Post your best ugliest ancients

There was a related thread recently, Aesthetics or Historical Interest. Clearly, we almost always like to have a little bit of both.

But what about when there's nothing aesthetically appealing about a coin, but you still find some redeeming quality in it? Maybe historical context, sentimental value, or anything else.

What are your Best Ugliest Ancient Coins & Why are they still worthwhile?​

Below are mine.

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1. ROMAN REPUBLIC. "The Coin that Killed Caesar."

Julius Caesar AR Denarius from the final issue with "DICT PERPETVO" title (Dictator Forever). Many have speculated that Caesar's coins were "the straw that broke the camel's back," announcing himself publicly as a King. He was killed within weeks of this coin being struck.

The reverse is almost completely eroded and dreadful (L. B[VCA] still legible). But the portrait is quite nice, and the PERPETVO - CAESAR is legible. I can live with (most of) the front half:




2. ROMAN IMPERIAL. Magnentius. BEATITVDO PVBLICA, Emperor in curule. Rare.

I've found four specimens photographed/sold online, always in comparably rough condition. Usually in the $200-500+ range. (Most recently, > doubling its previous hammer; also the NBD spec.)

Munzkabinett Berlin has a better one.

David Vagi (2016, Coinage and History of the Roman Empire) gave price estimates for F & VF, but didn't even bother for EF! (Probably because they hardly exist in that condition.)

Roman Imperial. Magnentius AE3 (Half Centenionalis (?), 20mm, 2.40g, 6h). Aquileia, 351 CE.
Obv: MAG MAGNENTIUS AVG. Bare head of Maxentius, draped, right.
Rev: BEATITVDO PVBLICA. Magnentius in curule chair left, holding sceptre and raising right hand. Exergue: AQT
Ref: RIC VIII Aquileia 164; Vagi 3299 (citing RIC VIII Aqu 164-166); Bastien 353; Cohen 1; Sear 18839.
Prov: Uncertain group lot, c. 2000-2013, prob. A. Hinojosa (Lucernae Numis., Spain).​

3. ROMAN PROVINCIAL. Temp. Galba. Lokris, Lokri Opuntii.

This one straddles my Countermarks & "Object Biography" sub-collections.

One interesting thing about the BCD Collection is that it not only includes world-famous masterpieces, but gave equal attention to cataloging countless wretched little bronzes & AR fractions of minor commercial value, checking all their dies, handwriting little round labels, and sharing with any scholars who might be interested in the series.

This was the BCD Lokris-Phokis 157.5 reference coin. Also
RPC 1342, example 14, whose editors (online) suspect BCD's ID was mistaken. (The print copy of RPC Consolidated Supplement 1-3 [2015: p. 71] accepts the ID without comment). To me, however, it is clearly of the correct type with the same obverse die and ΛO countermark.

I mean, c'mon, isn't that obviously Persephone!!!

NAC Auction 55 / BCD Lokris-Phokis describes the coin as "poor" but "unique?" for the upper countermark in combination with the lower one (of which four other examples were included).

Roman Provincial. Lokris, Lokri Opuntii AE21 (5.95g), Magistrate M. Claudius Serapion, temp. Galba, 68/69 CE.
Obv: [ϹƐΡΑΠΙΩΝΟϹ]. Head of Persephone right, poppy head; two countermarks: ΛO ligate (Howgego 620) & helmeted head of Athena [?].
Rev: [ΟΠΟΥΝΤΙΩΝ ƐΠΙ ΚΛΑΥΔΙΟΥ]. Warrior holding spear & shield.
Ref: BCD Lokris 157.5 = RPC I Online 1342 example 14 (cited in RPC Consolidated Supplement [2015], p. 71) = this coin.
Prov: BCD Collection, NAC 55 (8 October 2010), Lot 157 (part); Dr. Francis Jarman Collection: Mints of the Roman Empire, Numismatik Naumann 100 (6 March 2021), 1215.​

4. GREEK (HELLENISTIC). Lokris, Lokri Opuntii. Early 3rd Cent. BCE.

This one is a "BCD Duplicate" (not from the main catalog, but NAC's leftovers).

