FORVM`s Classical Numismatics Discussion Board
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The Members' Gallery => Topic started by: Carausius on March 30, 2018, 03:09:21 pm
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Through several years of Forum membership, I did not pay much attention to the Members' Galleries. That was a huge mistake. The recent announcement of nominations for Members Gallery awards encouraged me to browse the nominees' excellent galleries, and I was very impressed overall. While browsing, I noted certain qualities that particularly appealed to me. In the end, I felt inspired to create my own gallery. Without further ado, I am happy to introduce my nascent gallery of Roman Republican Coins, linked at the bottom of this post. I've established an organizational framework of albums, and added several coins from my collection within each album. I will continue to add coins as time permits. My goal is to include some scholarship, background or thoughts on each coin. Realization of that goal definitely slows the process of adding coins. I hope the results are worth the effort. Enjoy!
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Well worth the effort!
Your fledgling gallery is very well presented and I eagerly look forward to watching it grow.
The purpose of the annual award was never to recognize the prettiest coins (although that certainly helps), but to highlight the best presentations, descriptions, histories, etc. You have hit on all of the above imo, and deserve big congrats .
Well done!
- Peter
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Thank you, Peter!
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About time! You have a fantastic collection!
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Thanks, Nick!
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HelloMichael, just add them slowly, we need time to digest the beauty and rarity of each coin you post, i have seen some of the most beautiful coins in my life, you should have started your gallery here long time ago!!!
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Show me the money ;D
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Thanks, guys.
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I've added about a dozen coins to my gallery of Roman Republican, since announcing the new gallery in March 2018. I've tried to sprinkle a few additions into each "era" album. More to come as time permits. Link is below. Enjoy!
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Very nice Gallery, so many great coins, ;) :)
Congratulation +++
Q.
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Fantastic coins you are showing us. Can’t wait to see more of your collection.
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Thanks for the encouraging words, Norbert and Quadrans!
Michael
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Wow, Carausius => extremely cool gallery (I am very impressed)
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Keep 'em coming!
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Thank you Steve! One of your old friends is there.
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Awww, yes ... my sweet ol' AES Graves Sextans (Scallop and Caduceus)
Hey, I'm thrilled that it went to a good home (please say "hey" to it, from me)
Cheers
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A fantastic gallery of truly superb coins. I am really glad you decided to have a gallery here. It makes a great addition to the site.
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Thank you, Andrew! I just need to find the time to add to it.
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I've added a group of early AR Victoriati to the Second Punic War album in my gallery (link below). Please take a look. Comments and suggestions gratefully accepted. More to come. Enjoy!
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Nice ... I love your 5 new AR Victoriati additions (congrats)
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Great group, +++
Q.
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Thanks, Steve and Joe.
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I’ve added some mediocre Roman Republican coins of little historical interest to my gallery. I’ve included some uninspired blather here and there. For those who can’t stay away, the link is below. Unfortunately, I might add more coins in time. ;)
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Your Imperatorial collection is spectacular!!!
PeteB
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Yes, Michael "inflicted " a few pieces of Republic silver on us, and it was cruel hard to look at them, especially in large size.
If it would make you feel better, you can post them under my name! (Indeed, I had hoped one of them would be mine, but thems-the-breaks with auctions.)
Thanks.
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Wow, sweet addition ... Jupiter & Victory in the quadriga (very, very cool)
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Carausius => congrats on another winna-winna
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Thanks for the kind comments, all.
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My added Gallery selections for August include several Julius Caesar denarii and a few silver sestertii. Link is at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!
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Wonderful coins. I will read in more detail. I was at the ANA World's Fair and did not see a single AR sestertius.
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I've added several new coins to the gallery over the last few weeks, including some with interesting provenances (Eton College, a recently discovered Haeberlin, etc.). Link is at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!
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You have a great collection, and it grows more beautiful with every acquisition.
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Hi, all absolutely a great addition,
Congratulation, +++
Q.
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Thanks for the encouraging comments, Nick and Quadrans and PMah!
