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Syria Seleucia Pieria AE14
Apollo & tripod. Cop. 399, S 2184 Date: 100BC
Obverse: Head of Apollo right Reverse: Tripod
Size: 14.43 mm Weight: 2.3 grams Coin #621cars100

IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG PM Laur head of Titvs r.Rev.TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII PP Dolphin entwined around anchor. RIC 26(a)(Rome ad 80) weight 3,20 gr3 commentsspikbjorn

NERO CAESAR AVGVSTVS Laur head of Nero r Rev. IVPPITER CVSTOS Juppiter seated l holding thunderbolt and sceptre(Rom 67-8 ad)RIC 69 weight 3,15 Gr2 commentsspikbjorn

Obv.IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG PONT.REV TR P COS VII DES VIII PP. Minerva adv.r. with spear and shield. Rome Ad 81 14 sep-31dec. weight.3,25 gr. RIC 56. R21 commentsspikbjorn

Obv.IMP CAESAR TRAJAN HADRIANVS AVG Laur bust of hadrian.r, with light drapery on far shoulder. Rev VOT PUB(in field) PM T RP COS III. Pietas,stg,r,both hands raised.RIC 141 (rome ad 119) weight 3,25gr1 commentsspikbjorn

Sabina Augusta Hadriani Avg pp. Diad and draped bust r.Hair coiled and piled on top of head.REV No legend Venus stg.r.viewed partially from behind,holding helmet and spear and resting on column against which rest shield.Weight 3,30gr RIC 4123 commentsspikbjorn

Severus Alexander
Ancient Rome
Emperor Severus Alexander(222 - 232 AD) AE (Bronze) Sestertius
Struck at the Rome Mint in AD 229 - 230.

obv: IMP SEV ALEXANDER AVG - Laureate bust right, drapery on left shoulder.

rev: P M TR P VIII COS III P P - Emperor riding in quadriga right holding eagle tipped sceptre in one hand and holding the reigns in the other.
'SC' below, in exergue.

Weight: 21 Grams
Size: 32 - 33 mm

References: Cohen 377, RIC 495 5 commentsrexesq

Severus Alexander
Ancient Rome
Emperor Severus Alexander(222 - 232 AD) AE (Bronze) Sestertius
Struck at the Rome Mint in AD 229 - 230.

obv: IMP SEV ALEXANDER AVG - Laureate bust right, drapery on left shoulder.

rev: P M TR P VIII COS III P P - Emperor riding in quadriga right holding eagle tipped sceptre in one hand and holding the reigns in the other.
'SC' below, in exergue.

Weight: 21 Grams
Size: 32 mm - 33 mm

References: Cohen 377, RIC 495
-----------------------

~*~I will most likely be taking this coin out of it's plastic prison soon. I will post more pics after doing so.~*~rexesq

Postumus, Principal Mint, double sestertius
IMP C M CASS LAT POSTVMVS P F AVG, Radiate, helmeted and cuirassed bust right
VICTORIA AVG, Victory advancing left, spurning captive
Weight 20.07g

A very rare obverse type - this coin from the same obverse die as the examples illustrated in Bastien2 commentsAdrianus

Postumus, Principal Mint, sestertius

IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
VIRTVS AVG, Virtus standing right
Weight 17.35gAdrianus

Postumus, Principal Mint, sestertius, 260

IMP C M CASS LAT POST[...],Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
SALVS AVG, Salus standing right, feeding snake held in arms
Weight 15.49g

A very rare early issue with Postumus' full name given on the obverse - normally this only occurs on radiate double-sestertii. This is struck from the same obverse die as a gold medallion in Paris with a SALVS PROVINCIARVM reverse. Adrianus

Tetricus I, Mint II, reverse CONCORDIA MILITVM
IMP TE[TRIC]VS AVG, Radiate, cuirassed bust right
CONCORD[IA MI]LITVM, Concordia standing left with patera an cornucopia, standard behind
Normanby -
Weight 3.62g

A previously unknown issue which links typologically to Tetricus CONCORDIA AVG issues (Mint I) and FIDES MILITVM issues (Mint II) and Domitianus' CONCORDIA MILITVM type (Mint II).Adrianus

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Q-001quadrans

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exerg: , diameter: 17,5-18mm, weight: 4,71g, axes:7 h,
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Q-001quadrans

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In the picture we can see how the head of an emperor closely resembles the preceeding one. The top three coins are COS II. RIC 9 (3.6g); RIC 12 (3,40g); RIC 22 (3.31g). All have good weights and the RIC 9 is quite possibly overstruck at 3.6g.

Below the three Trajans is a Nerva and it's very similar to the first issues of Trajan. I think it's safe to say that the engravers did not meet the emperor in person. Paddy

Byzantine glass coin weight
Monogram of Anastasius
20mm
5.72g
Bendall.64wileyc

OBVERSE - IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG
high-crested helmet, cuirassed, spear across right shoulder

REVERSE - VICTORIAE LAETE PRINC PERP
TWO VICTORIES RESTING SHIELD, INSCRIBED VOT P R ON ALTAR - CONCAVE ROUND TOP ALTAR, WITH GARLAND AND TOP DOT OF GARLAND JUST UNDER ROUND TOP.
UNKNOWN IN EX. ?? UNKNOWN MINT ??

DIMENSION = 19mm
WEIGHT = 3 grams
MATERIAL = BRONZE ?

RIC 790; Alföldi type 85, n° 1; Siscia. Bust type C. Denomination: Antoninianus.

OBV.: IMP PROBVS INV AVG
Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from back.
REV.: SPES AVG N
Spes walking left, holding flower and raising robe.

Mintmark: // XXI

Weight: ?vrtsprb

IPS
- GWALIOR -
JAYAJI RAO
- Lashkar Mint -

VS1926
KM#143
1843 to 1886

9 COPPER COINS LOT
LOT WEIGHT - 47.6 gmAntonivs Protti

PHOCAS (602-610). Follis. Cyzicus. Dated RY 1 (602/3). Obv: Phocas, holding globus cruciger, and Leontia, holding cruciform sceptre, standing facing. Rev: Large M; cross above, A/N/N/O - I across field; KYZA. Sear 664. Condition: Good very fine. Weight: 13.74 g. Diameter: 30 mm.Quant.Geek

MAURICE TIBERIUS (582-602). Decanummium. Cyzicus. Obv: Crowned and cuirassed bust facing, holding globus cruciger and shield decorated with horseman motif. Rev: Large I; cross above, star to left, A to right; KYZ. Sear 522a; MIBE 93C. Condition: Good very fine, struck on an oddly-shaped flan. Weight: 2.92 g. Diameter: 20 mm.
Quant.Geek

This "Otho" with "VÍCTORIA PR" reverse is an ingenious fabrication created by the famous forger "Tardani". He had obviously realized that there were a few VICTORIA OTHONIS dies recut from Galba's VICTORIA PR dies and created this fictitious but possible coin with copies of real dies. I used to have this coin and another with the same dies is in the Berlin coin cabinet. Both are overweight, around 3.9 gr. It took some time to find a Galba minted with this particular reverse die but finally I succeeded. The final proof is seen in this coin, there are a few regions were the die has broken, ie before the die ever could have been used for an Otho coin. The coin is quite convincing because of the dies, but the surfaces were a bit strange and the legends unusual in profile.jmuona

Denomination: Follis
Era: 307-312 CE
Metal: AE
Obverse: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG. Laureate head right.
Reverse: AETERNITAS AVG N / M OST Δ. Wolf and twins between the Dioscuri standing facing each other, their horses between
Mint: Ostia
Weight: 6.67g
Reference: RIC 16 (Ostia)
Provenance: Naumann Auction 101 lot 781
AEF.1 comments

21mm 4.3g
Unidentified Late Roman bronze

likely modified for use as a solidus weight
Victor C

PHILIP I THE ARAB (244–249). Antoninianus. Rome.
Obv: IMP PHILIPPVS AVG.
Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: SAECVLARES AVGG / II.
Lupa (She-wolf) standing left, suckling twins Romulus and Remus.
RIC 15.
Ex Numismatik Lanz auction 40 (1987) Lot 783.
Condition: Extremely fine.
Weight: 5.5 g.
Diameter: 23 mm.paul1888

Sicily, Syracuse. Agathokles. Æ 23 mm. Arethusa / Bull Butting
Reign: 317-289 B.C.
Denomination: Æ 17 mm.
Weight: 3.93 grams..
Date Struck: c. 317-310 B.C.
Obverse: Head of Arethusa left, wearing pendant earring and pearl necklace; behind, grain ear.
Reverse: Bull butting left; above, dolphin to left above Δ; below, H.
Reference: CNS II, 101 var. (Π below dolphin); HGC 2, 1489.paul1888

