What is Your “Best Made” Coin?

[DonnaML]

I'm not even going to attempt to go through my Roman Imperial denarii to pick out one or more specimens. But here are some other possibilities.

First, how about this Piso Frugi (the son)?

Roman Republic, C. [Caius/Gaius] Calpurnius Piso L.f. [son of Lucius] Frugi [son-in-law of Cicero, married to Tullia], AR Denarius, 67-59 BCE, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head of Apollo right in high relief, hair long and in ringlets; behind, control symbol ɸ (Greek letter phi) (Crawford obverse die 32; Hersh 1976* obverse die O-33) / Rev. Naked horseman galloping right wearing shaped conical cap, holding reins but carrying no palm branch or other object; above, control symbol sword [Crawford] or knife [Hersh 1976] with curved blade [Crawford reverse die 43, Hersh 1976 reverse die R-1038]; beneath horse, C• PISO• L• F• FRVG [with VG blurred on die]. Crawford 408/1a [Apollo laureate rather than wearing fillet]; BMCRR Rome 3774 [this die combination]; Hersh 1976 at p. 32, Corpus No. 89 [this die combination]; RSC I Calpurnia 24j [Apollo laureate/horseman wearing conical cap & carrying no palm branch or other object]; Harlan, Michael, Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins 63 BCE - 49 BCE (2d ed. 2015) (“Harlan RRM II”), Ch. 7 at pp. 54-59; Sear RCV I 348; Sydenham 846. 18 mm., 3.86 g. 6 h. [Double die-match to Ira & Larry Goldberg Auction 80, Lot 3048, 03.06.2014, previously sold by LHS Numismatik AG, Auction 100, Lot 398, 23/04/2007. ]** [Footnotes omitted]

And perhaps these two Roman Alexandrian tetradrachms, both of which, I think, are unusually well-made for coins from Roman Egypt. Especially the reverses.

Hadrian, Billon Tetradrachm, Year 10 (125/126 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right wearing paladumentum and aegis, seen from rear; around from 7:00, ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ - ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑ ϹƐΒ [translation: Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus] / Rev. Laureate and draped bust of Zeus right, wearing himation; around, L ΔΕΚΑΤΟΥ [Year 10, spelled out]. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. III 5598 (2015); RPC III Online 5598 at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/5598; Emmett 903.10 (R2) [Emmett, Keith, Alexandrian Coins (Lodi, WI, 2001)]; BMC 16 Alexandria 571 at p. 70 [Poole, Reginald Stuart, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 16, Alexandria (London, 1892)] [ill. RPC III Online 5598, Specimen 2 (primary illustration of type)] [same rev. leg.]; Milne 1100 at p. 28 [Milne, J.G., Catalogue of Alexandrian Coins in Ashmolean Museum (Oxford 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay, 1971)] [ill. RPC III Online 5598, Specimen 7] [same rev. leg.]; Curtis 555 at p. 22 [James W. Curtis, The Tetradrachms of Roman Egypt (1969)] [same rev. leg.]; K&G 32.362 [Kampmann, Ursula & Ganschow, Thomas, Die Münzen der römischen Münzstätte Alexandria  (2008)] [rev. leg. var.]; SNG France 4, Alexandrie II 1474 [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, France Vol. 4, Alexandrie II, Hadrien – Antonin le Pieux – Nomes (Zurich 2018)] [rev. leg. var.] 26 mm., 13.30 g., 11 h. Purchased from Classical Numismatic Group, LLC [CNG] Electronic Auction 524, 28 Sep 2022, Lot 388. [Note: 5 of 7 illustrated examples at RPC show Zeus wearing taenia instead of laurel wreath.]

Hadrian, Billon Tetradrachm, Year 19 (134/135 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate head left; around from 2:00, ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙϹ ΤΡΑΙΑΝ - ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟϹ ϹƐΒ [translation into Latin: Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus] / Rev. Draped bust of Serapis right, crowned with modius adorned with leaves (appearing as dots), wearing taenia and himation; around, L ƐΝ – ΝƐΑΚ•Δ [Year 19, spelled out]. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. III 5943 (2015); RPC III Online 5943 at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/5943; Emmett 889.19 [Emmett, Keith, Alexandrian Coins (Lodi, WI, 2001)]; BMC 16 Alexandria 610 at p. 73 [Poole, Reginald Stuart, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 16, Alexandria (London, 1892)] [ill. RPC III Online 5943, Specimen 3 (primary illustration of type)] [same rev. leg.]; Milne 1100 at p. 28 [Milne, J.G., Catalogue of Alexandrian Coins in Ashmolean Museum (Oxford 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay, 1971)] [ill. RPC III Online 5943, Specimen 27] [same rev. leg.]; K&G 32.362 [Kampmann, Ursula & Ganschow, Thomas, Die Münzen der römischen Münzstätte Alexandria  (2008)] [ill. p. 146, rev. leg. var.]; SNG France 4, Alexandrie II 1903 [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, France Vol. 4, Alexandrie II, Hadrien – Antonin le Pieux – Nomes (Zurich 2018)] [rev. leg. var.]; Dattari (1901 ed.) 1465 at p. 94 [ill. Pl. XXII; rev. leg. var.] [Dattari, Giovanni, Monete imperiali greche, Numi Augg. Alexandrini, Catalogo della collezione (Cairo 1901)]. 24.5 mm., 13.50 g., 12 h. Purchased from Classical Numismatic Group, LLC [CNG] Electronic Auction 524, 28 Sep 2022, Lot 390.

