GAVIN RICHARDSON TOP 10 2021

Dear Cointalkers,

Are you despondent and filled with jealousy watching others post their Top 10 lists filled with fleur de coin treasures? Then take heart! It’s time for Gavin’s Top 10 of 2021! Here are ten coins that have brought me a lot of learning and joy over the past year.

#10. I’ve really enjoyed participating in the Ancient and Medieval Coins of Canada auctions. Here’s a win from AMCC 3. The posthumous coins of Constantine are exceedingly common, but the IVST VEN MEM reverse with Æquitas holding scales is fairly scarce, so I was delighted to add it to my Constantine collection.



#9. This is probably my year’s biggest bargain. The “Sol Invictus” coins of Constantine are quite common, but this coin features the variation of Sol facing forward rather than to the left of the coin. I was happy to snag this considerable rarity from one of Victor Clark’s eBay auctions for a whopping $8.50!

#8. A side project of mine is to get a follis of each Tetrarch of the First Tetrarchy from all available mints. If I ever accomplish that task, I might move on to later Tetrarchy configurations. This coin of Maximian from Victor Clark completed the set for London….



#7. … and this coin of Diocletian was part of the now-completed Trier set…


#6. …as was this follis of Galerius.

#5. Principally I am a Constantine collector. I especially like early, large folles that depict him as Caesar. This is a nice, scarce example from Carthage. It's my only coin from that mint, which produced coins with ragged flan edges possibly because they were sand cast. The coin was struck for Constantine by Maxentius, who controlled the Carthage mint in the Summer of 307.

#4. Keep your eyes on the commercial website of @Valentinian and you can find some real gems at reasonable prices, such as this large follis of Galeria Valeria. The coin features a lovely portrait and good detail. This type has been faked in recent years, so getting it from Warren is a good guard against buying a bad coin.



#3. Sometimes I have had good luck finding hidden gems in the inventory of eBay coin sellers who do not specialize in ancients. The photo does not do this lovely Trier follis of Constantius justice. I was the lone bidder. Constantius I made his Western capital at Trier. Perhaps that's why Trier die engravers were so skilled--the capital should have the best. Most representations of the Roman tetrarchs during this period are fairly stock and indistinguishable from one another. However, the portrait on this coin seems to capture an individualized face. Notice the aquiline nose and expressive eyes.


#2. So this is a coin that I have bought four times. Sort of. It's a saga, really, but here's the short form: about fifteen years ago, I had a fine version of this coin. A few years ago, I purchased an upgrade, but the upgrade got lost in the mail. A year or so after that, I won a VF version at auction. It was my number one coin for 2018. Then later that year, I discovered that it was a forgery when a perfect match appeared online, right down to the distinctive graffito. The Spanish auction house refunded my money just at a time when an affordable Julius Caesar portrait denarius came on the market. I happily used my refunded money to acquire that coin, but that left me without my Aeneas denarius--until this year, when I won this somewhat porous but still attractive example from a Leu auction. If this one turns out to be a forgery, I'll eat my hat.


#1. …and now for something completely different. Okay, so I know I'm cheating a little bit with this one since it’s not ancient. But when I saw this 36 mm. anti-papal medallion, I knew I had to have it. As the Reformation was gearing up in Europe, anti-Catholic rhetoric reached a fever pitch. Even as early as 1500, woodcuts of the papal devil were popular in proto-Protestant tracts. Similar in tone is this large brass medallion. On its obverse is a figure of the Pope, but when the medallion is turned upside down, he appears as a horned Satan. The obverse legend reads “ECCLESIA PERVERSA TENET FACIEM DIABOLI”; “The Church perverted has the face of the Devil.” The reverse depicts a Cardinal who appears as a fool when turned upside down. Its legend reads “STVLTI ALIQVANDO SAPIENTES”; "Fools are sometimes wise." The Latin can also mean “The wise are sometimes fools,” which is probably the more intended translation. There were multiple issues of this medallion design beginning sometime after the 1540s. This one probably dates from the late 16th or early 17th century. Some can still be found with a loop or bezel, suggesting that these medallions were worn around the neck as a means of identifying oneself as Protestant in a contentious age. While there's a certain cool, if not amusing, element to this medallion, one should not ignore the real suffering to which an artifact like this testifies. It's an artifact of bigotry, really, and the European wars of religion demonstrate that words and images can beget real-life violence and death. That's a lesson we need continual reminding of.


Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you have a great 2022!

G.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Nice selections, Gavin.

I like your coins #5 and #7. The temple design on the Carthage follis is great, especially on a large-size coin.

 

Love your anti-papal medallion. Two for one portraits on both sides is great fun.

 

My preferred are : #2 #3 #5 (superb temple!) and #6. Congratulations !

 

Good selection!
The Aeneas denarius and of course, the anti-papal medallion (never seen this kind of example before, particularly like the "double portraits") are my favorites.

 

Great coins, I also like Constantine coinage. My favorites are #5 and #7.

 

The medallion definitely belongs on this list at the top - fascinating!

 

Great coins but that medallion is a work of art, absolutely fantastic. Congrats on a great selection.

 

Great medallion, and fabulous portrait of Constantius on the trier follis (green with envy here)

Q

 

Excellent coins, @Gavin Richardson ! Great to see you posting. The Reformation medallion is an amazing artifact.

 

I like them all, but my favorites are #s 5, 3, and 2. With an honorable mention to the completely fascinating anti-papal medallion.

 

All great - #3 portrait is stunning.
**great photos too - I often refer to your simple photography thread you posted some time ago. Any updates to that and how your process has advanced would be appreciated.

 

Nice catch on the facing head Sol follis. I also like the Constantine follis from Carthage... I hadn't known about the ragged edges being a result of sand casting, but had passingly wondered about them before. The Trier mint Constantius I follis is fantastic too, as is that intriguing anti-papal medal.

 

You had a great year collecting, @Gavin Richardson! Very attractive additions to your tetrarchy collection. I really like the Constantius follis from Trier. It's lovely and it sounds like it was a bargain, too! I love the Galeria Valeria from Thessalonica you acquired from @Valentinian! Her portrait varies so much from mint to mint that she would make an interesting subcollection. That Constantine as Caesar from Carthage is special!

May 2022 be a good year for you and your collection!

 

Congratulations on your acquisitions! The portrait on your no. 3 is a smasher, you really got a great deal with that one. And especially congratulations on your Caesar denarius! It's good to read that you finally were able to finally acquire a better specimen.

 

A fun selection! My faves:

#5, Constantine follis with temple
#4, Gal Val
#3, Trier

The anti-papal medallions are hilarious and warrant a special mention. I see why you put them at #1 .

 

The Trier Constantius coin is an absolute gem.

 

It’s just one coin! Just rotated.

 

I like it even more now and want one!!

 

Really nice additions, Gavin!
I would pick 4/3/2 in that order.
I am a good Roman Catholic/ but have to admit some of the Popes had a little dirty laundry in their closet.
Here is a AV Doppelter Dukat from Zurich featuring my fellow Countryman who started the Reformation/ which led to the terrible "Thirty Year's War" 1618-48.
Also A AV Dukat from HRE Ferdinand II 1619-37 who led the Imperial (Catholic) armies vs the Swedish/ Protestant armies.