Bruttium Rhegium Ae Unit
C. 350-280 BC
Obverse: Facing lion head.
Reverse: Laur head of Apollo right.
Ref: SNG Ans 686
Weight: 7.15g
Size: 19mm1 commentspaul1888

Roman Empire,
Titus Denarius
C. 69-79 AD
Reverse: TR POT VIII COS VII, Quadriga left bearing flower.
Centrally struck with good metal, surfaces and detail.
Ref: RIC 1073
Weight: 3.52g
3 commentspaul1888

Vespasian, 1 July 69 - 24 June 79 A.D.
Copper as, RIC II-1 336, BMCRE II 616, BnF III 595, Cohen I 632, Hunter I 119, SRCV I -, Choice VF, superb portrait, well centered on a tight flan, green patina with bare metal high points, scattered porosity, Rome mint, weight 11.694g, maximum diameter 26.9mm, die axis 180o, 71 A.D.; obverse IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS III, laureate head right; reverse VICTORIA NAVALIS (the naval victory), Victory standing right on a galley prow, wreath in extended right hand, palm frond over left shoulder in left hand, S - C (senatus consulto) flanking low across field; from an Israeli collection, Ex Forum 1 commentspaul1888

Otacilia Severa, Augusta, February or March 244 - September or October 249 A.D.
|Otacilia| |Severa|, |Otacilia| |Severa,| |Augusta,| |February| |or| |March| |244| |-| |September| |or| |October| |249| |A.D.|, From the issue celebrating the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Rome. Celebrations included display of many exotic animals including, it seems, a hippopotamus.
RS76152. Silver antoninianus, RIC IV P116b, RSC IV 63, Hunter III 10, SRCV III 9160, Choice EF, near perfect centering and strike, much luster, excellent portrait, 4th officina, Rome mint, weight 4.040g, maximum diameter 22.6mm, die axis 180o, 248 A.D.; obverse OTACIL SEVERA AVG, draped bust right, wearing stephane, hair in horizontal ridges, plait up the back of head, crescent behind shoulders; reverse SAECVLARES AVGG (Secular games [provided by] the Emperors), hippopotamus standing right, IIII (4th officina) in exergue; Ex Forum Ancient Coinspaul1888

AR Stater Corinthia, Corinth, ca. 400-350 BC
Obverse: pegasos flying right, Q below
Reverse: helmeted head of Athena right, tripod behind, EY above helmet
Weight 8.37 g
Reference Ravel 675; Pegasi 257/11 commentspaul1888

Caracalla, RIC 311d, Date 213-217 AD, Silver Antoninianus Rome, VENVS VICTRIX (with Helmet)
Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Caracalla
Antoninianus of the Roman Imperial Period 213/217 AD
Material: Silver
Diameter: 23mm
Weight: 5.19g
Mint: Rome
Reference: RIC IV Caracalla 311d var. (Rare, with Helmet)
Provenance: Ex Dr. Gernot Heinrich Collection

This ist the RIC 311d Version with Helmet under the shield. An fantastic Antoninianus with many details on obverse and reverse, fantastic Caracalla bust and a clear reverse Venus. Rare RIC, and more Rare in this condition.

Obverse:
You can see the right-facing bust of Caracalla with a radiant crown. The inscription reads: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM for Antoninus Pius Augustus Germanicus.

Reverse:
The goddess Venus can be seen standing to the left, leaning on a shield. In her left hand she holds a Victoriola, in her right hand a spear. Standing, she leans on her shield and helmet. The inscription reads: VENVS VICTRIX for Venus Victrix (the victorious Venus).

Comments:
In ancient Rome, Venus Victrix is the form of the goddess Venus as victor or „as the one who brings victory“. Especially Pompeius Magnus celebrated his military successes in their honor. This was probably inspired by the armed Aphrodite (nikephoros carrying victory) who protected the Acropolis in certain eastern regions of ancient Greece. In Rome, the victorious Venus was mainly in the third century BC increasingly invoked in the wars against Carthage. Iulius Caesar traced the descent of his family and thus his own from Venus (Venus Genitrix). Pompey, as his adversary, identified his glorious destiny with Venus Victrix in order to claim Venus‘ protection in the secret rivalry. After his victory in the war against Mithridates in 55 BC Pompeius celebrated his triumph „de orbi universo“ (over the whole world) and had a temple built for the victorious Venus, which unfortunately has not been preserved. The sanctuary of Venus Victrix stood on the Capitol, which was probably built during the war against the Samnites. Her feast days were August 12 and October 9, with an annual sacrifice being made on the latter date. At the same time, homage was also paid to Victoria, who closely connected the Romans with Venus Victrix.

Associating this type of coin directly with a specific historical event in the reign of Caracalla is difficult. This Antoninianus is between 213 and 217 AD dated. He could therefore retrospectively refer to the victories in the Germania campaign in 213 AD relate to the battles in Dacia against the Carps in 214 AD refer to or anticipate „the-victorious“ Venus Victrix to refer to the coming eastern campaign against the Parthians.1 commentspaul1888

Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius
Denarius of the Roman Republic Period 81 BC
Material: Silver
Diameter: 20mm
Weight: 3.84g
Mint: North Italy
Reference: Crawford RRC 374/2paul1888

Western Greek. Phokis. AR triobol. 457-420 B.C.. . 11354.
Ancient Coins - Western Greek. Phokis. AR triobol. 457-420 B.C..
Obverse:
Facing bull's head.

Reverse:

Head of Apollo right.

Weight:

2.66 grams.

Diameter:

15.12 mm.
1 commentspaul1888

Kings of Macedon. Perseus (179-168 BC). Ermias, magistrate. Greek Mercenaries. Pseudo-Rhodian AR Drachm / Rose
Attribution: SNG Keckman 794
Date: 175-170 BC
Obverse: Head of Helios facing, hair parted in middle
Reverse: EPMIAΣ, rose, bud on tendril; Ξ-Ω across fields
Size: 14.75mm
Weight: 2.76 grams1 commentspaul1888

Metapontum, Lucania, c. 340 - 330 B.C.
|Italy|, |Metapontum,| |Lucania,| |c.| |340| |-| |330| |B.C.|, NEWLeukippos (or Leucippus) was a son of king Oinomaos of Pisa. He fell in love with the nymph Daphne and disguised himself as a girl to join her company. When she discovered his true identity in the bath, he was slain by the nymphs. Based on this portrait, his plan was doomed from the start.

Another Leukippos, unrelated to the coin, was a philosopher in the first half of 5th century B.C. This Leukippos was the first Greek to develop the theory of atomism; the idea that everything is composed entirely of various imperishable, indivisible elements called atoms. His theory was elaborated in far greater detail by his pupil and successor, Democritus. Leukippos was born in Miletus or Abdera.
GS110591. Silver nomos, Johnson-Noe B3.15 (same dies); SNG Fitzwilliam 497 (same); Historia Numorum Italy 1576; SNG ANS 443, VF, fine style, toned, areas weakly struck, irregularly shaped flan, Metapontion (Metaponto, Italy) mint, weight 7.812g, maximum diameter 22.5mm, die axis 315o, c. 340 - 330 B.C.; obverse ΛEYKIΠΠOΣ (clockwise from above), head of Leucippus right, bearded, wearing Corinthian helmet with a plain bowl, dog (control symbol) seated left behind; reverse barley ear, stalk and leaf on right, bird with open wings on leaf, META upward on left, AMI below leaf; from the CEB Collection, Ex: Numismatic Fine Arts, Inc, Summer Bid Sale, June 27, 1986, lot 45.paul1888

Commodus. Æ Sestertius. Ex Kricheldorf.
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Reign: Emperor, A.D. 177-192.
Denomination: Æ Sestertius.
Diameter: 30 mm.
Weight: 20.43 grams.
Mint: Rome, A.D. 180.
Obverse: Laureate head right.
Reverse: Commodus seated left on platform, holding roll, attended by officer holding scepter; Liberalitas standing facing, holding tessera and cornucopia; citizen mounting steps of platform.
Reference: RIC 300; Ex Kricheldrof, Liste 3 (1955), lot 70; Ex MünzZentrum Köln, Auktion 64 (1988), lot 359.2 commentspaul1888

Philip I the Arab, February 244 - Late September249 A.D., Seleucia ad Calycadnum, Cilicia. Orichalcum medallion, cf. RPC VIII U2169; SNG Levante 778; SNG BnF 1040; SNG Righetti 1630; SNG Pfalz 1078; BMC Cilicia p. 140, 50 (various legend arrangements), VF, broad flan, portrait, dark brown patina, light encrustation, a few small pits, marks, Seleukeia ad Calycadnum (Silifke, Turkey) mint, weight 34.823g, maximum diameter 40.0mm, die axis 180o, obverse AYT K M IOYΛIOC ΦIΛIΠΠOC CEB, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse CEΛEYKEΩN TΩN ΠPOCT, confronted busts of Tyche, right, draped, kalathos on head, cornucopia behind, and Apollo, left, laureate and draped, laurel branch before, KAΛYK/A∆N/Ω in three lines above, EΛEYΘEP/AC in two lines below; 40 millimeters1 commentspaul1888

Otacilia Severa Ae Sestertius

C. 249 AD

Reverse: SECVLARES AVG S C, Cippus.

