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I just had a look through what I added to the pile in 2024 and picked what should have been ten, but actually is eleven, so why not.

I didn't pick up any great treasures in 2024 - my main resolution for the year was to try to use up my vacation time by taking a lot of smallish breaks and it may be as a result that I forgot about coins for most of the year 馃槃聽 聽Anyway, I made it to New York (NYINC), Paris (work), Prague (& Amsterdam on the way - got a book on the Roman Republican collection in Prague National Museum), Athens (first time since 1989, got to the Numismatic Collection), Rome (tried to catch places I hadn't been to - Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, Basilica of San Clemente [my cousin is a Dominican based there and doing a PhD] and saw an Irish gold at the European Athletics Championships), Istanbul (first time, got to the Istanbul Archaeological Museum and its coin collection), London (Coinex) and Santiago de Compostela for New Year (meet up with some friends, I did buy a medal).

I got more RR coins than any other type and now have 1023 RR coins of 874 types (in some cases I've got multiple examples of the same thing with different symbols - e.g., fourteen or fifteen of Cr. 340/1).

I went to NYINC in January and picked up a few random coins - here are two of them:

1 - L. Thorius Balbus denarius - I had to get something RR and this is a lot better than the example of the type I already had.

Gens: Thoria
Moneyer: L. Thorius Balbus
Coin: Silver Denarius
I路S路M路R - Head of Juno Sospita, right, wearing goat-skin
L路THORIVS - Bull charging right; control-mark above (S)
Exergue: BALBVS
Mint: Rome (105 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 3.94g / 20mm / 6h
References:
  • RSC 1 (Thoria)
  • Sydenham 598
  • Crawford 316/1
Acquisition: Wolfshead Gallery NYINC Bourse 13-Jan-2024

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2 - Moghul Rupee.聽 聽Allen Berman had a box or two of these and they're quite interesting, so I bought one.

Country: India - Mughal
Authority: Akbar
Coin: AH 100 (1592) Rupee
- Legend
- Legend
Shape: Square.
Mint: Ahmadabad
Wt./Size/Axis: 11.21g / 17mm / -
References:
  • KM 82.1
Acquisition: Allen Berman NYINC Bourse 13-Jan-2024

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3 - Helmet Victoriatus.

This fairly miserable example was on Vcoins - it's fairly scarce, so I bought it.

Gens: Anonymous - Helmet
Coin: Silver Victoriatus
- Laureate head of Jupiter right
- Victory right, crowning trophy; between, helmet
Exergue: ROMA
Mint: Rome (ca. 179-170 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 2.03g / 17mm / -
References:
  • Sydenham 270
  • Crawford 168/1
  • BMCRR 372
Acquisition: DT Coins Vcoins 19-Feb-2024

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4 - Paeonian Tetradrachm.聽 聽No other reason other than I like the type and didn't have one.

Ruler: Patraos
State, City: Paeonia
Coin: Silver Tetradrachm
- Laureate head of Apollo, right
螤-AT-PA-OY - Warrior on horse rearing right, spearing enemy warrior holding shield and spear
Mint: Damastion (?) (ca. 335-315 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 12.39g / - / -
References:
  • Paeonian Hoard 177 (This coin)
Acquisition: Jean Elsen Online auction Auction 159 #56 21-Jun-2024

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5 - Kelenderis Stater.聽 聽Someone mentioned that The Coin Cabinet (not a new company, but one that seems to have acquired some of defunct Roma's staff) were having a sale and that they were having problems logging in.聽 聽I tried, found I could log in and won this.聽 聽I already had a Kelenderis obol, but this is a heftier beast, even if the obverse is poorly centred.

State, City: Cilicia, Kelenderis
Coin: Silver Stater
A - Nude youth, holding whip, dismounting from horse rearing left
螝螘螞螘螡 / A - Goat kneeling left, head right
Mint: (ca. 430-420 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 10.64g / 20mm / 2h
References:
  • SNG Von Aulock 5618
  • Casabonne Type 2
Provenances:
  • Ex. Euclidean Collection
  • Ex. Roma Numismatics E-Sale 79, lot 336
Acquisition: The Coin Cabinet Online auction Ancients Auction 10 #80 30-May-2024

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6 - Q. Caecilius Metellus denarius.聽 聽A fourr茅e, more than likely, though it's the full weight.

Gens: Caecilia
Moneyer: Q. Cae. Metellus
Coin: Silver Denarius
Q路METEL PIVS - Laureate head of Jupiter, right
SCIPIO IMP - Elephant, right
Mint: Africa (47 - Spring 46 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 3.86g / - / -
References:
  • RSC 47 (Caecilia)
  • Sydenham 1046
  • Crawford 459/1
  • HCRI 45
Acquisition: Jean Elsen Online auction Auction 159 #274 21-Jun-2024
Notes: Jul 29, 24- Elsen suggests this may be a fourr茅.

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7 - Papal Medal 1.聽 聽I bought a lot of papal medals in 2024 and have a side project to visit any buildings/sites depicted - often, the annual medals depicted a building or reconstruction project recently completed.聽 聽This one does show St. Peter's in the background, but was struck in 1832 to show the church defeating its enemies (the anguipedal monster representing the revolutionaries of 1831, overcome after the intervention of the Austrian army).

