John's Ancient Coin Collection — John's Ancient Coin Collection

Lydia Electrum Trite, Lion's Head

Lydian | Asia Minor (Lydia) | Mint: Sardes | Late 640s – early 6th century BC (the bracket is wide because the dating is genuinely disputed) | Era: Kingdom of Lydia — the invention of coinage

Auction photograph — not yet photographed in hand

Obv: Head of a roaring lion right, with a four-rayed 'sun' or radiate boss on the forehead

Rev: Two incuse square punches, side by side

Ref: Weidauer Group XVI, 65

Lydian Croeseid Third-Stater — Lion & Bull

Lydian | Asia Minor (Lydia) | Mint: Sardes | c. 561–546 BC (Kroisos; tag: c. 564–539 BC), possibly continued to c. 520 BC under Persian rule — chronology debated | Era: Kingdom of Lydia / early Achaemenid transition

Obv: Confronted foreparts of a lion (on the left, head right) and a bull (on the right, head left), facing one another. Anepigraphic.

Rev: Two incuse (sunken) square punches of unequal size, side by side.

Ref: SNG Ashmolean 772

Kyzikos Electrum Hekte — Athena & Tunny

Greek (Ionian, Archaic) | Asia Minor (Mysia) | Mint: Kyzikos | c. 550–490 BC (dealer tag; the type is bracketed as broadly as c. 550–450 BC in some catalogues) | Era: Archaic period (Kyzikene electrum)

Obv: Head of Athena left, wearing crested helmet; below, tunny fish left — the civic badge of Kyzikos

Rev: Quadripartite incuse square of archaic 'mill-sail' form

Ref: Von Fritze I 67

Lydian Croeseid Siglos — Lion & Bull

Lydian | Asia Minor (Lydia) | Mint: Sardes | c. 550–520 BC (Persian period) | Era: Early Achaemenid period at Sardes / posthumous Croeseid coinage

Obv: Confronted foreparts of a lion (on the left, head right) and a bull (on the right, head left), each with foreleg extended, facing one another. Anepigraphic.

Rev: Two incuse (sunken) square punches of unequal size, side by side.

Ref: Berk 22

Kyzikos Boar / Lion Hemiobol

Greek (Ionian, Archaic) | Asia Minor (Mysia) | Mint: Kyzikos | c. 525–475 BC (tag; the variety is dated c. 450–400 BC in other catalogues — see notes) | Era: Late Archaic period

Obv: Forepart of running boar left, retrograde K on shoulder; tunny fish upward behind

Rev: Head of roaring lion left; small facing feline head (a lioness or panther) above; all in shallow incuse square

Ref: SNG France 378 (tag)

Miletos Lion / Star Twelfth-Stater (Obol)

Greek (Ionian, Archaic) | Asia Minor (Ionia) | Mint: Miletos | c. 525–494 BC (the house and NGC: late 6th–5th centuries BC — see notes) | Era: Late Archaic Ionia — Persian rule and the Ionian Revolt

Obv: Forepart of a roaring lion to the left, the head turned back over the shoulder (reverted), mane rendered as rows of short strokes

Rev: Stellate floral pattern — four large petal-shaped rays on the diagonals with smaller rays between them, around a central diamond enclosing a pellet — all within an incuse square

Ref: SNG Kayhan 462–475

Teos Archaic Griffin Stater

Greek (Ionian, Archaic) | Asia Minor (Ionia) | Mint: Teos | Late 6th century BC (c. 520–490 BC) | Era: Archaic Ionia (pre-/early Persian period)

Obv: Griffin with curled wing seated right, head erect, raising the left forepaw

Rev: Quadripartite incuse square (rough/'mill-sail' punch)

Ref: SNG von Aulock 2252

Achaemenid Siglos — Royal Archer (Type II)

Achaemenid Persian | Asia Minor (Lydia) | Mint: Sardes | c. 505–480 BC | Era: Achaemenid Persian Empire (late Archaic; temp. Darius I – Xerxes I)

Obv: The Persian Great King (royal archer) in kneeling-running (Knielauf) stance right, wearing the kidaris and kandys, quiver over the shoulder, drawing a bow held in the extended left hand. Anepigraphic.

Rev: Irregular oblong incuse punch.

Ref: Carradice Type II (pl. XI, 12)

Corinth Pegasos & Athena Stater

Greek (Classical, Corinthian) | Greece (Corinthia) | Mint: Corinth | c. 490–450 BC | Era: Persian Wars and Pentekontaetia

Obv: Pegasos with curled (archaic) wing flying left; below, koppa (Ϙ) — the archaic initial of Ϙόρινθος (Corinth)

Rev: Head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet, hair falling in a queue behind; all within a shallow incuse square

Ref: Ravel Period II, 136 var. / Pegasi 68

Syracuse Gelon-Era Quadriga Tetradrachm

Greek (Classical) | Sicily | Mint: Syracuse | 485–478 BC (dealer's tag dating) | Era: Early Classical Sicily (Deinomenid tyranny)

Obv: Charioteer, holding kentron and reins, driving slow quadriga right; above, Nike flying right, crowning the horses; border of dots

Rev: Head of Arethusa right, wearing taenia and pearl necklace, within a circle of four dolphins and the ethnic

Ref: cf. Boehringer, Die Münzen von Syrakus (series/die undetermined — open thread)

Kaulonia Apollo / Stag Nomos

Greek (Classical) | Italy (Bruttium) | Mint: Kaulonia | c. 475–425 BC | Era: Classical Magna Graecia

Obv: Apollo, nude, advancing right, laurel branch in raised right hand, small daimon running right on his extended left arm; in right field, stag standing right with head reverted

Rev: Stag standing right; laurel branch to right

Ref: Noe, Caulonia, Group F, 84

Syracuse Deinomenid Tetradrachm — Quadriga & Arethusa

Greek (Classical, Sicilian) | Sicily | Mint: Syracuse | c. 475–470 BC (Deinomenid tyranny, 485–466 BC) | Era: Early Classical Sicily (Deinomenid tyranny)

Obv: Charioteer driving walking quadriga right, holding kentron and reins; Nike flying right above, crowning the horses

Rev: Head of Arethusa right, hair bound with beaded taenia (fillet), wearing necklace and earring; four dolphins swimming around; legend around

Ref: Boehringer 320 (V156/R214)

Aspendos Warrior / Triskeles Stater

Greek (with Anatolian / Pamphylian elements) | Asia Minor (Pamphylia) | Mint: Aspendos | c. 465–430 BC (dealer tag: 460–420 BC) | Era: Classical Greece / Achaemenid Pamphylia

Obv: Nude hoplite warrior advancing right, holding a spear in his raised right hand and a round shield on his left arm. (On worn specimens the helmet and shield device are indistinct.)

