Coin Talk
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Claudius II's arrival in Rome - ADVENTVS AVG
When, last year, I posted my top 10 list for 2021 (I apologize for my long hiatus in making new threads, but I promise a few more will be coming in the future), there was only one coin that I didn't have in hand, forcing me to use the auction house's photo; having finally received it today, I thought it was interesting enough to deserve not only a thread but an overview of its issue, taking into account its context, its types and its influences on the future.
Roman Empire, Claudius II (268-270), Antoninianus, Rome mint.
Obverse: IMP C M AVR CLAVDIVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind;
Reverse: ADVENTVS AVG, Emperor on horseback riding left, raising right arm and holding transverse sceptre in left hand;
RIC V - (c.f. RIC V 13); RIC V Online 100;
The antoniniani of Claudius II with the obverse legend IMP C M AVR CLAVDIVS P F AVG... -
In the name and title of the Great Khan. Genghis Khan.
Genghis Khan.
Gold
In his name. Gold Dinar. Bukhara mint, circa 618-624 AH. Album-1964. Very rare! Some strike weakness but unusually completrle texts for type.
Legends in Arabic:
Obverse:
Jankeez Khan (Genghis Khan)
Al-Adil (The wise)
Al-Azam (The Great)
Reverse:
Bukhara
La ilah ila (There is no God but Allah)
Allah Muhammad Rasul (Muhammad is the prophet of Allah)
Whilst most coins associated with him were either in his title, anonymous or the Abbasid Caliph of which his territories paid in reverence to, this is one of the very rare coins which has the name of Genghis Khan himself struck on it. Characteristic of these Bukharan issues, the strike and legends are often weak and of very crude. This specimen however has the kalimah, mint and most of the texts visible and clear. Whilst "Khan" is very clear, some strike weakness on his name is there but traces are visible.
Silver... -
When Sweden was a Major Power
During the 17th century, Sweden would become a major European power, led by King Gustavus II Adolf. Referred to as Gustavus Adolphus the Great, it was during his 21 year reign that he would lead Sweden into the forefront of the thirty years war, enjoying great military success. Often celebrated as one of the finest military commanders in history, he is posthumously remembered as having a large influence on Protestantism in Europe, with many landmarks and buildings named after him in modern Europe.
Gustavus was born the eldest son of Charles IX, inheriting the throne at just sixteen in 1611. He was so young that congressional concessions had to be made to the Riksdag (the Swedish Assembly) in order to be granted full governmental control. Along with the throne, Gustavus inherited a number of wars from his father. Charles IX had usurped the throne from Sigismund III, his nephew and also the king of Poland. This resulted in intermittent war with Poland for over 60 years, until 1629.... -
Faustina Friday – An Enigmatic Middle Bronze of Faustina the Elder
TGIFF, everyone! I've posted a lot of articles recently about Faustina the Younger, many of which are jam-packed with information. We're going to shift focus today to a coin of Faustina the Elder, and instead of providing a lot of answers, we're going to raise a lot of questions because not much is known about the coin.
There are a couple of reasons we have a lot of questions. The first is that the coin was issued in the middle bronze denomination only and thus falls outside of the scope of Beckmann's die-linkage study of the posthumous aurei and sestertii of Faustina the Elder and its date or purpose of issue has not been established with precision.[1] Secondly, the identity of the divine figure depicted on the coin's reverse is ambiguous, and has been... -
A Beautiful Gold Stater... of Brutus?
SKYTHIA, Geto-Dacians
Koson
AV Stater, struck mid-1st century BC
Dia.: 20 mm
Wt.: 8.35 g
Obv.: ΚΟΣΩΝ; Roman consul accompanied by two lictors advancing left; monogram to left
Rev. Eagle standing left on scepter, holding wreath.
Ref.: RPC I 1701A; HGC 3, 2049; BMC Vol. III Thrace 1 (pg. 208)
Formerly slabbed by NGC
The mystery of who struck this coin has been discussed at length for centuries. Instead of making up my mind and trying to argue for one point of view or the other I figured I would use this thread to lay out my current understanding of the various theories as best as I can. I anticipate that I will be coming back to this thread in the future to make updates and to add links to sources as I find them.
As such please bear with me if you find a mistake or if I miss an important point here or there. Understanding this coin will be a work in progress and many of the references I would like to read on the subject I have been... -
Hard Times Tokens; What Are They
These types of tokens were produced from 1832 to 1843 but the Hard Times were from 1837 to 1842. They were mainly produced to support commerce as times were hard. To understand what happened, what occurred at that point in the history of the United States and how they came into usage in commerce, it is essential to involve political understanding of the events.
