AE 4, 14 mm, 1.17 g, 12h, Cyzicus mint c. CE 383
RIC 22a
RCV 20161
O: DN GRATIANVS PF AVG diad draped cuir bust r.
R: VOT/XX/MVLT/XXX in ex SMKΔ
Ex; W. Esty
RIC 22a
RCV 20161
O: DN GRATIANVS PF AVG diad draped cuir bust r.
R: VOT/XX/MVLT/XXX in ex SMKΔ
Ex; W. Esty
We really didn't utilize a lot of currency or coins during this visit, most transactions were via CC, so the opportunity to observe coin use was limited. Even a visit to a Dublin coin dealer in the South George St Arcade in Dublin found very expensive prices for all sorts of coins. Particularly coins that are available on the market (VCoins for example) for $30-$35 for a reasonably good and common mint Khushru II Sasanian drachm was selling for €150.
Other coins were similarly priced. The only Irish Euro Commemoratives being sold consisted of the 2016 example. There were stamps being sold as well as pick out box coins, worldwide and local for €1 and €2 each.
The 1916 Easter Rising was made real by a visit to the GPO on O'Connell St, which was the HQ for the Rising. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go in, but passed it several times in vehicles and walked by it once where we were able to see the remaining visible damages from the Rising. The columns at the front of the GPO still show dramatic damages from the bullets and ordinance fired between the British and Republican forces at that time.
Facade of the GPO DublinPhotos of two columns at the GPO revealing battle damages from the 1916 Easter Rising
SC 1871 (R2)
O: diad portrait of Balas r.
R: Apollo seated on omphalos; [BAΣ]IΛEΩΣ [AΛ]EΞANΔPOY on rt, ΘEOΠATOPOΣ
EYEPΓETOY
Control mark on far left.
Ex: Zuzim
Göbl 82a
(countermark 82a)
Zeno type 28789
Type of Peroz CE
457/9-484
Countermark on
obs at 10-9 o’clock , Sogdian word “TKYN”
Cf. Göbl Hunnen
283 ff
Mitchener 1450
RSC 219
RCV 7254
O: laur bearded bust r P SEPT GETA PIVS AVG BRIT
R: Victory stg l holding wreath VICTORI-AE BRIT
This issue commemorates the Severan incursions north of the Antonine Wall in Britain into what is now Scotland, by Septimius Severus, and his sons Caracalla and Geta. It was during these incursions that Severus took ill and died at Eboracum (York) in CE 211, thus bringing the conflict to a quick end courtesy of Caracalla, who brought his brother Geta to a quick end just prior to the end of CE 211.
AE Maiorina (28 mm, 8.0 g, 12h) Aquileia mint c. CE 362-363
RIC 243
O: diad cuir draped bust r DN FL CL IVLI-ANVS PF AVG
R: Bull stg r two stars above. SECVRITAS REIPVB/*AQVILP
1936; 21.2 mm, 5 g, Philadelphia mint. mintage 119m
KM 134
This example was found in change, and had likely been a coin that had been removed from circulation for some length of time. Thereafter being added by someone back into the circulation stream for a time before it was removed again, since the high points, particularly the date are visible and many details are still apparent, which is not often the case with well circulated pieces.
In this condition, it is worth $3-$4 perhaps. It was prudent that it was removed from circulation and preserved as it now appears. Not a rare coin, but certainly one that captures the artistry that is mostly missing from circulating coinage in the USA, except for perhaps the new/old bust of Washington appearing on quarters minted since 2022.
New York Prosecutor to Press Charges Against Richard Beale / Roma Numismatics - CoinsWeekly
One of the World’s Most Expensive Coins Was Sold Using Fake Provenance – ARTnews.com
There are a few coins posted on this blog, which originated via the aforementioned auction house and purchased by a third party dealer from whom the coins were acquired.
Unfortunately, the provenances for a couple of these coins are "from a private British or European Collection" which begs the question, if we dug deeper would there actually be a private collection there or something else? These provenances have no documented basis, and without documentation, no provenance. The third party dealer did not include this information in their listing, it was only through our due diligence after acquisition that revealed the origin history such as it is.
