Gordian III Nicaea Bronze AE18/19 Very Fine

Carcalla was born Lucius Septimius Bassianus in A.D. 188. When his father, Septimius Severus, became emperor that changed to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus for a link to the fondly remembered Antonine Dynasty. He was later made joint emperor but within a year of Septimius Severus’ death in A.D. 211, Caracalla ensured he had no rivals by killing his brother, Geta, and Geta’s 20,000 supporters. He was a soldier, so left his mother, Julia Domna, to run the empire while he campaigned, gaining the name Carcalla from a Gallic cloak & hood he adopted while on the Rhine. He was also cruel & unstable, massacring thousands in Alexandria (Egypt) over a satirical play. He was eventually killed by a disaffected soldier he had refused promotion, leaving the empire in financial ruin from his campaigns and increases to soldiers pay. Caracalla’s coins have his most enduring legacy on them, his portrait, one of the most impressive on all Roman coins. It breaks from previous philosopher-emperors; his curly hair close-cropped like a soldier and his life-like bust becoming more imposing as he ages. We have a small group of his silver Denarii in Good Very Fine showing his adult bust on the obverse with multiple reverse types. We think Roman coins are miniature pieces of art, this is a great example!

Born in 630 A.D., Constans II became the Byzantine Emperor at the tender age of 11, reigning from 641 to 668 A.D. Despite his youth, he confronted a myriad of challenges, including conflicts with the Arab Caliphate and internal strife within the empire. In an endeavour to evade persistent threats from the Arab Caliphate, Constans II made the significant decision to relocate the capital from Constantinople to Syracuse. Notable for his initiatives to fortify the Byzantine military and his contributions to architecture, Constans II’s reign came to a tragic end in 668 A.D. when he was assassinated during a rebellion orchestrated by his chamberlain. We are offering these 40 Nummi struck in Constantinople on irregular shaped flans showing a beardless Constans on the obverse and a large M on the reverse, all have a sandy/earth patina, and they come in VG-Fine grade and are very reasonably priced.

Qunduz (Kunduz) is one of the 34 provinces of modern day Afghanistan and borders on what is now Tajikistan. These low denomination 2 dinar coins were issued under Khusraw Shah, who was once Governor of Qunduz under the Timurid Empire, but he later declared himself Emir in 1497 and reigned until his death in 1505. On the obverse of the coin is a deer facing left, while on the reverse a 3-line legend within a diamond shaped border. These circulated coins are now over 500 years old and very hard to find.