Welcome To Forum Ancient Coins!!!All Items Purchased From Forum Ancient Coins Are Guaranteed Authentic For Eternity!!!Please Call Us If You Have Questions 252-646-1958 or 252-497-2724Expert Authentication - Accurate Descriptions - Reasonable Prices - Coins From Under $10 To Museum Quality RaritiesWelcome To Forum Ancient Coins!!!All Items Purchased From Forum Ancient Coins Are Guaranteed Authentic For Eternity!!!Internet Challenged? We Are Happy To Take Your Order Over The Phone 252-646-1958Explore Our Website And Find Joy In The History, Numismatics, Art, Mythology, And Geography Of Coins!!!
Trajan, 25 January 98 - 8 or 9 August 117 A.D., Anazarbus, Cilicia, Matidia Reverse
NEW Anazarbus was founded by Assyrians. Under the early Roman Empire it was known as Kaicare?n (Caesarea), and was the Metropolis (capital) of the late Roman province Cilicia Secunda. It was the home of the poet Oppian. Rebuilt by the Byzantine emperor Justin I after an earthquake in the 6th century, it became Justinopolis (525); but the old native name persisted, and when Thoros I, king of Lesser Armenia, made it his capital early in the 12th century, it was known as Anazarva.RP111017. Bronze diassarion, Ziegler 114 (Vs1/Rs5), RPC III 3370, SNGvA 5477, SNG Levante 1385, SNG Cop -, SNG BnF -, gVF, attractive portraits, tight flan, obv. legend weak, light marks, weight 14.483 g, maximum diameter 26.8 mm, die axis 45o, Anazarbus (Anavarza, Turkey) mint, 113 - 114 A.D.; obverse AYTO KAIC NEP TAPIANOC CE ΓEPM ∆A, laureate head of Trajan right; reverse KAICAPE ANAZAP MATI∆IAN CEB (PE ligate), draped bust of Matidia right, hair in a small bun behind neck, ET BΛP (year 132) low across field; scarce; $850.00 (€858.50)
Gallienus, August 253 - September 268 A.D., Irenopolis-Neronias, Cilicia
Wandering the world in a panther-drawn chariot, Dionysos rode ahead of the maenads and satyrs, who sang loudly and danced, flushed with wine. They were profusely garlanded with ivy and held the thyrsus, a staff topped with a pine cone, a symbol of the immortality of his believers. Everywhere he went he taught men how to cultivate vines and the mysteries of his cult. Whoever stood in his way and refused to revere him was punished with madness.RP96990. Bronze 7 assaria, Karbach Eirenopolis - (cf. 146-7 same obv. die, diff. rev. type); Leu web auction 12 (2020), 870 (same dies); SNG Levante -; SNG Paris -; SNG PFPS -, aVF/F, green patina with earthen deposits, weight 12.523 g, maximum diameter 27.7 mm, die axis 225o, Irenopolis (Düzici, Turkey) mint, 258 - 259 A.D.; obverse ΠOY ΛIK Γ/θ>AΛIHNOC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; uncertain round countermark; reverse IPHNOΠOΛE (or similar), Dionysos drinking with his entourage, standing facing, kantharos (wine cup) in his right hand, pedum (shepherd's crook) in his left hand, Pan on right supporting him, Satyr on left standing with outstretched right hand, panther seated left at feet on left, Z (mark of value) right; ex Leu Numismatik web auction 13 (15 Aug 2020), lot 921; the second known; $575.00 (€580.75)
Caligula, 16 March 37 - 24 January 41 A.D., Caesarea, Cappadocia
NEW Kayseri, originally called Mazaka or Mazaca, is in central Turkey on a low spur on the north side of Mount Erciyes (Mount Argaeus in ancient times). During Achaemenid Persian rule, it was the capital of a Satrapy on the crossroads of the Royal Road from Sardis to Susa and the trade route from Sinope to the Euphrates. It was conquered by Alexander's general Perdikkas, was ruled by Eumenes of Cardia, then passed to the Seleucid empire after the battle of Ipsus. It became the capital of the independent Cappadocian Kingdom under Ariarathes III, around 250 B.C. During Strabo's time it was also known as Eusebia, after the Cappadocian King Ariarathes V Eusebes, 163 – 130 B.C. The name was changed again to "Caesarea in Cappadocia" in honor of Caesar Augustus, upon his death in 14 A.D. The city passed under formal Roman rule in 17 A.D. In Roman times, it prospered on the route from Ephesus to the East. Caesarea was destroyed by the Sassanid King Shapur I after his victory over the Emperor Valerian I in 260 A.D. At the time it was recorded to have around 400,000 inhabitants. Arabic influence changed Caesarea to the modern name Kayseri. The city gradually recovered and has a population of around 1 million people today. Few traces of the ancient city survive.RS110687. Silver drachm, RPC Online I 3624 (11 spec.), Henseler 87, RIC I 63, BMCRE I 102, Cohen I 12, SNG Cop 176, F, toned, broad flan, obv. off center, rough, weight 2.731 g, maximum diameter 18.0 mm, die axis 0o, Cappadocia, Caesarea (Kayseri, Turkey) mint, c. 37 - 38 A.D.; obverse C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS, bare head right; reverse IMPERATOR PONT MAX AVG TR POT, simpulum and lituus; rare; $400.00 (€404.00)
