Smackdown Xlv, Variety

Aww I think I have a good one.





The Straight leg variation of the Alexander the Great Tetradrachm.

I always found the understanding of this particular variation to be important to every new ancient greek coin collector. It helps to separate the extraordinary from the the awesome.

The series of Alexander III coins is one of the most beautiful,abundant and recognizable of all ancient coins. These large fine silver pieces minted on the Attic standard of 17.2 g, sport the head of Hercules wearing a lion skin headdress right, paying homage to Hercules labor of slaying the Numidian lion. It is also surmised that the face of Hercules bear the features of Alexander himself.
Most all of these tetradrachms and of course drachms(the drachms follow different conventions while attributing.)have and enthroned Zeus on the reverse. Holding a spear or scepter in his left hand and and eagle standing in his right. These are also accompanied by a variety of symbols or mint devices as well as well as various monograms under the throne and titles about. Coins carried these images in a variety forms for nearly 3 centuries and became "what a coin should look like."
This variation of the straight legs Zeus has been noted as an issue minted during his lifetime. (there are only a few exceptions) The many many issues that came later featured the tile BASILWS, and Zeus with his legs crossed.
AS time progressed and the centuries dragged on, the coins would always feature Zeus with his legs crossed on progressively larger and larger flans, engraved in inferior style.
The lifetime Tetradrachms in high grade command significant history and greater rarity with increasingly extraordinary prices.



Posthumous Issue from Amphipolis !


Check out the lifetime on a Youtube vid I made !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZfEKl0jmXs

I forgot to say when it closes. Let's close it on Wednesday when the time-clock on the top right of the page says 11:00 pm and vote until Friday at 11:00 pm.

I´m looking for variety at my coins,but I found nothing for posting....sorry!!

It has been very hard to me found a coin witha variety but I think this can be one.....
RIC 34cf Vitellius AR Denarius. Spanish mint. A VITELLIVS IMP GERMAN, laureate bust left, globe at point / VICTORIA AVGVSTI, Victory walking left, holding shield. RSC 101v. (Vitellius. 69 AD. AR Denarius (3.36 gm). Laureate head left;globe below / Victory walking left, holding shield. RIC I 34 var.(aureus); RSC 101 var. Unpublished variety! Toned Fine. )

I didn't mean to make it difficult to enter. I thought collectors might have a campgate with unusually few or many layers, or a late Roman copper with an unusual symbol in the field, or a GENIO POPVLI ROMANI follis or SOLI INVICTO COMITI that was a bit different. I have a friend who recently bought a Trajan denarius and only after it came did he notice it has an Aegis on the far shoulder. Varieties like that raise the interest level and I'll bet many of you have something minor --a variety--you like about some coin.

I wonder if it perhaps depicts the famous "thunderbolt" ? Probably a variant that quickly got 'removed' from circulation for being in bad taste.

I didn't think I had anything unusual that I hadn't recently posted
I figured wrong .....

When I purchased this 12 years ago on ebay for a extremely 'modest' amount I was so thrilled that I neglected to notice something very obvious.

AE Sestertius Nero
Obv. Laureate bust of Nero right
Rv. Nero on horseback accompanied by a second horseman
Sear #1957 RIC 170 (Rome AD64)
26.38 grams 34mm

sounds about right ....




Well as we say in New England "Eventually .... The dawn will break over Marblehead"

It can't be from Rome
It has the distinctive 'dimples' associated with the 'Balkan' AE provincial issues on both sides.

This one is curious.
I bought it from the same dealer in ancients back around the same time.
I probably paid too much (a rare thing)
It certainly looks odd doesn't it ?
I have shown this piece to several highly knowledgeable collectors and dealers.
The unanimous consensus is that it is genuine.
But as can be seen ..... something rather important is missing. The reverse is quite flat. In fact I placed it on a surface flat to several millionths and it shows a minor convex shape (a few thousandths) which probably reflects the surface shape of an anvil circa AD64.

Here is the Sicilian litra with Athena and a hippocamp reverse.

Athena's helmet is adorned with a serpent whereas many are adorned with laurel leaves.





And another variety is a Victory/Prow coin from Constantinopolis mint where the helmet is adorned with a plume as is common on the Vrbs Roma commemoratives.