Unique coins in your collection

[Etcherdude]

That’s a heck of a patina on the Julia Mamaea, @Roman Collector

[maridvnvm]

I have had four Double Ants. of Tacitus, including H/XI.

[seth77]

On 5/28/2022 at 5:22 PM, TheTrachyEnjoyer said:

 

Unique and unpublished tornese of Michael IX. Im writing an article for publication currently and so won’t repeat what I have written there in detail but basically this is the first independently issued coin from Michael IX. Andronikos II and Michael IX were father and son. Andronikos II ruled alone, elevated Michael IX as coruler, and then ruled alone again after his son’s premature death (itself at the shock that one of Michael’s children accidentally killed the other). Michael IX and Andronikos II issued a number of coins in joint association but this is the first known coin where Michael IX is alone. What makes that so interesting is that Michael IX never ruled alone, only jointly with Andronikos II. That considered, previous assumptions about period attributions no longer can (with confidence) say that any independent coin of Andronikos II was issued during his dole reign. Until now it was assumed that any sole depicted coinage came from the sole reign of emperors. This tornese goes to show that Byzantine rulers did indeed issue coins separately during a joint reign. This in turn affects our understanding of when the silver trachy stopped being minting and the tornese/Basilikon were introduced! Considering that this is unique and the only independent coin known for Michael IX, this seemingly wasn’t common yet did occur! My paper will re-evaluate late Byzantine mint chronology and have some surprising findings! 

 

 

This is quite interesting, especially the question regarding when the 'western' style coinage -- the basilikon and its submultiples -- started. For one because I thought that the question is more or less clear from Ramon Muntaner who attributes the types (or at least the basilikon) to 1304 in direct connection with the need by Andronikos to pay the Catalan Company for its support in the Asian campaigns. The coinage itself reflects the purpose, with its similarity to the 'matapan' of Venice, which by 1300 had already become the most coveted coinage in the Meditteranean and as such, the most imitated.

[airhead1983]

Here’s my ‘unique’ coin on the left.  It’s a worn AE Shekel of Tyre.
 

The right is nothing unique in the ancient world because it’s a foureé Tribute Penny. 🤪

David Hendin wrote an article for the Celator back in the 90s about a handle of AE shekels that were found that weren’t foureés because they had no traces of silver on them and were struck just as well as their silver counterparts.

There is mystery surrounding the purpose of a bronze shekel, but, it’s pretty neat and I’m happy to have it in my collection.

 

Erin

[Ursus]

This coin is not unique anymore. There are now two known examples of this reverse type combined with a veiled bust. One is owned by me, the second by our forum friend @Roman Collector and previously has been in the custody of @Severus Alexander:

Faustina “the Elder” (postumous), Roman Empire, As or Dupondius, 141 AD, Rome mint. Obv: DIVA FAVS[TINA], bust of Faustina, veiled, r. Rev: [A]VGUST[A], Vesta standing l., holding palladium and sceptre; in fields flanking, SC. 27mm, 9.05g. RIC III Antoninus Pius 1179 var. (veiled bust)

Both examples are referenced in Dinsdale's online catalogue as no. 018330: (see here: http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Antoninus/07 - Diva Faustina I - Undated 140-161 - 2nd ed (med_res).pdf)

Edited May 29, 2022 by Ursus

[Sulla80]

@maridvnvm fantastic control marks on your L Papius - and I like the egocentric collection theme!

 

Probably not unique, but pretty hard to find and unique in its details : Nepal, Janapada, Shakya Republic, Narhan hoard type, AR five shana, circa 600-500 BC.  Zeno-152179  two crescents with dots punch in the center, many ancillary symbols around and struck over each other, uniface and scyphate.  The capital of Shakya state was Kapilavatsu, about 15 miles west of Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.  According to tradition, he lived from 563 to 483 BC.  He is also called Shakyamuni, meaning “sage of the Shakya clan.”

and this one of three that I have found so far (2 in Kleiner & Noe) and this one:

Ionia, Ephesos, struck circa 145-140 BC, AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm (28-30mm, 12.62g, 11h)

Obv: Cista mystica with serpent; all within ivy wreath

Rev: Bow case with serpents; above right and left Dioscuri caps surmounted by stars,

below on the left is EΦE above a coiled serpent.

Ref: Kleiner & Noe Series 29, this coin is a die match for 41-a Plate XV,8. The cast illustrated in Kleiner & Noe came from Herzoglichen Sammlung formerly Gotha, cast collected by L. Strauss and held by ANS.