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While recovering from a food coma following the over-indulgent, American Thanksgiving holiday feast, I somehow found the energy to add several coins to my gallery. Still more were added in October. If you can temporarily pull-away from shopping the tremendous cyber-Monday deals on the FORVM retail pages, please take a look. Link is in the footer below. Enjoy!
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You rock, my ol' coin-friend ... congrats on your new additions
Cheers
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In honor of the December holidays (including the "12 days" of Christmas), I've added 12 coins to my Roman Republican gallery this month. Link is at the bottom of this post. Enjoy, and happy holidays to all!
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Everyone a beauty as well. Have a nice Xmas.
Alex.
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Everyone a beauty as well. Have a nice Xmas.
Alex.
+1 +++ ;)
Q.
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Holy crap => those new additions are awesome! (congrats)
Yup, there are a whole bunch of total winners in that new group! (Cha-cha-fricken-ching!)
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Thanks all for your kind comments!
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I've just uploaded my "final four" gallery additions for 2018. My gallery link is at the bottom of this post. Please take a look, and your comments are always appreciated. I've enjoyed creating this gallery over the course of this year. I have lots more coins to add, so please stay tuned in 2019. Happy New Year, all!
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I hadn't realized that you first started posting to your gallery last year. You have been busy! They are beautiful coins and the gallery is well organized and researched. If I don't comment on them more frequently, it is because I know so little about Roman Republican coinage. They are wonderful coins but I am already spread so thin... Stkp
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Thanks for your kind words, Stkp! Yes, I started my gallery in 2018, having been inspired by the many fine galleries among the 2017 Gallery of the Year nominees.
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Dear Michael,
It was a hard but nice work, and you have so many great coins in your galleries. :) ;)
Congratulation +++
Joe/Q.
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I've added 9 new coins so far this month. Link to my gallery is at the bottom of this post. There will likely be more posted after this weekend at NYINC. Enjoy!
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Wow! ... congrats!
=> all 9 of your new coins rock!
It was amazingly difficult to pick a couple of favourites, but I really like the Q. Cassius Longinus "and" L. Cornelius Sulla ... both are top-drawer!
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Thanks, Steve! Those are two of my favorites also. The Sulla, in particular, has a very broad flan for the type, rich-hued toning and a deeply "cupped" reverse.
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I've added several coins to my gallery in February. The link to my gallery is at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!
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Some outstanding additions.
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Hi Michael,
Great coins, in your Gallery, +++
Regards
Q.
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Wow, you've added a bunch of stunners to your already fantastic collection (congrats)
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=> I love the "Anonymous Prawn" (it's a total winner)
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Very impressive, Michael. The new early 20th century provenance must have made you particularly happy. Did you discover that yourself or did the seller know?
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Seller did NOT know. ;) I put a lot of time and effort into provenance hunting. For example, two nights ago, I started trawling through my near complete run of Spink Numismatic Circulars. Within a few minutes, I spotted in a 1970 Num Circ the Octavian/Curia denarius that I'd just bought at NYINC. 0-50 in 5 minutes!
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That sounds exhilarating! Maybe one of these days I will get into provenance research—I just don’t have the time or resources now, unfortunately. There was an interesting essay about an old provenance in the inaugural issue of Koinon, and I believe the author is working on another. It was a great read.
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Hello all,
It's been a while since I announced new coins in my gallery. I posted several coins last night: a smattering of early bronzes and imperatorials, many with interesting provenances. These are in addition to several coins that I posted a few months ago without any announcement. Please browse and enjoy. My gallery link is in the footer of this post.
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Some really spectacular coins!
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Thank you, Jay!
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Yes, great coins indeed. Your gallery is a pleasure to peruse. Beautiful pieces and great details.
Tracy
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Thanks, Tracy!
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The 2x Litra is particularly nice for that type. Quite an impressive group in 2019. Thanks for posting them.
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Thanks PMah. That is one of the nicer examples that I've seen of the type. I was fortunate to find it shortly after listing.
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I added to my gallery a recently acquired Lepidus imperatorial denarius to which I've restored a wonderful, old provenance:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-156583p
Also this month, several other additions are scattered among the albums.
Enjoy!
