Some favorite Ex CoinTalk Member Coins Posted by Previous Owners

Do you have any ex-CT Member coins that were the subjects of interesting posts or comments?

I think it’s been a while since there was a post on this theme, but I've acquired a few new ex-Cointalk member coins that were the subjects of previous owners' post (I already let @Orfew & @Bob L. and @Al Kowsky below know). Looking back, I can think of at least 9 (coins or groups) that I’ve acquired in the past 2-3 years with interesting CoinTalk backstories.

Here's one I just noticed was posted on CoinTalk -- and share's a provenance to the same group lot as not only @zumbly 's but @Curtisimo 's (warning: three different Curtises mentioned in short space below, including me @Curtis who will soon add a "JJ" if usernames can be modified!).

Dattari --> Grover --> Chicago Art Institute -->Gemini XIII (cataloged by @curtislclay [see, e.g., CT Post 6516651, discussing @Curtisimo 's coin, which is indeed from Lot 460, same as mine, see below -- ]) --> @zumbly --> Minotaur Coins

It took me a while to find @zumbly ’s photo, but I was confident it was out there; I recognized the style of his website/shop photo from CT. In 2017, he shared it here (CT 296020 / Post 2733488) in an envy-inducing group shot with the other tetradrachms from Lot 460 at Gemini XIII ... including @Curtisimo 's coin from CT 375671! (Gemini didn't photo the big groups.) (From the same auction, a different group lot led to @zumbly & @TIF 's memorable and inspiring “Co-dependent collecting” episode! His account of it; her classic post on the subject.)




When I saw the following in a recent CNG group lot, I knew that each Titus denarius had its own post on CT (and elsewhere), including informative conversations among specialists (Cointalk 375002; Cointalk 334573; Cointalk 381233; Cointalk 337327; several have exciting histories, including the coin cut for science.)



One of my favorite secondary interests is what ancient coins mean to their collectors, and how coins (and knowledge about them) are used and circulated. Many of those posted on CT are among my favorites for the rich record they’ve left of their networks of collectors, dealers, scholars, and publications.

So I was excited to notice many of @Bob L. ’s Parthian fractions at CNG, previously the subject of several threads culminating in a KOINON I chapter, including CT 295640, "Highlighting Parthian AR Fractions":


There is even a March 2017 thread elsewhere (FAC 111223) in which Walter Holt comments that it could make a nice KOINON contribution (in 2018 it was), followed by a “thumbs up” icon from the general editor, Nick Molinari! Nice little vignette in numismatic history.

Hoping not to embarrass or put anyone on the spot, of course… My apologies if I have. I’m sure @dougsmit isn’t alone in the following sentiment:

I accept his point, though, of course, the audience also gets a say in authorship. In Doug’s defense, he did call the following coin (one of several I got from Ancient & Medieval Coins Canada Auction 2 [AMCC 2]) a “real junker” in one post before selling it!


It came with his hand-written & numbered envelope (#3052) in the style shown in his comment here (CT 304218/Post 2876404)). Reportedly ex Don Zauche (d. 2019, Westminster, MD), 2013; ex AMCC Auction 2 (9 November 2019), Lot 414 (“pick-bin”), w/ small inv. tags & notes added to coll. envelope (“2Ao,” “G01915,” another “3052”).

I don’t know if the pseudonymous “JB (Edmonton, d. 2019)” was a CT member, but I believe @Terence Cheesman curated his estate’s dispersal, from whose comments I’ve gleaned a few precious biographical details. Remarkably, without trying to, I acquired JB coins from at least four sources in 2019: AMCC 2 (cataloged by @Severus Alexander ?); VAuctions-Triskeles; CNG; and a group of Roman bronze and silver coins that my uncle reportedly bought from the widow of a collector in Wisconsin (presumably a different collector; maybe he knew JB?). I only know where JB got one coin, the Tarsos Stater (I’m still searching for any record of the Metapontum):



Yet others from AMCC 2:

Forum Ancient Coins (SH36361, n.d., before Sep 2017) --> @TheRed (CT Posts) --> AMCC 2. I understand why @TheRed once called it “by far my favorite” follis (CT 311731/#post-3005007; appeared on CT at least four times, 2017-2019):



E.E. Clain-Stefanelli --> Stack’s / NAC / Naville --> Orfew (CT Thread) --> AMCC 2. @Orfew gave this one a nice post in 2017 (CT 305115, "A coin outside of my usual hunting grounds-Quintillus"). It came with several pieces of paperwork on the coin’s collection history (including Clain-Stefanelli’s tag), all of which is now either in an envelope with the coin or a labeled file folder, which is how I store such materials whenever available:


