WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: JUNE 21, 2026

On Wednesday I drove from work to Alexandria for the monthly meeting on my numismatic social group, Nummis Nova. This month's co-hosts were Jon Radel and John Kraljevich. John got called out of town and a number of other regulars had to bail out as well, but a smaller jolly group convened and we had a great evening. First up is Tom Kays' account.

See the smiles on the "in-office" crew of Nummis Nova at Aldo's Italian Restaurant, a family-run business tucked away in Alexandria, who gave us cakes of many flavors after a fine meal. Clockwise from sinister to dexter are Mike Markowitz, Robert Hoppensteadt, Wayne Homren, Julian Leidman, Mike Packard, and Jon Radel with Tom behind the camera holding them up from taking that first bite.

 

Much talk about retirement and many potential projects for a gentleman of leisure ensued. Back at antipasti time some of the non-garlic-laden goodies seen in passing included an old bronze coin from Alexandria (not the city in Virginia, but that other one.)

 

Egyptian Bronze Drachm of Antonius Pius (AD 138 – 161) from Alexandria, Egypt, dated AD 138/9 showing the altar of Agathodaemon ringed with rising serpents and at center is Aphlatsa as Acroteria.

 

Gold Semissis of Leo I with pearl diadem and Victory seated from Constantinople (AD 457 – 474)

 

Merovingian Gold Tremissis from Orleans (AD 620 – 640) by the moneyer Maurinius and with a cross on steps

 

Byzantine bronze Follis (40 Nummia) of Justin II and Sophia (AD 565 – 578) from the Nicomedia Mint – Note: This was treated for bronze disease with the custom blended Mint State Restoration Bronze and Copper Cleaner for Ancient Coins and Artifacts and should pose no further risk of the spread of bronze disease.

 

194x San Francisco Lincoln Cent – NGC Almost Uncirculated and Off Center on Split Planchet before Strike with Obverse Indentation.

 

Mysterious case of mostly unknown 17th and 18th century coppers / jetons of the Low Countries needing attribution

Many new and old books and published/unpublished numismatic articles passed by including The Obsolete Paper Money of Virginia by Charles Affleck, Raising the Hunley by Brian Hicks and Schuyler Kropf, History on the Move by the American Numismatic Society, A Federation Internationale de la Medaille d'Art (FIDEM) Memorial to Ron Dutton, (some examples of his work passed by), Coinweek's, The Tiny Gold Coins that Launched Anglo-Saxon England's Gold Money by Mike Markowitz, and Big Beard: The Coinage of Constans II 641-668 CE by Mike Markowitz.

 

Wall Chart of World History - From Earliest Times to the Present (Facsimile) – This is a sample two-foot panel from Deacon's Synchrochronological Chart of Universal History by Professor Edward Hull, drawn in 1890 (Revised to add the 20th Century). It starts with Biblical history at 4004 BC (shows who begot whom) and runs 6000 years spanning the rise and fall of kings and empires as flowing streams in a pseudo-five-dimensional format (sees all past times at once) with small vignettes of ancient wonders, artifacts, and coins. This may help collectors of ancient and medieval coins of a particular age to see who and what was happening at any point in history across the globe at the time an ancient coin was issued. When unfolded it is 15.5 feet long. Coins only make an appearance after about 8 feet, circa the 600s BCE. Illustrations of ancient coins (one source of history) include the Head of Baal from a Tyrian Coin, a coin of Alexander, a "Shekel of Tyre" (actually a Jewish Revolt coin), and a Judea Capta reverse. The original culminated with the invention of the telephone, phonograph, and electric lights. This 1988 revision adds the 20th century in six inches more to reach the invention of the personal computer.

The evening concluded without any leftovers coming home, meaning Aldo's Italian Restaurant's food was that good and we were that hungry that a perfect match in gustatory indulgences and numismatic comradery was fully sated.

Robert's Egyptian Bronze Drachm of Antonius Pius
That was Robert Hoppensteadt's Drachm of Antonius Pius. Here's another image and his commentary.

Robert writes:

 

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (34mm, 29.45 g, 12h). Dated RY 2 (AD 138/9). Bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / Altar of Agathodaemon: monumental hexastyle altar; within, uncertain deity (Sarapis?) sacrificing to left; to either side of altar, a coiled serpent; above; four serpents rise from rocks, with aphlasta as acroteria; below, L B (date). Köln –; Dattari (Savio) 3007; K&G –; RPC IV.4 96.5 (this coin is the plate coin); Emmett 1449.2 (R4). Dark green patina, flan void on reverse, edge chip. Good VF. Fine style portrait. Very rare.

Ron Dutton (1935—2026)

I had set aside a fun selection of recently arrived medals for our June dinner when hearing about the death of Ron Dutton (on 30 May) encouraged a change of plans. A prominent medalist and teacher, co-founder of the British Art Medal Society (BAMS), long-time delegate from the UK to FIDEM, among many other roles important in the world of art medals, he is one of my favorite British artists.

For more on Ron see the article in the 31 May issue of E-Sylum https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n22a06.html and memorial on FIDEM's site https://www.fidem-medals.org/in%20memoriam.html. A full tribute is planned for the forthcoming Autumn edition of The Medal.

Even the small number of medals I own, relative to Ron's prolific output, were too many to carry to dinner, so I select a representative five medals:

 

Ron Dutton, Wye Plough Edge, 1980. Ex-David Silich

Representative of many aerial views, though somewhat more abstract that many. The River Wye forms part of the English/Welsh border.

 

Ron Dutton, Bronze Gatherer, 2005. Constructed from cast bronze and steel wire. By all accounts, the artist delighted in his garden and the antics of birds amid his bird feeders. Read his thoughts on another medal, Moon Cloud Strike, 2006, at https://bams.org.uk/product/moon-cloud-strike/.

 

Ron Dutton, Tree Rain, 1974. Uniface medal in cast bronze. One of a large number of pastoral scenes the artist turned into medals.

 

Ron Dutton, Bude Waves, 1995. Ex-David Silich. Satellite ground stations, with close-up on reverse, on the north Devon and Cornwall coast. One of five medals the artist produced for BAMS' continuing series sold to members between 1982, when it all started, and 2006. See https://bams.org.uk/product-category/medals/?filter_makers=dutton-ron.

 

Ron Dutton, Peter Bagwell-Purefoy, cast bronze. Ex-Paul Connor. In honor of a numismatist, collector, and lawyer who was a fellow co-founder of BAMS. The reverse honors the coins that featured in the subjects doctoral research, and the legal paperwork founding the Trust associated with BAMS.

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web