Rev: Triskeles of three bent human legs revolving (running), joined at the center, within a dotted border / shallow incuse square; small symbol(s) in the field on some dies.

Ref: Sear (Greek) 5381–5382

Athens Classical "Owl" Drachm

Greek (Classical) | Greece (Attica) | Mint: Athens | c. 454–404 BC | Era: Classical Athens (Periclean age and Peloponnesian War)

Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet ornamented with three olive leaves and spiral palmette, and disc earring

Rev: Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig with berry in upper left field (no crescent on the drachm, unlike the tetradrachm); all within incuse square

Ref: HGC 4, 1631

Athens Classical "Owl" Tetradrachm

Greek (Classical, Attic) | Greece (Attica) | Mint: Athens | c. 454–404 BC (dealer tag: 454–404 BC) | Era: Classical Athens / Pentekontaetia–Peloponnesian War

Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing a crested Attic helmet ornamented with three olive leaves over the visor and a palmette/spiral scroll on the bowl; round earring and beaded necklace. The eye is rendered frontally in the archaizing 'almond' convention retained on this coinage.

Rev: Owl standing right, head facing the viewer; to upper left an olive sprig with two leaves and a berry, and a crescent moon; all on a broad flan (the incuse square of the earlier issues is largely off-flan).

Ref: Kroll 8; SNG Copenhagen 31; Sear (Greek) 2526; HGC 4, 1597

Egypt Pharaonic Owl Tetradrachm (Imitating Athens)

Pharaonic Egyptian | Egypt | Mint: Memphis | c. 450–330 BC | Era: Late Pharaonic

Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet; uraeus (Egyptian cobra) at neckline

Rev: Owl standing right, facing; olive sprig and crescent to upper left

Ref: Van Alfen, Mechanisms (RBN 157, 2011), Group III.A.1, Fig. 3 = Buttrey Type X

Amisos Owl Siglos ×2

Greek (Classical) | Asia Minor (Pontos) | Mint: Amisos | c. 435–370 BC | Era: Classical Black Sea Greek world

Obv: Head of Hera left, wearing ornamented stephane; dotted border

Rev: Owl standing facing on shield, wings spread; magistrate letters in lower fields; letter traces below the base line on some dies

Ref: SNG BM Black Sea 1053

Thebes Shield / Kantharos Hemidrachm

Greek (Classical) | Greece (Boiotia) | Mint: Thebes | c. 425–375 BC | Era: Late Peloponnesian War to the rise of the Theban hegemony

Obv: Boiotian shield — oval with rounded cut-outs at each side

Rev: Kantharos (two-handled drinking cup); above, club right; all within shallow incuse square

Ref: BCD Boiotia 412

Aspendos (or Selge) Gorgoneion / Athena Obol

Greek (with Anatolian / Pamphylian elements) | Asia Minor (Pamphylia) | Mint: Aspendos | c. 4th century BC (the house; the Selge obols of this type are generally placed c. 350–300 BC) | Era: Late Classical Anatolia — Persian rule to Alexander

Obv: Facing gorgoneion — the Gorgon's head seen from the front, the tongue protruding between the teeth, the hair in a fringe of snakes or curls

Rev: Head of Athena right, wearing a crested Attic helmet; on many dies of the series an astragalos (knucklebone) behind the head, not visible on this collection's specimen

Ref: SNG France 3 (Pamphylie), 38

Carthage Tanit / Horse & Palm Bronze Unit

Carthaginian (Punic) | North Africa (Zeugitana) | Mint: Carthage | c. 400–350 BC | Era: Carthage's wars for Sicily (the Dionysian era)

Obv: Head of Tanit (in the Persephone/Kore manner) left, wreathed with grain ears, wearing pendant earring and necklace

Rev: Horse standing right; date palm behind

Ref: SNG Copenhagen 111

Larissa Bull-Wrestler (Taurokathapsia) Drachm

Greek (Classical) | Greece (Thessaly) | Mint: Larissa | c. 400–380 BC | Era: Late Classical Thessaly (era of the Thessalian bull-games coinage)

Obv: Thessalos to left, nude but for chlamys over his shoulders, his petasos attached to a cord around his neck and flying in the air behind him, restraining a bull leaping left by a band held in both hands around its forehead; all within a border of dots

Rev: Bridled horse with trailing rein prancing right, no ground line, all within a shallow incuse square

Ref: BCD Thessaly II 372.10

Byzantion Half Siglos — Bull on Dolphin

Greek (Classical) | Thrace | Mint: Byzantion | c. 387/6–340 BC | Era: Classical Greek world (fourth century BC)

Obv: Bull (cow) standing left on a dolphin left, right foreleg raised; 'ΠΥ above (the initial letters of the city's name, with the archaic local form of beta)

Rev: Quadripartite incuse square of 'mill-sail' pattern, the sunken quarters stippled with granulation

Ref: SNG BM Black Sea 36 ff.

