Ten-Speed

Yes, it's almost heavy enough to use as a paperweight!

A great galley! Very nicely defined devices on this coin and just the right amount of toning/patina to suggest its ancient provenance. Thanks for posting this coin.

Yay! Beautiful coin with a similar patina, I wonder if many Hadrian coins have this kind of patina. It's good to get some history about these coins, thanks. Now I know what a vexillum is--I can't place them now but I think I've seen them in modern photos but not sure of the type of environment.

Lots of times the emojis are pretty neat, but (many?) other times I wish we could express what we think about the coin or posting through words. I prefer a book with a good typeface to all the colorful and "creative" stuff that clutters things one reads on the Internet.

1936 Canadian Silver Dollar. Settler and Native American in canoe together. Hauser: River Flows in You

The eye appeal of this coin was too much for me to pass up--the sea-weed patina, the men in the rowing galley, and (in the seller's words) a rare left-sided portrait of Hadrian. Yes, it is tooled, and also smoothed, but I haven't seen many coins that look like this and it may help in my goal to learn more about varieties. Maybe it was a slightly impulsive purchase last week, but I didn't want to miss out on it. In RIC this is the 706j variety. On the back, the inscription FELIVITAS AVG is in two straight lines. Most of the coins have these words in a circular arc above the gallery. AE Sestertius 117-138, Hadrian. Rare Type. RIC 706j variety, 30.8 x 31.8 mm; weight 22.51 grams. From the seller's (one I trust very much) description: "Obverse head of Hadrian left, with HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS around. Head left is a rare variation on this type. Reverse is galley rowing left with FELICITAS AVG in two straight lines and the COS II PP below, with SC to either side off the galley. Most examples of this type have the FELICITAS AVG in an arc above the galley, with examples like this in two straight lines being scarce. With the scarce reverse variation combined with the rare obverse head left variety, this type does not show up often. Provenance ex-MS collection of Calgary, who specialized in rarities." About VF Does anyone have this coin or one of its varieties?

Thank you for this very pertinent and helpful information. I always enjoy learning more about the coins for which I am custodian.

Canadian Large Cents have a devoted following. There are many different varieties that may be collected. The most frequently sought are among those minted in Queen Victoria's reign. Specifically, the 1859 cents have several important varieties. With respect to our neighbors of the North:

This beat-up, but rare, 1916 Russian 5 Kopec coin is hurting, and has been through the war. (Would a pristine piece tell a more truthful story of that decade?) The coin has lost its beauty, ideologies have come and gone, yet the piano sonatas of A. Scriabin remain just as they were, and are even more beautiful today, a hundred years later. Scriabin - Etude Op. 8 No. 12 - YouTube.html

The objects are really neat and the write-up is literate and professional. Best wishes on finishing your dissertation, I went through that very same process and, believe it or not, I have fond memories of that time of life.

After the helpful discussion on varieties on "Jed Clampett's Truck," I decided to try to find two varieties of the same type coin. First, I went to a listing of Gordian III coins, since there seemed to be many of these available. (AR Antoninianus; RIC IV 93 Rome; AD 241-243, Obv. IMP GORDIANUS PVS FEL AVG; Reverse PM TR PV COS II P P, emperor standing right in military dress, holding spear and globe. Size 23.10 mm, Weight 4.77g. Next, in my student mode, I searched the other Gordian III coins to find a "variety" of the first coin. Here is the coin I chose, and further down I will explain the mistakes I made in identification. Here is Gordian III, 238-244, Emperor in Military dress; RIC IV 92 Roman; Obverse IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, RADIATE, Draped and curiassed bust, right; Reverse PM TR P IIII COS II P P; emperor holding globe and spear; 22.26 mm; 3.75 g. In my enthusiasm, what struck me immediately was the position of the spear in relationship to the two letters. In the botton coin, the spear points between two letters, while in the top coin, it points just above the left of one of the letters. (Does this remind anyone of leaves on Large cents pointing to stars or letters on reverse?) Because of this, I ordered the two coins. But there were other signs I missed: 1. The inscriptions on the reverse of each of the coins are different. 2. The size and weight of the coins are different. 3. The biggest tell: there are different RIC numbers for each coin type, and no small-case letters after the RIC number to denote a variety. I missed obtaining two varieties, but I learned a lot, and have two nice coins. Perhaps when searching for varieties it is good to take a look at everything again, maybe even the next day, before deciding to buy the coin.

And the moon and the stars are the same ones you see It's the same old sun up in the sky And your voice in my ear is like heaven to me Like the breezes here in old Shanghai

Gorgeous! Thanks for the details on the 1797 coin; now I have a better understanding of my coin, which was purchased from Calgary Coin Gallery.

Beautiful toning.

Nice, sharply-defined coin.