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High Grade Ancient Coins

When first introduced to ancient coins, most people are shocked to learn that some coins remain in mint state and even more surprised to learn that they are not all in musuems. Ancient people did not have stocks, bonds mutual funds, or bank accounts. The primary implement for holding wealth was coins, often buried, and often buried in uncirculated or mint state condition. If an owner died without recovering their coins or telling an heir where to find them, they were lost. Millions of ancient coins have been recovered, and thousands have been found in superb condition.

Nerva, 18 September 96 - 25 January 98 A.D.

|Nerva|, |Nerva,| |18| |September| |96| |-| |25| |January| |98| |A.D.||denarius|
In Roman mythology, Aequitas was the minor goddess of fair trade and honest merchants. Aequitas was also the personification of the virtues equity and fairness of the emperor (Aequitas Augusti). The scales, a natural emblem of equity, express righteousness. The cornucopia signifies the prosperity which results from Aequitas and Aequitas Augusti.
SL113464. Silver denarius, RIC II 13, RSC II 6, BnF III 13, BMCRE III 24, Hunter I 9, SRCV II -, NGC Ch AU, strike 4/5, surface 5/5 (2400906-010), weight 3.32 g, maximum diameter 18.5 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 97 A.D.; obverse IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR P COS III P P, laureate head right; reverse AEQVITAS AVGVST (fairness of the emperor), Aequitas standing half left, head left, wearing stephane, scales in right hand, cornucopia in left hand; from a Virginia Collector, ex Eastern Numismatics Inc. (Garden City, NY, 20 Dec 2010, $2140); NGC| Lookup; $2000.00 (€1880.00)
 


Antoninus Pius, August 138 - 7 March 161 A.D.

|Antoninus| |Pius|, |Antoninus| |Pius,| |August| |138| |-| |7| |March| |161| |A.D.||denarius|
Liberalitas coin types attest to occasions when the emperor has displayed his generosity towards the people by a distribution to them of money, provisions, or both. The first mention of Liberalitas was on coins of Hadrian. It was a type frequently repeated by the succeeding emperors. Indeed these instances of imperial generosity are more carefully recorded on coins than they are by history. Liberality is personified by the image of a woman, holding in one hand a counting board, or square tablet with a handle on which are cut a certain number of holes. These boards were used to quickly count the proper number of coins or other items for distribution to each person. In the other hand she holds a cornucopia, to indicate the prosperity of the state and the abundance of wheat contained in the public granaries.
SL113467. Silver denarius, RIC III 237 (R); RSC II 518; BMCRE IV p. 119, 821; Strack III 273; Hunter II -; SRCV II -, NGC Ch MS, strike 5/5, surface 5/5 (2400906-011), weight 3.35 g, maximum diameter 18 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 153 - 154 A.D.; obverse ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XVII, laureate bust right; reverse LIBERALITAS VII COS IIII, Antoninus standing slightly left, bare head (with recognizable portrait!) left, togate, coin counting board in right hand, roll in left hand; from a Virginia Collector, ex Eastern Numismatics Inc. (Garden City, NY, 20 Dec 2010, $1650); NGC| Lookup; rare; $1650.00 (€1551.00)
 


Lucius Verus, 7 March 161 - February 169 A.D.

|Lucius| |Verus|, |Lucius| |Verus,| |7| |March| |161| |-| |February| |169| |A.D.||denarius|
In 162, Lucius Verus began war with the Parthians after Vologases IV invaded Syria and Armenia. The Romans would be victorious but the returning army would bring back a pandemic known as the Antonine Plague. The plague would significantly depopulate the entire Roman Empire.
SL113468. Silver denarius, RIC III p. 253, 482; RSC II 155; BMCRE IV p. 412, 202; Hunter II p. 368, 7; cf. SRCV II 5354 (TR P III), NGC Ch AU, strike 5/5, surface 4/5 (3989805-005), weight 2.88 g, maximum diameter 17 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, Dec 161 - Dec 162 A.D.; obverse IMP L AVREL VERVS AVG, bare head right; reverse PROV DEOR TR P II COS II, Providentia standing facing, head left, globe in right hand, cornucopia in left hand; from a Virginia Collector, ex Eastern Numismatics Inc. (Garden City, NY, 21 Mar 2016, $995); NGC| Lookup; $980.00 (€921.20)
 


Severus Alexander, 13 March 222 - March 235 A.D.

|Severus| |Alexander|, |Severus| |Alexander,| |13| |March| |222| |-| |March| |235| |A.D.||denarius|
This coin was dedicated to Jupiter, the defender, probably to ask for protection the emperor in his war against the Persians. As Jupiter was the king of the gods, he took more interest in kings and emperors than the common man.
SL114187. Silver denarius, RIC IV 238, RSC III 83, BMCRE VI 824, Hunter III 71, SRCV II 7871, NGC CH MS*, strike 5/5, surface 5/5 (2406773-001), weight 2.74 g, maximum diameter 21 mm, die axis 0o, Rome mint, 231 - 235 A.D.; obverse IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, with a short neatly trimmed beard, seen from the front; reverse IOVI PROPVGNATORI (Jupiter the Defender), Jupiter standing slightly left in fighting attitude, head right, nude but for cloak flying behind, hurling thunderbolt with right, eagle in extended left hand; from the Craig Chambers Collection, NGC| Lookup; $900.00 (€846.00)
 


