Secret Saturnalia 2024

[TIF]

Had a great time today photographing and admiring my Secret Saturn haul.  Check out this loot!

A Saturn from my Saturn, how apropos! 😁.  Fabulous Gallienus ant-- the metal is much nicer than most Gallienus ants, and the portrait is super sharp .

ROMAN EMPIRE. 
GALLIENUS, sole reign, 260-268 CE
Obv:  GALLIENVS AVG; radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev:  AETERNITAS AVG; Saturn standing right, holding harp, PXV in exergue
Ref:  RIC Vii 606, Antioch
2024 Secret Saturn gift from CPK; ex Mark R. Breitsprecher, ex Wayne C. Phillips.

 

Next, the cutest lil elephant ever... this guy is just begging to be animated:

 

Bonus animal:  lion reverse.   RAWR!   I can feel Stevex6's stamp of approval 😁.

CENTRAL ASIA, LOCAL ISSUES, Kabul. 
Shahis (Shahiyas). Samanta Deva. Circa 850-1000. 
AE jital, 18.44 mm, 2.59 gm
Obv:  Caparisoned elephant standing left; śri samanta deva in Nagari above
Rev:  Lion standing right with raised forepaw; flower above
Ref:  Tye 19 
2024 Secret Saturn gift from CPK; ex Mark R. Breitsprecher; ex John Twente Collection (acquired 4 Feb 2000)

 

Last, a rare usurper!  


ROMAN EMPIRE.  SPONSIANUS, usurper
AR denarius, 19.09 mm, 3.37 gm
struck c. 260-2024 CE, uncertain Bulgarian mint
Obv:  IMP SPONSIANI; radiate head of Sponsianus right
Rev:  C A-VG; Festivus celebration scene, with figure atop column performing the Airing of Grievances while holding the Festivus pole; below, two figures preparing to perform Feats of Strength
Ref:  unpublished, possibly unique; Seinfeld S9E10


2024 Secret Saturn gift from CPK

 

Here's a blurb about Sponsian-- the man, the myth, the legend:
 

"Sponsianus is believed to have been a Roman usurper, who attempted to seize the throne during the 240s, likely during the rule of Philip the Arab. The sole evidence found for his existence was from a single aureus, found in 1713 in Transylvania, among coins bearing the inscription of Philip the Arab and Gordian III, bearing the inscription of Sponsianus. The numismatist Henry Cohen believed them to be “very poor quality modern forgeries”. However, according to the ancient numismatist Wayne Sayles, as the usurpers and emperors of the time were often ephemeral, the lack of coins should not be seen as evidence that Sponsianus did not actually exist. The problems with the aureus are twofold: firstly, the obverse (face) side of the coin is “barbaric and strange” according to the findings of the Roman Imperial Coinage, and the reverse (tail) side of the coin appears to be a copy of a Republican denarius struck in 135 BC."
 

And, in a Festivus miracle, the gift I mailed to my recipient appears to have found its way out of USPS purgatory and has been delivered to a mailbox.  Whether the correct mailbox, who knows.  But it has been delivered.  Four days late... could have been worse. 😊

[CPK]

13 minutes ago, TIF said:

Had a great time today photographing and admiring my Secret Saturn haul.  Check out this loot!

A Saturn from my Saturn, how apropos! 😁.  Fabulous Gallienus ant-- the metal is much nicer than most Gallienus ants, and the portrait is super sharp .

ROMAN EMPIRE. 
GALLIENUS, sole reign, 260-268 CE
Obv:  GALLIENVS AVG; radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev:  AETERNITAS AVG; Saturn standing right, holding harp, PXV in exergue
Ref:  RIC Vii 606, Antioch
2024 Secret Saturn gift from CPK; ex Mark R. Breitsprecher, ex Wayne C. Phillips.

 

Next, the cutest lil elephant ever... this guy is just begging to be animated:

 

Bonus animal:  lion reverse.   RAWR!   I can feel Stevex6's stamp of approval 😁.

CENTRAL ASIA, LOCAL ISSUES, Kabul. 
Shahis (Shahiyas). Samanta Deva. Circa 850-1000. 
AE jital, 18.44 mm, 2.59 gm
Obv:  Caparisoned elephant standing left; śri samanta deva in Nagari above
Rev:  Lion standing right with raised forepaw; flower above
Ref:  Tye 19 
2024 Secret Saturn gift from CPK; ex Mark R. Breitsprecher; ex John Twente Collection (acquired 4 Feb 2000)

 

Last, a rare usurper!  