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Sweet => congrats, Carausius ... yah, that new addition is a total winner!
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Ummm, but hey, it's no AE Aes Grave Sextans Scallop, but it's still a cool addition to your amazing collection (congrats again, my ol' coin-friend)
;)
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Thank you, Steve! The new coin is a scarce reverse die, with "C. CAESAR" inscription. Surfaces are a bit rough, but it's well-centered and complete on a large flan for this issue.
And we all love that Ex SteveP scallop shell aes grave sextans!!
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That Lepidus is a great find!!!
Thanks for showing it to us!
PeteB
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A great coin with a terrific provenance. Congrats!
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I added to my gallery a recently acquired Lepidus imperatorial denarius to which I've restored a wonderful, old provenance:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-156583p
Also this month, several other additions are scattered among the albums.
Enjoy!
I agree, Great coin, +++
Q.
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Yesterday, I added to my gallery a pleasing and well-centered M. Porcius Cato quinarius with a 35-year-old provenance (which I hope to take further back!).
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157565
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Cool addition, coin-bro (congrats)
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Nice example... +++
Q.
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Today, I added a new coin with a restored old provenance to my Forum gallery. Enjoy!
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-158193
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Spectacular coin and an early provenance! Congrats!
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Great piece, +++ ;)
Joe/Q.
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Wow, that coin is deadly! (congrats, my coin-friend)
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Thank's for the kind comments, coin bro, Quadrans and Nick. More to come.
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Several Roman Republican selections in silver and bronze were added to my Forum Gallery in November, including coins from the Clarence Bement, Frederick Knobloch and Reinhold Faelton collections. Gallery link is at the bottom of this post. More to come in December. Enjoy!
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I added a smattering of silver and bronze coins to my Roman Republican gallery over the past few weeks, including: a Marc Antony denarius with a lovely portrait; a Brutus Albinus denarius with incredible rainbow toning, likely developed while on display at the Cincinnati Art Museum; a light Aes Grave as from the Second Punic War; an interesting type Censorinus bronze; and an excellent condition Rostrum Tridens As with a nice old provenance.
Link to my gallery is at the bottom of this post. Please take a look and enjoy! I may add a few more coins before month-end.
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A lovely commemoration of an assassin, or would-be assassin. I wonder who held that coin for so many years before it went to auction again, but perhaps a more complete provenance was not passed on. Still, the pedigree!!
Schatz
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Great coins and additions, Michael +++
Congratulation
Joe/Q.
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A lovely commemoration of an assassin, or would-be assassin. I wonder who held that coin for so many years before it went to auction again, but perhaps a more complete provenance was not passed on. Still, the pedigree!!
Schatz
Hello Schatz. Which assassin commemoration are you referring to? I have several! ;)
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Great coins and additions, Michael +++
Congratulation
Joe/Q.
Thanks, Joe!
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In celebration of the holiday season, I have added two denarii to my Forum Gallery bearing the closest device to a reindeer sleigh that the Roman Republic has to offer:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159341
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159301
Happy Holidays to all!
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Not merely the stags, but a moneyer who had something special about his nose!
Could it be that Rudolph actually came before Santa??? That the "Clausii" suppressed the Axia during the Triumviral Proscriptions? Did Johnny Marks, Gene Autry and Burl Ives know this and continue the cover-up?
Has Michael re-written holiday tv stop-motion animation history ?!?! :wreath2:
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;D. Indeed, to earn the cognomen "Naso", the moneyer's ancestor could have had a massive nose or, perhaps, a "button nose"!
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Great coins, Michael,
I always enjoy the nice Roman Republic coins...
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Joe/Q.
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Thanks, Joe!
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The last addition to my Forum Gallery for 2019 is the first silver coin type struck in the name of the Romans! Please take a look. The link to my gallery appears in the footer.
I started this Gallery in March/April 2018, and I've gradually added coins that reflect the development of Roman Republican coinage from its inception. I could probably use a bit more 2nd century material in the gallery, and I'll try to focus on that next year.
Happy New Year!
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Wonderful addition. I'd love to have one of these big early Roman didrachms
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Thanks, Jay!