Pharsalos Athena / Horse's Head Hemidrachm

Greek (Classical) | Greece (Thessaly) | Mint: Pharsalos | c. 370–340 BC | Era: Late Classical Thessaly

Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing pendant earring and crested Attic helmet with raised cheek flaps, adorned with scrolls, hair out from under the neck guard; T (the master engraver Telephantos) over ΙΠ (his apprentice?) behind neck

Rev: Horse's head and neck right, concave field

Ref: Lavva 126 (V58/R73)

Mazaios Tarsos Stater — Baaltars & Lion

Achaemenid Persian | Asia Minor (Cilicia) | Mint: Tarsos | 361–334 BC | Era: Late Achaemenid Cilicia (satrapal coinage)

Obv: Baaltars (the Baal of Tarsos) enthroned left, torso facing, holding eagle, grain ear, and grape bunch in his extended right hand, lotus-headed sceptre in his left; Aramaic legend BʿLTRZ (Baaltars) downward to right; Aramaic letter(s) beside or below the throne on most dies

Rev: Lion attacking a bull to left, bringing it down from above; Aramaic legend MZDY (Mazday = Mazaios) above; monogram or symbol below on most dies

Ref: SNG Levante 106

Philip II Apollo / Horseman Bronze ×3

Greek (Classical, Macedonian) | Macedonia | Mint: Pella | 359–336 BC (with posthumous continuations) | Era: Rise of Macedon

Obv: Head of young Apollo right, hair bound with taenia

Rev: Youth on horseback riding right; control symbol below on most dies (varies by issue: spearhead, monogram ligatures, and others)

Ref: Sear 6698

Phokis Third Sacred War Triobol ×2

Greek (Classical) | Greece (Phokis) | Mint: Delphi | c. 356–346 BC | Era: Third Sacred War

Obv: Head of bull facing, wearing fillets

Rev: Laureate head of Apollo right; chelys (tortoise-shell lyre) behind; letter traces in field (Φ-Ω on well-preserved examples)

Ref: HGC 4, 1048

Athens Pi-Style "Owl" Tetradrachm

Greek (Late Classical, Attic) | Greece (Attica) | Mint: Athens | c. 353–294 BC | Era: Late Classical Athens / Lykourgan era to the Diadochi

Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing a crested Attic helmet with three olive leaves over the visor and a floral palmette on the bowl whose fronds are configured like the Greek letter Π ('pi-style'); round earring and beaded necklace. The eye is now rendered in true profile, abandoning the archaizing frontal eye of the fifth-century owls.

Rev: Owl standing right, head facing the viewer; olive sprig and crescent to left; traces of the incuse square. Flans of this series are characteristically compact, thick, and irregular.

Ref: HGC 4, 1599

Argos Amphilochikon Pegasos Stater

Greek (Classical, Corinthian) | Greece (Akarnania) | Mint: Argos Amphilochikon | c. 350–270 BC (dealer tag; catalogues commonly c. 360–330 or 340–300 BC) | Era: Late Classical / early Hellenistic northwest Greece

Obv: Pegasos with pointed wing flying left; below, A — the initial of Argos, in the position where Corinth's own staters carry the koppa

Rev: Head of Athena left, wearing Corinthian helmet; ΑΡΓΕΙ (abbreviating the ethnic) and symbol behind

Ref: Sear (Greek) 2258

Krannon Hydria-Cart Dichalkon

Greek (Classical) | Greece (Thessaly) | Mint: Krannon | c. 350–300 BC | Era: Late Classical / early Hellenistic Greece

Obv: Thessalian horseman wearing chlamys and petasos galloping right

Rev: Hydria (water jug) on a two-wheeled cart; crow perched at the wheel; city ethnic around (ΚΡΑ visible below on this specimen)

Ref: HGC 4, 385

Alexander the Great Herakles / Club & Bow Bronze

Greek (Hellenistic) | Macedonia | Mint: Pella | 336–323 BC (lifetime) | Era: Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire

Obv: Head of Alexander as Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress

Rev: Bow in bowcase (gorytos) above, club below; AP monogram below club

Ref: SNG Copenhagen 1055 type

Alexander the Great Tetradrachm — Kolophon

Greek (Hellenistic, Macedonian) | Asia Minor (Ionia) | Mint: Kolophon | 336–323 BC (per dealer tags; Kolophon struck Alexanders from c. 325 BC, and a precise lifetime vs. early-posthumous date awaits the Price attribution) | Era: Alexander the Great / early Hellenistic

Obv: Head of young Herakles right, wearing the lion-skin headdress knotted at the neck

Rev: Zeus Aetophoros enthroned left, eagle on his outstretched right hand, sceptre in left; ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ downward to right; monogram in left field

Ref: Price — (number cut off on the earlier printed tag; to be determined from the monogram)

Alexander the Great Drachm (Sardes?)

Greek (Hellenistic, Macedonian) | Asia Minor (Lydia) | Mint: Sardes | c. 334–319 BC (bracket for the Sardes drachm series; this coin's exact issue awaits the control-mark match) | Era: Alexander the Great / early Hellenistic

Obv: Head of young Herakles right, wearing lion-skin headdress

Rev: Zeus Aëtophoros enthroned left, eagle on outstretched right hand, long sceptre in left; in left field, a vertical symbol (probably a torch — see notes); barred monogram beneath the throne

Ref: Price — (to be determined from the left-field symbol and throne monogram)

Alexander the Great Tetradrachm — Amphipolis

Greek (Hellenistic, Macedonian) | Macedonia | Mint: Amphipolis | c. 320–317 BC | Era: Early Hellenistic (Wars of the Successors)

Obv: Head of young Herakles right, wearing the lion-skin headdress knotted at the neck

Rev: Zeus Aetophoros enthroned left, eagle on his outstretched right hand, sceptre in left; aplustre (ship's stern ornament) in left field; ΠΟ monogram below throne; ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ downward to right

Ref: Price 129

Panticapaeum Pan / Griffin and Sturgeon Bronze

Greek (Classical) | Black Sea (Cimmerian Bosporus) | Mint: Panticapaeum | c. 310–304/3 BC (MacDonald); the older catalogues say only '4th century BC' | Era: Late Classical / early Hellenistic — the Bosporan kingdom under the Spartocids

Obv: Head of bearded Pan right: the hair in long combed waves swept back from the brow, a small horn hidden in it and a pointed animal ear at the side; heavy brow, snub nose, open mouth, the beard in thick pointed locks. Traditionally called Pan; a strong school reads it as a satyr — see the essay.