One for my “Captives” Collection, @Justin Lee iOmega Collection, posted with 5 others here in 2018 (CT 326952), and on his website (now in his Sold Coins page, which is a great thing to include on a website!) --> AMCC--> now also on my “Barbarians, Captives, Enemies (BCE Collection)” page:





Lastly, a non-AMCC coin, from “The Other A.K.” Collection (and his Claudius NCAPR ex Richard Baker Countermark Collection):

“Egyptian Drachm with a Provenance” from V. Ruzicka Coll. --> K. Wetterstrom Collection --> Morris / Phil Peck (thanks also @curtislclay for sharing more info about Peck in various CT comments in recent years, such as [CT 355927, Comment 4195978]) --> Heritage --> @AlKowsky --> CNG -->



PHOTO from Al Kowsky’s post (now encapsulated)

Please share anything you deem relevant!

 

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You've done your provenance research!

I only have one coin I know featured in a CT member's post:

Agrippa As issued by Caligula, 37-41, with Claudius Countermark, 41-54

Head of Agrippa, M AGRIPPA L F COS III. Neptune standing left holding dolphin and trident, S C; TIAV countermark for use in Britain (BMCRE, Vol I, Tiberius, No. 168 (RIC, Vol I, No. 58) Plate 26). From Ken Dorney Ex James Pickering (and was sold as such).

It appears in this interesting post by @jamesicus about British countermarks: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-couple-neat-countermarks.346539/#post-3702719

 

Indeed, that was the genesis of the article. Amazing that you would recall this, or perhaps dug it up while pulling together this excellent thread.

 

ROMAN REPUBLIC. M. Herennius, moneyer. AR Denarius, 18mm, 3.87g, 11h; Rome 108-107 BC. Obv.: PIETAS; Diademed head of Pietas right. Rev.: M HERENNI; Amphinomus running right, carrying his father; control mark R in right field. References: Cr. 308/1b; Syd. 567a.

Ex. DePew Collection

Ex. Jaz Numismatics

 

That is a great coin and great post @John Conduitt ! Thanks for sharing! I've got a few of the types pictured but the first coin shown is one I've been researching lately -- I'd found one at CNG, one from Savoca, in Ulrich Werz's dissertation -- and now one on Cointalk!

 

I have a coin that I was informed was ex JB DePew (one of four "exes" for the coin in total!), purchased at a JAZ auction:

Roman Republic, P. Nerva, AR Denarius, Rome Mint, 113-112 BCE. Obv: Bust of Roma left wearing crested helmet with feather or aigrette (instead of wing) and single-drop earring, holding shield (ornamented with image of horseman galloping) against left shoulder with left hand, and spear over right shoulder with right hand, crescent moon above, star (*) [= monogrammed XVI; mark of value] before; behind, ROMA upwards / Rev. Voting scene inside Comitium in Forum: one togate voter to left of pons [bridge/walkway to place for depositing ballot tablet] receives ballot from attendant below; another togate voter to right of pons drops ballot in cista (voting basket); two lines behind voting scene and bar near top of reverse (described as “screen” by Sear) mark off voting area (denoting the barrier dividing a given tribe’s enclosure [saepta] from those allotted to different tribes), with bar or screen surmounted by marker/tabella inscribed with the initial “P” (possibly representing a particular voting tribe); P • NERVA [NE ligate] across field beneath bar (or beneath top of screen per Sear). Crawford 292/1; BMCRR II Italy 526 (at p. 274); RSC I [Babelon] Licinia 7 (ill.); Sear RCV I 169 (ill.); Sydenham 548; Yarrow 4.40 at p. 195 (ill.) [Liv Mariah Yarrow, The Roman Republic to 49 BCE: Using Coins as Sources (2021)]. 17.21 mm., 3.87 g., 7 h. David R. Sear Certificate of Authenticity, May 2, 2013, No. 811CY/RR/A/CR (issued to Steve Peterson, noting “flan flaw on edge of reverse not affecting the type”).* Purchased at JAZ Numismatics Auction # 186, Lot 4, June 2021; ex. J.B. DePew Collection; ex. Steve Peterson Collection; ex. CNG Auction 295, Jan. 30, 2013, Lot 361; ex. Bruce R. Brace Collection. [Footnotes omitted.]