ROMAN EMPIRE.  SPONSIANUS, usurper
AR denarius, 19.09 mm, 3.37 gm
struck c. 260-2024 CE, uncertain Bulgarian mint
Obv:  IMP SPONSIANI; radiate head of Sponsianus right
Rev:  C A-VG; Festivus celebration scene, with figure atop column performing the Airing of Grievances while holding the Festivus pole; below, two figures preparing to perform Feats of Strength
Ref:  unpublished, possibly unique; Seinfeld S9E10


2024 Secret Saturn gift from CPK

 

Here's a blurb about Sponsian-- the man, the myth, the legend:
 

"Sponsianus is believed to have been a Roman usurper, who attempted to seize the throne during the 240s, likely during the rule of Philip the Arab. The sole evidence found for his existence was from a single aureus, found in 1713 in Transylvania, among coins bearing the inscription of Philip the Arab and Gordian III, bearing the inscription of Sponsianus. The numismatist Henry Cohen believed them to be “very poor quality modern forgeries”. However, according to the ancient numismatist Wayne Sayles, as the usurpers and emperors of the time were often ephemeral, the lack of coins should not be seen as evidence that Sponsianus did not actually exist. The problems with the aureus are twofold: firstly, the obverse (face) side of the coin is “barbaric and strange” according to the findings of the Roman Imperial Coinage, and the reverse (tail) side of the coin appears to be a copy of a Republican denarius struck in 135 BC."
 

And, in a Festivus miracle, the gift I mailed to my recipient appears to have found its way out of USPS purgatory and has been delivered to a mailbox.  Whether the correct mailbox, who knows.  But it has been delivered.  Four days late... could have been worse. 😊

Glad you like the coins! 🥳

[TIF]

Just now, CPK said:

Glad you like the coins! 🥳

I love them!  What a well-curated selection 🥰.  Thanks, CPK!

[JAZ Numismatics]

I hate to be that guy, but I think the Sponsianus is a fake.

Edited December 21, 2024 by JAZ Numismatics

[The_Collector]

These are some great gifts! My secret Saturn picked out a fantastic gift for me. I have no clue how they knew to get me this, but it’s a coin I’ve always wanted! While I am an ardent Flavian Fanatic, I also am trying to a every emperor and empress set on the side, and they picked out a beautiful Faustiana senior denarius with the exact reverse I would want for her! Without further a do my stunning Faustina denarius (the pictures do not do it justice) Thank you to my Secret Saturn 

[Qcumbor]

This year Secret Saturnalia exchange is very special : as a funny coincidence, since pairing are made randomly, I happen to be the Secret Santa of my own Secret Santa. I can't but post again a picture of what I received as a gift, and thank @porphyrogenita, who, for a first participation hit the nail on the head.

Thank you so much @porphyrogenita

Q

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

And an update, I guess it shows how important scales are.  I weighed the Justin I on my new scale (comparing the scale first with a coin with a stated weight) and it was 16.04g, more than I thought.

I wonder if there are any more unboxings to come?

 

[Troyden]

Hello everyone!

This is my first time joining the Saturnalia celebrations on the forum. I'm happy with the coins I received: a follis of Maxentius with a temple on the reverse, and a provincial coin of Elagabalus. I haven't had coins from these rulers before, but they are really interesting pieces. I collect coins with historical significance, and these are very good examples. Maxentius' marks a fitting end to the pre-Christian era with the temple coin, and Elagabalus had such a fascinating reign.

Sorry for the photo quality, I don't have the means to take better pictures right now.

Wishing a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate and of course Io Saturnalia!

Cheers!

 

 

[bcuda]

I received my Saturnalia gift yesterday and am very pleased. My Secret Saturn was very thoughtful on the gift they gave me and included a wonderful note that described some of the history on the coins, they also included some index cards with the coins pictures and information that I thought was very nice. I love them all and they will be added to my collection as soon as I can get the little squares printed out with their appropriate info. I had a really hard time taking pictures with my phone and my pictures do not do them justice. I need to work on my skills on picture taking for sure. Thank you so very much Secret Saturn !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some pictures that I took in a hurry sorry they are not the best quality.