Ref: RIC 202a

Weight: 19.88g

Size: 28mmpaul1888

Otacilia Severa (AD 244-249) Æ AS / Column

Title: Otacilia Severa (AD 244-249) Æ AS / Column
Attribution: RIC IV 202b Rome
Date: AD 248-249
Obverse: MARCIA OTACIL SEVERA AVG, diademed, draped bust right
Reverse: SAECVLARES AVGG, column, S-C across fields
Size: 25.66mm
Weight: 9.53 grams
Description: VF. Part of the Ludi Saeculares (Secular Games) coinage which commemorated the 1000th anniversary of Rome (April 21, 248).paul1888

Persian Empire, Lydia, Anatolia, Xerxes I - Darius II, c. 485 - 420 B.C. Silver siglos, Carradice Type IIIa variety without pellets, Carradice NC 1998, pl. 8, 5 - 16; or underweight Carradice IIIb, Choice gVF, attractive surfaces, flow lines, bankers mark on edge, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, weight 5.403g, maximum diameter 14.8mm, c. 485 - 420 B.C.; obverse kneeling-running figure of the Great King right, transverse spear downward in right hand, bow in extended left hand, bearded, crowned; reverse irregular rectangular punch; from the CEB Collection; ex Numismatic Fine Arts winter sale (Dec 1987), lot 371
Ex: Forum Ancient Coins.
Persian Lydia, Persian Empire, Lydia, Anatolia, Xerxes I - Darius II, c. 485 - 420 B.C., Carradice Type III was initially issued with the same weight standard as earlier sigloi, Type IIIa, c. 5.30 - 5.39 g. Carradice NC 1998 lists 12 examples of sigloi in the Type IIIa style but without pellets behind the beard. There may have been two mints, one issuing with the two pellets and one without. Or possibly all light weight examples without pellets are simply underweight examples of the Type IIIb, issued after c. 485 B.C. on a heavier standard, c. 5.55 - 5.60 g.1 commentspaul1888

Greek Coins
LOKRIS. Lokri Opuntii. Obol (Circa 370-350 BC). Obv: ΟΠΟΝ. Amphora with grape bunch and ivy wreath hanging from mouth. Rev: Sixteen-rayed star. BCD Lokris 27-38; HGC 4, 1003. Ex BCD Collection. Condition: Good very fine. Weight: 0.77 g. Diameter: 11 mm.2 commentspaul1888

Antoninus Pius. AR denarius. - 61 A.D Obverse:

Bare-headed bust of Pius right.

Reverse:

DIVO PIO: Altar.

Weight:

3.34 grams.

Diameter:

18.27 mm.
1 commentspaul1888

Euboia, Euboian League. AR Drachm.
Date: c. 304-290 B.C.
Denomination: AR Drachm.
Diameter: 17 mm.
Weight: 3.70 grams.
Obverse: Head of the nymph Euboia left.
Reverse: Filleted head and neck of cow facing slightly right; EY above; BCD Euboia 22; HGC 4, 1421; Ex Glendining 13 November 1957, lot 94.1 commentspaul1888

DIU: Maria I, 1788-1809, tin 20 bazarucos (16.01g), 1800, KM-47, Gomes-07.02, denomination called 10 bazarucos for KM-45 for which this is the plate specimen, but Gomes classifies it as 20 bazarucos because of the weight; superb example, EF, R. Quant.Geek

Hadrian, 11 August 117 - 10 July 138 A.D. Silver denarius, RIC II-3 308, RSC II 908, BMCRE III 291, RSC II 908, Hunter II 102, SRCV II 3504, VF, radiating flow lines, iridescent toning, Rome mint, weight 3.031g, maximum diameter 17.0mm, die axis 225o, 119 - 125 A.D.; obverse IMP CAESAR TRAIAN - HADRIANVS AVG, laureate head right; reverse P M TR P COS III, Hadrian seated left on camp stool on platform, togate, extending right hand offering money, citizen before him holding out fold of toga to receive largesse, LIBERAL AVG / III in two lines in exergue; Ex: Forum 2 commentspaul1888

Chersonesos, Thrace, c. 386 - 338 B.C. Silver hemidrachm, Weber 2422; BMC Thrace p. 185, 43; McClean II 4071; HGC 3.2, 1437; SNG Cop -, Choice gVF, attractive neat style, toned, Cherronesos (Gallipoli peninsula) mint, weight 2.323g, maximum diameter 14.1mm, c. 386 - 338 B.C.; obverse lion forepart right, head turned back left, tongue protruding; reverse quadripartite incuse with alternating shallow and deeper sunken quarters, pellet and VE ligature in one sunken quarter (pellet mostly off flan), pellet and five-point star (pentagram) in the opposite sunken quarter. Coin & photography ex Forum Ancient Coins.

This example is unusually well centered on the obverse, which motivated me to purchase it. Overall I believe it is an attractive coin. 3 commentspaul1888

Caracalla, 28 January 198 - 8 April 217 A.D. Silver denarius, RIC IV 120 (S); RSC III 3; BMCRE V p. 205, 267; SRCV II 6790; Hunter III -, Choice gVF, well centered, flow lines, edge splits and cracks, Rome mint, weight 3.280g, maximum diameter 18.9mm, die axis 180o, 201 - 202 A.D.; obverse ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, boy's laureate and draped bust right; reverse ADVENT AVGG, war galley left on waves, ram, acrostolium and vexillum at the bow, four oarsmen and a steersman, Septimius Severus, Caracalla and Geta seated in the steersman's cabin, two standards and apluster at the stern
Ex: Forum Ancient Coinspaul1888

Roman Empire. Otacilia Severa 249 AD, wife of Philip I Arab. AE As 248 AD, Rome mint. Ludi Saeculares (Secular Games) issue, commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Rome. RIC 202b, Bronze 24 mm, weight 8,96 g. Condition Good VF, beautiful green patina with glassy
Obv: Draped bust right, wearing stephane / Rev: SAECVLARES AVGG, S C across field, cippuspaul1888

JUSTINIAN I, AU Solidus, struck 545 - 565 at ConstantinopleObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Cuirassed facing bust of Justinian I wearing plumed helmet and diadem from which two pearls depend on either side. Holding globus cruciger in his right hand and shield, adorned with rider galloping right, in his left.
Reverse: VICTORIA AVGGG A. Victory in the guise of an Angel standing facing holding long staff topped with staurogram in right hand and globus cruciger in left, eight pointed star in right field; in exergue CONOB. (The letter after AVGGG in the legend indicates the number of the officina, the A indicating the first officina on this coin).
Slightly clipped
Diameter: 20mm | Weight: 4.08gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 140 | DOC: 9a
1 comments*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AU Tremissis, struck 527 - 565 at ConstantinopleObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG, Pearl diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian facing right.
Reverse: VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM, Victory walking right, head facing left, holding laurel wreath in her right hand and globus cruciger in her left; star in right field; CONOB in exergue.
Diameter: 15mm | Weight: 1.34gms | Die Axis: 6
Slightly clipped
SBCV: 145 | DOC: 191 comments*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AR 250 Nummi, struck 540 - 542 at RavennaObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Diademed bust of Justinian I, wearing imperial mantle, facing right.
Reverse: Large CN (= 250 Nummi) within wreath.
Diameter: 14mm | Weight: 1.07gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 313 | DOC: 334a
RARE

The Ravenna mint was active from the conquest of the city by Belisarius in 540 until the fall of the Exarchate of Ravenna to the Lombards in 751.3 comments*Alex

NERO & DIVUS AUGUSTUS. AR Billon tetradrachm struck AD 66 - 67 at Alexandria Obverse: NERΩ KΛAY KAIΣ ΣEB ΓER AY. Radiate bust of Nero facing left, wearing aegis; before LIΓ = regnal year 13 = A.D.66-67.
Reverse: ΘEOΣ ΣEBAΣTOΣ. Radiate head of Augustus facing right.
Diameter: 24mm | Weight: 12.5gms | Die Axis: 12
GICV : 636 | Emmett : 1131 comments*Alex