Trajan Decius, September 249 - June or July 251 A.D., Augusta, Cilicia
NEW Augusta, Cilicia was founded in 20 A.D., and named for Livia (Julia Augusta). Just over 16 km north of Adana in a loop of the river Seyhan (Sarus), and at the west end of a narrow plain bounded to the north and south by low hills. Represented at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the city probably did not long survive the Moslem invasion of Cilicia in the 7th century. The site, discovered by chance in 1955, was identified by ancient literary sources and from finds there, and in the neighboring village of Gübe, of Roman provincial coins naming the city. Later that same year Gübe, and with it the ruins of Augusta, disappeared below the waters of the Seyhan dam, but not before the site had been partially surveyed. Two colonnaded streets crossed each other at right angles typical of Roman towns in Cilicia. The foundations of a triumphal arch, a theater, a civic basilica, some shops, a bath building, were mapped. These structures were all of brick and mortar, and probably dated to the 3rd century.RP111040. Bronze AE 19, apparently unpublished; SNG BnF -, SNG Levante -, SNG Cop -, SNGvA -, SNG Tahberer -, SNG Pfälzer -, BMC Cilicia -, Lindgren -, VF, near centered, dark patina, choice reverse, light marks, weight 4.773 g, maximum diameter 18.8 mm, die axis 0o, Cilicia, Augusta (under Seyhan Dam Reservoir) mint, autumn 249 - Jun/Jul 251 A.D.; obverse AVT KAI KYN ∆EKION TPAIANON CEB, laureate head right, light beard; reverse AVΓOVCTANΩN ET ΘKC (of Augustus, year 229), draped bust of ivy wreathed Dionysos right; zero sales of this type listed on Coin Archives in the last two decades; extremely rare; $250.00 (€252.50)
Balbinus, 22 April - 29 July 238 A.D., Tarsos, Cilicia
NEW When the province of Cilicia was divided, Tarsus remained the civil and religious metropolis of Cilicia Prima, and was a grand city with palaces, marketplaces, roads and bridges, baths, fountains and waterworks, a gymnasium on the banks of the Cydnus, and a stadium. Tarsus was later eclipsed by nearby Adana, but remained important as a port and shipyard. Several Roman emperors were interred here: Tacitus, Maximinus II, and Julian the Apostate, who planned to move his capital here from Antioch if he returned from his Persian expedition.RP110639. Bronze AE 36, RPC Online VII.2 2997; SNG Levante 1110; SNG BnF 1624; SNG Cop 380; BMC Cilicia p. 208, 239; Mionnet III, p. 642, 520, Fair, centered, green patina, rough, weight 29.502 g, maximum diameter 36.4 mm, die axis 180o, Tarsos (Tarsus, Mersin, Turkey) mint, 238 A.D.; obverse AVT KEC KAIΛ BAΛBEINOC CEB (Imperator Caesar Caelius Balbinus Augustus), laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from front, Π − Π (pater patriae) across field; reverse TAPCOV MHTPOΠOΛEWC, Apollo Lykeios standing facing on omphalos, nude, head left, holding forepaws of a wolf in right hand, chlamys over left arm, bow and arrow in left hand, in field A/M/K on left, Γ / B on right; huge 36mm bronze!; very rare; $230.00 (€232.30)
Severus Alexander and Julia Maesa, 222 - 235 A.D., Ninica-Claudiopolis, Cilicia
Ammianus mentions Silifke and Claudiopolis as cities of Cilicia, or of the country drained by the Calycadnus; and Claudiopolis was a colony of Claudius Caesar. It is described by Theophanes of Byzantium as situated in a plain between the two Taurus Mountains, a description which exactly, corresponds to the position of the basin of the Calycadnus. Claudiopolis may therefore be represented by Mut, which is higher up the valley than Seleucia, and near the junction of the northern and western branches of the Calycadnus. It is also the place to which the pass over the northern Taurus leads from Laranda. The city received the Roman colony name Colonia Iulia Felix Augusta Ninica.RB91011. Bronze AE 36, cf. asiaminorcoins.com 6551 (same obv. die & c/m), SNG Levante -, RPC Online -, SNG BnF -, SNG Cop -, BMC Cilicia -, c/m: Howgego 262, F, weak legends, porosity, edge cracks, weight 17.901 g, maximum diameter 35.8 mm, die axis 180o, Ninica-Claudiopolis (Mut, Mersin, Turkey) mint, 222 - 235 A.D.; obverse IMP C SEVERUS ALEXAN∆ER AVΓ (or similar), laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, from behind; c/m: Nike right in c. 5 x 8 mm oval punch (3 times); reverse IVL MAECA COL IVL FEL NINIO CLAU∆IOPOLI (or similar), draped bust of Julia Maesa right; huge 35.8 mm!; ex Forum (2015); extremely rare; $225.00 (€227.25)