Rev: Forepart of a griffin to the left, the right forepaw raised, the wing spread upward in a fan of feathers, the beak open; below, a sturgeon swimming left. The letters Π, A and N stand one at each side of the design — Π left, A above, N right.

Ref: MacDonald 69

Lysimachos Athena / Lion AE18

Greek (Hellenistic) | Thrace | Mint: Lysimacheia | c. 305–281 BC | Era: Early Hellenistic (Wars of the Diadochi)

Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet

Rev: Lion running (leaping) right; spearhead below

Ref: SNG Copenhagen 1149

Rhodes Helios / Rose Didrachm

Greek (Hellenistic) | Aegean Islands (Rhodes) | Mint: Rhodes | c. 305–275 BC | Era: Early Hellenistic — the age of the Siege of Rhodes and the Colossus

Obv: Head of Helios facing slightly right, hair loose and windblown

Rev: Rose with bud to right; to left, bunch of grapes on stalk above E; all in shallow incuse

Ref: Ashton 98

Seleukos I Susa "Trophy" Tetradrachm

Greek (Hellenistic, Seleukid) | Persia (Susiana) | Mint: Susa | c. 305/4–295 BC (reign 312–281 BC) | Era: Early Hellenistic / Wars of the Diadochi

Obv: Head of a hero right, wearing a helmet covered with panther skin and adorned with the ear and horn of a bull; a panther skin is knotted at the throat. The figure's identity is debated (see notes).

Rev: Nike standing right, crowning a trophy of arms (helmet, cuirass, spears) with a wreath; control marks in field (typically a monogram below the wing and letters between Nike and the trophy).

Ref: SC 173.12; HGC 9, 20

Syracuse Agathokles Bronze — Artemis Soteira & Thunderbolt

Greek (Hellenistic, Sicilian) | Sicily | Mint: Syracuse | c. 304–289 BC (reign 317–289 BC) | Era: Hellenistic Sicily (reign of Agathokles)

Obv: Draped bust of Artemis Soteira right, quiver over shoulder

Rev: Winged thunderbolt

Ref: CNS II 142

Corinth Pegasos / Trident Bronze

Greek (Hellenistic) | Greece (Corinthia) | Mint: Corinth | c. 303–287 BC | Era: Early Hellenistic Greece (Corinth under Demetrios Poliorketes)

Obv: Pegasos flying left; koppa (Ϙ) below

Rev: Ornate trident head

Ref: SGCV I 2647

Syracuse Hieron II Poseidon / Trident Litra ×10

Greek (Hellenistic, Sicilian) | Sicily | Mint: Syracuse | 275–215 BC, the reign (the house and NGC: 'c. 275–215 BC'; the bronze is usually placed c. 263–218 BC, after the Roman alliance) | Era: Hellenistic Sicily — the Punic Wars

Obv: Head of Poseidon left, wearing a tainia (diadem), the hair and beard in loose curls

Rev: Ornamented trident head, the shaft between two dolphins swimming downward; control letters in the field on some dies

Ref: HGC 2, 1550

Carthage Tanit / Horse & Palm Bronze Trishekel

Carthaginian (Punic) | North Africa (Zeugitana) | Mint: Carthage | 264–241 BC (First Punic War) | Era: First Punic War

Obv: Head of Tanit (in the Persephone/Kore manner) left, wreathed with grain ears, wearing triple-pendant earring and pearl necklace

Rev: Horse standing right, head raised; date palm with fruit clusters behind; Punic control letter bet (𐤁) in the field

Ref: SNG Copenhagen 253–254 var.

Ptolemy III Zeus-Ammon / Eagle Bronze Hemidrachm

Greek (Hellenistic, Ptolemaic) | Egypt | Mint: Alexandria | c. 246–230 BC | Era: Hellenistic Egypt (Ptolemaic)

Obv: Head of Zeus-Ammon right, wearing taenia, ram's horn curling at the temple; centration dimple at center

Rev: Eagle standing half left on thunderbolt (fulmen), wings closed, head right; filleted cornucopia ascending behind from shoulder; monogram between legs (read as E on the tag, EP in Forum's current listing); centration dimple at center

Ref: Lorber CPE B371

Carthage Second Punic War Æ Shekel

Carthaginian (Punic) | North Africa (Zeugitana) | Mint: Carthage | c. 221–210 BC (Second Punic War) | Era: Second Punic War

Obv: Head of Tanit left, wreathed in grain ears, wearing earring and necklace

Rev: Horse standing right on ground line, without palm tree

Ref: SNG Copenhagen 214

Akragas Punic-Occupation Quarter-Shekel

Carthaginian (Punic) | Sicily | Mint: Akragas | c. 213–211 BC | Era: Second Punic War

Obv: Wreathed head of Triptolemos right (grain wreath; deity of the Demeter/Kore cult of Akragas)

Rev: Free horse right, one foreleg raised; Punic letters ḥt in exergue

Ref: HGC 2, 173

Thessalian League Athena / Horse Bronze

Greek (Hellenistic) | Greece (Thessaly) | Mint: Larissa | 196–146 BC | Era: The Roman settlement of Greece (from Cynoscephalae to the Achaean War)

Obv: Head of Pallas Athena right, wearing crested helmet; magistrate's name above (not legible on this specimen)

Rev: Horse prancing right; ΘΕΣ above

Ref: BMC (Thessaly) 66

Macedon First Meris Tetradrachm

Greek (Hellenistic, Macedonian) | Macedonia | Mint: Amphipolis | c. 167–149 BC (traditionally 158–150 BC — see essay) | Era: Macedonia under Rome

Obv: Diademed and draped bust of Artemis Tauropolos right, bow and quiver at her shoulder, at the center of a Macedonian shield ornamented with stars in double crescents

Rev: Club right; control-monograms in field (partially legible on this specimen); all within oak wreath; thunderbolt outside to left (standard for the issue; weak on this specimen)

