$CuLAroH >a HI ZH 6s El I{ ZH t)-.i -&. TITE VALLS OF NICAEA . FURTIIER TITOUGITTS ON TI:IE JALIUS CAESAR 'ELEPITANT' COINAGE Visit www.TomCederlind.com ... SYRACUSE. c. 404-400 Be. Silver Dekadrachm, unsigned dies by Kinwn . .. .or call for a complimentary catalog .... TOM CEDERLIND NUMISMATICS & ANTIQUITIES PO Box 1963, Dept. C 15031228·2746 Portland, OR 97207 Fax 15031 228·8130 www.TomCederiind.com/[email protected] Vol. 24, No.4 Inside The Celator'" ... April 2010 ncorporating Consecutive Issue No. 274 Roman Cainl'and euifllre FEATURES PublisherlEditor Kerry K. Wetterstrom [email protected] 6 The Walls of Nicaea by Walter C. Holt, M.A. Associate Editors Further Thoughts on the Julius Caesar Robert L. Black 20 Michael R. Mebalick 'Elephant' Coinage Page 6 by Mike Gasvoda For Back lNles From J987 to May 1999 contact: DEPARTMENTS Wayne Sayles [email protected] 2 Editor's Note Coming Next Month Art: Parnell Nelson 32 Art and the Market f)rofilcS' in j}umiS'matirS' Maps & Graphic Art: Art and the Market Page 20 Kenny Grady 33 36 Coming Events P.O. Box 10607 L.anca8t1tr, PA 17605 38 Special ized Shows: The San Francisco Historical TeUFax : 717~557 Bourse by Victor England For FedEx & UPS deliveries: Kerry K. Wetterstrom 41 ANT IQlJ ITl E5 by David Liebert 87 Apricot Ave Leola, PA 17540· 1788 42 Q[ oins of to e ~ ib[ e by David Hendin www.cetator.com 44 The Internet Connection The Gelator (ISSN #t048·0986) is an independent journal pub· by Kevin Barry & Zachary "Beasf' Beasley lished on the first day of each month at 87 Apricot Ave. Leola. PA 1 7540·1788.11 iscircu!aled in· 45 C'fhrough the Cooking glass ternationally Ihrough subscrip· by Wayne G. Sayles tions and special distributions. About the cover: Subscription rates. payable in Photos of the walls of U,S, funds. afe $36 per year (Pe· 46 Cartoon riodical rate) within the United Nicaea as they look States: $45 to Canada: $75 per 47 Professional Directory today, and the photo year to an other addresses (ISAL), of the reverse of an Advertising and copy deadline is 53 On the Road - The Celator's Show & Club Schedule the first workday of each month for .lE23 of Macrianus the following month's Issue, Unso­ showing the city-wailS Classifieds licited articles and news re~ses 53 of Nicaea. All photos are welcome. however publication cannot be guaranteed. Unless e~· 54 Club & Society Directory courtesy o f Walter pr8sslystat&d, The CeJatorneither Holt's Old Money. endorses nor is responsible IO!' the contents of advertisements. letter&­ 55 Index of Display Advertisers to-th&-editor. feature articles. regu· Celator office lar columns and press releases in The its pages. including any opjnions w ill be closed on stated therein, and the accuracy of April 2nd , and April any data provided by its contFibu· tors. Periodical postage paid 22"'-26'" (C ICF). (USPS #006077) Lancaster. PA Cnect the "On the 17604 and additional offices. Road" section (p. 57) c:opyr-q-rt© 2010. Paradigm for furthe( details. Of­ Numismatics & Publishing, Inc. fice fio~ ~re nor­ Postmaster: please send mally NOQO...to 6PM address changes to: EST. Please keep in P.O. Box 10607 mind tfiaf this is a Lancaster, PA 17605-0607 o ne-person busi­ ness when you're FO UNDED 1987 BY trying to reach me. WAYNE G. SAYLES Thank you! April2010 1 EDITOR'S "i COMING NEXT '"" MONm NOTE ~- IN THE CELATOR" I will be attend­ The Tetradrachms of Pyrrhus-- ing the 35 th annual Chicago Interna­ A Preliminary Die Study tional Coin Fair (C1C F) this month. It by Kimon Tsoukanelis will be held at the Crowne Plaza Chi­ cago 0' Hare, wh ich is in Rosemont, The Dr. J.S. Vogelaar Ill inois from April 22-25. There afC Room of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. This Romano-British Collection only three coin shows thaI I attend is an important opportunity to find out by Lee Toone from start to finish: the New York In­ what the ACCG is doing to