TRAJAN. AR (Billon) Tetradrachm struck AD 115 - 116 at AlexandriaObverse: AVT TPIAN(sic) API CEB ΓEPM ΔAKIK. Laureate head of Trajan facing right, star in right field below chin.
Reverse: No legend. Diademed and draped bust of Zeus facing right, LI in left field, Θ in right (= regnal year 19 = A.D.115/116)
Legend error TRIAN instead of TRAIAN
Diameter: 24mm | Weight: 12.39gms | Die Axis: 12
BMC.G: 356 (var)
1 comments*Alex

HADRIAN. AR (Billon) Tetradrachm struck AD 136 - 137 at AlexandriaObverse: AVT KAIC TPA AΔPIANOC CEB. Laureate head of Hadrian facing left.
Reverse: No legend. Demeter, wearing long chiton, standing facing left, holding poppies and grain ears in her right hand and long torch in her left. In field, L K A (= regnal year 21 = A.D.136-137).
Diameter: 24mm | Weight: 12.1gms | Die Axis: 12
Milne : 1518 | Emmett : 832 (var) | Dattari : 1336 | Geissen : 1210
RARE1 comments*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AR 120 Nummi, struck 552 - 565 at Rome or RavennaObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG Diademed bust of Justinian I facing right, wearing robe ornamented with a row of pellets.
Reverse: Large P•K enclosed within wreath.
Diameter: 11mm | Weight: 0.67gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 317 (Rome) | DOC: 336.3 (Ravenna) | MIB: 76 (Rome) | Ranieri: 355 (Ravenna)
Very Rare

In 552 the Byzantine general Narses crossed the Apennines with an army of around 25,000 men and marched on Rome only to find himself blocked by a Gothic force, under their king Totila, near Taginae in central Italy. However, Narses deployed his army in the form of a crescent in a narrow mountain valley with his dismounted cavalry mercenaries placed as a phalanx in the centre and his flanks protected by a mixed force of archers he had sent to seize the dominant heights. The Goths opened the battle with a determined cavalry charge but were halted by the enfilading fire from both sides and fell back in disarray on to the Byzantine infantry which had curved round behind them. The Byzantine cataphracts then swept into the confused Gothic mass and more than 6,000 Goths, including their leader Totila, were killed. The remnants of the Gothic army fled and Narses proceeded to Rome, capturing the city after a brief siege. The following year Narses ambushed a combined Gothic force under King Teia and his brother Aligern. The Gothic force was crushed in a hopeless last stand south of Naples, Teia was killed in the fighting and, though Aligern escaped the battle, he surrendered a few months later, so ending the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy after 60 years of rule.3 comments*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AR Siliqua or Half-Siliqua, struck 534 - 565 at CarthageObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AG. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian I facing right.
Reverse: VOT / MVLT / HTI in three lines within wreath; below, CONOS.
Diameter: 16mm | Weight: 0.7gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 253 (Siliqua) | DOC: 280

On September the 15th 533 Justinian's army, led by Belisarius, entered the city of Carthage and brought it back into the Roman Empire after 98 years of Vandal rule.
1 comments*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AR Siliqua or Half-Siliqua, struck 537 - 552 at CarthageObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AV. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian I facing right.
Reverse: Monogram, cross above, S below, within circle, all encircled by wreath. (SBCV Monogram 3)

Diameter: 13mm | Weight: 1.17gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 254 (Siliqua) | Sommer 4.119
Scratched obverse. Not in DOC.
RARE

The monogram on the reverse of this coin was originally interpreted as being that of the Ostrogothic queen Mathasunta (cf. BMC 80, 1). However, a later re-interpretation by Wolfgang Hahn (MIB) attributed this issue as being a regular African Imperial issue of Justinian, and this is the attribution that was adopted by SBCV.

On September the 15th 533 Justinian's army, led by Belisarius, entered the city of Carthage and brought it back into the Roman Empire after 98 years of Vandal rule. In March 534 the Vandal king Gelimer surrendered to Belisarius ending the Vandal kingdom and returning the African provinces to the empire. Large numbers of captured Vandals were transported to Constantinople and in April Belisarius returned there too and was permitted by Justinian I to celebrate a triumph, the first non-imperial triumph for over 500 years.*Alex

ANTONINUS PIUS. AR (Billon) Tetradrachm struck AD 144 - 145 at AlexandriaObverse: ANTωNINOC CEB EVCCEB. Laureate head of Antoninus Pius facing right.
Reverse: No legend. Serapis seated on throne facing left, holding sceptre in left hand and stretching right hand out over Kerberos at his feet. In field, L - H (= regnal year 8 = A.D.144-145).
Diameter: 24mm | Weight: 12.54gms
Milne : 1792 | Dattari: 23661 comments*Alex

COMMODUS. AE (Billon) Tetradrachm struck AD 180 - 190 at AlexandriaObverse: M A KOM ANTW CEB EYCEB. Laureate head of Commodus facing right.
Reverse: No legend. Eagle, with wings open, standing facing right on thunderbolt. In right field, L Λ (= regnal year 30 of Marcus Aurelius = August A.D.189 to August 190).
Diameter: 24mm | Weight: 11.49gms | Die Axis: 12
Milne : 2696 | Curtis : 799 | Dattari : 3905 | Geissen : 2245 | SNG Cop : 589
EX FORVM*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AR Anonymous Half-Siliqua, struck c.530 at ConstantinopleObverse: No legend. Helmeted and draped bust of Constantinopolis facing right.
Reverse: Large K (Kappa) within pelleted circle.
Diameter: 15mm | Weight: 0.7gms | Die Axis: 12
Bendall, Anonymous, 8c. | Vagi 3051
Not in SBCV or DOC

The issue of this particular coin has been tentatively dated, based on style, to around 530 and struck in connection with the bicentennial of the founding of Constantinople.
According to the late Simon Bendall, type 8c is the commonest of all the anonymous types, the majority being quite crude, very light and obviously of sixth century date.
These issues are a copy of a type issued by Constantine I for the foundation of Constantinople in 330, but with the bust of Constantinopolis facing right rather than facing left as it did on Constantine's coin. There seems little doubt that the type was originally resuscitated by Justinian I on the anniversary of the 330 issue, presumably c.530. However, as the overall type is commoner than any sixth century silver coin bearing an imperial portrait, and is of varying degenerative styles and weights (the smallest specimens being the crudest) it would appear that some numbers of them must have continued to have been struck after 530, perhaps even as much as 50 or so years after. A number of theories have been put forward regarding the dating of these but, due to the scant archaeological, epigraphical and hoard evidence presently available, the exact date or dates of issue of individual coins of this type has so far proved to be inconclusive.
6 comments*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AR Anonymous Third-Siliqua, struck after 530 at ConstantinopleObverse: No legend. Helmeted and draped bust of Roma, seen from front, facing right.
Reverse: Large P (Rho) within pelleted circle.
Diameter: 10mm | Weight: 0.63gms | Die Axis: 2
Cf. Bendall, Anonymous, 7,15.
Not in SBCV or DOC
Very Rare

Bendall observed that the issue which he designated as Type 7 could hardly be an issue of 330 as it is stylistically quite unlike his Type 2 issue, but it is far superior to Type 9 (and with a different reverse). Thus he thought it might possibly have been a rare commemorative issue which, along with Type 8a, was struck for the centennial of the foundation of Constantinople in c.430. However, the style and lower weight of this particular coin suggests it was probably struck at a later date than 430. This could be in accordance with the similar example of Bendall's type 8, which he breaks into two subtypes, 8a and 8b, struck circa 430 and 530, respectively. It is possible that this coin may represent a hitherto unrecorded reissue of Bendall's type 7, struck around the same time as the revival of his type 8, arguably to celebrate Justinian’s re-conquest of Rome from Ostrogothic occupation in December 536. The rarity of this enigmatic coin would seem to suggest that this issue was likely struck on only one occasion, possibly in late 536 to 537.
*Alex

SEVERUS ALEXANDER. Billon Tetradrachm struck AD 222 at AlexandriaObverse: A KAI MAP AYP CEYHP AΛEΞANΔPOC EYCEB. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander facing right.
Reverse: No legend. Tyche, holding rudder, reclining facing left on garlanded couch; above, L A (= regnal year 1 = A.D 222).
Diameter: 22mm | Weight: 11.91gms | Die Axis: 12
Geissen: 2405. | Dattari: 43811 comments*Alex

Time of Alexander I, AR Hemiobol, struck 470 - 460 BC at Argilos in MacedoniaObverse: No legend. Forepart of Pegasos facing left.
Reverse: No legend. Quadripartite granulated incuse square.
Diameter: 8.78mm | Weight: 0.20gms | Die Axis: Uncertain
Liampi 118 | SNG - | GCV -
Rare

