2016-05-18 Wed

The Best-of-Show honours at Central States Numismatic Society 77th annual convention, held from 25th to 30th April in Schaumburg, Ill, was given to Bruce Bartelt’s exhibit “Coinage in Roman Egypt”. The coins depicted animals, such as this bronze diobol struck under Claudius, 41 to 54 A.D., with a hippopotamus on the reverse.

There were 229 cases of competitive exhibits at the show from 36 exhibitors who entered 54 competitive exhibits. Three non-competitive exhibits made up for the remaining 12 cases. Exhibitors came from 11 states and Canada to compete for gold coins.

The winning collection showcased the origin, development and iconography of Roman Egypt coinage. The introduction read: “Egypt had the longest and most continuous series of Roman provincial coins. The designs placed upon these coins present a fascinating mix reflecting the intersection of Greco-Roman and Egyptian cultures. After a two-century hiatus, during which Alexandria struck coins that were part of an empire-wide currency system, a distinctive Egyptian coinage was revived under the Eastern Roman, ‘Byzantine,’ emperors.”

A section on animals used on the coins included coins depicting a hippopotamus, crocodile, Apis bull, heron, serpents and an eagle.