UK/ Charles III 2022-date

 CuNi 50p, 27 mm, 8.00 g, Royal Mint, September-December 2022. mintage estimated at this time to be between 4.9 to 9.6 million pieces.  

Euro Zone; Croatia 2023

€2

€1

                                         

50, 20  & 10 cents

 1, 2 & 5 cents

ROMAN/ Severus Alexander CE 222-235

AE Sestertius, 31 mm, 19.14 g, 12h, Roma mint CE 233

RIC 535

RCV 8003

BMCRE 932

O: laur draped bust right  IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG

R: Sol adv l, r hand raised holding whip in left PM TRP XII COS III PP, SC across central fields

 

Ex: Roma Numismatics 101 lot 1076 (13.10.2022)

Ex: “from a private English collection”

 

ISLAMIC/ Governors of Tabaristan; Sa’id bin Da’laj CE 776-779/ AH 160-162 /PYE 125-127

 AR Hemidrachm, 23 mm, 1.9 g, 3h, Tabaristan mint, PYE 125/CE 776-777

Album 58

O: Sassanian style bust r with Arabic legend to right of bust سعيد

R: Fire altar flanked by attendants, Tabaristan in Pahlavi on r and date on l

ROMAN/Julian II CE 360-363

 

AE 20 mm, 2.5 g, Thessalonika mint

RIC 227 (S)

O: helmeted hd left spear and shield forward, 

DN FL CL IVLI-ANVS PF AVG

R: VOT/X/MVLT/XX in wreath

TESΓ in ex. Palm branches on either side

 

 

EX: Warren Esty

GREEK/SELEUCID; Seleucus VI c. BCE 96-94

 AE 21 mm, 6.62 g, 12h. Antioch mint c. BCE 95-94

SC 2425.3

HGC 9, 1284 (R2)

O: diad, beardless bust r. dotted border

R: BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΕΛΕVKOV in two lines on the rt, EΠΙΦNOVΣ NIKATOPOΣ in two lines on the l, Apollo stg l, testing arrow and resting elbow on column. Primary control on outer left not visible, secondary control A on inner l.

 

Ex: London Ancient Coins (UK)

 

Three examples known at this time; CSE 371, an example in the Biblioteque Nationale Paris, and this coin.

GREEK/COMMAGENE; Antiochos IV CE 38-72

 AE 27-24mm 13.07 g, 12h Laranda Lycaonia mint

BMC 24

Kovacs 249

RPC 3533

O: diad bust of Antiochos IV r  [ΒΑCΙΛΕΥC ΜΕΓΑC Α]ΝΤΙΟΧΟC.

 Anchor cmk at 4 o’clock.

R: Scorpion and inscription in wreath, ΛΥΚΑΟΝΩΝ

 

Ex: Warren Esty

Greek/Seleucid; Philip I Philadelphus BCE 95/4-76/5

AR Tetradrachm; 14.35 g, 27 mm, 12 h, Uncertain mint 128 in Cilicia probably Tarsus, c. BCE 88/7-76/5.

SC 2461.4

SNG Spaer 2820

O: diad head of Philip r, fillet border.

R: Zeus enthroned l, holding Nike and sceptre, laurel wreath border. BAΣIΛΕΩΣ ΦIΛΙΠΠOV in two lines on the r, EΠΙΦANOVΣ ΦΙΛAΔΕΛΦOV in two lines on l.

Frozen control under throne. Control in ex and inner left.

GREEK/Seleucid; Antiochos VI BCE 144-c. 142

AR Drachm; 18 mm, 3.94 g, 12 h, Antioch mint c. BCE 143-142

SC 2003c (R1-2)

SMA 257

O: radiate and diad hd of Antiochos VI r, dotted border

R: BAΣΙΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY in two lines on rt, EΠΙΦANOYΣ ΔΙONYΣOY in two lines on left, spiked Macedonian helmet with cheek guards facing r, adorned with goat’s horn above visor.

Primary control between spike and horn reading downward TPY

Secondary control inner r beneath helmet see monogram C in SC.

 

Ex: “from a private European Collection”

Ex: Roma Numismatics E-Sale 100 (28-07-22) lot 568

QE II 1952-2022 two paper portraits from Canada & the UK

 Canada 1973-1975, last of the circulating paper $1 obtained in Quebec City 1988. The now  ubiquitous Loonie debuted that same year. 

UK 2015, polymer £5 note, Churchill depicted on the reverse. Obtained London 2017

GREEK/Seleucid; Antiochos III BCE 223-187 with apparently unpublished controls

AE 24 mm, 12.13 g, 1h, likely Antioch mint

SC 1048 variety but with unpublished controls

O: laureate head of Antiochos r as Apollo, dotted border

R: Apollo seated l on omphalos holding an arrow in his rt hand and resting against a bow held in his left.  Inscription on right reads BAΣIΛΕΩΣ and on left ANTIOXOY, with controls to left above and below the arrowhead.