Argilos was a city of ancient Macedonia founded by a colony of Greeks from Andros. Although little information is known about the city until about 480 BC, the literary tradition dates the foundation to around 655/654 BC which makes Argilos the earliest Greek colony on the Thracian coast. It appears from Herodotus to have been a little to the right of the route the army of Xerxes I took during its invasion of Greece in 480 BC in the Greco-Persian Wars. Its territory must have extended as far as the right bank of the Strymona, since the mountain of Kerdylion belonged to the city.
Argilos benefited from the trading activities along the Strymona and probably also from the gold mines of the Pangeion. Ancient authors rarely mention the site, but nevertheless shed some light on the important periods of its history. In the last quarter of the 6th century BC, Argilos founded two colonies, Tragilos, in the Thracian heartland, and Kerdilion, a few kilometers to the east of the city.
Alexander I was the ruler of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from c.498 BC until his death in 454 BC. Alexander came to the throne during the era of the kingdom's vassalage to Persia, dating back to the time of his father, Amyntas I. Although Macedonia retained a broad scope of autonomy, in 492 BC it was made a fully subordinate part of the Persian Empire. Alexander I acted as a representative of the Persian governor Mardonius during peace negotiations after the Persian defeat at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC. From the time of Mardonius' conquest of Macedonia, Herodotus disparagingly refers to Alexander I as “hyparchos”, meaning viceroy. However, despite his cooperation with Persia, Alexander frequently gave supplies and advice to the Greek city states, and warned them of the Persian plans before the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC. After their defeat at Plataea, when the Persian army under the command of Artabazus tried to retreat all the way back to Asia Minor, most of the 43,000 survivors of the battle were attacked and killed by the forces of Alexander at the estuary of the Strymona river.
Alexander regained Macedonian independence after the end of the Persian Wars and was given the title "philhellene" by the Athenians, a title used for Greek patriots.
After the Persian defeat, Argilos became a member of the first Athenian confederation but the foundation of Amphipolis in 437 BC, which took control of the trade along the Strymona, brought an end to this. Thucydides tells us that some Argilians took part in this foundation but that the relations between the two cities quickly deteriorated and, during the Peloponnesian war, the Argilians joined with the Spartan general Brasidas to attack Amphipolis. An inscription from the temple of Asklepios in Epidauros attests that Argilos was an independent city during the 4th century.
Like other colonies in the area, Argilos was conquered by the Macedonian king Philip II in 357 B.C. Historians believe that the city was then abandoned and, though excavations have brought to light an important agricultural settlement on the acropolis dated to the years 350-200 BC, no Roman or Byzantine ruins have been uncovered there.1 comments*Alex

2nd - 1st Century BC, IRON AGE BRITAIN, Tribe: Cantii, AE Potin, Minted between 100 and 30 BCObverse: No legend. Crude outline of head facing right; pellet within circle in centre.
Reverse: No legend. Crude lines representing a bull facing left, crescents above.
Flat Linear type, Class 1
Found, Thames Valley region, England
Diameter: 17mm | Weight: 1.9gms | Axis: 3h
BMC: 667-714 | SPINK: 63

The Cantii produced the first coins to be actually made in Britain.
These coins were cast in strips which were then cut into separate coins and as a result often retain characteristic cut edges from the runlets which joined them together.

THE CANTII (or Cantiaci)
The Cantii (after whom Kent and Canterbury are named) were the major tribal group in the South East region of England, bordered by the Atrebates, Regni and Catuvellauni.
This region was heavily influenced by continental cultures on the periphery of the early Roman world and this resulted in the Cantii producing the first coins actually made in Britain. These are known as “potins” and they were produced between the mid 2nd to the mid 1st century BC. The earliest versions are known as Kentish Primary, or Thurrock, types. Comparatively the later types, like those from the recently discovered Hillingdon Hoard, are of the “flat linear” type, which uses simplified and abstracted images. Similar coins from the late Iron Age have been found, but in much smaller quantities.
The word “potin” is of French origin and is used to describe these early coins which were cast in clay moulds from a copper alloy with a high tin content. They would have been shiny and silver-coloured when new, and though occasionally examples have turned up which retain this colouration, most coins by the time they get dug up have a characteristic black patina from tin oxidation. These were cast in strips which were then cut into separate coins and as a result often retain characteristic cut edges from the runlets which joined them together. The moulds themselves were made using “master” matrices of copper alloy which were cast with the design for one side of a coin in high relief and pressed into the clay. A rare example of a mould of this type was found a few miles west of the Surrey border in Hampshire.
The designs of the majority of potins found in England derive ultimately from coins produced in the Greek colonial Mediterranean city of Massalia (modern Marseilles) in southern Gaul in the late 4th century BC. These coins featured a head of Apollo on the obverse and a charging bull on the reverse. They were originally imported from the continent and later locally copied in the mid 2nd century BC, in the form of what are known as “Thurrock” types, which adhere closely to the original design. Later forms, known as “flat linear” types, greatly simplified this design into deep abstraction, ultimately reducing the head of Apollo to an outline and the bull to a trapezoidal arrangement of lines
We don’t know what these coins were called by the people who made them, or what they were worth in fiscal terms, but they are generally only found in south east England, which probably reflects the limits of the political and economic influence of the Cantii themselves. It isn't even clear what the role of these Iron Age coins actually was, though it is likely that they assisted in the maintenance of some kind of social power structure. Coins were not generally used as day to day currency by the people of Britain in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC, so apart from any monetary transactions, their range of uses probably included the storage of wealth, use as political tribute, and / or votive objects used as offerings to the gods.

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4 comments*Alex

2nd - 1st Century BC, IRON AGE BRITAIN, Tribe: Durotriges, Base AR Stater, Struck c.40 BCObverse: No legend. Abstract head of Apollo made up of pellets and lines.
Reverse: No legend. Crude disjointed horse with three tails standing facing left, large group of pellets and “coffee bean” symbol above, single pellet below.
One of a small group of coins found west of Cheriton, south east of Winchester.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 2.89gms | Axis: Unclear
Spink: 366

THE DUROTRIGES
The Durotriges were one of the Celtic tribes living in Britain prior to the Roman invasion. They were one of the groups that issued coinage before the Roman conquest. Their coins were abstract and simple and had no inscriptions, so no names of any issuers or rulers are known. Nevertheless, the Durotriges presented a settled society, based in the farming of lands surrounded by hill forts, the majority of which seem to have gone out of use by 100 BC, long before the arrival of the Romans in 43 or 44 AD. Constructed initially around 600 BC, the Durotriges ultimately occupied the largest hill fort in Britain, Maiden Castle, which encloses some 19 hectares (47 acres). Around 100 BC though, for some reason habitation at the hill fort went into decline and became concentrated at the eastern end of the site. Maiden Castle appears to have been abandoned after the Roman conquest of Britain although the Romans later built a small temple on the site.
The tribe lived in an area centred on Dorset, south Wiltshire, south Somerset and Devon east of the River Axe. Their territory was bordered to the west by the Dumnonii; and to the north east by the Belgae. The area controlled by the Durotriges is identified in part by coin finds, few Durotrigan coins are found in the south eastern tribal areas, so it would appear unlikely that they were acceptable there. A recent coin hoard found on the Isle of Wight, however, would seem to indicate that the Durotriges might have had some influence at least over the western half of the island.
The Durotriges' main outlet for trade across the Channel, strong in the first half of the 1st century BC before drying up in the decades prior to the arrival of the Romans, was at Hengistbury Head. The numismatic evidence indicates a progressive debasing of the coinage suggesting economic difficulties in conjunction with their declining trade.

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*Alex

JUSTIN I and JUSTINIAN I as joint Emperors, AE Follis (40 Nummi), struck 4th April - 1st August 527 at ConstantinopleObverse: D N IVSTIN Є IVSTINIAN P AV. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justin I, star on shoulder, facing right.
Reverse: Large M, cross above and officina letter (B = 2nd Officina) below, star to left of M, cross to right; in exergue, CON
Diameter: 30mm | Weight: 14gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 125 (var) | DOC: 10.-
RARE

Justin I's health slowly declined in his old age and, on the first of April 527, he formally named his nephew Justinian as co-emperor and his successor. Justin only lived for a few more months and, when he died at the age of 77 on the first of August, Justinian smoothly succeeded him.
*Alex

Perdikkas II, 451 - 413 BC. AR Heavy Tetrobol, struck 437 - 431 BC at Aigai in MacedoniaObverse: No legend. Rider, wearing chlamys and kausia (an ancient Macedonian flat hat, also called a petasos), holding two spears on horse prancing right.
Reverse: No legend. Forepart of lion with straight lined truncation facing right, both paws visible; kerykeion (caduceus), placed horizontally, in left field above, all within incuse square.
Diameter: 15mm | Weight: 2.1gms | Die Axis: 6h
Sear GCV: 1491
Grainy surfaces | Rare (R2)

Perdikkas II features prominently in Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, in which he is described as switching sides between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians several times.
The lion on the reverse of this coin alludes to the Nemean lion killed by Herakles who was claimed to be the ancestor of Perdikkas.