Macedonian Kingdom, Demetrios I Poliorketes, 306 - 283 B.C., In the Name and Types of Alexander the Great

|Alexander| |the| |Great|, |Macedonian| |Kingdom,| |Demetrios| |I| |Poliorketes,| |306| |-| |283| |B.C.,| |In| |the| |Name| |and| |Types| |of| |Alexander| |the| |Great
||tetradrachm|
Struck by Demetrius I Poliorketes (The Besieger). Demetrius I, the son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus, was given the title king by his father in 306 B.C. after he defeated Ptolemy I at the Battle of Salamis. In 294 he seized the throne of Macedonia by murdering Alexander V. The combined forces of Pyrrhus, Ptolemy and Lysimachus, forced him out of Macedonia in 288. Abandoned by his troops on the field of battle he surrendered to Seleucus in 286 and died in captivity in 283 B.C.
SL113486. Silver tetradrachm, Price 675, SNG Cop 734, Müller Alexander 1348, Noe Sicyon 22, HGC 4 1902 (R1), NGC EF (Greek 336-323 BC, 4DR, Alexander the Great, Money of the Bible, 3009039-073), weight c. 16.8 g, maximum diameter 25.5 mm, die axis 45o, Corinth mint, c. 304 - 290 B.C.; obverse head of Herakles right, wearing Nemean Lion skin, scalp over head, forepaws tied at neck; reverse Zeus Aëtophoros seated left on throne, nude to the waist, himation around hips and legs, right leg drawn back, feet on footstool, eagle in extended right hand, long lotus tipped scepter vertical behind in left hand, AΛEΞANΔPOY downward on right, Nike flying right raising wreath and holding palm frond (control) lower left, Δo monogram (control) under throne above top strut; from a Virginia Collector, ex Eastern Numismatics Inc. (Garden City, NY, 5 Aug 2010, $625); NGC| Lookup; rare; $800.00 (€752.00)
 


Persian Empire, Samaria, c. 375 - 332 B.C.

|Persian| |Rule|, |Persian| |Empire,| |Samaria,| |c.| |375| |-| |332| |B.C.||ma'ah-obol|
Samaria was the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th - 8th centuries B.C. The Assyrians took the city and the northern kingdom in 722/721 B.C. The city did not recover until the Persian period, the mid 5th century. The tensions between the ruling Sanballat family and Jerusalem under the governorship of Nehemiah are documented in the Bible (Ezra 4:10, Neh 4:7–8). Samaria became Hellenistic in 332 B.C. Thousands of Macedonian soldiers were settled there following a revolt. The Judaean king John Hyrcanus destroyed Samaria in 108 B.C., but it was resettled under Alexander Jannaeus. In 63 B.C., Samaria was annexed to the Roman province of Syria. Herod the Great fortified the city and renamed it Sebaste. The ruins are located in the Samaria mountains almost 10 km to the northwest of Nablus.
JD110671. Silver ma'ah-obol, Meshorer-Qedar 20, Sofaer 43, Sunrise 139, Hendin -, SNG ANS -, HGC 10 -, gVF, toned, obv. off center, tight flan, weight 0.640 g, maximum diameter 9.7 mm, die axis 0o, Samaria (Sebastia, West Bank) mint, c. 375 - 332 B.C.; obverse head of satrap left, bearded, wearing kyrbasia (Persian tiara); reverse Persian king on right, standing left, fighting winged beast, he holds the animal’s head in his right hand and dagger in his left hand, Aramaic SMRYN in right field; ex Gorny & Mosch auction 289 (10-11 Oct 2022), lot 449; ex Gert Cleff Collection (Wuppertal); ex Numismatica Ars Classica (Zurich) auction 64 (2012), lot 1609; rare; $550.00 (€517.00)
 


Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos, 80 - 58 and 55 - 51 B.C.

