my numismatic birthday

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Today I enjoyed a generous numismatic bounty, a belated birthday celebration. I managed to take some mediocre pictures of the two best coins.  The unphotographed ones are a c. 200 BC Roman semiuncia, which has that stripped, old 1960's-1970's collection look, but it's otherwise VF. The other one, presumably from the same old collection, is allegedly a Constans II.  I haven't been able to figure out exactly whether it's a late Heraclius or a constans.

This was the stocking stuffer; a cute small syracusian AE; I'd estimate that it's about 15-17mm.

 

Here's the very generous present, a Tiberius denarius.  The very underwhelming picture at least shows what it is.  The slab is probably from the 1990's era, possibly one of those telemarketer-type promotions.

I have no books for coins from Syracuse, so I'd have to trawl around vcoins to find some sort of reference.

It's a nice, pleasant fine, or a very liberal VF.  I don't know if I'd call the above coin an XF.  Certainly a VF.

 

I enjoyed great company, and also received some badly-needed shirts and my favorite coffees.

Dad showed me one of his personal buys, a Lucius Verus dupondius from the same collection as the Constans, but may have BD (then again, it may not - it's one of those maybe coins - probably 60/40 that it doesn't).  I think I know what might be his Christmas coin, if I come across a really nice one.

Coins from the shop are luck of the draw.  Some (generally my favorites) are raw, some are slabbed.

 

 

Edited September 27 by Nerosmyfavorite68

[Phil Anthos]

That Poseidon portrait is really nice for the type.

And happy birthday!

~ Peter 

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

I think the Constans II is S 1011. The detail isn't bad, better than most of the vcoins' ones (the 3 figures side is VF, Constans side F), but it's just the dark, stripped, type of coin; hard to make out.

The dark semiuncia actually has a pretty high grade, by wear, good VF or better, but the old, dark look obscures most of that unless one is looking closely.  I'm guessing it's Sear RCV I 620. It's very vague what 621 is like.  The list price is $49, but the actual price was less.  Not bad.

 

To quote Sear:

621 215–211 bc. Similar. RRC 41/11. CRR 109. BMCRR 162. F £30 ($48) / VF £75 ($120) Semunciae of this period weigh about 4–5 grams (for lighter post-reform semunciae of the type of 620–21, see no. 1360)

[sand]

Happy Numismatic Birthday @Nerosmyfavorite68.

The Sicilian Poseidon coin is quite nice and interesting. The Tiberius denarius is also quite nice. That's fun, that your Dad also collects ancient coins.

Who has more ancient coins? You or your Dad?

Has your Dad been collecting ancient coins, for a long time?

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

I have far more than Dad.

Dad has been collecting since the 1970's, with a decades-long hiatus.  He collects inexpensive coins for himself.  One of the downtown department stores had a coin section in the 1970's.  There was also a nice coin store during the 1990's.  The modern one is run by a really nice fellow, but they specialize in American.  There's a small ancients section.  The best ones are usually raw consignments from Jon Kern or other sources.

He'll never read this forum, so it won't be a gift spoiler, but I'm thinking per presents:

A nice coin

Physical copies of Sear's RCV, one and two.

Pdf's of all of them.

Perhaps David Van Meter's book.  That covers all of them, and is easy to understand.

Our tastes differ a bit. He doesn't really value toning/patina as much, and he doesn't really like the Roma head denarii.  I got him a really nice one, and his reaction was kind of like mine with the Sicilian, polite, but it really isn't my thing. He loved, loved, loved, that very nice, shiny, Gordian III Antioch Tet and that very nice Nero/Cladius Antioch Tet.  I wish I had one like that.

I don't have many coins of Tiberius, maybe four, and this is the nicest one, and the only decent photographed one.  I can update my idea for virtual 12 Caesars.