I also think these three solidi are pretty well-made:

Valens (younger brother of Valentinian I, reigned as Emperor in East AD 364-378), AV Solidus, Treveri (Trier) Mint, 1^st Officina, issued 376 - mid-377 AD after death of Valentinian I [see Depeyrot pp. 77, 121]. Obv. Pearl-diademed (with double band of pearls held by single rosette gem at top), draped, and cuirassed bust right, DN VALENS – PF AVG / Rev. Valens & Gratian enthroned facing in single large throne, each with left leg uncovered and right hand on a globe between them; above and behind, Victory facing with wings spread; palm-branch on ground between them; VICTOR – IA AVGG around; in exergue, mintmark TROBC [TR = Treveri Mint; OB = “obryzum, which means refined or pure gold, and is the Greek numeral 72. Thus the . . . OB . . . may be read ‘1/72 pound pure gold’” (see https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=CONOB); C = Capita, for 1^st Officina (see Depeyrot p. 52)]. 19.5 mm., 4.42 g., 6 h.  Depeyrot, Trèves [Trier] 45/1 Valens at p. 121 (45th emission for city since AD 337) (26 examples of type from 1st Officina; 33 overall) [Depeyrot, George, Les Monnaies d'Or de Constantin II à Zenon (337-491) (Wetteren 1996)]; RIC IX 39(d)1 at p. 21; Sear RCV V 19578 (obv. ill. p. 324). Purchased from CNG (Classical Numismatic Group, LLC) Electronic Auction 525, 20 Oct. 2022, Lot 1319; ex. “Conti Collection.”* [Footnote omitted.]

Valentinian I, AV Solidus, 365 AD [Sear, Depeyrot] (reigned 364-375 AD), Antioch Mint, 3^rd Officina. Obv. Rosette-diademed (with square & round rosettes separated by ovoid pearls), draped, & cuirassed bust right, D N VALENTINI-ANVS P F AVG [Dominus Noster Valentinianus Pius Felix Augustus] / Rev. Valentinian, in military attire, standing facing, head right, holding labarum or vexillum ornamented with “T” [uneven/Tau cross?] in right hand* and, in outstretched left hand, Victory standing left on globe, holding up crowning wreath towards emperor, RESTITVTOR – REIPVBLICAE around; in exergue, ANTΓ [Antioch Mint, 3^rd Officina**].  RIC IX (1951) Antioch 2b (var. unlisted) ***; Sear RCV V 19267 at p. 294 (rosette-diademed, with no cross in the reverse left field, no stars or dots in the reverse exergue, and known from Officina 3, as well as Officina 10) (citing Depeyrot); Depeyrot II Antioch 23/1 Valentinian I (p. 281) (examples with this mint-mark, without stars or dots, & monogrammed cross in labarum rather than Chi-Ro, known from Officinas 3 & 10) (citing 1966 sale of this coin as the one example from 3^rd Officina, with one other from 10^th Officina) [Depeyrot, George., Les Monnaies d'Or de Constantin II à Zenon (337-491) (Wetteren 1996)].21.2 mm., 4.44 g. Purchased from Odysseus Numismatique [Julien Cougnard], Montpellier, France, Feb. 2022, “from an old Parisian collection”; ex Maison Vinchon Auction Sale, Mon. 25 April 1966, Hotel Drouot, Paris, Lot 257 (sold for 780 French francs, = $159.16 in 1966 U.S. dollars).

Eastern Roman Empire, Arcadius (son of Theodosius I and older brother of Honorius), 383-408 AD, AV Solidus 397-402 AD, Constantinople Mint (9^th Officina). Obv. Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing three-quarters right, holding spear over right shoulder and shield on left arm bearing image of horseman right; D N ARCADI-VS P F AVG / Rev. Helmeted Constantinopolis seated facing on throne, head right, with right knee bare and right foot resting on prow, holding long scepter with right hand and, on left hand, Victory with wreath standing on globe; CONCORDI-A AVGG Θ [Theta, for 9^th Officina]; in exergue, CONOB [for Constantinople Mint]. RIC X 7 at. p. 240 (1994); Depeyrot II Constantinople 55/1 Arcadius at p. 246 (55^th emission for city since AD 337) (30 examples of type from 9^th Officina; 285 overall) [Depeyrot, George, Les Monnaies d'Or de Constantin II à Zenon (337-491) (Wetteren 1996)]; Dumberton Oaks Catalogue, Late Roman 207-217 (217 = 9^th Officina) and Plate 8 [P. Griessen. & M. Mays, Catalogue of Late Roman Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection, etc. (1992)]; Sear RCV V 20706 (ill. p. 431) (1994). 20 mm., 4.44 g. Purchased from Dr. Busso Peus Nachf., Frankfurt, Germany, 1 April 2021. Ex. Auktionen Münzhandlung Sonntag Auktion 33 Lot 36 (23.11. 2020); ex. Auktion 116 München Münzhandlung Karl Kreß [Kress](Otto Helbing Nachfolger), Lot 729 (28.10.1960).