even rarer considering the left-facing portrait. Congratulations! The statue on top, the tritons and the octagonal tower are wonderfully depicted, with much more care than the later issues. I always wonder how a mint state one would have looked like. Truly superb example, I’m at loss of words, really! 
 

@Croatian Coin Collector Thank you!!

Edited November 7, 2024 by AncientCoinnoisseur

[CPK]

6 hours ago, AncientCoinnoisseur said:

...I always wonder how a mint state one would have looked like...

It's a different ruler, but same design and style. Sold last month on a hammer of 4,000 euros:

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=13441506

[AncientCoinnoisseur]

2 hours ago, CPK said:

It's a different ruler, but same design and style. Sold last month on a hammer of 4,000 euros:

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=13441506

I was actually prepared to bid on this coin,  but it soon flew over 2k and I knew I had no chance. I think the style and details are a bit different from the Domitian one, especially the top tower. There is this one that has the 3rd level depicted as well!

Sold for just 3.5k 😉 

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

It's a great type, with a wonderful pedigree. It would indeed be a wonderful coin to acquire.  Well done!

[AncientCoinnoisseur]

@Nerosmyfavorite68 thank you! It definitely became the crown jewel of my collection! 

[Roman Collector]

That's gorgeous and a great write-up, too. I have a tetradrachm of his daughter (of course) with a very similar reverse design.

 

Faustina II, 147-175 CE.
Roman provincial billon tetradrachm, 13.70 g, 21.4 mm, 11 h.
Egypt, Alexandria, 153/4 CE.
Obv: ΦΑVϹΤΙΝΑ ϹЄΒΑϹϹΤΗ, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: Isis Pharia right, wearing horned disk crown and plumes, chiton, and peplos which flies behind her, holding an inflated sail with both hands and left foot; in right hand, a sistrum. L I-Z (=regnal year 17) in fields.
Refs: RPC IV.4, 13787 (temporary); BMCG xv.162,1326; Dattari 3250; RIC 4743; Emmett 1949.17; Milne 2213.

[panzerman]

Fascinating coin! Very precise write up to boot.

Congrats!

John

[DonnaML]

Here's one: Hadrian, AE Drachm, Year 17 (AD 132/133), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear, ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙϹ ΤΡΑΙΑΝ - ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟϹ ϹƐΒ / Rev. Isis Pharia, holding billowing sail and sistrum above, sailing right in galley towards the Pharos of Alexandria, which has doorway in front and is surmounted by a statue as well as two tritons blowing seashell trumpets; [L]I – Z (Year 17) across lower fields behind and in front of Isis. 33 mm., 22.64 g., 12 h. Emmett 1002.17, K&G 32.547, RPC III Online 5838 (see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/5838), Milne 1373 at p. 33. Purchased Feb. 2022; ex Classical Numismatic Group, eAuction 384, Oct. 12, 2016, Lot 482

Edited November 9, 2024 by DonnaML

[DonnaML]

By the way, beware of Antoninus Pius tetradrachms showing Isis Pharia (but not the Lighthouse itself) that look exactly like this: 

It's a common fake. I was fooled by this specimen some years ago, but once I realized it was fake, the dealer  refunded the purchase price.

[AncientCoinnoisseur]

6 hours ago, Roman Collector said:

That's gorgeous and a great write-up, too. I have a tetradrachm of his daughter (of course) with a very similar reverse design.

 

Faustina II, 147-175 CE.
Roman provincial billon tetradrachm, 13.70 g, 21.4 mm, 11 h.
Egypt, Alexandria, 153/4 CE.
Obv: ΦΑVϹΤΙΝΑ ϹЄΒΑϹϹΤΗ, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: Isis Pharia right, wearing horned disk crown and plumes, chiton, and peplos which flies behind her, holding an inflated sail with both hands and left foot; in right hand, a sistrum. L I-Z (=regnal year 17) in fields.
Refs: RPC IV.4, 13787 (temporary); BMCG xv.162,1326; Dattari 3250; RIC 4743; Emmett 1949.17; Milne 2213.

Nice one! One thing that still confused me is this: in your description it says “wearing horned disk crown and plumes”, which would be consistent with many depictions of Isis from the time, i.e.  

  
 

However another Roman statue has this headdress:

And one of the coin dies has just the Solar disk and cow horns:

 

So now, since I have to digitally colorise my coin, I’m wondering: what is my Isis wearing? Do we know of any Isis Pharia statues that were in Alexandria? Do we have an educated guess of what her headdress looked like / color depictions of Isis Pharia?

Here her headdress looks more ‘blocky’, so I’m not sure if it’s the engravers’ fault in botching the solar disk or if he was trying to represent the feathered one.

(As you can see, I take my colorisations very seriously!)

@panzerman Thank you!

@DonnaML Nice one!! And thanks for the heads-up on the fake. I feel like this design of Isis with the Pharos is among the most artistically beautiful in Roman coinage (albeit provincial). Coins from Alexandria are always so creative and fascinating compared to the coins minted in Rome, it’s too bad they are always so worn!

BONUS: I have tried reconstructing my coin using die matches of coins that had more complete parts, so that I could show what a ‘perfect specimen’ would look like (and even here there are missing parts, but oh, well, that’s as good as it’s going to get!):

This way I can colorise the missing parts as well without inventing anything 🙂

Any ideas for the colors of Isis’ dress and sail? 😁

 

[Anaximander]

Yes, we have an answer: The OP has a PLATE COIN from Roman Provincial Coins (RPC) Volume IV.4, which was published this year

Congratulations to @AncientCoinnoisseur, a splendid pharos coin and an RPC plate coin, all wrapped up in one!

[AncientCoinnoisseur]

@Anaximander HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, WOW!!! Thank you sooo much for your lookup!!!!!