Iran; Sassanid; Shapur I CE 241-272

AR Drachm, 3.74 g, flan clipped or broken on l. side
Göbl 23 reverse appears more like 26 though
O: hd of King r wearing merlon crown, Pahlavi inscription around.
R: Fire altar with two attendants and Pahlavi inscription.

Ex: Ken Dorney

Famous sculpture of Shapur I and Valerian in captivity at Naqsh-i Rustam, Iran.
For more info on Shapur I try:
http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/History/Sasanian/shapour_I.htm

Greek; Ptolemaic Egypt; Ptolemy III Euergetes BCE 246-222

AE Tetrobol 38mm, 47.32 g. Alexandria mint.

Svornos 1172 v.

B389

O: diad. Hd of Zeus Ammon r.
R: Eagle stg on thunderbolt l. with hd facing r with cornucopia over l. shoulder
ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ

Greek; Gaul; Massalia c. BCE 400

AR Obol, 0.63 g, Sear 72
O: hd of youthful male l.
R: wheel with four spokes M-A in two of the quarters.

Ex: CNG via Frank S. Robinson

Greek; Euboea; Histiaea c. BCE 369-336

AE 14 mm, 1.52 g, Sear 2499v, BMC 7-8 variety (cf. plate XXIV, 3 for photo of type) , BCD Euboia 453 var.

O: hd of Maenad r. (star behind?)
R: bull running r with trophy above, IΣ TI in between the bull’s legs to center and r

Ex: Ex: Max Schlachter (1919-1987)/Plaza Stamp & Coin.
86 Congress Street
Bridgeport, CT
paid $1.00 in 1974

Greek; Kingdom of Cappadocia; Ariobarzanes II BCE 62-52

AR Drachm, 3.16 g, Regnal Yr. 8=BCE 56-55
BMC 1, Simonetta 2a
O: diad hd of Ariobarzanes II r.
R: BAΣIΛEΩΣ API·BAPZAN·Y ΦIΛ·ΠAT·P·Σ/ H, Athena stg l. holding Nike spear and shield .

According to Sear’s Greek Coins, Ariobarzanes II was the son of Ariobarzanes I (BCE 95-63). He married Athenais, a daughter of Mithradates VI of Pontus. After a troubled reigh of little more than a decade he was assassinated by members of a pro-Parthian faction. (p. 688)

The coins of this ruler appear to be among the harder to locate pieces for this particular series,

in fact according to Simonetta, this coin is R4 (extremely rare), He notes examples in his own collection and that of Cabinet des Médailles only. This example would be a 3rd, wildwinds has another (4th), and therefore at a minimum there appear to be 5 extant examples of this type, though it could reach a maximum of 11 examples if we were able to determine if the four noted at the ANS are all year 7 or mixed 7 & 8.

A problem with assessing the total number arises as Simonetta notes due to "...most...that have reached us bear a date 'off flan'." (B. Simonetta, The Coins of the Cappadocian Kings, p. 43).

Ex: Amphora

Acquisition: 2004

Maximianus CE 285-305

AE Antoninianus, 3.7 g, Rome mint, c. CE 291-293
C. 577 scarce type
Holed at 12 o’clock
O: IMP MAXIMIANVS PF AVG
R: Hercules stg facing with hd left, holding trophy nemean lion and club
VIRTVS AVGG/ XX ﬞ IA

Ex: Lynne’s Curio Shop, purchased in 1975 for $4.50

Hadrian & Sabina CE 117-138 Provincial Judea

Provincial Syria Palaestina (Judea)
AELIA CAPITOLINA (Jerusalem), AE 20 mm, 7.68 g, c. CE 130-138
Meshorer 7
O: [IMP CAE TR HAD AVG] laur bust of Hadrian r.
R: [SABIN AVGVS] hd of Empress Sabina r.

Ex: Amphora

Mildenberg states the following about this issue: " The other issue in the third group of Aelia coins, that with the portraits of Sabina, however, carries the curiously abbreviated legends IMP CAE TR HAD AVG and SABIN AVGVS on the obverse and reverse respectively. If this issue belongs to Aelia--and there is some question since the city is not mentioned in the legends--as indeed seems likely (BMC p. 83, 4-5: "Attribution conjectural, but favoured by fabric and style"), then it must have been struck before Sabina's death around autumn 136 because she is still not DIVA. This means that the Sabina issue was struck either during the ten to twelve-month period before the end of the war and the death of the empress or before the war between 130 and autumn 132, like the first group of Aelia coins."

----Mildenberg, L. Typos VI The Coinage of the Bar Kokhba War, 1984, pp. 100-101.

Aurelian CE 270-275

AE Antoninianus, 24 mm, 3.7 g, CE 274-275, Cyzicus mint

RCV 11597 (scarce)
O: IMP AVRELIANVS AVG
R: RESTITVTOR EXERCITI/ Γ in field / XXI in ex.

Ex: CNG Triton IX (Jan. 2006) portion of lot 2480

Antoninus Pius CE 138-161 Provincial Judea

Provincial Syria Palaestina (Judea)
ASHKELON AE 16 mm, 2.79 g, c. CE 157-158
SNG VI 729v , RPC 6393 v
O: [CEBACTOC ANTωNINOC] laur bust of emperor r.
R: ACKAΛω[N AΞC], Phanebal stg. l.