Maximinus I Thrax, 20 March 235 - late May 238 A.D., Philadelphia, Cilicia Trachea
Philadelphia (Greek: brotherly love) in ancient Cilicia Trachea (later of Isauria) was on the river Calycadnus, above Aphrodisias. Its site is tentatively located near Imsi Ören in Asiatic Turkey. Neither Philadelphia in Lydia (Alasehir, Turkey today) nor Philadelphia, in the Decapolis, later Arabia Petraea (Amman, Jordan today) struck coins for Maximinus Thrax.RB98739. Bronze AE 34, SNG BnF 760, SNG Levante 580, SNGvA 5804, SNG Leypold 2580, Lindgren-Kovacs 786, RPC Online VI T6889, EF, dark patina, pitting, a little off center, weight 14.930 g, maximum diameter 34.1 mm, die axis 0o, Cilicia, Philadelphia (near Imsi Ören, Turkey) mint, 20 Mar 235 - late May 238 A.D.; obverse AVT K Γ IOVH MAΞIMEINOC, laureate and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse ΦILALELFFEΩN KHTIΛOC, Tyche standing left, kalathos on head, grounded rudder in right hand held by tiller, cornucopia in left hand; from the CEB Collection, ex Edward J. Waddell, big 34mm!; $215.00 (€217.15)
Severus Alexander, 13 March 222 - March 235 A.D., Anazarbus, Cilicia
Anazarbus was founded by Assyrians. Under the early Roman Empire it was known as Kaicareωn (Caesarea), and was the Metropolis (capital) of the late Roman province Cilicia Secunda. It was the home of the poet Oppian. Rebuilt by the Byzantine emperor Justin I after an earthquake in the 6th century, it became Justinopolis (525); but the old native name persisted, and when Thoros I, king of Lesser Armenia, made it his capital early in the 12th century, it was known as Anazarva.RP110457. Bronze tetrassaria, apparently unpublished; Ziegler - (Vs6/Rs12), RPC Online VI -, VF, broad flan, green patina, some legend unstruck, a little rough, small edge cracks, weight 12.496 g, maximum diameter 30.3 mm, die axis 0o, Anazarbus (Anavarza, Turkey) mint, 229 - 230 A.D.; obverse AYT K M AY CE AΛEΞAN∆POC, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from the front; reverse ANAZAPBOY MHTPO, saddled horse right, left foreleg raised, ΓB (holder of 3 neocorates) above, ET ΘMC (year 249) in exergue; perhaps unique; extremely rare; $200.00 (€202.00)
Claudius, 25 January 41 - 13 October 54 A.D., Uncertain Caesarea, Cilicia
NEW Many ancient cities of the Roman Empire were named Caesarea. Some cities used the name only for a limited period. The particular city that issued this coin is not entirely certain. The location of finds suggests the city was in Cilicia Pedias.RP111037. Bronze AE 25, RPC Online I 4086; Ganschow I p. 58, X4; BMC Lyconia p. 31, 4; SNGvA 6350; SNG Tub 4526; SNG Leypold 2759; Lindgren 1422; Waddington 6744, gVF, attractive glossy green patina, nice portrait, weight 8.981 g, maximum diameter 24.5 mm, die axis 0o, Cilicia, uncertain Caesarea mint, 45 - 46 A.D.; obverse TIBEPIOC KΛAY∆IOC KAICAP, bare head right; reverse Tyche seated right on pile of rocks, river god swimming at her feet, KAIC / APEΩN in two lines upper right, ETOYC E (year 5) upward on left; $160.00 (€161.60)
Tiberius, 19 August 14 - 16 March 37 A.D., Lampsacus, Mysia
NEW Lampsacus (or Lampsakos) was an ancient Greek city strategically located on the eastern side of the Hellespont in the northern Troad. An inhabitant of Lampsacus was called a Lampsacene. The name has been transmitted in the nearby modern town of Lapseki.RP111202. Bronze AE 16, RPC Online I 2279 (14 spec.), SNG Cop 233, Waddington 892, Lindgren 263, VF, brown tone, tight flan, weight 4.870 g, maximum diameter 16.3 mm, die axis 225o, Lampsakos (Lapseki, Turkey) mint, obverse CEBAC, laureate head of Tiberius right; reverse ΛAMΨAKH, winged hippocamp right, uncertain object below; from the Michael Arslan Collection; rare; $160.00 (€161.60)