There is no political statement here and remember the time frame. This took place 185 years ago. It’s history that helped produce tokens that today, have become very collectible. It is that understanding that I’m aiming for.
So what are Hard Times Tokens (HTT)? They are copper, Large or Half Cent sized and they were struck from around 1833 through 1843. They served as unofficial currency in the US. The HTT are privately made comprising merchants, political and satirical pieces. They were used during a time of political and financial crisis in the United States.
The year was 1832 and President Andrew Jackson ran for... -
A most obscure Roman Emperor
I recently purchased this siliqua of Flavius Victor and researched his quite obscure history.
Flavius Victor. AR Siliqua, 1.99g. Trier. c 383 - 388 A.D. DN FL VICTOR PF AVG. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Victor to right / VIRTVS ROMANORUM Roma seated left on cuirass, holding globus and reverted spear, TRPS in exergue. RIC IX 84d.1.
In fact, one cannot really write much about Victor, as there is almost nothing to say. Historical sources are few and fragmentary. One can tell Victor’s story only through that of his father, Magnus Maximus (c. 335 – 388). Maximus was a capable general of the Roman army, scoring victories in Africa and in Britain, where he defeated the Picts and Scots in 380. Seizing an opportunity while the Emperor Gratian struggled with popularity issues, Maximus accepted the position of emperor when proclaimed so by his army in Britain in 383. He marched into Gaul whence his forces soon... -
Licinius' IOM (Ivpiter Optimvs Maximinvs) types
Victor just posted his Top 10 2021 LRB list, including a great specimen of one of these interesting IOM (Ivpiter Optimvs Maximinvs) types issued by Licinius.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/my-top-10-lrbs-for-2021.389747/
There are numerous points of interest to these coins, obviously starting with these highly unusual dual confronted bust obverses, usually of the Licinii (Sr + Jr).
These types were issued from three mints, Nicomedia, Cyzicus and Antioch using differentiated designs at each mint.
At Nicomedia Fortuna is featured, with a reverse legend of IOM ET FORT[VNA] CONSER DD NN AVG ET CAES, and a reverse design of IOM & Fortuna, mirrored by an obverse of the Licinii holding a mini Fortuna.
At Cyzicus Victoria is featured, with a reverse legend of IOM ET VICT[ORIA] CONSER DD NN AVG ET CAES, and a reverse design of IOM & Victoria, mirrored by an obverse of the Licinii holding a mini Victoria.
At... -
Roerbakmix Early Medieval Top 10 of 2021 (+ 1 Greek coin)
To stay in tradition, I will post my top 10 of 2021. As for most, 2021 will be remembered as the year of the pandemic. Prices of coins soared, and as a medical doctor, I had little spare time to spend on coins. Hopefully, next year will be better.
I've just checked my database: only 19 coins were added to the collection this year (that is: I've bought more, but decided to sell of a large part of my non-sceatta collection recently. Many of the better Roman and Greek coin will be sold at Roma's e-auctions 91 and 93). Of these 19 coins, four were Greek, and the remaining 15 were sceatta's. In fact: I have increased the number of sceatta's from 38 last year to 53 this year. In my top 10 of 2020, 5/10 coins were sceatta's; in 2019, only 1/10 coins was a sceatta, illustrating the current focus of... -
A Fascinating Bronze Coin of the First Jewish-Roman War
I am happy to have added this prutah struck in Jerusalem during the First Jewish War to my collection this year. Because I think the context is what makes these coins so interesting I will spend some time in this write up discussing the relevant background and how that relates to the coins.
Judaea
First Jewish War
AE Prutah, Jerusalem mint, struck ca. AD 67/8
Wt.: 2.13 g
Dia.: 16 mm
Obv.: Amphora; Paleo-Hebrew inscription: "Year Two"
Rev.: Vine leaf; Paleo-Hebrew inscription: "Freedom of Zion"
Ref.: Hendin 1360
Ex Tareq Hani Collection
Year 1: Outbreak and Early Success
In AD 66 the Roman procurator of Judaea (Gessius Florus) forcibly removed 17 talents of silver from the temple treasury in Jerusalem causing widespread Jewish unrest. Florus responded to the unrest in such an incompetent and heavy-handed manner that Josephus...
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