Ref: HGC 3.1, 1103

Anonymous Victory-in-Biga Denarius

Roman Republic | Italy | Mint: Rome | 157–156 BC | Era: Middle Roman Republic

Obv: Head of Roma right in winged helmet; denomination mark X (= 10 asses) behind

Rev: Victory, holding whip and reins, driving galloping biga right; ROMA in exergue

Ref: Crawford 197/1b

L. Antestius Gragulus Denarius — Jupiter in Quadriga

Roman Republic | Italy | Mint: Rome | 136 BC | Era: Middle Roman Republic

Obv: Helmeted head of Roma right; GRAG downward behind; ✱ (crossed X, the XVI-asses value mark) below chin

Rev: Jupiter in quadriga galloping right, holding sceptre and reins in left hand and hurling thunderbolt with right hand; L·ANTES below horses (ANTE in ligature — reads 'L·AES' at a glance); ROMA in linear frame in exergue

Ref: Crawford 238/1

Q. Fabius Labeo Denarius — Jupiter in Quadriga, Prow Below

Roman Republic | Italy | Mint: Rome | 124 BC | Era: Middle Roman Republic

Obv: Helmeted head of Roma right; ROMA upward behind, LABEO downward before, X (mark of value) below chin

Rev: Jupiter in quadriga galloping right, holding sceptre and reins in left hand and hurling thunderbolt with right hand; below the horses, the beak (rostrum) of a warship; Q·FABI in exergue

Ref: Crawford 273/1

C. Porcius Cato Victory Biga Denarius

Roman Republic | Italy | Mint: Rome | 123 BC | Era: Roman Republic (Gracchan age)

Obv: Helmeted head of Roma right; denomination mark X behind

Rev: Victory in biga right, holding reins and goad; C·CATO below horses, ROMA in exergue

Ref: Crawford 274/1

Mithradates II Tiara Drachm

Parthian (Arsacid) | Persia (Media) | Mint: Ekbatana | c. 121–91 BC (this issue struck in the final years, c. 96–91 BC) | Era: Parthian Empire

Obv: Long-bearded draped bust left wearing tall Parthian tiara ornamented with a star of pellets, pellet-decorated earflap, and diadem ties; border of pellets

Rev: Beardless archer (Arsakes I) wearing bashlyk and cloak seated right on throne, holding bow in right hand; five-line Greek legend

Ref: Shore 97

Athens New Style "Owl" Tetradrachm

Greek (Hellenistic, Attic) | Greece (Attica) | Mint: Athens | c. 120/119 BC | Era: Hellenistic Athens under Rome

Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing a triple-crested Attic helmet: the bowl decorated with a vine scroll, a Pegasos above the raised cheek-piece, and the foreparts of four horses above the visor. The eye is in true profile and the modeling is full and Hellenistic — a head derived from Pheidias' cult statue in the Parthenon rather than from the archaizing face of the fifth-century owls.

Rev: Owl standing facing on an overturned Panathenaic amphora, the whole within a closed olive wreath. Names in the fields: Α-ΘΕ across the top, then the two annual magistrates ΑΦΡΟ-ΔΙΣΙ and ΔΙΟ-ΓΕ, and below them the monthly official ΕΥ-ΜΑ. The letter Β on the amphora gives the month; a double cornucopia bound with fillets stands in the right field as the year's control symbol; ΜΕ appears in the exergue. The flan is broad and thin, the fabric of a Hellenistic stephanephoros rather than of a classical owl.

Ref: Thompson 545a; HGC 4, 1602

P. Satrienus She-Wolf Denarius

Roman Republic | Italy | Mint: Rome | 77 BC | Era: Post-Sullan Republic

Obv: Helmeted head of Roma right; control numeral behind (LXXXIII on this specimen's die)

Rev: She-wolf standing left, right forepaw raised; ROMA above, moneyer's name in exergue

Ref: Crawford 388/1b

Scaurus & Hypsaeus "King Aretas" Camel Denarius

Roman Republic | Italy | Mint: Rome | 58 BC | Era: Late Republic — the age of the First Triumvirate

Obv: King Aretas III of Nabataea kneeling right beside his camel, extending an olive branch in supplication

Rev: Jupiter in quadriga left, brandishing thunderbolt; scorpion below the horses

Ref: Crawford 422/1b

Julius Caesar Elephant Denarius

Roman Imperatorial | Italy | Mint: Rome | 49–48 BC | Era: Roman Imperatorial period (civil war of 49 BC)

Obv: Elephant advancing right, trampling on a horned serpent (or dragon-headed Gallic war-trumpet, a carnyx); CAESAR in exergue

Rev: Priestly emblems: culullus (libation cup, or simpulum), aspergillum, sacena (pontifical sacrificial axe), and apex (spiked priestly cap — whose office it marks is debated; see Deeper dive)

Ref: Crawford 443/1

Cleopatra VII Tetradrachm, Paphos, Year 10

Greek (Hellenistic, Ptolemaic) | Cyprus | Mint: Paphos | 43/42 BC (regnal year 10) | Era: Hellenistic Egypt (Ptolemaic)

Obv: Diademed head right, wearing aegis — the standardized dynastic portrait of Ptolemy I retained on late Ptolemaic silver, not a portrait of the reigning queen

Rev: Eagle standing left on thunderbolt, wings closed; in left field, LI (regnal year 10) above the headdress of Isis; ΠΑ (mint of Paphos) in right field

Ref: Svoronos 1824 (as Ptolemy XIII)

P. Clodius Turrinus Denarius — Apollo & Diana Lucifera

Roman Imperatorial | Italy | Mint: Rome | 42 BC | Era: Roman Imperatorial period (Second Triumvirate)

Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right; lyre behind

Rev: Diana Lucifera standing facing, bow and quiver over her shoulder, holding a lighted torch in each hand

Ref: Crawford 494/23

Phraates IV Eagle Drachm

Parthian (Arsacid) | Persia (Media) | Mint: Ekbatana | c. 38–2 BC | Era: Parthian Empire

Obv: Diademed bust left with pointed beard and segmented necklet, wart on forehead; in front, star above crescent; behind, eagle flying left holding wreath (diadem); circular border of pellets

