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 Replies: 40 / Views: 3,184 |
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New Member
United States
14 Posts |
Edited by tmoransr
03/31/2014 06:23 am
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Moderator
 United States
14463 Posts |
many users are asleep, so it may be a few hours before you get a valid response
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New Member
 United States
14 Posts |
Thanks Fuzzy. Last guy that replied was a clown and honestly had me wondering if I was wasting my time posting this
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Moderator
United States
14463 Posts |
Yeah, another moderator removed their post. I am not into ancient coins, but there are many members that are.
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Moderator
Australia
16872 Posts |
Some of us aren't asleep. It's only early evening right now here in Australia. It's certainly an Alexandrian tetradrachm, emperor Aurelian. Appears genuine to me. On this Wildwinds page, scroll down to the ones labelled "Milne 4426" and you will find ones very similar to yours, only without the star. The big question is, of course, "what on Earth is it doing buried on an American beach?" It clearly wasn't brought there by a lost Romano-Egyptian trader 1800 years ago. The extremely-debased-silver alloy these coins are made of is very prone to corrosion so it can't have been sitting on that beach for very long at all. It doesn't seem to have any mount marks or similar damage so we can probably rule out having fallen out of a bezel or similar piece of jewellery. Perhaps someone "planted" it there for their metal-detecting kids to find, and they didn't find it.  Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Rest in Peace
United States
4078 Posts |
Tmoransr, I can not help you with the coin but, Quote:
Can anyone help me identify this coin I found metal detecting on a beach in Massachusetts? That statement is amazing in itself! |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
477 Posts |
I'm with bpoc1, what a find! Did you only find one ancient coin, or several? Interesting to think about the journey that took to get their. There is research considering the thought that ancient Romans made it too America and knew about the 'new world'. This find is quite simply fascinating, there are depictions in Mayan arts of men with beards-Native Americans didn't grow beards. I would announce this find to some local ancient historians, this is truly interesting.
Edited by awallin01
03/31/2014 06:06 am
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New Member
United States
14 Posts |
Thanks Sap. Just checked them out but still dont see one exactly like it. If the bust looks right the eagle is either facing the wrong way or has open wings, and when the eagle looks right they never have that star or "e" looking symbol on reverse...kinda irritating because I found it almost 20 years ago and still dont really know exactly what it is or what its worth. And of course have always wondered what the heck it was doing on my beach...there are tales of countless shipwrecks off this particular coast, but certainly nothing dating back that far
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New Member
United States
14 Posts |
Added a couple more pics that show the actual coloring better, the other ones made it look way brighter than it actually is. And Awallin, I'm honestly not sure who I would contact about it.
Edited by tmoransr
03/31/2014 06:27 am
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
477 Posts |
Yeah the thought that the ancients were far better navigators than understood, would not surprise me. The coin looks closer to milne 4456 on this link, however it doesn't have the star. But if you scroll a few coins lower, there is an eagle with a star above it-however the emperor is different on that one. Alexandria Egypt Aurelian milne 4456 http://www.provincial-romans.com/pr...s/Eagles.htm |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
477 Posts |
I'm sure a local museum, would find your find very intriguing considering the location and the coin. What Sap mentioned about the possibilty of a plant is a possibility. However if there are more there, you may well have found something historically important in terms of understanding the ancients in a new light. The coin itself is a great find, added with the location it could be very exciting. :)
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3446 Posts |
I believe I see a 'match' with milne 4426 on the Wildwinds site. I agree with Sap that the coin could not have been on the beach for very long (perhaps a few years). The corrosive effect of sea air and water would have left its marks on it and it is actually quite a little 'gem'. I would ask whether it was on the sea side or the bay side (assuming we are talking Cape Cod) but being a heavy little lump of a coin it really would not travel much either way.
You mention that it was twenty years ago which leads me to speculate. Way back in the 20th century I occasionally went to "International" Shows in NYC. Foreign dealers often had bowls full of these types of coins which are regularly dug up in hoards. They would sell them for 5 and 10 dollars apiece. I think the likely explanation is someone attending one of these shows saw some of these there and said "Wow" and bought one as a trinket. When you buy a coin for little money you are allowed to be careless. They may have kept it in a pants pocket as a souvenir and lost it at the beach. By its condition (almost VF/EF) it really cannot have been there for very long.
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
477 Posts |
Question have you used ancient coin cleaning techniques on it? Like putting wax on it?
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New Member
United States
14 Posts |
FVRIVS it was bay side I guess...wasnt actually on the cape, but on a beach on the south shore. And no I havent awallin.
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New Member
United States
14 Posts |
And 4426 has open wings where mine has closed wings...there is always something differing it from the hundreds I've looked through, lol
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
477 Posts |
Did you try my link? It shows a closed wings version only lacking the star and I think the back of Aurelius's head wreath is a bit different.
I was wondering if you had cleaned it up, to give it that nice look. Interesting.
Edited by awallin01
03/31/2014 07:55 am
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Replies: 40 / Views: 3,184 |
Posted 03/31/2014 05:19 am