I have a bunch more of similar type. But this one was an "SNG Copenhagen Duplicate," ex Danish Royal Coin Cabinet, via Swedish dealer J.C. Holm:

"In the early 60’s, Mr. Holm exchanged a unique and extremely important early Danish coin for many boxes of the Copenhagen museum’s Greek duplicates that were not published in the SNG." [See Triton XV [3 Jan 2012], Lot 760]​

BCD bought virtually all the Kungligt Myntkabinett duplicates within his collecting areas.

(Infuriatingly, though, when this coin went unsold and was moved to a group lot, the dealer lost BCD's original tags!! So, it's a placeholder until I find a better Cop.-Holm-BCD specimen that still has the tag.)

 

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Petillius Capitolinus (43 B.C.)AR Denarius
O: CAPITOLINVS, Bare head of bearded Jupiter right.
R: PETILLIVS, The Capitoline Temple of Jupiter: richly decorated hexastyle façade with ornamented pediment and garlands hanging within three openings; [PE]TILLIVS in exergue.
Rome
3.5g
20mm
Crawford 487/1, Sydenham 1149


Mark Antony and Octavian (41 B.C.)
AR Denarius
M. Barbatius Pollio, quaestor pro praetore
O: Bare head of Mark Antony right.
R: Bare head of Octavian right, wearing slight beard.
Ephesus mint, Spring-early summer 41 B.C.
3.5g
20mm
Crawford 517/2; CRI 243; Sydenham 1181


Nero (54 - 68 A.D.)
Egypt, Alexandria
Billon Tetradrachm
O: NE KΛAY KAIΣ ΣEB ΓEΡ AYTO, laureate head right.
R: AΓPIΠΠINA, draped bust of Agrippina Junior right. LE . Dated RY 5 (AD 58/9)
11.84g
26mm
RPC I 5231; Köln -; Milne 167; Emmett 107

Ex. CNG Electronic Auction #76, Lot 33
Ex. CNG Electronic Auction #157, Lot 108
Ex T. R. McIntosh Collection

Published on Wildwinds!


Aemilian (253 A.D.)
AR Antoninianus
O: IMP AEMILIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
R: PACI AVG, Pax standing left, holding branch and sceptre.
Toma Mint
3.44g
21mm
RIC 8, C 26

 

In a bunch lot of very low grade coins I spotted this. It is still the only one I have, other things catch my eye more, but I love this coin for its Parthian connection.
Under authority of Marcus Aurelius. AE As Rome 165-166 CE
• Obverse Legend: L VERVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX
Type: Head of Lucius Verus, laureate, right
• Reverse Legend: TR P VI IMP III COS II S C
Type: Victory, winged, draped, standing left, setting right hand on trophy, at base of which is a shield
RIC 1448, Cohen 282. 25mm, 8.94gr

 

Also in the same lot is what I think is a Hadrian with Honos reverse, which you don´t see very often, if it is one

 

excruciatingly rare and terrible to behold--



besides being rare, it is one of the few coins to have Constantine's name on the reverse

Constantine I
AD 307- 308
26x27mm 5.6g
IMP C CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; laureate and draped bust right, seen from rear.
VIRT PERP CONSTANTINI AVG; Virtus, holding Victory on globe, spear and shield; captive seated left.
In ex. PLG
RIC VI Lugdunum 285

 

Curtis, I like your thread dedicated to pointing out the swan-like qualities of coins which might be called "ugly ducklings" by some. It's interesting to see the posts describing what makes unattractive-at-first-glance coins attractive to their owners, and to others when they appreciate their special qualities, whether they be rarity or something else. Like your third example, the main feature of my nearly featureless host coin below is that it has been countermarked. Though the sestertius itself is an unappealing example of its type, its dark patina helps the countermark itself to stand out as an aesthetically pleasing example of its type, NCAPR.



The Roman Empire. Tiberius (14 – 37 AD). Æ Sestertius. (36mm, 24.88 g).
[CIVITATIBVS ASI]AE [RE]S[TITVTIS] ("cities of Asia restored"). Tiberius laureate, seated left, foot on stool, holding patera and scepter. / [TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST P M TR] POT X[XIIII] around S C. NCAPR in rectangular countermark. RIC I 48.
Commemorative coin struck circa 22-23 AD in recognition of the relief provided by Tiberius following the severe 17 AD earthquake occurring in the Lydia region of the Roman province of Asia Minor.