Rev: Beardless archer (Arsakes I) wearing bashlyk and cloak seated right on throne, holding bow in right hand; monogram below bow (Ekbatana mint); seven-line Greek legend

Ref: Sellwood 54.7

Antony Legionary Denarius — LEG X

Roman Imperatorial | Greece (Achaea) | Mint: Patrae | autumn 32 – spring 31 BC | Era: Roman Imperatorial period (Actium campaign)

Obv: Praetorian galley right with rowers, mast with fluttering banners at prow

Rev: Legionary eagle (aquila) between two military standards (signa); LEG X below

Ref: Crawford 544/24

Mark Antony Legionary Denarius — LEG III

Roman Imperatorial | Greece (Achaea) | Mint: Patrae | Autumn 32 – spring 31 BC | Era: Roman Imperatorial period (Actium campaign)

Obv: Praetorian galley right, with rowers, mast at prow with fillets; ANT AVG above, III VIR R P C below

Rev: Legionary eagle (aquila) between two military standards (signa); LEG III below

Ref: Crawford 544/15

Octavian Denarius — Statue on Rostral Column

Roman Imperatorial | Italy | Mint: Uncertain Italian mint (Rome?) | autumn 30 – summer 29 BC | Era: Roman Imperatorial period (aftermath of Actium)

Obv: Laureate head of Octavian right (the idealized, Apollo-like portrait of the post-Actium series)

Rev: Statue of Octavian, nude but for a cloak over his shoulder, standing left on a rostral column (columna rostrata) fitted with ships' rams and anchors, holding a spear

Ref: RIC I 271

Augustus Gaius & Lucius Denarius

Roman Imperial | Gaul (Lugdunensis) | Mint: Lugdunum | 2 BC–4 AD | Era: Early Roman Empire

Obv: Laureate head of Augustus right

Rev: Gaius and Lucius Caesar standing facing, togate, each resting a hand on a round shield with a spear behind; above, simpulum and lituus turned inward

Ref: RIC I 207

Artabanus II Drachm

Parthian (Arsacid) | Persia (Media) | Mint: Ekbatana | 10–38 AD | Era: Parthian Empire

Obv: Diademed bust left with long square-cut beard, hair in vertical waves bunched behind, earring visible; diadem with loop and pendant ends; circular border of pellets

Rev: Beardless archer (Arsakes I) wearing bashlyk and cloak seated right on throne, holding bow in right hand; monogram below bow (Ekbatana mint); seven-line blundered Greek legend

Ref: Sellwood 63.6

Augustus & Tiberius Quadriga Denarius (RIC 222)

Roman Imperial | Gaul (Lugdunensis) | Mint: Lugdunum | 13–14 AD | Era: Early Roman Empire (end of the reign of Augustus)

Obv: Laureate head of Augustus right

Rev: Tiberius standing in triumphal quadriga right, holding laurel branch and eagle-tipped sceptre; TI CAESAR in exergue

Ref: RIC I 222

Tiberius "Tribute Penny" Denarius — Livia as Pax ×2

Roman Imperial | Gaul (Lugdunensis) | Mint: Lugdunum | c. 15–18 AD (reign 14–37 AD) | Era: Early Roman Empire (reign of Tiberius)

Obv: Laureate head of Tiberius right

Rev: Female figure (traditionally Livia as Pax), draped, seated right on chair with plain legs, holding long sceptre and olive branch; double line below chair

Ref: RIC I 26

Pontius Pilate Prutah — Lituus and Year 17

Roman Provincial | Judaea | Mint: Jerusalem | Dated LIZ (year 17 of Tiberius) = AD 30/31 | Era: Roman prefecture of Judaea, before the First Revolt

Obv: A lituus — the curved augural staff of a Roman priest — set upright with the crook to the right, the legend running around it.

Rev: The regnal date in Greek numerals inside a wreath tied at the foot.

Ref: GBC 6, 6371

Nero Antioch Eagle Tetradrachm

Roman Provincial | Syria (Seleucis and Pieria) | Mint: Antioch | AD 62/3 (RY 9 = Caesarean year 111) | Era: Early Roman Empire (Neronian)

Obv: Laureate bust of Nero right, wearing aegis over the shoulder

Rev: Eagle standing right on thunderbolt, wings spread; palm frond to right; pellet between eagle and palm

Ref: RPC I 4185

Nero Jupiter Custos Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | c. 64–65 AD (reign 54–68 AD) | Era: Early Roman Empire

Obv: Laureate head of Nero right

Rev: Jupiter seated left on throne, holding thunderbolt in right hand and long sceptre in left

Ref: RIC I 53

Judaea First Revolt Prutah — Year Two

Jewish | Judaea | Mint: Jerusalem | Year Two = 67/68 AD | Era: First Jewish Revolt (66–70 AD)

Obv: Amphora with a broad rim and two curved handles.

Rev: Vine leaf on a small branch with tendril.

Ref: Hendin 1360 (= 661 older ed.)

Domitian as Caesar Dupondius — Felicitas Publica

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | 76–77 AD (Domitian Caesar 69–81 AD) | Era: Early Roman Empire (Flavian dynasty)

Obv: Laureate, draped bust of Domitian right

Rev: Felicitas standing left, holding winged caduceus and cornucopia

Ref: RIC II.1² (Vespasian) 927

Nerva Fortuna P R Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | AD 97 (COS III; reign 18 September 96 – 27 January 98) | Era: Early Roman Empire — the adoptive succession begins

Obv: Laureate head of Nerva right

Rev: Fortuna seated left on a chair, holding two grain ears in her right hand and a transverse spear in her left

Ref: RIC II 17

Trajan Mars Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | 101–102 AD (COS IIII; reign 98–117 AD) | Era: High Roman Empire

Obv: Laureate head of Trajan right

Rev: Mars advancing right, helmeted, nude but for cloak around waist, transverse spear in right hand, trophy of arms over left shoulder in left hand

Ref: RIC II 52

Trajan Victory Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | c. 103–111 AD (COS V; reign 98–117 AD) | Era: High Roman Empire