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Nice that you got the oak leaves so distinctly. They often seem to drift off the flan. I have one with a wonderful obverse bust and about 1/18th of an oak leaf (and a reverse that looks like it was trampled by oxen....)
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Thanks! Yes, the huge flan and complete devices were a big attraction. Some of the reverse legend would have been nice, but that comes at great cost (and is sometimes tooled).
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That Roman didrachm is impressive - historically and otherwise. How often do you get to say things like that? The scholarship really helps to appreciate it, so job well done.
Anaximander
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Spent the entire day at the American Numismatic Society library researching provenances for my Roman Republican coins. I found an important 1929 addition to the already good provenance for this Postumia denarius, turning the provenance from good to great!
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-151824
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Hello Forum friends.
January has been a busy month for me. I've acquired three Imperatorial denarii for my collection from recent auctions, none of which had significant reported provenances. After researching the coins in my numismatic library, I found significant, unreported provenances for each coin. This is the fruit of "Old Auction Catalogue Madness" (see thread with that name in the Book section for context)! Two of the Imperatorial denarii (Lucius Antony portrait and rare Cassius aplustre) have been uploaded to my Forum gallery so far. Not wishing to tempt postal fate, the third denarius will be added upon actual receipt later this week.
Also added is an important Semilibral reduction AE Semuncia from the enigmatic Crawford 39 series. I bought this coin from a friend who had already found a remarkable pedigree which I now share with the Forum community.
Please take a look at my recent additions via the link to my gallery, below. Enjoy!
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Some great addition... +++
Joe/Q.
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Great coins and always a gain to browse through your addtions.
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Thanks Norbet and Quadrans for your kind words.
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Very impressive that you could trace that semuncia, which is very nicely preserved. One of mine has a provenance of "$5 each/3 for 10 box"!
Nice additions, all three!
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Thanks, PMah. My friend that sold me the semuncia traced the pedigree, so I cannot claim credit for that one. The pedigrees on the denarii additions, however, are all my work!
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While researching a different coin in my old auction catalogues, I serendipitously found a provenance for this coin from my Forum Gallery:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159341
It is from the Sir Charles Oman Collection, auctioned by Christies on 2 July 1968. While a pre-1970 provenance is the "gold standard" for meeting certain legal hurdles, a pedigree to an important collector adds spice. This is my first Oman coin!
Sir Charles Oman (1860-1946) was a well-published military historian and numismatist. As an historian, he is widely regarded for restructuring medeival battles from myriad accounts. He authored an important book on English coinage in 1931. He collected Greek silver, Roman and English Coins. He was President of the Royal Numismatic Society from 1919-1930 (a remarkable run). He received the Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society in 1928. His photo below.
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Great coin, Michael, and nice find +++
Joe
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Great coin, excellent provenience.
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I've added an attractive denarius of Sextus Pompey to my Forum Gallery. Please have a look here:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-160019
Although exhibiting some wear, this is a particularly sympathetic, well-centered and complete example of this difficult type which often comes off-struck or on small flans. Within a few days after acquiring the coin, I also uncovered an important prior auction provenance from 1952! Enjoy.
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Very nice!
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No, not one of THOSE owls - rather, an M. Cordius Rufus denarius of 46 BCE with perched owl. It's a tough type to find well-centered and struck. This coin is not perfect, but required minimal concessions. Also, it has perfect surfaces and lovely toning. I'll be working on finding an earlier provenance, which I'm hopeful will turn-up eventually. You can find the coin here:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-160061
But please wander my gallery and let me know if you have any thoughts/suggestions for improvememt. I'm going to look into ways to sort the coins in Crawford order for a less random presentation.
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A very nice coin. I tried to put that one in my gallery myself.... Glad I got to have it in hand for a few minutes!
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Sorry (not sorry). ;)
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I'm going to look into ways to sort the coins in Crawford order for a less random presentation.