Edited January 5 by Sulla80
fix text formatting problem

[Ryro]

Was very happy to add this rarity to my MSC collection. It is the only one listed in RPC:

And some other rare MSCs:

[Spaniard]

Rare variant!
I've only been able to find one other example of this type, it's on zeno...
https://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=135867.....
I've also been speaking with the owner of this example (great guy!) and we're pretty sure they're a double die match.

This coin type shows the entire legend on the obverse with 'Jaga' to the left and 'deva' to the right of the goddess. The title 'deva' is then repeated on the reverse bottom right..

Jaga Deva..1199-1213 AD.....19mm/6.22gr...Die axis 12 o'clock.
Obverse...Ardochsho (Lakshmi) seated cross-legged facing in lalitasana (with right leg folded under and left leg hanging down), holding diadem in right hand and long-stemmed lotus in left hand, legend in Sharada script, at left: 'Jaga', at right: 'Deva'.
Reverse...Highly stylized King standing facing, sacrificing at an altar to the left. Bottom right legend in Sharada script 'Deva'....Ex-William Spengler collection.
Here's the coin with a break down of the legend....
This type is unpublished in Mitchiner but is mentioned in Rodgers article plate coin #20...

[DANTE]

Here is my 'rare' coin. I have shown it before on the 'other place'. It is a scarce issue struck under in Syracuse under Agathokles (CNS II, 115, SNG ANS 695). Usually, they have a trident as adjunct on the reverse, mine has a triskeles at 12h, and 'ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ'. At first I thought my coin was unique (yeah!), but a thorough search on ACsearch yielded two other specimens (from different dies). Both times the triskeles went unnoticed. One was described as having the common trident variety (copy&paste), the other merely mentioned the absence of the trident as a noteworthy feature.  To be fair, on both coins the triskeles was almost erased by wear, so you'd have to know what you're looking for to see it. Still, I do take some pride in the discovery of an unpublished variety. 

There is one caveat. The only references I have on this coin are Wildwinds and CNG's 'Handbook of Coins of Sicily', so some other reference I don't know might have it.

 

 

 

 

[panzerman]

Neat topic/ coins!

I have seven "unique" coins. Here are 5

AV Aureus ND 255-57AD)

Roma Mint

Gallienus (Joint Reign Issue)   253-60AD

Calico Plate coin

Ionia/ Uncertain?

EL 1/48 Stater ND 625-600BC

Unpublished/ Unique

Regnum Francorum/ Regal Issue

Austrais/ Auvergne

AV Triens ND Brioude Mint

Theudebertus II 595-612AD King of Austrasia

Unpublished/ Unique

 

Unknown? Seuvi?

AV Tremissis in name of Marcianus

Unknown Mint/ King/ Tribe?

Unique/ unpublished/

 

British East India Company 1654-87

AV Half Pagoda (Vishnu/ granulated reverse

Fort St. George Mint

Unpublshed in 1/2 Pagoda denomiation/ 

[Finn235]

I've owned a lot of coins that were unique, but no longer are due to other specimens coming to light.

This I think still is unique

Claudius II / FIDES EXERCITI (EXERC and EXERCI are known types, but not EXERCITI)

This one I have attributed as something Kushan-adjacent; I got it in a large lot of very low grade coins more than 8 years ago, and I've never seen another coin even remotely like it since. I see helmeted Athena bust right / Standing figure in Kushan dress holding thunderbolt and unknown other object?

 

A few coins I regrettably sold (way too cheaply) I think are still unique

Cilicia, Nagidos AR hemiobol (obol denomination is common)

Troas, Dardanos AR hemitartemorion (tetartemorion is rare - at 0.08g this was unambiguously a half tetrartemorion)

This was a unique imitation of an Indo Greek drachm - Apollodotus or Menander?

And a unique imitation of a Parthian Phraates IV drachm, struck in copper

 

And some coins that I once considered unique or exceptionally rare, but others have surfaced since

Cilicia, Kelenderis obol, Athena left / goat kneeling, unique until this year:

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=11029309

Kyme, Aiolis AR trihemiobol or diobol, Unique when I got it in 2017, but I think 2 more have surfaced since

Lucius Caesar AE of Antioch ad Maeandrum, second known when I bought it, but I think the number is up to about 10 now?

Marcus Aurelius denarius, with rare combination TRP XXXI + IMP VIIII which dates it to October/November 177 - it was recorded in RIC but I didn't see a picture of a second specimen until this one showed up

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=7317148

[Finn235]

And I wanted to make a second post for Indo Sassanian coins, which can get a little confusing. I own a bunch of these coins which are known from fewer than 10 specimens, but since these aren't as popular as Western coins, there are probably a lot of "dark" specimens which are in collections, but neither attributed nor documented.

