Interesting ancient coins, offered by Augustus Coins. 

    If you want to buy ancient coins, you are beginning at the right page. If you want to learn more about them, visit my educational ancient-coin website (begun in 1997 and expanded very many times since then). If you like to learn from books, visit my page of ancient-coin literature.  For more about me, see see here.

Contents: This is the main page with Roman coins and some of newest listings from other series too, at the top.  For late Roman, Byzantine, or Greek coins, or books about them, use the links to the left.         

Skip down to Republican, 1st C, 2nd C, or 3rd C 
      3rd C. more precisely: Septimius Severus, Caracalla, Elagablal, Severus Alexander,
      Gordian III, Philip, Valerian, Gallienus, Gallo-Roman, Claudius II, Aurelian,
      Probus, Tacitus, Carus and Family 

Recent: 2021, March 6: Kashmir Smast 4th C. (on the Byzantine page--it has to be somewhere!)
2021, March 4: Ten early Arabic/Islamic coins on the "Byzantine" page.
2021, Feb. 22:  A lead tessara, likely from Roman Egypt. Four small silver coins from Medieval Hungary, each with Christian crosses.
Feb. 15: New coins scattered across the site. Valentinian III AE2 rarity (at the top of this page). A lovely Greek stater of Aspendos at the top of this page. A Vandal king Gelimer on the Byzantine page. A lovely Pantikipaion AE Pan/lion and Bukhara, Kingdom of Sogdiana on the Greek page. Many sold coins removed entirely. Three on the "inexpensive" page (Arcadius, Leo V Byzantine, Licinius II leaded). Constantius quarter-follis on the tetrarchy page.

Feb. 12: Medieval, Roger of Salerno, Prince of Antioch (at the top of this page)
Feb. 11:  Eight high-quality for-type coins of Arcadius, Honorius and Theodosius II (on the late Roman page at the top). 
Feb. 3: Sixteen nice coins of Theodosius, Valentinian II, and Aelia Flaccilla, all ex Esty Collection, on the late Roman (Valentinian and later) page at the top.  All are ex Warren Esty collection
2021, Jan. 25:  A dozen remarkably nice late Roman AE of Valens, Gratian, and Valentinian II, from my collection assembled over forty years. All are ex Warren Esty collection. "Domitia (wife of Domitian) portrait provincial, two FORTVNA types, Elagabal and Gordian III. (at the top). 
Jan 24:  Two "Biblical" Jewish coins (at the top).
Jan. 22: The first cross on Roman coinage (of Constantine). The first use of "DN" (Dominus Noster) on Roman coins that was not a retirement issue (of Maximian, at the top). Older sold coins removed entirely. 
Jan. 21: A VERY BIG CHANGE for those ordering from outside the US. Do not order if you are outside the US. Here is more about why.
Jan. 14:  Four siliqua (of Julian II and Honorius, at the top). ALL SOLD.
Jan. 9:  Unlisted in RIC BONO GENIO of Maximinus II (at the top).

      Books. If you would like some literature to read, make me an offer. I think my prices are the lowest on the market, but I'd like to sell some of these to someone who would like to look at them. That might be you! Make me a (low) offer. I might well accept!


wwestyc   wwestypage

Prices are in brackets: [$xx].

To order, or simply to ask me questions, write me, Warren, at . 
(I am on Pacific time, so if you are in the east and write me at 8:00 am it is only 5:00 am where I am.)
My page of terms, which are essentially repeated here: 

Terms of Sale. When you write me, please tell me if you are not in the US (it changes shipping costs).
After I confirm I still have the coin,
If you are in the US you can pay with Zelle (preferred) or PayPal to my e-mail address. (I also accept checks.) (Why I prefer Zelle.)
If you are outside the US, a VERY BIG CHANGE as of Jan. 21, 2021. Last time I mailed to an address outside the US the price jumped from the previous $3 to $17.25. Wow! The new Post Office software no longer allows me to mail an envelope as a letter if it has coins in it. See more here. 

Shipping in the US is $2 for orders under $25, $3 up to $50, $4 up to $100, and an additional $2 for each hundred thereafter. 
Shipping to other countries: See about new (Jan. 2021) very high shipping costs here.
All coins are guaranteed genuine.

Reminder:  When you buy a coin you must add in the shipping cost. Don't think a coin offered at $20 elsewhere will cost you $20. It won't. Shipping could easily be $6 or more. In contrast, I charge only $2 for shipping a $20 coin in the US.

Purple means "SOLD" and no longer available

Newest first (down to the second horizontal line.)
After that, Roman coins before the 4th century are in chronological order below. Later Roman coins are on other pages linked in the sidebar.
  (Greek, Byzantine, and other coins are on their own pages with links at the top left.)