 

Great early "captives" coinage of Constantine! Just added it to my file of captives types by ruler. I hadn't noticed it before (but now I see it's also got a row on the Assorted Reverses page: http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/asst3/)

Yes, a common experience for anyone who likes Countermarks! You must separate the host from the stamp (although it's always nice when both are attractive).

Nice NCAPR example -- I recognize that one! From the Richard Baker Collection. I've got one of the Baker Collection NCAPR Sestertii -- he had a lot of them! (Mine's on a Claudius, probably Western unofficial mint.)



Here are (expandable) thumbnails from Baker's 1984 article in SAN (Journal of the Society for Ancient Numismatics) vol XV: 52-pp. 58. (HTML w/ link to PDF available from ACCLA.)


That type is referenced as "Pangerl 60." Below is a coin with two "Pangerl 66" countermarks. Head of Helios radiate.

These types (always?) appear in pairs; sometimes one is Helios standing (Pangerl 65, which only appears in combination with Pangerl 66). To my knowledge, no one has published a theory of why some got two heads (66 X2) and some got one standing & one head of Helios (65 + 66). (I have a hypothesis, but need to double-check my data...)

I cleaned it from a total crusty about 20 years ago.

Augustus Moneyer AE Dupondius [?] (28mm, 13.13g):

 

Ugliest? well, I really don't think that most of the coins shown in this thread are ugly

I have lots of really ugly coins but my ugliest is this Augustus, but even being so ugly I do like it, just because it is Augustus and I haven't got a better one of this moneyer.
Attribution is based on the few remaining letters and the shape of the letter “S” on the reverse, but maybe attributing it to Sanquinius is wishful thinking.

Mine is the ugliest of any possible ugly coin shown here

It should be a dupondius, very worn and corroded:

Rome, 17 BC Marcus Sanquinius (?) moneyer
22 x 24 mm, 7.245 g
RIC I (2nd edition) 342; Cohen 521

Ob.: AVGVSTVS (TRIBVNIC POTEST) in three lines within wreath
Rev.: (M SAN)QV(INIVS Q F IIIVIR A A A F F) around large S•C

 

Yes, @Curtis, that coin was part of the Baker collection. Thanks for the thumbnails from his article! Forum Ancient Coins mentions that an NCAPR countermark has "been found on a Vespasian dupondius which, if genuine and official, seems to indicate the N may refer to Nerva, not Nero."(https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=ncapr.) See also: https://www.romancoins.info/CMK-Nero&later.html from the Roman Numismatic Gallery's Museum of Countermarks on Roman Coins. I don't know if that dupondius countermark was ever verified. Most still attribute the countermark to Nero, I believe.

I imagine that the uncovering of those two countermarks of Helios was exciting!

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Here are some "ugly duckling" (or eaglet ) triplets. What makes this trio special is certainly not their looks, but that they are examples of the first coin issued by a Jewish ruler that was struck with the graven image of a living creature.







Judaea. Herod I the Great (40 – 4 BC). AE half-prutah. Jerusalem mint.
Single cornucopia and Greek inscription: on left, BACIΛ; on right, HPWΔ (abbreviation of BACIΛEΩC HPWΔOY, 'of the king Herod'). / Eagle with closed
wings standing right.
Hendin 1190

 

Great idea for a thread @Curtis . Nice misfit coins all!

This first coin has got to be the King of Interesting Ugliness for my collection.

Themistokles in Exile
This coin was struck under the authority of Themistokles after he was ostracized and forced to seek refuge in Persia. It is unique in that it contains the obverse legend Θ-Ε which has led some to speculate that this coin is meant to represent Themistokles himself. If that is true it may well be the first Greek portrait coin in history!!

IONIA, Magnesia ad Maeandrum
Themistokles, AR Hemiobol, struck ca. 465-459 BC
Dia.: 8 mm
Wt.: 0.24 g
Obv.: Head of Hephaistos right, wearing laureate pilos; Θ-E flanking /
Rev.: ΘE monogram in dotted square border within incuse square.
Ref.: Nollé & Wenninger 5a; Cahn & Gerin 8 = SNG München 585; SNG Copenhagen;
Very rare.
Ex Gerhard Plankenhorn Collection of Ionian Coins, Ex Numismatik Naumann 97, lot 1025 (Jan. 6, 2020)

The Poet Homer
Smyrna was one of a handful of cities that claimed to be the home town of Homer. Strabo actually mentions this coin in his writings.

