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L. Cosconius Brockage Error
The coin shared today is a brockage of the Roman Republican denarius shown above. A brockage happens when a newly minted coin sticks to...

sulla80
Sep 6, 20203 min read


Ancient Ships
There are a few Roman republican coins with images of ships on them, here are two variants (control mark) of one of these coins: C....

sulla80
Sep 6, 20202 min read


Games of Sulla's Victory
Coins linked to Lucius Cornelius Sulla are one of the primary themes of my collection. The reverse on this coin references games that...

sulla80
Sep 5, 20201 min read


Asclepius and a plague in 87 BC
Asclepius (a.k.a. Aesculapius), son of Apollo and god of medicine, was one of the deities imported to Rome from the East. Asclepius was...

sulla80
Sep 5, 20204 min read


Sulla and Mithridates
Coins related to the time of Lucius Cornelius Sulla have been a key theme in my collecting the past couple of years. Continuing from my...

sulla80
Sep 5, 20203 min read


Christmas in July
It was "Christmas in July" when this “Star of Bethlehem” coin arrived this week. Syria, Seleucis and Pieria, Antioch. AE Trichalkon, Q....

sulla80
Sep 5, 20201 min read


Resources for Parthian Coins
I have been reading the The Sunrise Collection, Assar's intro on Parthian coins. The most referenced resource for Parthian coins is...

sulla80
Sep 5, 20202 min read


Bankers' Marks & Juno Moneta
Bankers' marks were a way to differentiate official coinage from counterfeit, and perhaps had other purposes that are lost (at least to...

sulla80
Sep 5, 20203 min read


Sulla, Marius and an Anonymous denarius
In a previous post, I shared a coin from Brutus, that celebrated his family history of tyrannicide. This week, a much humbler coin,...

sulla80
Sep 5, 20202 min read


Illyrian Drachms
Here are three silver drachms from Illyria, one from Apollonia (AΠOΛ on reverse) and two from Dyrrhachion (ΔYP on reverse or straight...

sulla80
Sep 5, 20203 min read


The First Pythian Games
This coin from Emperor Valerian was minted in his first year of reign. The portrait stype is much better than average for this emperor....

sulla80
Sep 5, 20201 min read


Quinarius from a time of "Massive Recoinage"
I was a little worried about the fragility of this coin when I bid on it and was pleasantly surprised see that, in hand, the flan crack...

sulla80
Aug 28, 20202 min read


Birds and Bad Luck
The gens Fabia was a prominent patrician family, who claimed descent from both Hercules and Evander. One branch of the gens Fabia, the...

sulla80
Aug 27, 20202 min read


Coins of Arbia Felix: Himyarite Kingdom Starter Kit
This unusual coin from Ariabia Felix is from the late 1st century or early second century AD. There doesn't seem to be much info on these...

sulla80
Aug 27, 20205 min read


46 BC 180 Obverse Double Strike
This coin struck me as unusual, and I couldn't decide which way was "up" - so I didn't hesitate to pick it up. All three images below are...

sulla80
Aug 27, 20202 min read


Who is buried in Philip II's tomb?
My collecting focus has been the Roman Republic and especially the time period around the career of Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix . I have...

sulla80
Aug 27, 20203 min read


From Ancient Tech to Modern World
Technology over the ages in health and social media illustrated with Roman Republican coins. I am starting my blog with a post on a Roman...

sulla80
Aug 27, 20205 min read


Ancient Art
While you can spend thousands of dollars on a highly prized ancient coin, you can also get an interesting coin for under $5. This coin...

sulla80
Aug 27, 20201 min read


Gallienus and Usurpers in AD 260
The Humiliation of Valerian by Shapur I, French 15th Century, Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program When I first...

sulla80
May 30, 20206 min read


Ancient Fantasy Coin from the RBW Collection
This Italian "medalet", 20mm, 11h, 3.7g, by an unknown artist is from the 18th to early 19th century, apparently issued for the Grand...

sulla80
May 16, 20202 min read
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