Success! Over the past few hours, I've revised the titles of my Forum Gallery coins so that most now sort in order of Crawford number (Michael Crawford's Roman Republican Coinage being the standard catalogue for the series). I think this should make the Gallery more useful as a research tool, and should facilitate finding particular coins. Note that Crawford numbers ascended in chronological order; however, intervening scholarship since 1974 has supported some dating changes. Thus, the gallery coins will not all appear in precise chronological order. In the Second Punic War album, there are a few stragglers that won't sort for reasons I don't understand. I'll try to fix those in the next few days, if possible.
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Impressive undertaking. I did the same for my Flavians, sorting by RIC number. I had the same issue with some just not going in order. Turned out there was a space at the beginning of the title which made them not go where they should. Once the space was removed they fell into place.
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Firstly, Carausius, I am massively impressed by your Roman Imperatorial gallery.
I recently got around to sorting my Greek coin galleries into some semblance of order, having discovered the sort options box. Much better than my old as-input sequence, which produced a somewhat random jumble, with some alphabetical sequences.
TITLE + -
FILE NAME + -
DATE + -
POSITION + -
What I hear you and Jay GT4 saying is that you use the Title + as your default sort option rather than Position +. Add a coin to a gallery with the right title (with no errant spaces), and it sorts all on its own. Is that right?
I'm going to launch my Roman collection online this year, and might like to 'borrow' your technique. The Position proved to be quite a labor for large galleries, and that sort requires a re-index with every new addition.
With Crawford and RIC (and possibly RPC) as our guardrails, we can pretty much cover the gamut of Roman coinage.
Anaximander
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What I hear you and Jay GT4 saying is that you use the Title + as your default sort option rather than Position +. Add a coin to a gallery with the right title (with no errant spaces), and it sorts all on its own. Is that right?
Yes, I moved Crawford references to the front of the title and then used Title+ to sort. I found that I needed to eliminate any letters or "var" in my Crawford references to avoid confusing the sorting. That was fine as that information is repeated in the body of my descriptions.
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I've added a rare Corn-Ear quadrigatus to my Gallery of Roman Republican Coins, my second of the type and a slight upgrade from my previous example. This added coin is from the RBW Collection.
The Crawford 42 series of quadrigati is the rarest of all the quadrigati series. In his study of the 42 series quadrigati, Charles Hersh could only locate 33 examples of the type. Based on the corn-ear control symbol, the series was likely struck somewhere in Sicily, perhaps during Rome’s Second Punic War offensive against Syracuse, from 214-212 BCE. While Crawford puts this series last in order of his various quadrigati series, it is likely they were produced near the same time as the debased, lightweight quadrigati that ended the Crawford 28 series. The coins are generally of debased style and metal, thought their weight is good, and in this regard they are similar to Crawford 31 quadrigati. Stylistically, the series 42 quadrigati typically display well-defined, separated “J”-shaped sideburns, with horizontal hairs, on the Janiform head. Neck truncations range from open C curve (as on this example) to straight and V truncations. On the reverse, Jupiter's thunderbolt is entirely within the line border, angle of the horses is on the low-side, and ROMA is always in relief in a linear frame. The type usually has a corn-ear on the reverse beneath the quadriga; however, “anonymous” versions of this series, without corn-ears but stylistically identical to the corn-eared coins, are known.
You can see both my examples of this rare type via the following links (first link is the new coin):
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-160191
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-147798
Enjoy!
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Great addition, Michael... +++
Joe
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I've added to my Roman Republican Gallery an example of a Roman-over-Roman overstrike from the Second Punic War. During the Second Punic War, the Romans often overstruck both non-Roman bronze coinage, when territory was re-taken, and older (heavier) Roman bronze coinage, when weight standards were reduced. In this case I present a Crawford 41 Series, Post-Semilibral Sextans overstruck on a Crawford 38 Series, Semi-Libral Uncia. These are fun when identifiable, and are also important evidence for dating of the two series (the overstruck coin must post-date the undertype). You can find the coin here:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-160865
Enjoy!
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Nice overstrike and the clear notes are very informative. Did you spot it yourself?
I should take a re-look at my Cr 41 specimens, as your note points so clearly to that crest, which could look like a keel "wave" at a quick glance. <Adds to to-do list>
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Thanks, PMah! Yes, I spotted it myself. The overstrike was not noted by the seller, but that is not unusual in instances where the undertype is somewhat hidden.