 

[Limes]

I received, opened and took photos of my gift. Im very excited, and have absolutely zero knowledge about this three round things which appeard to be coins 😁 So thanks Santa, I'm going to have some holiday fun researching these coins, starting with which way is up and which way is down (but I think I'm already getting somewhere)! 

[Curtisimo]

So many great gifts here. Saturnalia is so much fun. If there is anyone who participated but hasn’t yet received a gift, please send me a PM.

………………….

Every year I do a private exchanges with one or two friends and it has been a great tradition. One of those friends I’ve been exchanging with for several years now is @Ryro. I am humbled by the wonderful gifts he sent me. Each one deserves its own write up (which I will get to in time) but I wanted to make sure I posted the photos to the forum before the end of the year so you can all see the generous gifts Ryan sent. Thank you again!

………………….

Antoninus Pius Sestertius: Is there any coin more satisfying to hold than one of these chunky Roman bronze coins? I don’t think so either. This fits perfect in my 5 Good Emperors Sestertius set because I did not yet have a coin of A-Pi!. Nice!

………………..

Ptolemaic AE: I love the horned portrait of Alexander. I have surprisingly few AtG related coins in my collection. This is a step in the right direction.

………………..

The Great Conqueror, Ipcy Idic: This guy is a legend. He stole the radiate crown of Aurelian while he was on the toilet with the help of his magic servant shown in the reverse… among other legendary antics.

………………..

It’s a freakin’ Pigasus! Enough said.

Thanks again Ryan!

I do have one more Saturnalia exchange coin to reveal but my gift to Q got routed incorrectly by the dealer so he is still waiting on his from me (sorry Q). I we will post when he gets it. 🙂 

I hope your are all having a great holiday season.

 

 

Edited December 29, 2024 by Curtisimo

[Qcumbor]

Wow ! @Ryro is a boss ...

 

.... And you deserve such presents Curtis !

Q

[Curtisimo]

17 minutes ago, Qcumbor said:

Wow ! @Ryro is a boss ...

 

.... And you deserve such presents Curtis !

Q

Yes @Ryro and you really made this year a special Saturnalia. Thank you both. I always enjoy our exchanges. 🙂 

[JayAg47]

Finally received my gift, this year my Secret Saturn is actually a secret, so I don't know who sent me this lovely baby Caracalla. I really like the detail on the reverse scene.

Caracalla 
3.17g
198 AD
Obv: IMP CAE M AVR ANT AVG P TRP, laureate & draped bust right
Rev: MINER VICTRIX, Minerva standing half-left, holding Victory and spear, shield at his feet, trophy behind.

Edited December 30, 2024 by JayAg47

[GregH]

I arrived home from my Summer vacation today and found that my Secret Saturn has visited (having come all the way from Wales), with a very touching letter of sympathy about my late husband Darren.

The coins are great, and my Secret Saturnalia gift giver has obviously paid close attention to my collecting interests.

Firstly, there's a Faustina II sestertius with the Juno reverse. This is a much welcome companion to the Faustina II denarius in my collection.

Next we have a 1689 James II gun money half crown. This will pair nicely with my pre-revolution silver half crown of James II.

Finally we have a George III bank token of 1 shilling and sixpence, which fits in nicely with my little George III side-quest section of my collection. I enjoy coins of GIII because there's variety and novelty in his coins and the portraiture is particularly strong.

I couldn't be happier! THANK YOU my dear Secret Saturn!

 

[Furryfrog02]

On 12/30/2024 at 10:01 PM, GregH said:

I arrived home from my Summer vacation today and found that my Secret Saturn has visited (having come all the way from Wales), with a very touching letter of sympathy about my late husband Darren.

The coins are great, and my Secret Saturnalia gift giver has obviously paid close attention to my collecting interests.

Firstly, there's a Faustina II sestertius with the Juno reverse. This is a much welcome companion to the Faustina II denarius in my collection.

Next we have a 1689 James II gun money half crown. This will pair nicely with my pre-revolution silver half crown of James II.

Finally we have a George III bank token of 1 shilling and sixpence, which fits in nicely with my little George III side-quest section of my collection. I enjoy coins of GIII because there's variety and novelty in his coins and the portraiture is particularly strong.

I couldn't be happier! THANK YOU my dear Secret Saturn!

 

Those are all great coins but I especially love that James II gun money coin. My son and I received a couple of James II gun money coins from a dearly departed member, Jamescius, several years ago. They are such an interesting part of history and a very special part of our collection.