 

Roman Republic. Marcus Junius Brutus. 54 BC. AR Denarius (20mm, 4.04g, 4h). Rome mint. Obv: Head of Libertas right; LIBERTAS behind. Rev: The consul Lucius Junius Brutus walking left between two lictors, carrying axes over their shoulders and preceded by an accensus; BRVTVS in exergue. Ref: Crawford 433/1; Sydenham 906; RSC Junia 31. From the Orfew collection, acquired from Munzenkontor Kornbum on 23.03.2017. This coin portrays Brutus’s ancestor of legendary stature, who killed Rome's last king and inaugurated the republic. In assassinating Caesar ten years after this coin was issued, Brutus felt he was replaying his ancestor’s actions. Ex AMCC Auction 2 (Nov 2019), Lot 111.

 

Great coin and fun thread idea @Curtis!
I think I may just have the record for most CT hands passed through on a single, inconspicuous, coin:

Thessaly, Thessalian League
circa 196-27 BCE
AE 16 mm, 6.3 gm
Obv: Helmeted head of Athena Itonia right, magistrate name above
Rev: Horse trotting right
Ref: SNG Cop 324-328
Sold by Joseph J Copeland (anyone recognize the name?) In 1993(!), when I was twelve, ex BCD, ex @zumbly (my first from his collection) who sold it at AMCC 1, meaning technically I get to call it ex @Severus Alexander and given to me by the one the only @TIF for Saturnalia !!!
And masterfully documented in the 2021 Saturnalia thread

So, not counting Copeland, that means this coin has passed through at least 5 CTers hands

 

PS: is the name Steve Peterson (see my post) familiar to anyone?

 

Yep, former CTer and friend, Stevex6.

 

Thanks!

 

Man, @Ryro, that one has been passed around like a doobie at a Phish concert!

I have several ex-CT member coins. Here are just a few.

This one came from @zumbly:


And this one from @Justin Lee:


And this one from @S.Triggs:


And this one from @Sallent:


And this one from @dougsmit:



This one came from @Brian Bucklan:



This one came from @curtislclay:



And this one came from @PeteB:

 

I do have several from CT members but were not the subject of previous owners' post posted by them

 

No harm sharing anyway! (Perhaps they can be buried away in comments you didn't see... I had to go digging around the CT search engine to find some of mine!)

 

Hi All,

I have an Alexandrian zodiac coin that is ex-Stevex6
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/sh...-beautiful-bovines.357200/page-2#post-4284283

- Broucheion

 

Great thread, @Curtis. I'm glad to see that coin here again.

Our friend Steve had a very special eye for ancients and it's hard to go wrong with a coin that formerly resided in his 600 lbs gun safe. I have eighteen ex stevex6 coins in my collection right now and still regret not having bought more. For this thread, here are ten of them below. Rather than put my regular descriptions for them, they're accompanied by links to steve's original threads for them from back in the days CT was a less serious forum.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an...-did-i-mention-colourful.260006/#post-2090808

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-all-aboard-sweeet-sweeeet-galley-coin.264537/


https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-eion-one-goose-nope-we-gottem-two-geese.253972/

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/stevex6-ancient-coin-4-outta-5-caracalla.223618/#post-1652760


https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an...ur-jammin-on-the-kithara.293095/#post-2683213

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an...d-a-cool-bull-well-im-in.248333/#post-1942749

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an...-me-a-tough-lookin-horse.244700/#post-1890322

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an...oin-yup-another-thessaly.256788/#post-2040701

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/3-...tevex6-doesnt-know-about.221854/#post-1628282

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an...ds-together-for-nerva-his-big-ol-club.225778/

 

Wow. Fantastic coins! He must have left before I joined two years ago.

 

I think it's been about 4+ years now and his presence is sorely missed. Were he still collecting and here on CT, I've no doubt he'd still be sharing on a weekly basis and in his inimitable style a whole lot of interesting and beautiful coins.

 

Thanks Curtis for your heads-up Here they are

TAZ auction 196, Censorinus Denarius, ex-Sulla80, Picture courtesy JAZ



AMCC3 auction, Æ Diassarion ex Shea19 collection, picture courtesy AMCC3:



AMCC3 auction, Philip I Tetradrachm, ex Al Kowsky collection, picture courtesy AMCC3:



AMCC2, ex Justin Lee collection: Elagabalus, Caesarea, picture courtesy AMCC2



AMCC3, ex arnoldoe collection, AE 26 picture courtesy AMCC3


AMCC3, ex JB Edmonton collection, Phraates II, AR Drachm picture courtesy AMCC3:



And these next 3 were a most generous gift from CTer @Ryro:
Tetricus II, Barbaric Imitation, Æ 16


Celts, Senones, Bronze YLLYCCI à l'oiseau, Æ Drachm


ups, the system just said I can only attach 10 files; sorry, will just describe the last one:
Lucilla – PIETAS, Æ As
Rome, 164 AD
RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1757;

 

A Vologases II tet, one of three ex-Parthicus coins that reside in my collection.