“There is also a library; and the Homereium, a quadrangular portico containing a shrine and wooden statue of Homer; for the Smyrnaeans also lay especial claim to the poet; and indeed a bronze coin of theirs is called Homereium.”​

Perhaps it is a bit of a stretch to call this coin “ugly” but I would definitely say it’s appeal is not closely related to its appearance.

Ionia, Smyrna
Menophilos Krabaus, magistrate.
Ae Homereium, struck ca. 105-95 BC
Dia.: 21 mm
Wt.: 7.05 g
Obv.: Laureate head of Apollo right
Rev.: ΣΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ MHNOΦIΛOΣ KPABAYΣ.
Homer, holding scroll and resting chin upon hand, seated left on plinth; sceptre behind
Ref.: Milne 1927, 294
Ex Gerhard Plankenhorn Collection of Ionian Coins

The Ancient Origins of Granada
This coin is not much to look at but it does provide a connection to the obscure ancient past of one of the most interesting places in the world.

ANCIENT SPAIN
Celt-Iberians, Iliberri
AE As, Grenada mint, struck ca. 150-120 BC
Dia.: 31 mm
Wt.: 16.26 gr
Obv.: Male head to right.
Rev.: Sphinx to right, below legend ILDuRIRCeSTIN

 

Ah, the fascinating NCAPR Vespasian ... I need to restrain myself! I've spent a lot of time thinking about it and trying to figure it out...

If real, I can't understand why they (Pangerl et al.) don't publish it more adequately. (See below.) (Edit: I should also mention that it's photographed & discussed in this Italian article [Martini 2005] that I'm still working through: https://www.academia.edu/43689669/M...I_Sesterzio_di_Tiberius_per_il_Divus_Augustus.)

It would transform a major, centuries-old numismatic debate (involving great numismatists of every era like Borghesi, de Saulcy, Gnecchi, Kraay, Mattingly, Sutherland, Sydenham, and more; if Eckhel discussed it, I've lost the citation; D. MacDowall wrote a good article in 1971, Acta Numismatica vol. 1: pp. 83-106).

But that's way too much weight to put on a coin and then not show it -- or only kinda show it: Apparently it is or was in Pangerl's collection, who runs the Museum of Roman Countermarks website / romancoins.info cited above (a great resource!), in some kind of collaboration w/ Baker (it possibly went to his coll.?).

But among all the NCAPR's they show on the website, the one far-and-away most important specimen is absent!

It is the bottom right coin in this photo from Martini-Pangerl, 60h, a FORTVNAE REDVCTI Dupondius of Vespasian. It's as interesting as a UFO with an extraterrestrial pilot inside -- none of these grainy B&W alien autopsy videos -- please let us see your space-alien! we come in peace!


I'm probably being too critical (and definitely getting off topic). Martini mentioned a second example when showing the same coin in the 2005 Italian article linked above:


I've already written much more than I intended! Either way, I find it a fascinating topic & window onto the history of classical numismatics. I'd love to know more about that specimen or why we don't know more.

 

I love this ugly thing and wish I had a nicer one but these funeral pyre types are rare and usually more expensive than I’d like to spend on a Claudius II.

Roman Imperial
Divus Claudius II Gothicus.
Cyzicus mint, 3rd officina.
Struck under Aurelian, circa early AD 270.
Radiate bust right, slight drapery; ••• below - DIVO CLAVDIO
Three-tiered funeral pyre, with two figures standing atop second level; CONSACRATIO –/–//–. Normanby 72; RIC V 256 corr. (bust type); RIC Online 1332

Rare type marking the final appearance of a funeral pyre on Roman coins.

 

Those raise some other interesting categories of "ugly duckling." I thought about posting my very similar Themistokles Hemiobol. I collect AR Fractions, and usually they have to be in very good shape (and/or very good metal) to be attractive, but these ones never are.