Newest next.  Skip the newest coins and go down to Roman coins in chronological order
 

Lead tessera, uniface. 
15 mm. 
Centaur standing right
Possibly from Roman Egypt. 
See this webpage (not mine) about lead tokens from Egypt:
http://www.coinsofromanegypt.org/html/library/milne/milne_tokens.htm
Bought in 1997 from Dan Clark of Clark's Ancient Coins for $21.
Here [$25 SOLD]


 

Four coins from Medieval Hungary:

Medieval Hungary, Bela II, 1131-1141
Tiny!  Silver. 11 mm. 0.42grams.
The denomination is called a "denar"" It is sometimes called a "penny."
Ouline of facing head, around
REX bELA in crude lettering
Reverse cross in circles.
Huszar 50. Rethy-Prohszt 59. Grierson CME 224, page 100. 
Sharp. Good silver. Perfect centering. [$39]
ex Frank Robinson auction 3/11/2008 lot 339B
 

Medieval Hungary. Anonymous. 12th C. 1141-1161
Tiny!  Silver 12 mm. 0.33 grams.
The denomination is called a "denar"" It is sometimes called a "penny."
Cross and crescents/cross in circles
Huszar 92. Rethy-Probszt 88, plate V group V p. 57, between 1141 and 1161.
Small, well-struck, and cute. [$27]
 

Medieval Hungary. Stephan II. 1114-1131
Silver. 11 mm. 0.33 grams.
The denomination is called a "denar"" It is sometimes called a "penny."
Rethy-Probszt 66, plate V, Stephan II 1114-1131
Excellent centering on a small silver coin  [$27]
 

Medieval Hungary. Anonymous. 
Tiny! 13 mm. Silver. 0.33 grams.
The denomination is called a "denar"" It is sometimes called a "penny."
Time of Beles III, Emmerichs, and Andreas II" c. 1173-1235
according to Rethy-Probszt X-146 group D, plate IX page 64 and page 62.
Wonderful multiple crosses. Very well struck and centered. Rare. Have you ever seen a coin with this many crosses? [$79] 

 

 

Valentinian III, 425-455
AE2. 22-21 mm. 5.51 grams. Large for the 5th century.
DN VALE  -- ANVS P EA
CONCOR  A PF ACV   (both legends blundered, as always, and backwards Ns, as usual)
CONS in exergue
RIC X 461 "R4" page 276. Struck "?437"
Esty Type 75. Cherson type ES2.
Sear V 21302
Very rare. Very rarely in nicer shape than this one. 
One on vcoins as I write, not as nice, at $750.
[$575]
 

Pamphlyia, Aspendos
465-430 BC
(Later the city has the well-known Slinger and wrestlers type)
Thick silver 20-19 mm. 10.95 grams.

Hoplite warrior right holding spear horizontal and shield in left, turtle between legs
Triskeles (three human legs running) 
lion standing left behind lower leg [What an interesting type!]
EΣT  (an abbreviation in Pamphylian script of the city name) all well-centered in an incuse square
A very old dumpy thick archaic coin! [$355]




Crusader
Roger of Salerno, Prince of Antioch, 1112-1119
23 mm. 
St. George, spearing  snake-like dragon (not really visible)

ROTSEP  (i.e. ROGER)
PIΓKΠ   (Prince)
CANT     (Antioch)

Schlumberger II.12
CCS Antioch 9
Metcalf CCLE 95, plate 6, page 25 type 9, the third type of Roger.
[$75, reduced to $65]
 

Domitia, wife of Domitian
17-16 mm. 2.61 grams.
Provincial coin from Magnesia ad Sipylum
ΔOMITIA CEBACTH
MAΓNH CIΠY

RPC II 986 plate 43 (Their photo is of a smaller coin, only 14 mm, and equal on the obverse but slightly worse on the reverse, so this is a very good one "for type")
Her imperial coins are extremely rare, so this rare lady is usually found on a provincial coin.
[$119]



Elagabalus, 218-222
Denarius. 20-19 mm. 2.94 grams.
FORTVNAE REDVCI, Fortuna holds a rudder
RIC 83A
Sear II 7516
Lots of portrait and reverse figure detail. [$75]
 

Constantius II, 324-337-361
15 mm. 
Struck 337-340 at Trier
VIRTVS AVGG NN
RIC Trier 74
ex Malloy auction LX, "The Aiello Collection" 2001, lot 981, at $134 (twenty years ago). I knew it was rare and that auction had one of the best selections of late Roman AE ever offered in an auction catalog and other knowledgeable collectors wanted it too. (The auction was poorly printed on newpaper-quality paper, but it had many rare coins!)
Very rare. None on vcoins as I write. [$SOLD]

 

Roman Republican  

*****   I also have a page of numismatic literature (ancient-coin auction catalogs, books) for sale.

Roman Imperial Silver and AE 
 
Early Imperial Fourree
A fourree with an especially remarkable reverse. The original would be a very expensive coin, and finding an imitation of it is extremely unusual and the imitation may well be unique of its type.
Search vcoins under "fouree" and "fourree" to see what dull reverse types are offered for. You will probably never see this good type again.