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Strong work spotting that. I nearly went blind on Thursday night prepping the Sardinian praetors' overstrikes for my coin club's show and tell.
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I hope the extended Forum family is staying safe and healthy. While sheltering-in-place, I have added a group of five AR quinarii from several eras to my Roman Republican gallery, including several with great provenances. The new coins can be found at the top of the "Last additions" section of my gallery home page (link in the footer of this post). Enjoy!
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Sheltering-in-place is a good time to browse the Forum Galleries! I've recently added to my Roman Republican Gallery a C. Caldus AR Denarius with a near 100 year old provenance. This complex type has beguiled researchers for generations. The new Caldus denarius can be found here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-161957. My entire gallery can be found at the link in the bottom of this post.
Enjoy!
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Wow, great addition... +++
Joe
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I’ve recently added two coins featuring desultors to my Roman Republican Gallery. These are in addition to a third coin that has been in the Gallery for a while. The three coins can be found here:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-163453
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-163220
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-145227
Desultors were equestrian acrobats who thrilled crowds by controlling two horses and leaping from one horse to another at full gallop. This acrobatic riding was not necessarily the work of professionals, as Suetonius reported that young men “of the highest rank” engaged in the practice during the games of Julius Caesar’s triumphal celebrations (Suet. Deified Julius XXXIX). The practice, with four horses, is referenced in the Illiad (II.15.680), so likely dates to Homeric times or earlier. The practice perhaps has origins in Minoan bull leaping and similar acrobatics with animals. Livy references that Numidian cavalry took two horses apiece and, like circus performers, jumped fully armed from a weary mount to a fresh one (Liv xxiii 29). A Roman desultor, as depicted on Roman Republican coins, rode two horses, bare-back, which he managed by reins and whip, and he wore a pileus (felt cap) typically associated with the Dioscuri. The pileus raises the possibility that the practice had religious connotations rather than a mere circus trick. The Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, were half-brother, paternal twins of Leda, Jupiter and the King of Sparta, and were often depicted wearing felt pilei and riding horses. They had a strong following in Rome, with a temple consecrated to them in the Roman Forum in 484 BCE by A. Postumius after his victory in the Battle of Lake Regillus, in which Castor and Pollux reportedly guided the Romans to victory over the Latins. Due to their mixed parentage, Pollux was immortal and Castor was mortal. Following the death of Castor, the twins shared Pollux’s immortality by swapping places each day between Hades and Mount Olympus. The desultor, wearing a Dioscurus’ cap and riding two horses, likely represents either one of the twins with their two horses. Despite the representative link to the Dioscuri, the desultor’s appearance on a coin type is typically an allusion to games. Desultors appear on several Republican coin types, including Crawford 297/1, 346/1, 480/21 and 480/22.
Enjoy!
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Great coins and an outstanding write-up. I have learned a few things from you today, and that's always a good day.
Tracy
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Several recent acquisitions were added to my Roman Republican gallery last night, including two Octavians with good provenances and a few good quality 2nd century BCE coins. Gallery link is below. I have more to add, so please visit from time to time. Enjoy!
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Hi, Michael, 😉
So many nice and interesting coins 👍
Regards
Joe
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Thank you, Joe!
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I learned today that two of my Roman Republican Gallery coins are plate coins in some excellent books.
The first is in R. Göbl, Antike Numismatik, pl. 1420 and can be seen in my Forum Gallery here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159917. This coin has an excellent provenance from several important sales.
The second coin is so nice that they plated it twice in G. Lahusen, Die Bildnismünzen Der Römischen Republik, pl. 63, nos. 12 and 16, and can be seen in my Forum Gallery here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-156022. This coin also has a good provenance to 1938.
There are several more plate coins in my gallery that I already knew about, including Sear HCRI, Sear RCV vol 1, Alföldi Caesar in 44 BC, and others. Enjoy!