Perdikkas II was a member of the Argead dynasty which would rule Macedonia for almost 400 years.
The founder of the dynasty, Perdikkas I, had led the people who called themselves Macedonians eastward from their home on the Haliacmon River around 700 BC. Aegae (Edessa) became their capital, and by the reign of Amyntas I in the 6th century BC, Macedonian power dominated the neighbouring Thracian tribes and when Amyntas’ successor, Alexander I advanced the Macedonian frontiers eastward to the Strymon River their power was further increased.
After the death of Alexander I in 454, Macedonia began to fall apart, but around 450 BC Perdikkas II, who was Alexander I's son, came to the throne after having asserted his succession against his brothers. Perdikkas had four brothers, Alcetas II, Philip, Menelaus and Amyntas, he also had a sister, Stratonice. Alcetas II preceded him on the throne until he was murdered by Perdikkas' son Archelaus I resulting in Perdikkas' elevation to the throne. During his reign Perdikkas united the Greek cities of Chalcidice in a federation centred on the city of Olynthus.
Perdikkas II died in 413 BC leaving his son Archelaus as heir to the throne. Archelaus adopted a strongly philhellenic policy and introduced Greek artists to his new capital at Pella. He strengthened Macedonia by building roads and fortresses, improved army equipment, and encouraged city life. However, following his assassination in 399 BC, there was seven years of murder and anarchy until finally, around 393 BC, Amyntas III, a great-grandson of Alexander I, took the throne and, although his reign was filled with anarchy and intrigue, he successfully brought unity to Macedonia.

Aigai (also Aegae, Aegeae or Aigeai) was the original capital of the Macedonians and it was also the burial-place of the Macedonian kings. It was built on a site near the modern town of Vergina.1 comments*Alex

PHILIP I. Billon Tetradrachm struck AD 246 - 247 at AlexandriaObverse: A K M IOV ΦIΛIΠΠOC EVCE. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philip I facing right.
Reverse: No legend. Elpis standing facing left, holding flower and raising the hem of her dress; across field L - Δ (= regnal year 4 = A.D 246-247).
Diameter: 23mm | Weight: 11.41gms | Die Axis: 12
Geissen: 2727 var. | Dattari: 4873 (var)*Alex

PHILIP II as Caesar. AE Tetradrachm struck AD 246 at AlexandriaObverse: M IOV ΦIΛIΠΠOC K CEB. Bare headed and draped bust of Philip II facing right.
Reverse: No legend. Asklepios standing facing left, sacrificing over flaming and garlanded altar out of patera held in his right hand and holding staff, around which a serpent coils, in his left; in left field, LΓ (= regnal year 3 0f Philip I = A.D.245 - 246).
Diameter: 23mm | Weight: 11.9gms | Die Axis: 12
Not in GICV
VERY RARE
1 comments*Alex

SALONINA (Wife of Gallienus). Billon Tetradrachm struck AD 267 - 268 at AlexandriaObverse: KOPNHΛIA CAΛWNEINA CEB. Diademed and draped bust of Salonina facing right.
Reverse: No legend. Eagle standing facing right, holding wreath in beak, palm above left; in right field, LIE (= regnal year 15 of Gallienus = A.D.267-268).
Diameter: 21mm | Weight: 9.83gms | Die Axis: 12
Dattari : 5346 | Milne : 4189 | Curtis : 1642 | Geissen : 2983 | BMC : 2280
EX FORVM*Alex

1st Century BC - 1st Century CE, IRON AGE BRITAIN, Tribe: Catuvellauni, AE Unit, Struck c.25BC – 10CE at Verlamion (St. Albans) under TasciovanusObverse: Bearded head facing right; VER anti-clockwise in front.
Reverse: Horse with sea horse tail facing left; pellet in ring, and trefoil motif above; VER below.
Diameter: 15.2mm | Weight: 1.97gms | Axis: 3h
SPINK: 243 | BMC 1714-21 | ABC 2658
RARE

CATUVELLAUNI
The Catuvellauni were an Iron Age Celtic tribe in Britain before the Roman conquest, attested by inscriptions into the 4th century. They are mentioned by Cassius Dio, who implies that they led the resistance against the conquest in 43CE. They appear as one of the “Civitates” of Roman Britain in Ptolemy's “Geography” in the 2nd century, occupying the town of Verlamion (Roman Verulamium, modern St.Albans) and the surrounding areas of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and southern Cambridgeshire. Their territory was bordered to the north by the Iceni and Corieltauvi, to the east by the Trinovantes, to the west by the Dobunni and to the south by the Atrebates, Regni and Cantii.

TASCIOVANUS
Tasciovanus appears to have become king of the Catuvellauni around 20 BC, before the Roman conquest of Britain. Ruling from Verlamion (St.Albans), for a brief period around 15–10 BC, he issued coins from Camulodunum (Colchester), apparently supplanting Addedomarus of the Trinovantes, but it appears that following the arrival of Augustus in Gaul he withdrew and again issued his coins from Verlamion.
Tasciovanus was the first Catuvellaunian king to issue inscribed coins, bearing “VER”, mint marks for Verlamion. He was also the first to renew hostilities towards the Trinovantes, flouting the long-standing agreement between Caesar and his own grandfather Cassivellaunus.
Tasciovanus died around AD 9 and was succeeded by his son Cunobelinus, who ruled primarily from Camulodunum.

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1st Century BC - 1st Century CE, IRON AGE BRITAIN, Tribe: Dobunni, AR Unit, uninscribed seriesObverse: Degraded Celtic “Moon Head” facing right, pellets/symbols in front.
Reverse: Celticised triple tailed horse galloping left; cross above, pellets around.
Diameter: 13.0mm | Weight: 0.67gms | Axis: 3h
SPINK: 377 | ABC 2024
RARE

THE DOBUNNI
The Dobunni were one of the few Iron Age tribes which issued coins before the arrival of the Romans. Their territory covered an area that today broadly coincides with the English counties of Bristol, Gloucestershire and the north of Somerset, although at times their territory may have extended into parts of what are now Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire.
Remnants of several hillforts thought to have been occupied by the Dobunni can be seen in the Bristol area at Maes Knoll, Clifton Down, Burwalls and Stokeleigh, all overlooking the Avon Gorge, as well as at Kingsweston Down and Blaise Castle.
Unlike their neighbours, such as the Silures in what later became south-east Wales, the Dobunni were not a warlike people, being primarily a large group of farmers and craftspeople living in small villages. They submitted to the Romans even before they reached their territory, and after the Roman conquest they readily adopted a Romano-British lifestyle. The Romans gave the Dobunni capital the name of Corinium Dobunnorum, which is known as Cirencester today.

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1st Century BC - 1st Century CE, IRON AGE BRITAIN, Tribe: Trinovantes, AE Unit, Struck c.10 BC – 10 CE in Camulodunum(?) in Essex under DubnovellaunusObverse: Head facing right, hair(?) lines on head divided by clear centre parting.
Reverse: Horse prancing left; complex pellets and circles above and below.
Diameter: 13.5mm | Weight: 1.61gms | Axis: 3h
SPINK: -- | BMC -- | ABC 2413
VERY RARE

Very rare uninscribed bronze unit of Dubnovellaunus found in Essex. The type is designated as a “Dubnovellaunus Centre Parting” bronze unit in ABC (Ancient British Coins), and to date (January, 2023) it is unlisted in any other major reference works.

DUBNOVELLAUNUS
It is generally thought that Dubnovellaunus succeeded his father Addedomarus as king of the Trinovantes somewhere around 10-5 BC and ruled for several years before being supplanted by Cunobelinus of the Catuvellauni.
In the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, a British king called Dumnovellaunus appears, alongside Tincomarus of the Atrebates, as a supplicant to Augustus in around AD 7 and, given the chronology, it is indeed possible that Dubnovellaunus of the Trinovantes is the same person as the Dumnovellaunus who presented himself to Augustus. The spelling variation is due to a Celtic, rather than a Latin, interpretation of the ruler's name.
It is worth mentioning that the authors of ABC (Ancient British Coins) also think that Dubnovellaunus of the Trinovantes could possibly be the same individual as the Dumnovellaunus who ruled in Kent in the 30s - 20s BC, they suggest that he could have been a Cantian king who later gained control over the southern part of the Trinovantes and that therefore he might have ruled both territories north and south of the Thames estuary for a few years. It should be noted however, that Van Arsdell, an authority on the Celtic Coinage of Britain, emphatically disputes this.