 Fourree (counterfeit plated with silver in ancient times) Augustus/receiving standards back from the Parthians "Signus Receptus"  CAESAR AVGVSTVS SIGN RECE hybrid.  
    This reverse does not normally have a portrait obverse. BMC 71 plate 3.1 for obverse legend and portrait. BMC plates 1.7-9, 2.2, 2.11-12 for obverse. Reverse of RIC 288, plate 5.  
   [SOLD, extremely rare (unique?) and hisorical type as an ancient counterfeit]

 

More fourrees here. 

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Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD)

Augustus, DIVVS, struck under Tiberius, c. 22/3 - 30 AD.
29 mm. 8.59 grams.  (A little light.)
Small backwards S incuse mark at 7:00 on the obverse.
DIVVS AVGVSTVS PATER   (PATER = father)
PROVIDENT below altar with paneled door, above flames(?)
RIC Tiberius 81. BMC Tiberius 147. 
Overstruck on a coin with something like "AESA" close together at 7:00 on the obverse.
Could this be a very well done ancient imitation? If so, it is much better than the 13 illustrated in Banti and Simonetti.
I like the surfaces. Nice. [$125 SOLD]

ex Vecchi [London] auction 12, lot 1092 (June 5, 1998)

North Black Sea area
Phanagoria in the name of Agrippia, 14-12 BC
Honorific name for the city adopted 14-12 BC because Agrippa under Augustus intervened in support of Polemo I.
late 1st C.  BC.
21 mm. 5.79 grams.
Veiled female head right (Aphrodite Aptura, according to MacDonald)
AΓPIΠ-ΠEΩN  prow left
H  (H indicates value 8)
MacDonald 275/1 (is slightly worse). RPC I 1935 (is equal quality).
[$95] Very nice quality. The published coins I found are not better.
Not an imperial portrait, but issued in the time of Augustus. 

 

Tiberius

Kingdom of the Bosporus
(Northern Black Sea area)
Aspurgus/Tiberius c. 35-37 AD
Aspurgus right
Bust of Tiberius right, TIBEPIΩY KAΣIAPOΣ  legible
22 mm. 9.75 grams.
MacDonald Bosporus 300 
[$169]

Claudius/Agrippina Jr.

Kingdom of the Bosporus
(Northern Black Sea area)
Under Kotys I, 45-63 AD.
22 mm. 5.96 grams.
TI KLAVΔIOY CEBACTOY KAICAPOC
Βust of Claudius right
IOVIAN AΓPIΠΠIAN CEBCTHN
Bust of Agrippina II left, monogram before neck 
MacDonald 327 (photo has shorter obv. legend variety, quality about the same) 
Anokhin 349 (worse)
Stancomb 970 (worse)
Smoothed and tooled. (Look on acsearch and you will see almost all are smoothed and tooled) There are not any on vcoins. 
Rare and two imperial portraits. [$149]

 

 

---

Claudius, 41-54

 

Claudius, 41-54 AD.
Roman Alexandria.
26-25 mm.
Good portrait/eagle
[$95, reduced to $69]
 

 

 

 Nero (54-68)

[SOLD]

 

Quadrans. Anonymous. early 2nd century AD
13 mm (small). 3.07 grams. 
Bust of Venus right
Dove standing right, S C
Sear I 2924
[$19, reduced to $16]

 

 

 

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Hadrian (117-138) 

 

[SOLD]

 

Antoninus Pius (138-161)

[SOLD]

 

 

  

 

Commodus  (177-193)

 

 

 

Third Century:

Septimius Severus

Geta

 [sold]

Caracalla:

Macrinus, 217-218

[sold]
 

Elagabal (218-222)

Severus Alexander (222-235) 

Gordian III  (238-244)
 

Philip (244-249)

 

Rare middle bronze of Otacilia Severa, wife of Philip I (244-249)
25-24 mm. as. 9.55 grams.
Denarii and sestertii of her are common--asses are not.
MARCIA OTACIL SEVERA AVG
CONCORDIA AVGG
SC in exergue.
Sear III 9172. RIC 203b.
A clear, well-centered, example of an unusual denomination. [$129, reduced to $99]