From track 1

This very early imitation has an unknown object in front of the bust - probably a sankh shell. In every other coin from this series, this is just a blank field 

This one has a hoop earring with 3 pearls - supposed to be a 3-stranded dangly earring

This one replaces the Korymbos above the helmet with a trident - an important symbol of Shiva worship

There are not many definite imitations within track 1 - curiously they all seem to be imitations of some indeterminate step between series 1.2 and 1.3. I am aware of 4 in existence, I own 2. All are very different styles

A type called the "distinctive nose" variety is demonstrably the first in the Malwa series, not the last as previously suggested by Maheshwari - 7 specimens of this type exist; I own 6 of them

An intermediate step where the face is gone but the nose is still present - and the moon is on the wrong side! I believe there are 2 specimens and I own 1

The popular malwa "Om" type -

An early calligraphy variant - I believe 3 exist and I own 2

One mistakenly engraved retrograde - maybe 4 or 5 exist and I own 1

This weird coin doesn't have a visible eye symbol and is almost 30% overweight. It is unique

Sri Omkara with a Crescent eye opening toward 3:00 - also unique 

This one has the letter MA behind the head instead of Ja, and a simple dot for the eye - I think 3 exist and I own 1

The popular "battle scene" type

This one has a star eye and a star instead of a circle above the horse rider - 2 exist, I own 1

These have two dots for an eye and the horse has a "bushy" tail - 3 exist, I own 2

 

The "circle lips" type was discovered by me in 2017 and a large hoard of ~100 came to market early this year - I picked up a few highly unusual specimens

These two have two eyes, and the top one was struck on a flan prepared by casting(?) And may have the moon on the wrong side! Two exist, I own both

This one has an open circle for the mouth - most probably made using the "punch" for the moon by accident - unique

This one's mouth is off the flan and the moon is on the wrong side

These two were from an earlier hoard (2018) and the ribbon is engraved too far down on the coin - 2 exist and I own both

Stephen Album released a hoard of ~750 unrecorded Gadhaiya in lots of about 110 each - I was able to buy 3 lots. The rarest by far was die pairing I/B - only 7 specimens

And just discovered a month ago - these Gadhaiya have a star instead of a mouth! 10 have come to light, I bought all 10

[AncientOne]

Can't say these are unique but I have not found other examples.

 

Achaea. Arcadia, Tegea. Caracalla Æ22

Obv: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Caracalla to right.
Rev: TEGE ATΩN, Pan standing left, on goat legs, holding syrinx and lagobolon.

 

Achaea. Elis, Elis. Septimius Severus AE18.
Obv. - ΛCEPCEBHP.. Septimius Severus laureate, head rt.
Rev. - HΛEIWΝ Zeus standing rt. holding eagle in left hand and throwing lightning bolt with rt.

 

Bithynia, Nicomedia. Severus Alexander AE16. Galley

Obv: Laureate bust right.
Rev: ΝΙΚΟΜΗΔƐΩΝ ΔΙϹ ΝƐΩΚΟΡΩΝ, Galley with oarsmen above waves r.

.

 

Syria, Seleukis & Pieria, Gabala. Caracalla Æ27

Obv: AVT K M A ANTΩNINOC / Laureate bust of Emperor Caracalla right.
Rev: ΓABAΛEWN / Zeus seated left holding Tyche with cornucopia and rudder.

 

Uncertain Empress AE16

Obv: Empress facing r.
Rev: Athena standing r. holding spear in l. and resting r. hand on grounded shield.

[Croatian Coin Collector]

Stephen Album said that this Gold 1/2 Mohur of Karim Khan Zand (minted in Isfahan is either 1770 or 1771) is probably unique:

 

 

[-monolith-]

Do you want unique, or one of a kind? There are very few coins that are truly one of a kind, but quite a few that are unique. 

 

Aurelian (RIC V 360) - unique rarity (mint error): the coin was struck, flipped over and struck a second time leaving a partial obverse image overlapping the reverse die and an impressed die clash on the obverse

Caracalla - unique rarity (brockage)

Elagabalus (unpublished) - exceptionally rare hybrid (4 known)

Geta (RIC IV, 96) - Unique rarity (double struck), obverse double struck with portrait extended and die cud, reverse double struck offset, elongated flan

Sorry for the crappy photo, I still need to photograph this one

Hadrian AE As (RIC II, 573 (248) - Unique rarity, two coins melted together during casting

Bithynia, Nicaea (Nikaia) – Gordian III - Unique rarity (brockage)

Caria, Stratonikeia - Unpublished, only known specimen

This coin has caused more controversy than I care to explain. Perhaps I will write a future article or you can check out the threads on Forum Ancient Coins.