Still, the history totally compensates for their usual unattractiveness. I'm in the H.A. Cahn "it-could-be-a-portrait (conceivably)" camp:


As @Carl Wilmont 's Judaean and @Curtisimo 's Iberian suggest, there can be entire regions & periods whose coins lack the artistic qualities that appeal to our modern eyes. (Though Iberian / Celtic coinage can, of course, be quite beautiful in its way.)

An Iberian, Carisa Bronze. Interesting for its semi-cubist renderings, but not exactly beautiful:

Even in the best condition I usually don't find Judaean coinage "attractive." But it's very cool and historically interesting. This one is overstruck on Flavian bronze (probably a Provincial Judaea Capta type):



For another "triptych" style photo...

I really need to do a full writeup on this one, especially now that I've found some other examples to go with it.

Danubian-Celtic imitation of the Thrace, Odessos, King Seuthes III bronzes.

What makes it interesting: If you rotate the obverse 120' counterclockwise, there's a second hidden face/bust of Zeus. I've tried to crudely outline it:



There's also a flower in there. (A right-facing Zeus, left-facing Zeus, and flower are all constructed from the same elements.)

I really love how this one opens up so many topics in Celtic artwork (another topic I could write about forever).

This last set of images are showing only the obverse, but highlighting different aspects of/ways of seeing it. There is definitely an element of "pareidolia" involved (basically imagining patterns in randomness); but Celtic art used abstract & naturalistic elements to exploit pareidolia and invite the viewer to imagine different shapes & representations in the design (even if the artist didn't intend or anticipate them!)

 

A coin that is so worn and abused but seems to have a character. To this day I still have not got an attribution for it

 

Two that were inspired by @TIF and the excellent writeup on the subject she did. Neither are much to look at but are still among my favorite pieces.


ISLANDS off SICILY, Melita. 150-146 BC. Æ (25.5mm, 11.13 g, 12h). Head of Isis left, wearing ouraios; grain ear to left / Osiris kneeling left, holding flail and scepter. Coleiro 4; Perassi 25–40; CNS 8; SNG Copenhagen (Vol. 8) 465–6. Green-brown patina, a couple scratches on obverse. Fine.

From the collection of a Malta Numismatic Society board member. Ex Gustav Pisani Collection.



ISLANDS off SICILY, Melita. 218-175 BC. Æ (16mm, 2.83 g, 10h). Veiled female head right, wearing stephanos / Tripod; Punic ’nn to left and right. Coleiro 7; Perassi 52–6; CNS 6; SNG Copenhagen (Africa) 461-2. Green-brown patina, trace deposits, small mark on reverse. VF.

From the collection of a Malta Numismatic Society board member. Ex Gustav Pisani Collection.

 

I have a few Celtic coins and they defiantly are not atheistically pleasing to say the least. This one in particular you can faintly make out that the Aedui were trying to imitate the Romans with a partial head of Roma on the obverse while still leaving behind that signature Celtic horse on the reverse. Well half a horse technically. Seems that the quality of these coins weren't the greatest either.

 

My "best ugliest" Roman coin is this dupondius of Galba :



Wonderful portrait with dark green smooth patina, but........

 

This one is pretty bad. Sold as a stater of Corinth, though it took me awhile to figure out that it was from elsewhere.

Obviously it was a "worn" (i.e., jewelry) piece at some point, with a hole pierced apparently to show the Athena side. The surfaces also appear to have been polished at some point. There's some severe pitting and a weird dark brown tone around the edges on the obverse.

Still, it was inexpensive enough that I bought it. And even with all the problems the Athena is not bad, and all the main devices are recognizable.

 

This type is probably the single ugliest coin in my collection but entirely attributable(usually a requirement for me) and a type I probably wouldn't otherwise own had I not found this ugly unattributed example on eBay:


Roman Imperatorial period AR Quinarius(1.74g), A. Licinius Nerva, 47 B.C., Rome mint. Helmeted head of Minerva right; behind, NERVA downwards. Border of dots/Victory walking right, holding wreath in right hand and palm-branch over left shoulder with left hand; before, A•LICINI downwards. Border of dots. Crawford 454/3

Here's what a better example looks like, courtesy NAC via ACSearch where this coin sold 11 years ago and is the most recent sale I could find of the type:


I actually have an incoming coin that would be great for this post but I'll save it for later, lest the dealer decide he'd rather keep it and send it to auction