Obv: Laureate head of Trajan right, slight drapery on far shoulder

Rev: Victory standing left, holding wreath in extended right hand and palm in left

Ref: cf. RIC II 128

Hadrian Genius COS III Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | c. 124–128 AD (reign 117–138 AD) | Era: High Roman Empire

Obv: Laureate head of Hadrian right

Rev: Genius, naked to the waist, standing left, holding patera over a lighted and garlanded altar and cradling a cornucopia

Ref: RIC II 173

Hadrian AEGYPTOS Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | c. 130–133 AD | Era: High Roman Empire (Hadrianic travel series)

Obv: Bare head of Hadrian right

Rev: Egypt (Aegyptos) reclining left on the ground, holding sistrum in raised right hand, left elbow resting on basket entwined by a snake; ibis standing at her feet to left

Ref: RIC II 297

Antoninus Pius Minerva Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | 138 AD (COS DES II; reign 138–161 AD) | Era: High Roman Empire (Antonine)

Obv: Bare head of Antoninus Pius right

Rev: Minerva standing left, holding Victory in extended right hand, left hand resting on shield, spear resting against left arm

Ref: RIC III 9

Caesarea Maritima AE — Faustina Junior, Genius Sacrificing

Roman Provincial | Judaea | Mint: Caesarea Maritima | Struck during Faustina Junior's years as Augusta, AD 147–175/176; the issue is not internally dated | Era: Antonine, under Marcus Aurelius

Obv: Draped bust of Faustina Junior right, seen from the front, the hair braided and coiled at the back of the head in a large chignon.

Rev: Genius — or the emperor; the cataloguing leaves the identification open — standing facing, head turned left, a cornucopia cradled in the left arm, pouring a libation from a patera held out in the right hand, over a thymiaterion (an incense altar) whose body is decorated with a bull's head.

Ref: RPC IV.3 online, temporary no. 6321

Antoninus Pius Annona Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | 157–158 AD (TR POT XXI; reign 138–161 AD) | Era: High Roman Empire (Antonine)

Obv: Laureate head of Antoninus Pius right

Rev: Annona standing left, heads of grain in right hand over modius at feet, rudder on prow in left

Ref: RIC III 274

Marcus Aurelius Jupiter Sestertius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | 173 AD (TR P XXVII = 10 Dec 172 – 9 Dec 173 AD) | Era: High Roman Empire (Antonine)

Obv: Laureate head of Marcus Aurelius right

Rev: Jupiter seated left on throne, holding Victory in extended right hand and long sceptre in left; S C in exergue

Ref: RIC III 1064

Julia Domna Denarius — Concordia Seated

Roman Imperial | Syria (Seleucis and Pieria) | Mint: Laodicea ad Mare (per RIC; attribution debated) | c. 196–202 AD | Era: Roman Empire (Severan dynasty)

Obv: Draped bust of Julia Domna right, hair waved in ridges and coiled in a large bun at the back of the head

Rev: Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera in extended right hand and double cornucopia in left arm

Ref: RIC IV 637

Geta Vota Publica Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | c. 203–208 AD (Caesar 198–209 AD; Augustus 209–211 AD) | Era: Roman Empire (Severan dynasty)

Obv: Bare-headed, draped bust of the young Geta right

Rev: Geta, togate, standing left, sacrificing from a patera over a lighted tripod altar and holding a roll

Ref: RIC IV 38b

Septimius Severus Jupiter Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | 208 AD (TR P XVI; reign 193–211 AD) | Era: Roman Empire (Severan dynasty)

Obv: Laureate head of Septimius Severus right

Rev: Jupiter standing right, brandishing thunderbolt in raised right hand and holding sceptre in left

Ref: RIC IV 216

Caracalla Annona Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | 212 AD (TR P XV; reign 198–217 AD) | Era: Roman Empire (Severan dynasty)

Obv: Laureate head of Caracalla right

Rev: Annona seated left, holding stalks of grain in right hand and cornucopia in left; modius at feet

Ref: RIC IV 195

Carrhae, Caracalla Eagle Tetradrachm

Roman Provincial | Mesopotamia (Osrhoene) | Mint: Carrhae | c. AD 215–217 | Era: Roman Empire (Severan dynasty)

Obv: Radiate head of Caracalla right

Rev: Eagle standing facing, head and tail to right, wings displayed, a wreath in its beak; star in the upper left field; CRESCENT between the legs; two pellets in exergue

Ref: Prieur 830

Macrinus Fides Militum Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | AD 217–218 (the whole reign: April 217 – June 218) | Era: Roman Empire (Severan dynasty, interrupted)

Obv: Laureate and cuirassed bust of Macrinus right

Rev: Fides standing right, her foot on a helmet, holding a signum (military standard) in each hand

Ref: RIC IV 22A

Antioch, Elagabalus Tyche Octassarion

Roman Provincial | Syria (Seleucis and Pieria) | Mint: Antioch | AD 218–222 | Era: Roman Empire (Severan dynasty)

Obv: Laureate bust of Elagabalus right, drapery on the left shoulder

Rev: Tyche of Antioch seated left on rocks, turreted and veiled, holding grain ears; above, a ram leaping left with head turned back; below, the river-god Orontes swimming left

Ref: RPC VI Online 8008.1 (this coin)

Elagabalus Fides Exercitus Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | 218–219 AD (reign 218–222 AD) | Era: Roman Empire (Severan dynasty)

Obv: Laureate, draped bust of Elagabalus right

Rev: Fides seated left, holding eagle (aquila) in right hand and standard in left; a second standard before her

Ref: RIC IV 68

Julia Maesa Pudicitia Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | Struck 221-222 AD (auction house's dating); Maesa Augusta 218 - c. 224/5 AD | Era: Roman Empire (Severan dynasty)

Obv: Draped bust of Julia Maesa right, hair waved and drawn back into a bun at the nape

Rev: Pudicitia seated left on a throne, raising her veil with her right hand and holding a long sceptre in her left; footstool below

Ref: RIC IV 268 (Elagabalus)

