Drawing towards the end of 2020, a year most of us probably want to forget! Thought it would still be nice to see other collectors trophies over the last year...
And thanks to all who have helped identify and give valuable information over the past 12 months..
I've run a thread like this for the last couple of years and
really do find it interesting to hear why people have picked up their little gems!
PLEASE post your most loved finds this year!For me this year has been an interesting year!
For those who are interested here's my top 10 list for this year.
NUMBER 10...Chutas of Banavasi, Rajno Mulanandasa.Lead double Karshapana 30mm and 13.40gr...AD 125-345
Obverse..2 tiered hill of small arches surmounted by a large arch (8 arched Chaitya,stupa)?, river flowing below. Brahmi legend around..'Rano Mulanandas'.(Elongated LA).
Reverse..12 Railed tree with Triratana to the right.
Mitchiner ACW 4971 - 4972
I'd been looking for one of these 'lead Karshapanas' for a while that had good detail and luckily early this year, I assume a hoard find, placed a group of them up for sale...I picked up a couple of them and this one really is nice with great colouring and feels good in hand.
NUMBER 9..Faustina Major (138-140) Lifetime issue Denarius (2,81g, c. 16/18mm), Rome mint, 139-141 AD.
Obv.: FAVSTINA - AVGVSTA, draped bust right.
Rv.: IVNONI - REGINAE, Juno standing, facing, head left., holding patera and sceptre, peacock at feet.
RIC 338, RSC 215.
This was my most recent purchase. I thought I'd have to pay a lot more for this lifetime issue type but was a coin I really wanted. This one popped up and filled the hole nicely! Her lifetime issue coins are not particularly rare but are much more difficult to find at a budget price amongst the barrage of Diva issues, this being obviously related to the fact that she was only Augusta for 2 years before her sudden death.
NUMBER 8..Ionia Samos AE13 Circa 350 BC, 13.07 mm/3.08 grams
Obverse: Head of Hera left
Reverse: Lion's scalp facing
SNG Copenhagen 1694
This was number 9 of my 12 Bronze Olympians set. A difficult lady to find in Bronze and for me not cheap! But it's just a sweet little coin with lovely simplistic detail on both sides and a wonderful dark green patina an added provenance bonus is of it being an Ex Harlan J. Berk.
NUMBER 7..Ionia, Phokaia, c. 350-300 BC. Æ (15mm, 4.36g, 11h). Phokleon, magistrate.
Obverse..Head of Hermes facing left wearing a Petasos hat tied at the back.
Reverse..Forepart of a griffin springing left. ΦΩKAEΩN (PHOKAEON), name of the magistrate below.
SNG Copenhagen 1039ff (magistrate); BMC 101.
It was number 4 of my 12 Bronze Olympians set, but not only did it move the set forward, it also added a few 'firsts' to my collection. At the time of purchase it was the oldest coin in my collection, my first Hermes and to top it all off a lovely depiction of a Griffin of which I didn't possess! Again a great little Bronze with nice detail and beautiful light green patina.
NUMBER 6..Domitian. 81-96 AR Denarius (3.17 gm, 18mm). Rome mint. Struck 81 AD.
Obv.: IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG P M, laureate head right.
Rev.: TR P COS VII DES VIII P P, tripod surmounted by a dolphin right. RIC II 74.
A lovely toned example of Domitian that was an impulse buy, it just caught my eye and the price was good. Also I wanted a Domitian coin without a Minerva reverse so this one fitted the slot. The photo doesn't really show the iridescent toning, its a beauty in hand!
NUMBER 5..Mysia, Pergamon . Circa 2nd Century BC. AE 18mm (5.31 gm).
Obv.: Head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian Egret helmet.
Rev.: ΑΘΗΝΑΣ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ (Athénas Nicéphore), trophy, consisting of crested helmet and cuirass with arms below; monogram to the right.
SNG von Aulock 1374; SNG France 1884. VF.
This quite common coin is here because it was my very first 'Greek' and sent me off down a really deep rabbit hole! I'll always have a soft spot for this one, with nice detail and also a deep dark green patina....Love at first sight.
OK the next 4 were really difficult to place but here goes....NUMBER 4..Iberia.Indigets.Emporia Æ AS..27.88mm/10.05grams..27-25 BC..
Obverse:Head of the goddess Pallas Athena wearing a Corinthian helmet with the visor raised and a large plume.
Reverse: Pegasos flying right, laurel crown above rump; EMPO below.
Villaronga, ACIP 1098 - R6
After my visit to Empuries I went on the hunt for a coin minted there...They are all rare and difficult to find in decent condition so this one called to me! Every time I pick this one up it gives me flashbacks to its origins where I walked with my family over 2000 years later! For me an amazing feeling....
NUMBER 3...Antoninus Pius, 138 - 161 AD, AE Drachm, Egypt, Alexandria Mint, 34mm, 29.55 grams
Obverse: Laureate head of Antoninus right.
Reverse: L DEKATOV, Zeus holding patera and scetpre reclining left on open wings of eagle.
Emmett1699 // Dattari2933 // Koln1560 // Milne1905
An important denomination to add to my Antoninus Pius collection. This big chunk is amazing in hand even making the Sestertius I possess seem inadequate! It has a nice portrait but the reverse is WOW!...I hold this coin a lot!
NUMBER 2..Marcus Aurelius. AD 161-180. Æ Sestertius. Rome mint. Struck AD 171...(32mm, 24.68 g)
Obv. Laureate, draped head right, IMP M ANTONINVS AVG TRP XXV
Rev. Fides standing left, holding Victory and standard, FIDES EXERCITVVM COS III SC
RIC III 997......Double die match to the only example in the British Museum Collection.
Picked this one up at a good price thinking it was a good example of RIC#998 with the reverse being a slightly more interesting type, commemorating the victory over the Marcomanni in late AD171 when the Germanic invaders were defeated and evicted from Roman territory. A fellow collector informed me this coin is very rare and was a RIC#997 as the bust is laureate and draped unlike the just laureate headed example on wildwinds RIC-998, Also the coin is a double die match to the only example in the British Museum Collection.
AND NUMBER 1 THIS YEAR...Antoninus Pius. 138-161 AD. AE Dupondius (11.76 gm, 25.3mm). Rome mint. Struck 154-155 AD.
Obv.. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XVIII, radiate head right.
Rev.. LIBERTAS COS IIII / S - C, Libertas with pileus and sceptre standing left.
RIC 933....BMC 1469. gVF.
This coin has such beautiful detail with a wonderful green patina. The engraver was really skilled and it's my avatar now, I'm sure it will stay there for a long time to come
Posted 12/01/2020 8:26 pm
There would have been a fair degree of excitement when bidding on that one.
TVRPILIAN 
but did have some nice (mostly late) medieval pickups this year in each part of my collection, (many of which I've already shown somewhere on CCF), so I've grouped them in two slides, no particular order...
and I particularly like the detailed obverse 