Trajan Decius (249-251)

Trebonianus Gallus. A.D. 251-253
 

Valerian (253-260)

 [Rare. $65, reduced to $45] Valerian (253-260) 

Struck at Heliopolis, Coele-Syria
25-23 mm, thick, 11.70 grams.
agnostic urn on table with ornamental legs
COL HEL
Sear Greek Imperial --
L&K --, Lindgren III 1283variety (legend), Weber --, McClean 9440 variety, BMC Syria --
SNG Copenhagen Syria -- (439 has urn with no table, SNG Righetti --
[$65, reduced to $43]  Ex Colosseum Coin Exchange, list of April 1988, lot 106, with ticket.

Rare Valerian at Flaviopolis, Cilicia. 253-260 AD. AE27-26. 11.99 grams. bust right/bust of Zeus right (not the usual Serapis w.  slightly larger flan).  Sear GI --, SNG France --, SNG Cop--, SNG von Aulock --, Lindgren & Kovacs --, L III --, SNG Righetti 1558, very similar. Note how few collections have this type.  Rare [$35, reduced to $29]  (This reverse type is sometimes on Maximinus I.)

Gallienus (253-268)

[$95, reduced to $69] Gallienus, 30 mm.
Struck at Side in Pamphylia
E countermark over the original "IA" at the neck.
E = 5 assaria. Howgego Countermark 805
Sear Greek Imperial --,
von Aulock -- cf, plate 158, volume II for Valerian
L&K 1174 for obverse
SNG Copenhagen VI Pamphlia -- Supplement 523
Weber III --, SNG Righetti 1309 variety
ex Cederlind at $100, his #345 (list date uncertain, maybe 1990s?)  
[$75, reduced to $65] 

Tetricus II, 270-273
Gallo-Roman Empire.
20-18 mm. 
SPES AVGG
RIC 270
Sear Roman Coins 11292
[$29]

 

 

Central Empire, Claudius II (268-270) and later:

Claudius II, 268-270.
Double strike minting oddity.
19 mm. 1.95 grams.
VIRTVS AVG
One strike 50% off-center. A clear example of the striking process.
Sear 11383.  [$25]

For a page of ancient imitations from the third century, see here.
 

Aurelian (270-275)

Aurelian usually comes as a radiate, either pre-reform or post reform. He also comes as a scarcer "denarius"--however almost always VICTORIA AVG. Far rarer, offered less than once a year, I think, is this PROVIDEN AVG denarius type. 
None on vcoins. None at MA-Shops. 
Roma had one, not better, in e-sale 27 for $143 including fees + shipping. CNG had one in 2010 for $185 + 12% + shipping. Elsen had one in 2011 for $207 + fees + shipping.
IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG laureate bust right
PROVIDEN AVG
Providentia standing left holding wand over globe.
RIC 68 very rare type of an unusual denomination. You have seen his "Victory" reverse denarius, but likely not this type [$85]

 
Probus, 276-282
22-20 mm.
PAX AVG
RIC 706 Siscia. Sear III 12000 [$39] ex Berk in 1994

 

Probus, 276-282
CONCORDIA AVG
XXI in exergue and VII in the right field
RIC Siscia 661
Sear Roman Coins 11966
[$45]
 

 

Probus, 276-282
Antoninianus. 21-20 mm.
Probus in consular robes left, hlding eagle-tipped scepter.
VIRTVS AVGVSTI
RIC 234
Sear Roman Coins 12063
Struck 277-8 (The robes indicate it was a year he was Consul)
Beautiful detail in the robes. [$75]

 

 

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Tacitus

  [sold]

Florian 

  [sold]

 

Numerian, 283-4 as Augustus.
22-21 mm. 3.83 grams.
IMP C NVMERIANVS PF AVG
FIDES EXERCIT AVGG
Fides seated left holding standards
SMSXXI in exergue

RIC V.II Siscia 460

Attractive. Lovely patina. Good portrait. Long mintmark. [$79]   

 

 

 

Carinus (283-285)

Go to, on this page, Republican, 1st C, 2nd C, or 3rd C  

Caracalla, Elagablal, Severus Alexander, Gordian III, Philip, Valerian, Gallienus, Gallo-Roman, Claudius II, Aurelian, Probus, Tacitus, Carus and Family 

Continue on another page with:
Roman: Diocletian through Licinius (the tetrarchy) or
with Constantinian coins,

Return to the top of this page.

To order, or simply to ask me questions, write me, Warren, at
 .
 

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