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It's been too long since I've added coins to my Roman Republican Gallery. I'm making-up for that this week. Several coins were added over the last 12 hours. The new coins include a scarce Crawford 34 series Quadrigatus, a Denarius with a pre-1856 provenance to the Duke of Northumberland Collection (my second from this old collection), and several other coins. I'll be adding more later this week as time permits. Newer coins can be found beneath the "Last additions" banner on my Gallery page (link below). Enjoy!
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Great group Michael, 👍
Congratulation 😉😀
Joe
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Three nice coins from the same sale, with some non-obvious provenance.
There were a bunch of nice quadrigati along with yours, but yours may be the best exemplar of its Crawford group. They really do need good photos rather than Crawford's prose and casts to make sense. Thanks for posting these.
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I've added a scarce denomination to my Roman Republican gallery: an AE Dodrans. The Dodrans was produced only twice during the Roman Republic. The first production was by C. Cassius in 131 BCE (Crawford series 266, redated by Mattingly in Essays Hersh); the second production was by M. Metellus in 125 BCE (Crawford series 263, redated by Mattingly). “Dodrans” is a contraction of the Latin “de quadrans”, meaning one-quarter less than an As. It is identified by the value mark S:· (a Semis and 3 unciae) for a total of 9 unciae, or three-quarters of an As of 12 unciae. In addition to the Dodrans, C. Cassius also struck a bronze "Bes" of eight unciae. By 131 BCE, the As had been out of production for many years, and it’s possible that the Dodrans and Bes were experimental denominations to satisfy demand for larger bronze coins. Alternatively, they may have satisfied the need for special payments to fund corn or wine distributions.
My new gallery example can be seeen here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166897
Enjoy!
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Fantastic addition. I don't think I've ever seen another for sale. Congrats
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Great coin, Michael... +++
Joe
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Thanks, Joe and Jay!
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Quite nice and quite rare. This one caused the saddest of many "sad trombone" sounds on my computer that day, filled with poor strategy on my part. Glad to see it has a good home!
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Ach! Sorry, Paul.
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Tonight, I'm happy to add to my Roman Republican gallery two denarii of a father and his dutiful son: Pompey the Great and Sextus Pompey.
The Pompey the Great denarius is one of my favorite types of the Imperatorial series, with devices alluding to Pompey's broad imperium and military successes on land and sea, and struck while Pompey was preparing for his ill-fated show-down with Caesar at Pharsalus. The coin can be found here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166939
The very rare Sextus Pompey denarius marked young Sextus' taking-up the mantle of the Pompeians following his elder brother's defeat at Munda. This coin was formerly in the RBW Collection and can be found here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166940
I may add a few more coins before the end of the month, as I'm a little behind. Enjoy!
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That's a wonderful pair
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That's a wonderful pair
+ 1 👍😉😀
Joe
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Thanks again, Joe and Jay!
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A great pair indeed. The Pompey The Great denarius is magnificent. Nice additions to your collection.
Tracy
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Thank you, Tracy!
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The Magnus really shows well. Great find.
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I hoped to receive and post my final purchase of 2020 today, but fate intervened. So, it seems these three coins, entered in the past week or two, are the final 2020 additions to my Roman Republican Gallery. Each coin special in some way:
1. Brutus and Casca Longus plated/fourree denarius from the Duke of Northumberland Collection. This coin has the dubious distinction of being the only ancient fake that I've knowingly purchased. It's exceptionally nice for a fouree, with good style (surely made from an impression of a genuine coin), otherwise beautiful surfaces and only one spot of exposed core on Neptune's cheek. Because the coin was described in Admiral Smyth's 1856 book about the Duke of Northumberland Collection, we know it was acquired by Northumberland's family before 1856! You can find the coin here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-167248
2. T. Carisius "Moneta" denarius. Coins of this type are often badly off-struck; however this is a particularly well-centered example with a nearly complete reverse wreath. I have an opinion on the reverse imagery that some may disagree with. The coin and my write-up can be found here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-167045
3. M. Plaetorius Cestianus, "SORS" Denarius. Another difficult but charming type, often off-struck and, because of its facing front reverse figure which is struck in high-relief, often found tooled or heavily worn. This example appears untouched and relatively well-centered for the type. The coin can be found here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166944
Enjoy, and Happy New Year to our Forum family!