A questionable provenance is as bad as none at all, and an untraceable or ultimately false provenance should not add a premium to the item's value. All purchases must be governed by "caveat emptor". All provenances need to be researched and fully documented as far as the records support it.
RCV 15251
O: laur., cuir. draped bust r, IMP LIC LICINIVS PF AVG
R: Jupiter stg l, holding Nike and scepter with eagle stg on left IOVI CONSERVATORI AVGG NN/*TS*Δ*
Potin Tetradrachm; 20 mm, 7.44 g, 1h, Alexandria mint, Regnal
Year 2= CE 293-294
Dattari (Savio) 6044
Emmett 4184.2
O: laur draped cuir bust r
ΦΛΑ ΚωCTANTIOC K
R: Eirene stg facing
hd to left holding branch and scepter LB in outer left field
Ex: Ken Dorney (unsold at Auction 14: lot 267, 31-01-2023)
Ex: Leu Numismatik Web Auction 16: Lot 2613 (22-05-2021)
Ex: Rhakotis Collection (Germany)
KM 64
O: hd r, MIHAI REGELE ROMANILOR
R: crown divides wreath with date and value 100 LEI/1944
edge: NIHIL SINE DEO
I had once known a college professor by the name of Jacques Vergotti (1915-1999) who had been an aide de camp to King Michael and used to talk about his time with the King and encountering people like Averell Harriman and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Vishinsky among others. He was among those placed on a train to be exiled with the King in 1947 by the authorities in Bucharest. A biography of Vergotti appears in the Romanian version of Wikipedia:
His papers are at the Hoover Institution Library in CA and the bio found there reads: "Jacques M. Vergotti was born in 1915. A Major in the Romanian Army, he served as aide to Michael I, King of Romania, between 1941-1947. He witnessed the last year of the Romanian monarchy and the palace coup of December 30, 1947, when the King was overthrown and the Popular Republic of Romania was proclaimed. He was one of the few people allowed to leave the country together with the King, whose aide he was for one more year. He then emigrated to the US and has lived there since."
RCV 16446
O: helmeted bust of Constantinopolis l, [CONSTAN]TINOPOLIS
(appears as struck)
R: Victory stg l, r foot on ship’s prow, holding a scepter
and shield in ex. TRP and a branch.
Ex: K. Dorney
RIC 81
RCV 17339
O: laur dr cuir bust r. CONSTANTINVS IVN NOBC
R: two soldiers standing facing each other on opposite sides
of two standards in the center field. GLOR-IAE EXERC-ITVS/.CONSΓ
Ex: Ken Dorney
RCV 20854
O: diad dr cuir bust r, DN ARCADIVS PF AVG
R: Victory adv left holding trophy in rt and a captive in
left SALVS REI-PVBLICAE/ALEΓ, + in left lower field.
Ex: Victor’s Imperial Coins
This is a milestone post, the 1,000th post since we started this blog in 2007. Perhaps there are as many or maybe more coins posted than there are posts. We also hope that the 238,384 visitors since 2007 to this afternoon, have found items here that assisted in classifying their coins, and found the site interesting and informative, though I wish I had the time to provide more information other than the data related to the individual coins most of the time. I am still doing my best to provide provenance information when available as that is an important goal in ethical collecting.
Unfortunately, that information is often only as good as the source, sometimes we can locate the provenance from other sources independently, but if the dealer or prior collector (the most important primary sources) did not record the information, that information could possibly be lost to posterity by omission, but sometimes, I am sorry to say also by commission.
On to the next thousand posts as time permits.
RCV 20792-93, 20795-97
O: diad dr cuir bust r, DN ARCADI-VS PF AVG
R: Arcadius stg facing with hd r holding orb and standard
GLORIA ROMANORVM/----
Ex: Numispechincha/Armando Veludo/Porto, Portugal
RCV 20012
O: diad dr cuir bust r, DN GRATIA-NVS PF AVG
R: Arcadius stg facing with hd r holding orb and standard
REPARATIO REI PVB/ANTA
RCV 20007
O: diad dr cuir bust r, DN GRATIA-NVS PF AVG
R: Arcadius stg facing with hd r holding orb and standard
REPARATIO REI PVB/SMAQS
Ex: Numispechincha/Armando Veludo/Porto, Portugal
cf. duplicate acquired in 2004