Cyprus, Paphos – (Time of Roman Rule - Octavian) (Paphos (after 30 BC) - Unpublished and exceptionally rare “Rome Issue” variant (patera) (only 2 known)

Lydia, Sardes - Your guess is as good as mine. Either a countermark or overstrike, or both. I have a matching pair so it wasn't a fluke. I have only seen two of these which I own both.

Lydia, Sardes - Your guess is as good as mine. Either a countermark or overstrike, or both. I have a matching pair so it wasn't a fluke. I have only seen two of these which I own both.

Edited August 3 by -monolith-

[Phil Anthos]

u·nique

adjective

1. being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else.

   "this discovery was unique in history"

[PeteB]

Trajan. 98-117 AD. AR denarius (2.8 gm). Restoration of Q. Fabius Maximus. Obv: ROMA (Q) FAB MAXIMUS (......?). Laur. hd. of Apollo, r., "star" under chin, lyre before. Rev: IMP CAES TRAIAN AVG GE(R) (D)AC PP REST. Cornucopia upon thunderbolt, all within wreath. Restoring RSC Fabia 6. All coins of this series are exceedingly rare, and rarely listed for auction. This coin is apparently unique, as verified by the British Museum on 17 August 2004.

This coin has been studied and published in a 2007 paper by Dr. Gunnar Seelentag (Universitat Zu Koln), entitled "Bilder und Betrachter. Eine neue Rettitutionsmunze Traians." Pages 161-183. It can be found online at:
http://tinyurl.com/y9xsg9kd

[Sulla80]

More here: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/16-wrestling-moves

This is a unique coin and the deep gouging on the obverse a best of type for illustrating how corrections were made to unusually heavy flans from an al marco batch...

More here: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/attis-cybele

M. Volteius M.f., 75 BC, AR Denarius (19mm,3.77g, 6h), Rome mint

Obv: Laureate, helmeted, and draped bust of Attis right; amphora to left

Rev: Cybele driving biga of lions right; KΓ (control mark) above

Ref: Crawford 385/4; Sydenham 777; Volteia 4

Edited August 4 by Sulla80

[shanxi]

On 5/31/2022 at 10:01 PM, Sulla80 said:

Ref: Kleiner & Noe Series 29, this coin is a die match for 41-a Plate XV,8. The cast illustrated in Kleiner & Noe came from Herzoglichen Sammlung formerly Gotha, cast collected by L. Strauss and held by ANS.

Thanks for the reference.

Your coin is a die match with mine:

 

[zanzi]

As far as I have found, this cash coin is unique and unpublished. It is some kind of imitation coin which copies a Northern Song Dynasty coin of 11th century China, but this was probably minted in the late 1500s or early 1600s. There are many like this on Zeno.ru but there are none which are a calligraphy match. Cast coins are always matched to others due to using a mold, so it's unusual that there is no known match. This coin was discovered in Java, Indonesia so was maybe minted there, or maybe in China, or maybe even in Vietnam. I'd guess China or Java.

AE Cash / Picis
1500s-1600s
Obv: Xiang Fu Yuan Bao
Ref: unpublished, on Zeno.ru 329009
Bronze, 1.7 grams, 22.8mm

[Sulla80]

3 hours ago, shanxi said:

Thanks for the reference.

Your coin is a die match with mine:

It is a small world 😄fun to see!  More info on this coin here: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/a-rare-cistophoric-tetradrachm

Edited August 4 by Sulla80

[GinoLR]

A coin I previously posted on the other (now defunct ?) forum CoinTalk...

Commodus, medallic sestertius. AE 32-35 mm, 21.51 g, 6 h.
Obv.: L AELIVS AVRELIVS COMMODVS AVG PIVS FELIX, head left, wearing lion-skin
rev.: in wreath HERCVLI ROMANO AVGVST in three lines divided by vertical club

Unpublished, only one other specimen known : Gorny & Mosch 169.314, but with S C on rev.

This coin was acquired in Paris in the 1970s from a well-reputed dealer, and a senior curator of the Cabinet des Médailles considered it authentic. The only parallel I see is a Gorny & Mosch example auctioned in 2008, AE 21.86 g., apparently from the same pair of dies, but with a conspicuous difference : S C on reverse.

 

The two known specimens (21.51 g / 21.86 g)

This coin is a mix of a sestertius (weight, module, slightly irregular flan, reverse die) and of a medallion (obverse die). Why is it lacking S C on reverse? It is from the same die as the Gorny & Mosch specimen that has S C! I suspect tooling : a previous owner in the past centuries might have erased the S C to make the coin look like a medallion, but I see no trace of the erased letters...