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Great coins, Michael 👍
Regards
Joe
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Three strong pieces. Need to look more closely this weekend. The Plaetoria is remarkably struck and preserved .
Excellent acquisition decision on the Carisius. Has it been freed from "wrapping"? I think your take is more correct than the "coin minting-only" view, although I think some features suggest the reverse may be an attempt to be both general and specific at the same time. I have been thinking about a club presentation about moneyers and minting for a while, but my notes are still in progress.
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Fantastic additions!
The idea that some fouree's were struck with official dies as emergency issues isn't new, but I have never seen a die match to prove the theory.
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Thanks for the kind words, Joe, Paul and Nemo.
Fantastic additions!
The idea that some fouree's were struck with official dies as emergency issues isn't new, but I have never seen a die match to prove the theory.
I think fourrees are not likely official for most Republican and Imperatorial issues where the numbers just don't support them being official - surely there would be a lot more of them if they were an official mint (or traveling, military mint) product. The possible exception are those African issues of Cornuficius ca. 42 BCE, where the fourees greatly outnumber solid coins. Die links may not be irrefutable proof, as the unofficial fourees were often made from impressions of genuine coins.
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Today, I added to my Roman Republican Gallery an attractive posthumous Caesar portrait denarius, formerly from the Dr. Walter F. Stoecklin (d. 1975) Collection. My gallery is linked below, and the new coin can be found here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-167528
Enjoy!
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Wonderful coin, with a nice Pedigree :o
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Thank you, Ralf.
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Great find, Michael 👍
Beautiful coin 🤗
Joe
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Today, I added to my Roman Republican gallery an AR Denarius of M. Plaetorius Cestianus carrying a goddess' bust that has long been disputed. The bust, bearing attributes of Minerva (helmet), Diana (quiver), Victory (wings), Ceres (grain wreath, cornucopia) and Apollo (curls), has been variously attributed by scholars over the years as the Sabine goddess Vacuna, the Egyptian goddess Isis, and Fortuna. Who do you think is shown? The coin, which also has a nice provenance, can be found here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-167769
Enjoy!
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Beautiful!
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Thanks, Jay!
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Great coin and notes. I, too, find single-diety attributions more convincing. So many of the "with attributes of" interpretations make it seem like ancient folk must have been walking encyclopedias of myth. In modern times, we'd certainly find it odd to see an image and "oh, that's clearly Groucho Marx, but wearing Stan Laurel's hat" or perhaps "that's St Peter, but carrying St. Catherine's wheel" may be similar. It is possible something like that was going on, but it seems less probable than a simpler explanation in many cases.
Glad you note Harlan. I think Harlan gets unnecessary flak for the imprecision of some of his dating (yes, technically less historical) and not enough credit for his creativity in his search for a less-contrived contemporary explanation for some of the types. I always read Crawford's phrase X was chosen at "random" as <I don't have an answer>. Random is not a particular attribute of Roman public officials.
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Hi Paul. Thanks for the kind comments. I agree, this depiction must have meant something instantly recognizable to the moneyer and the Romans that has been lost in the intervening millenia. As for Harlan, there is plenty of good to go with the not-so-good in his books. I often find his synthesis of prosopographical evidence very helpful. He presents good examples of prosopographic method in dating Roman Republican issues. At other times, I find he jumps through lots of hoops to justify a dating that may not be supported by hoards. You should read any numismatic work with a critical eye, and Harlan's books are no different.
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I've been derelict in posting coins to my gallery lately. I'll try to make amends with a couple of lovely Imperatorials. The first, a rare denarius of Julius Caesar and Aulus Allienus, with exceptionally beautiful surfaces, can be found here:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=170648
The second, a Marc Antony/Sol in temple with an obverse inscription variety different than my previously posted example of the type, can be found here:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=170647
Both coins have nice provenances, and I suspect the Antony provenance goes back much further than I've found to date (look at the deep toning!).
More will be posted in the coming days. Enjoy!