My coins from Adrian came in today! It has been, after spending most of the day running around the SE Michigan
area running errands for
work, one of the better Mondays I've
had this year! Thank you so much, Adrian! I am in awe of what you sent me!
So let's talk coins! I think I made an inordinate amount of various excited noises seeing each one of these for the first time. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much of my vocabulary I lost for a while there. There just weren't words for all this. So, picture time!
Postumus antoninianus: He sent me freaking
Postumus!!?!
Man, what a way to start off here!
Postumus had some cajones, I've always enjoyed hearing about
the Gallic empire and how it managed to hold its business together as things went bat-crazy everywhere else. I'm just so over the moon about the fact that I can count every hair on
his head on this coin. Seeing the
quality of
Postumus issues (vs.
Gallienus) in real life is a real treat, and I'm exceptionally happy to just sit here and be pleased with this coin. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-115858
Aurelian antoninianus: I love
Aurelian. Can you not love someone who singlehandedly stitches the Empire back together? Just him and
his army, somehow managing to be in all the places he needs to be effectively, brilliantly. I love hearing about
Aurelian v.
Zenobia, to the point where I've been eyeing an
Aurelian and
Vabalathus coin (I've seen one taunting me in the
Forum store recently...). This is
good. This is brilliant. He's plucky in hand, and hey, you have to love
Sol squishing some
poor soul under foot on the
reverse. That's some
good old fashioned
Roman domination I will gladly admire any day.
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-115862Domitian as: The
part of my mind always full of
music just wanted to spontaneously sing "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof, but with
Domitian instead.... "
DOMITIAN....
DOMITIAN!" Anyways, the Flavians. I'm pretty big on
Vespasian, except for the fact that he seemed to seriously neglect
Domitian in favor of
Titus. Understandably for the times I suppose, but
still, you couldn't have paid him at least some attention to make sure he didn't grow up paranoid, distrustful of the Senate, and convinced that he needed to go autocratic to rule the state? Might not have helped, but hey... what if it did? Anyways, paranoid he might've been, but he wasn't as weird as
Elagabalus, or as completely off the deep end as
Commodus, so... I can respect him for that. Coin-wise, I looked up the
reverse by the
RIC number, and I am enamored. I've got a soft spot for pre-Christian empire, and the
reverse on this just gives me serious feelings. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-115861
Domitian dupondius:
Domitian,
part two. I will say I'm embarrassed how many times it took me to spell
dupondius right... yep.
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-115860On to the Unidentifieds of the group!
The Late Constantinians: Two words:
CAMP GATE. And it is a
work of art. It's beautifully struck,
well centered, the picture I posted really does not do it justice, and the detail! I'm pretty sure I know works of art in museums with less artistry and detail than this. Mr.
Constantinopolis there is also stunning. So youthful on the
obverse, and I love the
reverse. The bottom coin... I'm going to have to do a little
work. I can see the "CON" on it, so there's only so many people that could be of course. The
reverse I think will be the key to getting my solid ID on that.
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-115859The
Greeks?: I'm leaning Greek at least, if only because of the clear beauty of this group,
Zeus. Wow, the artistry. If this is what people mean when they talk up the artistry on
Greek coins, I'm with them. Utterly beautiful. I think I have two of
Zeus, but the one has the
face kind of... cut off. I'm praying the tiny one here is a
bust of
Apollo on the
obverse. That would tickle me
pink. I'll have to go hunting for an ID there. The Big Guy though... woowwwwww. Personality up the wazoo, but I haven't the remotest slightest on where to start with him. He's great, very hefty, and I'm strangely in love. If I have to go asking for
help on any of these, I have a feeling it'll be him. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-115863
Anyways, thoughts and commentary always appreciated. I have to again, profusely, thank Adrian for sending me these wonderful treasures. I'm so excited to start the
hunt for IDs on these, and I really just do not have adequate words to describe how I feel receiving this. So I'll just be annoyingly redundant. Thank you, thank you, thank you!