My Top 25 Coins (Maybe)

Excellent coin, the cup shape is long gone by this time. It's neat how they used lines, curves and dots to form the images. They didn't put much detail in forming true images of their rulers.

This coin has no cup and never did. Late Byzantine coins come in very thin cups and rather thick, flat fabric coins. Cups tend to be alloys of bronze or electrum while solid silver coins tend to be flat fabric. It is a bit thicker than a US quarter and similar diameter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stavraton

Doug, I think you might have misunderstood my comment. I was saying that there were no more cup coins made when this coin was struck.

Christ coins are easier and cheaper from the earlier period known as the Anonymous coins because the rulers of the day did not put their name on the coins.
http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/byz/...ymous/t.html
Because Christ is always shown facing, worn coins will be missing his face details. I consider it a big step up for each eye/nose/mouth actually showing and prices rise accordingly. The various anonymous coins are cataloged by types assigned letters (A, B etc). You will also encounter facing figures of Mary distinguished by legends (ligate MHP left of the face rather than IC XC flanking it). Both figures wear halos but Christ sometimes (not always) has a cross pattern on the halo. There are coins with both on the same coin. This one is 'Class G' attributed to Romanus IV and was overstruck on an earlier coin so it has some extra details.

That coin is in great condition to show those facial details.

Incidentally, the halo is a pre-Christian device, first seen on depictions of Alexander the Great in Western art. I could not find a visual reference, but here is a Roman mosaic of Apollo from the 2nd C. AD.

Nice coin. Great details on both sides.

Nice detail jessvc1.

#21 Carausius AE antoninianus

Of my coins here offered for examination, this one would be most easily knocked from its position were I to get almost any other coin made at its mint on the day this was produced. Certainly it is a decent specimen of the popular British Usurper (probably most popular because there are a lot of British collectors). The reverse shows Providentia and is nothing special. The mintmark C tells us where it was minted Camulodunum (Colchester). This, too is nothing special. The obverse legend is a little unusual in that it includes I (Invictus) following the standard PF (Pius Felix). The portrait is nice and has an interesting tufted beard design. Many Carausius coins are a good deal more crude and lower grade tha this but non of those things put the coin in at #21.

Carausius was a social climber. Unlike most usurpers he did not claim to replace the regular Roman Emperors (Diocletian and Maximianus) but he wanted to join them as a third Augustus taking his place in the North but recognizing them in the West and East. This is shown by the use of the triple G on the reverse AVGGG. As far as Carausius was concerned, he was one of three equal brothers in power. The other two did not agree. The coins that would replace this one in my list include matching issues with GGG but bearing obverses for Diocletian or Maximianus. Those are a bit more scarce but I hope to find one some day and I don't plan on paying more for the coin than an ordinary Diocletian. Not all dealers and collectors know this story so there is hope.

Unfortunately, the coin that would really knock this one off the list is a very special issue showing Carausius, Diocletian and Maximianus heads jugate all on the obverse of one coin. Everyone seeing that coin would see that it is special so the chance of finding a 'sleeper' is very, very low. They exist but they are not cheap.
http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sear/s3571.html

There is also a two head jugate with Carausius and Sol but that rare coin is not nearly as fascinating to me as is the issue where the Brisish upstart declared himself a brother. Meanwhile I will have to be happy with my GGG coin.