Purchased in Jerusalem on Bab As-Silsileh in the Old City for 10 ₪ in 1987

The dealer from whom this coin (and an Ayyubid dirham from Halab as well) was purchased, literally had several large jars filled from top to bottom with ancient and medieval coins, many still with the dirt on them. The jars took up much of the space in his small market stall which was not well lit as I recall it.

Ten Sheqels at the time was equivalent to about 6 USD, this being the final negotiated price down from twenty Sheqels each. My only regret is that I didn't have more time in the gentleman's store to explore at least one of his several jars to see what other interesting items he had had.

Ptolemaic Egypt; Ptolemy II Philadelphus BCE 285-246

AR Tetradrachm. TYRE MINT Yr. 30= BCE 256-255, 13.6 g, 27 mm.

Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, with aegis at neck.

Reverse – ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΣΟΤΗΡΟΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt. Club of Hercules & monogram in left field, graffito in right field along with Λ designating Yr. 30.

Sear GC 7773 variety.

Ex: Incitatus

China; Zhou Dynasty BCE 1122-221

周朝 AE "Yi Dao", before BCE 255, 19mm, 1.62 g, Schjöth 78

O: reading from right of square to left, "YI" -"DAO" 刀 一

R: blank

Ex: Frank S. Robinson

China; Zhou Dynasty BCE 1122-221

周朝 "Ming Dao" 明刀or Ming knife Money, c. BCE 400, AE 13.68 g, 134 x 17 mm, Schjöth 51 variety.

O: Chinese Character "Ming" 明
R: No additional characters


Ex: Universal Stamp & Coin

China; Zhou Dynasty BCE 1122-221

周朝 "Bridge" money, AE 7.o g., 115 x 40 mm (outer end x inner end) c. BCE 600-300(?) .

This "currency" may actually be slightly older than the dates given though the range is approximate. Some believe that these were actually chimes that were buried with deceased nobility that may or may not have had a monetary purpose.

Ex: Frank S. Robinson

China; Zhou Dynasty BCE 1122-221

周朝 (c. BCE 600 - 300) AE JIN (?) 'ghost head' or 'ant nose' money. Ding Fubao 4, Mitchiner ACW 5376, Schjoth XX.16 , 18 x 12 mm, 2.44 g.

Ex: Frank S. Robinson

Islamic; Umayyad Caliphate CE 661-750

'Abd al-Malik CE 685-705, AE Fals, Qinnasrin mint, 1.27 g, c. CE 694-697 "standing Caliph design".
Walker 107
O: ﻦﯿﻨﻣﻮﻤﻟﺍﺮﯿﻣﺍ ﻚﻠﻤﻟﺍﺪﺒﻋﷲﺍﺪﺒﻌﻟ
"Of the servant of Allah, 'Abd al-Malik, Commander of the Faithful"
"L'abd allah 'abdalmalik amir al-mu'mineen"
Caliph standing holding the Saif ad-Din to the right.

R: ﷲﺍ ﻝﻮﺳﺭ ﺪﻤﺤﻣ ﻩﺪﺣﻭ ﷲﺍ ﻻﺍ ﻪﻟﺍ ﻻ
"There is no G-d but Allah, he is one, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah"
"La ila ala Allah wahdahu Muhammad Rasul Allah"
acceptable Islamic replacement for the Byzantine Cross on steps motif, "staff on pediment intersected by oval near top"(M. Bates, ANS handbook 2)
to the vertical right is the mint mark "Bi-Qinnasrin" ﻦﯾﺮﺴﻨﻘﺑ and to the vertical left is "waf" ﻑﺍﻭ which means "reliable" as in 'this money is reliable for all transactions....'



Ex: Allan G. Berman
SOLD: 2007

Byzantine; Constans II CE 641-668

AE Follis (40 Nummia), 5.53 g, Syracuse mint, c. CE 651-654

O: facing portrait of Constans II with short beard

R: large M with SCL below and monogram of Constans II above (Sear Monogram 35)

Sear 1106

Ex: Amphora

Sold: 2007

Byzantine; Justinian CE 527-565

AE Follis (40 Nummia), 22.37 g, Constantinople mint, ANNO XIIII= CE 540-541

O: DN IVSTINI-ANVS PP AVC, helmeted facing bust with globus cruciger

R: large M with cross above, ANNO to left, X/II/II vertically to right, officina B below and CON in exergue.

Sear 163 variety

Sold: 2007

Nero CE 54-68 Provincial Syria

[Regnal Year 6/Caesarian Year 108/CE 59-60]
AR Tetradrachm (Sela' Neronit), Antioch mint, 14.74g 24x29mm

OBS: laur bust rt wearing aegis ΝΕΡΩNOΣ ΚΑΙΣAPOΣ ΣΕΒAΣTOY

REV: Eagle stg l on thunderbolt, wings spread, palm branch before, in field to right: ς / HP

SGI 617, BMC 189v

Tantalus ID#35557

Ex: Ancient Byways