Priceless Treasure of Benghazi Stolen

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2055283/Libya-Robbers-loot-priceless-Treasure-Benghazi-bank-vault.html

This speaks for itself and does not aid those who argue that such items need to be stored solely in museums. The collection has been back in Libya for 50 years and apparently has not been studied and now it is in the wind. Good thing it was secured in a vault and not in private collections, eh?

Brazil; 1000 Rs 1922 Centenary of Independence Error

KM 532.2  Unc. Obs depicts Dom Pedro I and Pres. Epitacio Pessoa and you will note the error in the ex where BRASIL is spelled BBASIL. This error adds only about three times to the value of the BRASIL example, though recently eBay had one in in slightly poorer condition that was bid up to $97 US! Current catalogue value for this item is about $20 US.

For more info on  Dom Pedro I or Pres. Epitacio Pessoa click on the links.

Brazil; 1000 Rs 1932 4th Centenary of Colonization

KM#531 Unc  
The obs. depicts Martim Afonso de Souza (c 1500-1571) for more info on de Souza go to this URL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martim_Afonso_de_Sousa

Great Britain; Festival of Britain Crown 1951

S. 4111 unc. CuNi  
 Festival of Britain info

Update

Since I have a somewhat substantial and always growing collection of worldwide coins accumulated since I was a kid from my travels and those of friends as well as outright purchases, I am going to start posting (more frequently) interesting items from this collection that cover the eras from the end of antiquity to the present day.

The essence of this blog is and will remain ancient coins, and regular posts in this regard will continually be added or updated.  The worldwide items posted will consist of those items that catch my eye for artistic or historical reasons or for the story they carry.

Harry Truman once said that an 'expert is an expert because they are afraid to learn something new, then they wouldn't be an expert anymore.' I have never considered myself an expert and certainly have never stopped trying to learn something new on a daily basis, and trust that those of you who are regular or new visitors will find something of interest herein and will find new and hopefully interesting items to appreciate on this continuing exploration through collecting.

JG

Islamic/ Artuqids of Mardin; Najm ad-din Alpi AH 547-572/CE 1152-1176

AE Dirham; 31 mm, 11.95 g, 2h, obs. slightly double struck

Spengler/Sayles 27

O: based on obs of a tetradrachm of Antiochus VII Sidetes, with the laqam Najm ad-Din inscribed on the subject's neck. dotted border.

R: Inscription within dotted border reading: Malik al-Umara Abul-Muzaffar Alpi bin Timurtash bin al-Ghazi bin Artuq

                                         Example of the type the Artuqid piece was based upon,
                                         which was issued almost 1,300 years before the Artuqid
                                         piece.

Greece/Seleucid; Seleucus I Nicator BCE 312-281

AE 21 mm, 8.82 g, Antioch mint, circa BCE 300-295


O: laureate hd of Apollo r, with wavy locks on back of neck, dotted border.

R: BAΣΙΛΕΩ[Σ on r., ΣEΛEYK[OY] on l., Athena Promachos in Corinthian helmet stg r., brandishing spear and shield, dotted border. Seleucid symbol, inner right, Anchor, flukes upward.

SC 15.1, SNG Spaer 3-5 v, CSE 1, 2 v., CSE 2, 8 v., WSM 911

Greece/Seleucid; Demetrius I Soter BCE 162-150

AE 24 mm serrate (3 mm thick), 14.37 g,  Antioch mint.


SC 1644, HSC 821 (S)
O: laureate hd of Apollo r, hair twisted in long plait on back of neck. Dotted border

R: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ on r., ΔHMHTPIOY on l., tripod

Controls: none

Greece/Seleucid; Demetrius I Soter BCE 162-150

AE 24 mm serrate (6 mm thick), 18.01 g, Perhaps Antioch mint.

SC 1648 variety unlisted without controls

O: laureate hd of Apollo r, hair flowing down back of neck. Dotted border
R: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ on r., ΔHMHTPIOY on l., tripod

Controls: none