ROMAN PROVINCIAL; Spain; Augustus BCE 27- CE 14

 Colonia Patricia (Cordoba)

AE Quadrans, 17 mm, 2.69 g, 3h

RPC I, 131

O: bare hd portrait of Augustus left with insc proceeding from left to right [PER C]AE AVG

R: Priestly implements with inscription [COL] PATR

 

Ex: Numismatica Prados, Sevilla, Spain

Augustus from Palazzo Massimo, Roma September 2024

Ara Pacis Roma, October 2024

GREEK/Seleucid; Antiochos I BCE 281-261

AR Drachm; 4.07 g, 16 mm, 6h, Aï Khanoum mint c. BCE 266-261

SC 439.1

O: diad hd of Antiochos r.

R: BAΣIΛEΩΣ on right and ANTIOXOY on left, o in left field under Apollo’s arrow and adjacent to the T in ANTIOXOY. Apollo std l on omphalos holding arrow and leaning on a bow.

Ex: Tamco Numismatics (Sweden)

CRUSADERS, Antioch. Tancred. Regent, CE 1101-1103, 1104-1112

 

Æ Follis (20mm, 3.04 g, 6h). Second type.

Metcalf, Crusades 63-70

Schlumberger, p. 45 and pl. II, 7

CCS 4a

O: + KЄ BHΘ TO HΓ TΩ ΔOYΛΩ TANKP, facing armored bust, holding upraised sword

R: cross of four pellets above / Cross crosslet; IC | XC/NI | KA in quarters, fleurons at base of cross.

ROMAN/Septimius Severus CE 193-211

AR Denarius; 18 mm, 3.05 g, 6h, Laodicea mint c. CE 199

RSC 21

RIC 500

RCV 6259

O: laur bust of Severus right L SEPT SEV AVG IMP XI PART MAX

R: Aequitas stg l, holding scales and cornucopiae, AEQVITATI AVGG

ISLAMIC/Dubaysid; ‘Izz ad-Din Abu Bakr al-Dubaysi AH 541-551/CE 1146-1156 EX MARDIN HOARD et al

 AE Follis 25 x 27 mm, 8.10 g, al-Jazirah mint ND

Album 1955 (S)

Lowick MH 13

Host coin is Sear Byzantine Anonymous Class A3 SB 1818 attributed to Constantine VIII CE 1025-1028

O: one countermark in a circle reading عز

From the dealer’s write up:

This counterstamp is attributed to Izz al-Din, governor of al-Jazirah appointed by Sayf al-Din Ghazi I of al-Mawsil (Mosul). Izz al-Din revolted upon Ghazi's death and took al-Jazirah as independent ruler, a period during which he presumably countermarked circulating coins in his name. This example is struck on a Byzantine anonymous follis attributed to the reign of Constantine VIII, 1025-1028 A.D. This countermark was present on 473 coins in the Mardin Hoard.

The Mardin Hoard was a large group of copper coins found before 1972 in the vicinity of Mardin in modern-day southeastern Turkey. The hoard consisted of at least 13,500 pieces, including around 2,200 Byzantine folles countermarked by local Islamic rulers, as reported by N. M. Lowick, author of 'The Mardin Hoard,' a 1977 book published to document the countermarks found on the coins. The hoard was important in further understanding patterns of circulation and countermarking of Byzantine coins still being used in lands recently claimed by Islamic rulers. Most examples are heavily worn from circulation and many are countermarked several times, some on top of each other.

Ex: Mardin Hoard 1972

Ex: A. H. Baldwin & Sons original purchaser of the hoard 

 Ex: William F. Spengler (1923-2005) Collection

ROMAN/Philip II as Caesar, CE 244-247

 AR Antoninianus, 22 mm, 3.6 g, 7h, Roma mint c. CE 245-246

RIC 219

RCV 9240 v

O: rad and draped bust r, M IVL PHILIPPVS CAES

R: Philip II stg l in military attire holding globe and resting on spear, PRINCIPI IVVENT

Ex: Davisson's Ltd, (Cold Spring MN) Auction Seven lot 142 (21 August 1996)

This altar was erected by the citizens of Girona, Spain in honor of Philip II. The altar was preserved due to its reuse as the foot of the high altar in Sant Marti Sacosta.

The inscription reads:

M IVLIO

PHILIPPO
NOBILIS
SIMO CAE
SARI
R P GER

When translated should read: "To M. Julius Philippus, most noble Caesar, the people of Girona (Gerunda)"

This altar is now located in the Archaeology Museum of Girona and was photographed by us in 2018. The Archaeology Museum is housed in a beautiful Romanesque Abbey whose cloisters should not be missed. 

ROMAN/Procopius CE 365-366

 AE 3, 20 mm, 2.76 g, 12h, Nicomedia mint, 28 September CE 365 to 27 May CE 366

RIC 10

RCV 19884

O: diad bust left, DN PROCO-PIVS PF AVG

R: Procopius in military attire stg facing hd r, holding labarum and resting on shield, XP monogram in upper field r, REPARATI-O FEL TEMP in ex. SMNA

from Ammianus Marcellinus XXVI:9:11

Procopius departed this life at the age of forty years and ten months. Personally he was a tall man and not bad looking; he was somewhat dark complexioned, and walked with his gaze always fixed on the ground. In his secretive and gloomy nature he was like that Crassus who, as Lucilius and Cicero declare, laughed only once in  his life; but the surprising thing is, that throughout all his life he was not stained with bloodshed.