Details: Gregory XVI |
GREGORIVS XVI PONT MAX AN II - Bust right wearing triple-crown
NON PRAEVALEBVNT ADVERSVS EAM - The Church with spear and shield advances towards a monster; River Tiber to left; wolf and twins to front, Rome in background
Grouping: Single
Designer: Joseph Cerbara
Shape: Round.
Wt./Size/Axis: 32.95g / 43mm / -
References:
  • Bartolotti E. 832
Acquisition: Istra Numizmatika Online auction Auction 4 #624 24-Aug-2024
Notes: Sep 11, 24- Mintage: 2349

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8 - Papal Medal 2.聽 聽This is a very large 82mm diameter, 253g weight medal depicting the rebuilt Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.聽 聽The basilica, built on the claimed burial site of St. Paul by Constantine I and later rebuilt and enlarged by Theodosius I, was devastated by fire in 1823.聽 聽The rebuilt basilica was dedicated by Pius IX in 1854 and this medal marks that occasion.聽 聽I've since also picked up an earlier medal which shows the ruined version, but this with the 3D effect by I. Bianchi is more impressive.

Type: Commemorative
Details: |
PIVS IX PONT MAX - Bust left
PIVS IX P M BASILICAM PAVLI APOST AB INCENDIO REFECTAM SOLEMNI RITV CONSECRAVIT TV ID DEC MDCCCLIV - Interior view of Basilica of Saint Paul's
Grouping: Single
Designer: Ignazio Bianchi
Shape: Round.
Mint: (1854)
Wt./Size/Axis: 253.00g / 82mm / -
References:
  • Bartolotti XXV
Acquisition: Nomisma Online auction Auction 70 #1539 16-Sep-2024
Notes: Oct 19, 24- Bought as an unsold post-sale.

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9 - Cassius denarius.聽 聽A fourr茅e and unfortunately the break in silvering on the reverse has wiped out most of the crab.聽 聽Between its sale by CNG in January and Naville in June, the coin was "Expertly preserved"聽according to Naville.聽 聽I think the reverse looked better before, but it was cheap, so I got it 馃槃

Ruler: Cassius (Imperator)
Gens: Cassia
Moneyer: M. Servilius
Coin: Silver (plated) Denarius
C路CASSEI路IMP - Laureate head of Libertas, right
M路SERVILIVS LEG - Crab, right, holding aplustre in its claws; on left, rose and untied diadem
Mint: (42 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 3.55g / 18mm / 9h
References:
  • RSC 10 (Cassius)
  • Sydenham 1313
  • Crawford 505/3
  • HCRI 226
  • RBW 1774
Provenances:
  • Ex. Conti Collection
  • Ex. CNG eAuction 553, lot 448, 3-Jan-2024
Acquisition: Naville Numismatics Online auction NN Live 90 #485 23-Jun-2024

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10 - Mettia Quinarius.聽 聽Another sorry specimen, but a rare coin which fills a gap and who knows may get upgraded someday.

Gens: Mettia
Moneyer: M. Mettius
Coin: Silver Quinarius
- Head of Juno Sospita, right; behind, coiled snake
- Victory in biga, right, holding reins in left hand and whip in right hand
Exergue: M路METTI
Mint: Rome (44 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 1.52g / 14mm / -
References:
  • RSC 1 (Mettia)
  • Sydenham 1058
  • Crawford 480/23
  • BMCRR Rome 4149
Acquisition: Numismatik Naumann Online auction Auction 143 #423 4-Aug-2024

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11 - Constantine I Follis.聽 聽I got this at Coinex in September.聽 聽Altogether, I got three coins there - a Celtic tetradrachm, a Julia Domna denarius with a hoard provenance and this because it was nice and retained its silvering.

Ruler: Constantine I (Augustus)
Coin: Bronze Follis
IMP C FL VAL CONSTANTINVS P F AVG - Head of Constantine I, laureate, right
IOVI CONSER-VATORI AVGG - Jupiter, nude, chlamys spread, standing left, holding Victory on globe in right hand and leaning on sceptre with left hand; to left, eagle with wreath
Exergue:
spacer.gif symbol44.gif
symbol33.gif
symbol13.gif
symbol1.gifsymbol11.gifsymbol5.gif
Mint: Alexandria (315 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 3.56g / 20mm / 6h
References:
  • RIC VII Alexandria 9 (Licinius)
Provenances:
  • Ex. Nash Collection, 90s-2000s
Acquisition: Den Of Antiquity Coinex 2024 28-Sep-2024

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That's all, folks.聽 聽I hope we all have a great 2025 馃檪

ATB,
Aidan.

Edited by akeady
Typos
  • Like 19
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Posted

Great group! I had never heard of the Kingdom of Paeonia before now, cool one. The Pius IX medal has an insane level of detail, the reverse is stunning!

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Posted (edited)
42 minutes ago, Qcumbor said:

I'm not at all into papal stuff but that Pivs IX medal is absolutely gorgeous

Q

I really like the 3-D effect of the Bianchi designs - I have three or four more of other church interiors but this is largest example I have.

He does really capture the view well - this is a bad photo' of the scene that I took in 2015, compared to the medal:

P4272769.JPG.227d7a89444ee7a4770976a4006f0765.JPG

PA171860-EDIT.jpg.f6c014bd186b9283c56cac61d84a98ab.jpg

ATB,
Aidan.

Edited by akeady
  • Like 7
Posted · Supporter
Posted

Wonderful group of coins @akeady! My favorites are the聽Paeonian Tetradrachm, the聽Q. Caecilius Metellus denarius, and that stunning Papal medal (2). Superb photography too, as always! Congrats on a great year of collecting.

  • Like 1
Posted

Tough choice, but I think the Kelenderis stater is my favourite. Special mention for the coin with the elephant ( I like elephants on ancient coins).

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