TRINOVANTES
The Trinovantes were one of the Iron Age Celtic tribes of Pre-Roman Britain. Their territory was on the north side of the Thames estuary in the present day counties of Essex, Hertfordshire and Suffolk, and also included lands now located in Greater London. They were bordered to the north by the Iceni, and to the west by the Catuvellauni. Their capital was Camulodunum (modern Colchester).
Shortly before Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55 and 54 BC, the Trinovantes were considered the most powerful tribe in Britain. At this time their capital was probably at Braughing (in modern-day Hertfordshire). In some copies of Caesar's Gallic War their king is referred to as Imanuentius, although no name is given in other copies which have come down to us. That said however, it seems that this king was overthrown by Cassivellaunus, king of the Catuvellauni, some time before Caesar's second expedition and that Imanuentius' son, Mandubracius, fled to the protection of Caesar in Gaul. During his second expedition Caesar defeated Cassivellaunus and restored Mandubracius to the kingship. Cassivellaunus agreed to pay tribute and also undertook not to attack him again.
The next identifiable king of the Trinovantes, known from numismatic evidence, was Addedomarus, who took power around 20 – 15 BCE, and moved the tribe's capital to Camulodunum. For a brief period, around 10 BCE, Tasciovanus of the Catuvellauni issued coins from Camulodunum, suggesting that he must have conquered the Trinovantes, but he was soon forced to withdraw, perhaps as a result of pressure from the Romans. Addedomarus was restored and Tasciovanus' later coins no longer bear the mark “REX”. Addedomarus was briefly succeeded by his son Dubnovellaunus, around 10 to 5 BCE, but a few years later the tribe was conquered by either Tasciovanus or his son Cunobelinus.
The Trinovantes do not appear in history again until their participation in Boudica's revolt against the Romans in 60 CE. After that though they seem to have embraced the Romanisation of Britain and their name was later given to one of the “civitates” of Roman Britain, whose chief town was Caesaromagus (modern Chelmsford in Essex).

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1st Century CE, IRON AGE BRITAIN, Tribes: Catuvellauni and Trinovantes, AE Unit, Struck c.10 - 40 at Verlamion under CunobelinusObverse: CVNO - BELIN. Bare head facing left.
Reverse: TASCIO. Metal worker, wielding hammer, seated facing right.
Diameter: 15mm | Weight: 2.24gms | Axis: 3h
Spink: 342 | ABC: 2969 | Van Arsdell 2097

CUNOBELINUS
Cunobelinus was a king in Iron Age Britain from about 9 CE until about 40 CE. He is mentioned by the Roman historians Suetonius and Dio Cassius, and many coins bearing his inscription have been found. Cunobelinus controlled a substantial portion of south-eastern Britain, including the territories of the Catuvellauni and the Trinovantes, and is called “Britannorum rex" (King of the Britons) by Suetonius. He appears to have been recognized by the Roman emperor Augustus as a client king, shown by the use of the Latin title Rex on some of his coins.
Numismatic evidence appears to indicate that Cunobelinus took power around AD 9 after the death of his father Tasciovanus, minting coins from both Camulodunum, capital of the Trinovantes and Verlamion (Roman Verulamium), capital of the Catuvellauni. Some of the Verulamium coins name him as the son of Tasciovanus, a previous king of the Catuvellauni. Cunobelinus' earliest issues are, however, from Camulodunum, indicating that he took power there first, and some have a palm or laurel wreath design, a motif borrowed from the Romans indicating a military victory. It is possible that he was emboldened to act against the Trinovantes, whose independence was protected by a treaty they made with Julius Caesar in 54 BC, because problems in Germania severely affected Augustus' ability to defend allies in Britain.
Cunobelinus, however, appears to have maintained quite good relations with the Roman Empire, he used classical motifs on his coins and his reign also saw an increase in trade with the continent. Archaeological evidence shows an increase in imported luxury goods, including wine and drinking vessels from Italy, olive oil and “garum” (fish sauce) from Spain, as well as glassware, jewellery, and tableware from the wider continent, all of which, from their distribution, appear to have entered Britain via the port of Camulodunum. Rome's lucrative trade with Britain was also reported by Strabo, according to him the island's exports included grain, gold, silver, iron, hides, slaves and hunting dogs. It seems likely that Cunobelinus was one of the British kings, mentioned by Strabo, who sent embassies to Augustus.
Cunobelinus died about 40, probably within a year of that date, as he was certainly dead by 43.
Traditionally it has been suggested that the “Lexden Tumulus” on the outskirts of Colchester was Cunobelinus' tomb, but without evidence confirming that, it is also possible that the tomb was built for the earlier Trinovantian king, Addedomarus. Interestingly there is a second tumulus, though this one is not so well known, 665m to the northwest of the Lexden burial mound, on a grassy area in the middle of a modern housing estate. This tumulus, known as ‘The Mount’, probably dates from around the same time as the well-known one at Fitzwalter Road, Lexden.

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1 comments*Alex

Amyntas III, 393 - 370/369 BC. AE17 Dichalkon. Struck at an uncertain mint in MacedoniaObverse: No legend. Head of Herakles, wearing lion's skin, facing right.
Reverse: AMYNTA above Eagle standing facing right, grasping snake in it's talons and attacking it with it's beak.
Diameter: 16.92mm | Weight: 3.17gms | Die Axis: 6
SNG ANS 100 - 109 | SNG Munchen 49-52 | AMNG 160, 7

Amyntas III was king of Macedonia from about 393 to 370/369 BC, he was the father of Philip II and the grandfather of Alexander the Great. His skillful diplomacy in Greek affairs prepared the way for Macedonia's emergence as a great power under his son Philip II.
Amyntas came to the throne during a period of some confusion after the sudden death of king Archelaus who was killed while out hunting in 399 BC. Archelaus was succeeded by his young son Orestes, who ruled with his guardian Aeropus for four years until his death, possibly at the hands of Aeropus. Aeropus then ruled alone as Aeropus II, until he died of an illness two years later and was succeeded by his son Pausanius.
Diodorus gives two versions of the start of Amyntas' reign but both versions agree that Amyntas came to the throne after assassinating Pausanias but was then driven out by the Illyrians. Amyntas recovered his kingdom in the following year however, with the aid of the Spartans and the Thessalians. He continued to maintain his position by the expedient of siding with the powers ascendant in Greece, securing his alliance with Athens by supporting their claim to Amphipolis, and by adopting the Athenian general Iphicrates as his son. Iphicrates later helped Amyntas' son, Perdikkas III, to secure his claim to the throne.
Several significant figures worked in Macedonia during Amyntas' reign, including Nicomachus, the father of Aristotle, who served as court physician to Amyntas, and Aristotle himself who served as the tutor to Amyntas' grandson, Alexander the Great.
Amyntas died at an advanced age in 370-369 BC, leaving his throne to the eldest of his three sons, Alexander II, who ruled from 369 to 366 BC. Amyntas' other two sons also ended up ruling Macedon, Perdikkas III from 365 to 359 BC and Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great, from 359 to 336 BC.2 comments*Alex

CLAUDIUS II GOTHICUS. Billon Tetradrachm struck AD 268 - 269 at AlexandriaObverse: AVT K KLAVΔIOC CEB. Laureate and cuirassed bust of Claudius II facing right.
Reverse: No legend. Eagle standing facing left, head looking back to right, holding wreath in beak; in field L B (= regnal year 2 = A.D.268-269).
Diameter: 20mm | Weight: 10.20gms | Die Axis: 12
Curtis : 1683 | BMC : 2333
Ex Harlan J Berk (USA)*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AE Follis (40 Nummi), struck 529 - 533 at Antioch (Theoupolis)Obverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Justinian enthroned facing, holding long sceptre in his right hand and globus cruciger in his left.
Reverse: Large M, cross above and officina letter (Δ = 4th Officina) below, asterisk in field to left of M and outward facing crescent in field to right; in exergue, +THEUP
Diameter: 34mm | Weight: 18.69gms | Die Axis: 5
SBCV: 214 | DOC: 206d.1

Much of Antioch was destroyed by a great earthquake on 29th November 528 and, following this disaster, the city was renamed Theoupolis.

