Forum purchase o' the day

[cliff_marsland]

The last few Forum COTDs are all nice; I like the Titus Alexandrian piece.  My fellow collectors all have very nice taste; all the coins are very pleasant.

[Jay GT4]

Just ordered this one from Forum:
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-65627

Augustus commemorating the battle of Actium.  Comes with a nice provenance. 

[Marti Vltori]

My very first sestertius! A Marcus Aurelius:

[silvernut]

A very decent sestertius of a great emperor, congratulations! My only sestertii are one of M Aurelius and one of L Verus. I like their portraits.

BTW, the last 2 ants you posted on this thread came from my collection. Good to know they found a good home!

Regards,
Ignasi

[Marti Vltori]

BTW, the last 2 ants you posted on this thread came from my collection. Good to know they found a good home!

Oh really? I love those coins!

[Jay GT4]

I love the feel of sestertii in hand!

BTW: Joseph, shall I "Thwow him to the fwoor?" 

[Marti Vltori]

I love the feel of sestertii in hand!

BTW: Joseph, shall I "Thwow him to the fwoor?" 

Yes thwow him to the fwoor....wouphly!

[ancientone]

One of the top 5 funniest movies of all time!!!

"All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?"

[Jay GT4]

"Vewey well, I shall welease Wodger!"
"Uh we have no Wodger Sir..."

[commodus]

Just arrived today!

Quietus, AR (silvered) antoninianus, 260-261 AD, exceptionally well centred on large flan; Antioch mint. RSC IV 14, RIC V 11
obv: IMP C FVL QVIETVS P F AVG  radiate, draped, cuirassed bust, r.
rev:  SPES PVBLICA  Spes standing, l., flower in r. hand, l. hand raising fold of dress

Now I at last have both the usurper brothers Macrianus AND Quietus represented in my collection! I have waited a while for this event.

A beautiful and rare coin from a particularly interesting period of Roman imperial history. I am extremely excited about adding this one to my collection.

[Mark Z]

Commodus,

You don't need me to confirm it, but that is one beautiful coin!

Possibly the sweetest Quietus I've ever seen with SUPER portrait AND silvering!

Nice! Congratulations!

mz

[commodus]

Thanks! Yes, I've wanted a Quietus for several years now and when I saw this one I knew it was the one I needed to acquire.

[Randygeki(h2)]

it sure is  nice

[casata137ec]

I finally managed to rescue this guy from lay-a-way purgatory. A couple years back I was really in to Syrian tetradrachm of the Severan era, but I never got a Macrinus (or Septimius Severus, but I can't afford him yet! lol). Well here we go. This one is is from Beroea in Syria. Alexander the Great renamed the city to Beroea (in deference to the city of the same name in Macedon) after conquering it. The city has had many names since but reached it's peak as Aleppo being the endpoint of the Spice Road. (I had to look it up!)

Anyway, I really like the stern portrait, and the eagle is very nice as well, but my favorite feature is the control mark between the eagles legs. Per Prieur it is a "winged animal, facing". Anyone care to venture a guess as to what the heck the animal is!?! I have no idea...lol

Enjoy
Chris

Beroea mint, Macrinus tetradrachm, 11 Apr 217 - 8 Jun 218 A.D. AR, 26.4mm 12.349g, Prieur 889;
O: AYT K MA OΠ C••• E MAKPINOC CE, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r.
R: ΔHMAΠ-X EΞYΠATOCΔ, eagle standing front, wings spread, head left, between legs winged animal facing, palm in field, B - E below claws


CLICKABLE

[curtislclay]

According to Prieur following H. Seyrig, probably a winged and horned lion, three of which occur at the feet of Beroea's patron god Haddad as an idol on a bronze coin of the city.

I like the firm attribution to Beroea because of the letters BE! The attribution to specific cities of a number of other series of tetradrachms of Caracalla and Macrinus is much more conjectural. It's striking how the letters BE are placed directly under the eagle's two talons.

Reverse dies like yours showing Caracalla's title COS IIII (YPATOC D), wrong for Macrinus,  could be considered to be old dies of Caracalla that for practical reasons simply continued to be used under Macrinus. They are so prolific at Beroea, however, as to suggest that some of them were perhaps newly cut under Macrinus, by engravers who just unthinkingly copied Caracalla's titles from the mint's earlier tetradrachms.

An attractive coin, too!

[casata137ec]

According to Prieur following H. Seyrig, probably a winged and horned lion, three of which occur at the feet of Beroea's patron god Haddad as an idol on a bronze coin of the city.

I like the firm attribution to Beroea because of the letters BE! The attribution to specific cities of a number of other series of tetradrachms of Caracalla and Macrinus is much more conjectural. It's striking how the letters BE are placed directly under the eagle's two talons.

Reverse dies like yours showing Caracalla's title COS IIII (YPATOC D), wrong for Macrinus,  could be considered to be old dies of Caracalla that for practical reasons simply continued to be used under Macrinus. They are so prolific at Beroea, however, as to suggest that some of them were perhaps newly cut under Macrinus, by engravers who just unthinkingly copied Caracalla's titles from the mint's earlier tetradrachms.

An attractive coin, too!

Thanks, Curtis! Winged and horned lion, eh? I'll take his word for it! I guess it is no more odd than a man-headed bull or Sandan's horned lion creature!

Thank you also for the info on the reverse legend. Did they have enough time to get his titles right before he was assassinated?

BE for sure! No if's, and's or but's about that attibution! I wish they could all be so clear as to origin!

Chris

[mwilson603]

According to Prieur following H. Seyrig, probably a winged and horned lion, three of which occur at the feet of Beroea's patron god Haddad as an idol on a bronze coin of the city.

Thanks, Curtis! Winged and horned owl, eh? I'll take his word for it!

Obviously edited by me for space purposes, but did I miss something in this conversation?  Chris, who mentioned Owl?
regards
Mark

[casata137ec]

Oops...I meant lion...it simply reminds me of the clockwork owl from the original clash of the titans (mental slip)...lol...I have edited.

Chris

[mwilson603]

it simply reminds me of the clockwork owl from the original clash of the titans

Now that you come to mention it, I can see where that recognition came from.  And now all I can see when I look at your coin is that darn owl   Nice coin BTW

regards
Mark

[Marti Vltori]

Just received my very first Dupondius! Sure is a pretty one.

Titus:

[Steve E]

Very nice!

In fact I had it on my wish list

That's ok, glad to see its gone to a fellow Utah'n

Send me a PM, maybe we could get together sometime!

Don't worry I won't try to get your coin

~Steve Evans

[Mark Z]

JD5,

Very nice!

Size and weight?

mz

[Marti Vltori]

Mark,

It is 28.0mm and 13.8g.

[Will J]

That's ok, glad to see its gone to a fellow Utah'n

Another Utah'n? and I thought I was the only one register here (however my activity on this board is rather low)

[Mark Z]

Mark,

It is 28.0mm and 13.8g.

As I heft it in my mind, I'm smiling

mz