|Ptolemaic| |Egypt|, |Ptolemaic| |Kingdom| |of| |Egypt,| |Ptolemy| |XII| |Neos| |Dionysos,| |80| |-| |58| |and| |55| |-| |51| |B.C.||tetradrachm|
Ptolemy XII was a weak and unpopular ruler. He was awarded the belittling title Auletes - the flute player. Deposed by his own subjects in 58 B.C., he regained his throne with Roman assistance. His daughter, the famous Cleopatra VII, was the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt.
SL113488. Silver tetradrachm, Svoronos 1864 (Cleopatra VII); BMC Ptolemies p. 113, 32 (Ptolemaeus XI), SNG Cop 388, Noeske 344, Cohen DCA 69, NGC Ch VF, strike 4/5, surface 4/5 (3598288-015, notes perhaps Ptolemy X issue, year 17, 65/4 BC), weight 12.08 g, maximum diameter 23 mm, die axis 0o, Paphos or Alexandria mint, 65 - 64 B.C.; obverse diademed head of Ptolemy I right wearing aegis; reverse ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, wings closed, LIZ (year 17, L appears as vertical line, Z appears as H on it side) left, ΠA right; from a Virginia Collector; NGC| Lookup; $550.00 (€517.00)
 


Seleukid Kingdom, Philip I Philadelphos, c. 94 - 83 or 75 B.C.

|Seleucid| |Kingdom|, |Seleukid| |Kingdom,| |Philip| |I| |Philadelphos,| |c.| |94| |-| |83| |or| |75| |B.C.||tetradrachm|
Philip I Philadelphus was the fourth son of Antiochus VIII Grypus. He took the diadem in 94 B.C. together with his twin brother Antiochus XI Epiphanes, after the eldest son Seleucus VI Epiphanes was killed by their cousin Antiochus X Eusebes. The next year Antiochus X killed Antiochus XI. Antiochus X was probably killed in 88 B.C. Philip's younger brother Demetrius III turned on Philip I and took the capital, but the Philip I prevailed and took Antioch. Their youngest brother Antiochus XII took Damascus. Philip I tried to take Damascus, after which he disappears from the historical record, which does not tell us how or when he died. His death is traditionally dated 83 B.C. but Numismatic evidence and clues in ancient literature indicate that Philip I might have died in 75 B.C. His coins remained in circulation when the Romans conquered Syria in 64 B.C. Roman authorities in Syria continued to issue coins modeled on Philip I's coins, including his portrait, until 13 B.C.
GY113434. Silver tetradrachm, Houghton-Lorber II 2463(2)i, SNG Spaer 2803, Newell SMA 441, HGC 9 1319, BMC Seleucid -, gVF, toned, light encrustations, obv. off center, weight 15.904 g, maximum diameter 25.2 mm, die axis 0o, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, c. 88/7 - 83/75 B.C.; obverse diademed head of Philip I Philadelphos right, bulging eye, pouting lips, pronounced aquiline nose, fillet border; reverse BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΦIΛIΠΠOY EΠIΦANOYΣ ΦIΛAΔEΛΦOY, Zeus seated left on high-backed throne, nude to the waist, himation around hips and legs, Nike presenting wreath in right hand, long scepter vertical behind in left, .I.(Φ)/A outer left, N inner left, (frozen control monogram) below throne, all within laurel wreath; ex Leu Numismatik auction 26 (13 July 2023), lot 6961 (part of); $350.00 (€329.00)
 


Trajan, 25 January 98 - 8 or 9 August 117 A.D.

|Trajan|, |Trajan,| |25| |January| |98| |-| |8| |or| |9| |August| |117| |A.D.||denarius|
In 107 A.D., Trajan received an ambassador from India. In 108 A.D., "doctor's offices" opened in Rome replacing "house calls.
RS113935. Silver denarius, Woytek 270b, BnF IV 276, RIC II 128, RSC II 74, BMCRE III 328, Hunter II 104, Strack I 128, SRCV II 3129, EF, centered on a tight flan, attractive portrait, attractive toning, weight 3.505 g, maximum diameter 17.4 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 107 - 108 A.D.; obverse IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P, laureate bust right, slight drapery on far shoulder; reverse COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC, Victory standing slightly left, naked to hips, raising wreath in right hand, palm frond in left hand; from the Chris Noah Collection (purchased spring 2006); $330.00 (€310.20)
 


Philip II, July or August 247 - Late 249 A.D.

|Philip| |II|, |Philip| |II,| |July| |or| |August| |247| |-| |Late| |249| |A.D.||antoninianus|
When Augustus ruled Rome, he was not called emperor or king, he was the Princeps, the "first of men." In the empire, the designated successors to the emperor were named caesar and also given the title Princeps Juventutis, the "first of youths." This is the origin of the English word prince, meaning the son of a monarch.
SL114189. Silver antoninianus, RIC IV 218d, RSC IV 48, Hunter V 8, SRCV III 9240, NGC MS, strike 5/5, surface 3/5, grainy (2406772-001), weight 4.02 g, maximum diameter 21 mm, die axis 0o, Rome mint, as caesar, 244 - 246 A.D.; obverse M IVL PHILIPPVS CAES, radiate and draped bust right, seen from behind; reverse PRINCIPI IVVENT (to the Prince of Youth), Philip II standing slightly left, head left, wearing military dress, globe in extended right hand, inverted spear in left hand; from the Craig Chambers Collection, NGC| Lookup; $300.00 (€282.00)
 




  



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