530: In the spring of this year Belisarius and Hermogenes (magister officiorum) defeated a combined Persian-Arab army of 50,000 men at the Battle of Dara in modern Turkey, and in the summer a Byzantine cavalry force under the command of Sittas defeated a major Persian invasion into Roman Armenia at the Battle of Satala.
531: On April 19th, at the Battle of Callinicum, a Byzantine army commanded by Belisarius, was defeated by the Persians at Raqqa in northern Syria. Nevertheless, Justinian negotiated an end to the hostilities and Belisarius was hailed as a hero.
532: On January 11th this year anger among the supporters of the most important chariot teams in Constantinople, the Blues and the Greens, escalated into violence towards the emperor. For the next five days the city was in chaos and the fires that started during the rioting resulted in the destruction of much of the city. This insurrection, known as the Nika riots, was put down a week later by Belisarius and Mundus resulting in 30,000 people being killed in the Hippodrome.
On February 23rd Justinian ordered the building of a new Christian basilica in Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia. More than 10,000 people were employed in the construction using material brought from all over the empire.
2 comments*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AE Follis (40 Nummi), struck 533 – 537 at Antioch (Theoupolis)Obverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian I facing right.
Reverse: Large M, cross above and officina letter (B = 2nd Officina) below, star to right and left of M; in exergue, +THEUP+ (Theoupolis).
Diameter: 31mm | Weight: 15.37gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 216 | DOC: 210b.3

Much of Antioch was destroyed by a great earthquake on 29th November 528 and, following this disaster, the city was renamed Theoupolis.
1 comments*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AE Follis (40 Nummi), struck 545/546 at CyzicusObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Helmeted and cuirassed facing bust of Justinian I holding globus cruciger in his right hand and shield, adorned with rider galloping right spearing a fallen enemy, in his left; cross in right field.
Reverse: Large M, cross above and officina letter below (B = 2nd Officina), A/N/N/O in field to left of M and regnal year X/ЧI/II/I in field to right; in exergue, :K•YZ
Diameter: 34mm | Weight: 19.22gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 207 | DOC: 171b.3

Justinian I introduced the system of dating on the Byzantine bronze coinage in the 12th year of his reign (Regnal year 538/39).

546: On December 17th of this year the Ostrogoths under King Totila plundered Rome and destroyed its fortifications. The city fell after almost a year's siege due to the capture, near the mouth of the Tiber, of a grain fleet sent by Pope Vigilius and the failure of the troops sent by the Byzantine Empire under Belisarius to relieve the city. After sacking Rome the Ostrogoths withdrew to Apulia in southern Italy.2 comments*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AE Half-Follis (20 Nummi), struck 527 – 528 at AntiochObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian I facing right.
Reverse: Large K, Large latin cross to left dividing letters A–N / T–X; officina letter to right of K (Γ = third officina).
Diameter: 28mm | Weight: 5.8gms | Die Axis: 12
SBCV: 224a | Not in DOC
Rare

This coin was struck prior to Antioch being renamed Theoupolis following the great earthquake that virtually destroyed the city on 29th November 528.

527: One of Justinian's first acts as sole emperor was to reorganise the command structure of the Byzantine army. He appointed Belisarius to command the Eastern army in Armenia and on the Byzantine-Persian frontier.
528: In February of this year Justinian appointed a commission to codify all the laws of the Roman Empire that were still in force from Hadrian to the current date. This Code of Civil Laws came to be called the Codex Justinianus.
On November 29th a great earthquake struck Antioch, killing thousands and destroying much of the city including the Domus Aurea (Great Church) built by Constantine the Great.*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AE Half-Follis (20 Nummi), struck 529 – 533 at Antioch (Theoupolis)Obverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Justinian I enthroned facing, holding long sceptre in his right hand and globus cruciger in his left.
Reverse: Large K, Large latin cross to left dividing letters T–H/Є–U/O/P; officina letter to right of K (Δ = fourth officina).
Diameter: 28mm | Weight: 8.4gms | Die Axis: 11
SBCV: 225 | DOC: 208.6
Rare

Much of Antioch was destroyed by a great earthquake on 29th November 528 and, following this disaster, the city was renamed Theoupolis.

530: In the spring of this year Belisarius and Hermogenes (magister officiorum) defeated a combined Persian-Arab army of 50,000 men at the Battle of Dara in modern Turkey, and in the summer a Byzantine cavalry force under the command of Sittas defeated a major Persian invasion into Roman Armenia at the Battle of Satala.
531: On April 19th, at the Battle of Callinicum, a Byzantine army commanded by Belisarius, was defeated by the Persians at Raqqa in northern Syria. Nevertheless, Justinian negotiated an end to the hostilities and Belisarius was hailed as a hero.
532: On January 11th this year anger among the supporters of the most important chariot teams in Constantinople, the Blues and the Greens, escalated into violence towards the emperor. For the next five days the city was in chaos and the fires that started during the rioting resulted in the destruction of much of the city. This insurrection, known as the Nika riots, was put down a week later by Belisarius and Mundus resulting in 30,000 people being killed in the Hippodrome.
On February 23rd Justinian ordered the building of a new Christian basilica in Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia. More than 10,000 people were employed in the construction using material brought from all over the empire.
1 comments*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AE Half-Follis (20 Nummi), struck 548/549 at Antioch (Theoupolis)Obverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Helmeted and cuirassed facing bust of Justinian I holding globus cruciger in his right hand and shield in his left; cross in right field.
Reverse: Large K, cross above and mint-mark O/Π below. A/N/N/O in field to left of K and regnal year XXII in field to right
Diameter: 25mm | Weight: 7.8gms | Die Axis: 11
SBCV: 230 | DOC: 238.3

Much of Antioch was destroyed by a great earthquake on 29th November 528 and, following this disaster, the city was renamed Theoupolis.

548: On June 28th of this year, at the age of 48, the Empress Theodora died. Her body is buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.
Also in this year Justinian I relieved Belisarius from military command in favour of the elderly Byzantine general Narses.
549: This year, after Belisarius had returned to Constantinople, the Ostrogoths under Totila besieged Rome for a third time. The Ostrogoths then conquered the city of Perugia in central Italy and stationed a Gothic garrison there.
549 was also the year that the last ever chariot races were held in the Circus Maximus in Rome.
*Alex

Philip II, 359 - 336 BC. AE18. Struck after 356 BC at an uncertain mint in MacedoniaObverse: No legend. Young male head, usually identified as Apollo, with hair bound in a taenia, facing left.
Reverse: ΦIΛIΠΠOY, Naked rider on horse prancing left, uncertain control mark, often described as the head of a lion, beneath the horse. The control mark looks a bit like the ram on the prow of a galley to me, but that is just my personal opinion.
Diameter: 17.4mm | Weight: 6.9gms | Die Axis: 12
SNG ANS 872 - 874

The bronze series of this type is extensive and differentiated principally by the different control marks. These control marks are symbols and letters which generally appear on the reverse, very occasionally the obverse, of the coin, and they were used to identify the officials responsible for a particular issue of coinage.
Philip II won the horseback race at the 106th Olympics in 356 BC, and it is thought that the horseman on the reverse of this coin commemorates that event.

Philip II of Macedon was King of Macedon from 359 until his death in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III Arrhidaeus. In 357 BC, Philip married Olympias, who was the daughter of the king of the Molossians. Alexander was born in 356 BC, the same year as Philip's horse won at the Olympic Games.
Only Greeks were allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, and Philip was determined to convince his Athenian opposition that he was indeed worthy to be considered Greek. And, after successfully uniting Macedonia and Thessaly, Philip could legitimately participate in the Olympics. In 365 BC Philip entered his horse into the keles, a horseback race in the 106th Olympics, and won. He proceeded to win two more times, winning the four horse chariot race in the 352 BC 107th Olympics and the two horse chariot race in the 348 BC 108th Olympics. These were great victories for Philip because not only had he been admitted officially into the Olympic Games but he had also won, solidifying his standing as a true Greek.
The conquest and political consolidation of most of Greece during Philip's reign was achieved in part by the creation of the Macedonian phalanx which gave him an enormous advantage on the battlefield. After defeating Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC Philip II established the League of Corinth, a federation of Greek states, with him at it's head, with the intention of invading the Persian empire. In 336 BC he sent an army of 10,000 men into Asia Minor to make preparations for the invasion by freeing the Greeks living on the western coast and islands from Persian rule. All went well until the news arrived that Philip had been assassinated. The Macedonians were demoralized by Philip's death and were subsequently defeated by Persian forces near Magnesia.
Philip II was murdered in October 336 BC, at Aegae, the ancient capital of the Macedonian kingdom, while he was entering into the town's theatre. He was assassinated by Pausanius, one of his own bodyguards, who was himself slain by three of Philip's other bodyguards. The reasons for Philip's assassination are not now fully known, with many modern historians saying that, on the face of it, none of the ancient accounts which have come down to us appear to be credible.5 comments*Alex

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