Julia Mamaea Vesta Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | c. 226 AD (BMC dating; Mamaea Augusta 222–235 AD) | Era: Roman Empire (Severan dynasty)

Obv: Diademed and draped bust of Julia Mamaea right

Rev: Vesta standing left, holding palladium in right hand and transverse sceptre in left

Ref: RIC IV 360

Severus Alexander Liberalitas Denarius

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | c. 222 AD (reign 222–235 AD) | Era: Roman Empire (Severan dynasty)

Obv: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander right

Rev: Liberalitas standing left, holding abacus (counting board) in right hand and cornucopia in left

Ref: RIC IV 148

Gordian III Securitas Antoninianus

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | 243–244 AD (reign 238–244 AD) | Era: Roman Empire (Crisis of the Third Century)

Obv: Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian III right

Rev: Securitas standing left, legs crossed, holding sceptre and leaning on a column

Ref: RIC IV 153

Philip II as Caesar, PRINCIPI IVVENT Antoninianus

Roman Imperial | Italy | Mint: Rome | AD 244–246 (Caesar 244–247; Augustus 247–249) | Era: Roman Empire (Crisis of the Third Century)

Obv: Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philip II right, seen from behind

Rev: Philip II standing facing, head left, globe in outstretched right hand, grounded reversed spear in left

Ref: RIC IV.III (Philip I) 218d

Philip I Antioch Eagle Tetradrachm

Roman Provincial | Syria (Seleucis and Pieria) | Mint: Antioch | AD 248/249 — the ΥΠΑΤΟ Δ ('consul for the fourth time') issue; RPC dates it c. 248, the house 'ca. AD 249' (reign 244–249) | Era: The crisis of the third century — the last year of the Philips

Obv: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philip I right, seen from behind

Rev: Eagle standing right on a ground line, wings spread, wreath in its beak; ANTIOXIA above S C in the exergue

Ref: Prieur 445

Trajan Decius Antioch Eagle Tetradrachm

Roman Provincial | Syria (Seleucis and Pieria) | Mint: Antioch | AD 249–251 (the house: c. AD 249–250, 6th officina; the whole reign is two years) | Era: The crisis of the third century — Decius and the Gothic war

Obv: Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Trajan Decius right, seen from behind; the officina numeral Ϛ (6) below the bust

Rev: Eagle standing left on a palm branch, wings spread, wreath in its beak; S C below

Ref: Prieur 546

Aurelian Restitutor Orbis Antoninianus

Roman Imperial | Thrace | Mint: Serdica | Nov 274 – Sep 275 AD (Serdica issue 8, phase 2; reign 270–275 AD) | Era: Roman Empire (Crisis of the Third Century)

Obv: Radiate and cuirassed bust of Aurelian right

Rev: Female figure standing right, presenting wreath to Aurelian standing left in military dress, holding long sceptre in left hand; star between them; KA•Δ• in exergue

Ref: MER-RIC 2808

Maximianus Concordia Radiate Fraction

Roman Imperial | Asia Minor (Mysia) | Mint: Kyzikos | c. 295–299 AD (Augustus 286–305 AD) | Era: Roman Empire (Tetrarchy)

Obv: Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Maximianus right

Rev: Emperor standing right, receiving Victory on globe from Jupiter standing left, leaning on sceptre; mintmark KB between them

Ref: RIC VI Cyzicus 15b

Constantine I London Sol Follis

Roman Imperial | Britain | Mint: Londinium | 312–313 AD (reign 307–337 AD) | Era: Late Roman Empire

Obv: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Constantine I right

Rev: Sol standing slightly left, radiate, nude but for chlamys over shoulders, raising right hand, globe in left hand; star in left field, PLN in exergue

Ref: RIC VI Londinium 279

Licinius I IOVI CONSERVATORI Follis

Roman Imperial | Macedonia (Thessalonica) | Mint: Thessalonica | c. AD 312–313 (reign 308–324) | Era: Roman Empire (Tetrarchy and the Constantinian civil wars)

Obv: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Licinius I right, seen from front

Rev: Jupiter standing facing, head left, nude save for a chlamys over the left shoulder, Victory on a globe in the outstretched right hand, grounded sceptre in the left; eagle standing left with head right, wreath in its beak, in the left field. Mintmark •TS•A• in exergue

Ref: RIC VI 60 (Thessalonica)

Constantine I Lugdunum Sol Follis

Roman Imperial | Gaul (Lugdunensis) | Mint: Lugdunum | c. 313–316 AD (reign 307–337 AD) | Era: Late Roman Empire

Obv: Laureate bust of Constantine I right (drapery/cuirass detail unclear from wear)

Rev: Sol standing left, radiate, chlamys over shoulder, raising right hand, globe in left hand; field mark at right (reading uncertain); mintmark in exergue (PLG-type, partly off flan)

Ref: Sear 3868 (older single-volume edition, per John's tag)

Julian II Bull Double Maiorina

Roman Imperial | Pannonia (Illyricum) | Mint: Sirmium | 361-363 AD | Era: Roman Empire (Constantinian dynasty, late Roman)

Obv: Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Julian right, with the full philosopher's beard

Rev: Bull standing right, two stars above; star, mintmark and palm branch in exergue

Ref: RIC VIII Sirmium 105

Magnus Maximus REPARATIO REIPVB Æ2

Roman Imperial | Gaul (Narbonensis) | Mint: Arelate | 383–388 AD (this issue c. 383–387 AD) | Era: Late Roman Empire

Obv: Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right

Rev: Emperor standing left, holding Victory on globe in left hand and with right hand raising a kneeling, turreted woman (the Republic personified); PCON in exergue

Ref: RIC IX Arles 26a

Honorius Gloria Romanorum Maiorina

Roman Imperial | Asia Minor (Mysia) | Mint: Kyzikos | 23 Jan 393 – 17 Jan 395 AD (reign 393–423 AD) | Era: Late Roman Empire

Obv: Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Honorius right

Rev: Emperor standing facing, head right, diademed, in military dress, standard in right hand, globe in left hand; SMKΓ in exergue

Ref: RIC IX Cyzicus 28(c)3