defend the ternational Numismatic Convention ancient coin hobby. On Saturday, April AND COMING SOON (NYI NC), C l eF, and the summer 24'\ at lIAM, the Ancient Coin Club American Numismatic Association of Chicago will hold its monthly meet­ On a "Dig" in Italy convention, which will he held in the ing in conjunction with ClCF, fol­ by Victor "Tory" Failmezger great city of Boston this year. I also lowed by the Chicago Coin Club meet­ attend the Baltimore coin shows con­ ing at I PM. If you can tear yourself Unmasking a Modern ducted by Whitman Coin & Collecti­ away from the bourse floor, all three Armenian Fantasy: bles Expos, but usually only for a day of these activities are always interest­ The Profile Head Coin A t­ or two. ing and educational. For further infor­ The New York and Chicago Inter­ mation about CICF, please visit their tributed to Baron Levan II national coin shows are the only two website at www.cicfshow.com. by L. A. Saryan major events in the U.S. that specifi­ I would be remiss, as a member in cally cater to the ancient and world good standing of the Bermanian Guild Anti-Christian Coinage coin collector. There used to be a few of Numismatists, if I fai led to mention of Maximinus II other similar shows in Dallas (Numis­ that BeGON will conduct a meeting matics International), Los Angeles on Friday evening at ClCF. The topic by Brian Rowe Fifty Coins in 2,500 Years: " ... CleF will host several club meetings and educational programs. A Numismatic Walk The Ancient Coin Collectors Guild will conduct their meeting at I PM through Indian History on Friday afternoon. April 23"1, in the Kennedy Room of the Crowne by Pankaj Tandon Plaza HOlel. This is an important opportunity IOfind au/what the ACCG is doing to defend the ancient coin hobby." The Helmets of Perdikkas 11 by Randall Hixenbaugh (Convention of International Numis­ is "Wine Bottling in Bermania," and The Pilgrim Tokens of Saint matists), and Wi lmington, Delaware it promises to be both fun and educa­ Simeon the Younger (International Numismatic Society), tional- a sense of humor is helpful but but these shows have all been defunct not required! by Max Spiegel & Sam Spiegel for many, many years now. There arc Finally, after you have spent all of An Introduction to also smaller events that cater to the your hard-earned money on a few trea­ ancient and world coin collector (see sures for your collection, please stop Roman Imperial Vota Victor England's article on "Special­ by The Celator's table on the bourse by Paul R. Bredt ized Shows: The San Francisco Hi s­ floor (#604). It 's always fun to see my torical Bourse" on pages 38 and 39 friends and readers from the area, meet A Controversial Reverse of th is issue), and big conventions new subscribers, place a name with a by Pierre R Monney like the ANA that have a significant face, and catch up on what's new (or and designated ancient and world old) in the ancient coin hobby. If I' m From !conium to the coin section. not at my table, I' m either attending Home of Saint Luke: In addition to the bourse floor and one of the aforementioned club meet­ auction by HeritageAuction GaUeries. ings, or perusing a dealer's stock, so A Numismatic Odyssey CICF will host several club meetings feel free to have me paged, especially by Peter E. Lewis and educational programs. The An­ if you want to hand me a check for cient Coin Collectors Gui ld will con­ your subscription renewal! See you in Trajan: The Perfect Prince duct their meeting at I PM on Friday Chicago! by David Wend afternoon, Apri l 23'd, in the Kennedy 'the CeltltO! is l1 t1 med to! tll1d dedicated to the COi l1 die-e115Mv"s of; tll1tiquitv ",hose Mt 1email1S as po",e1f;ul tll1d tlppCtl li115 todaV as il1 thei1 0"'" time. 2 The Celator April2010 3 ing that the original was written on a than a hundred copies printed in the codex and not on a scroll) is going a initial run? Pe rhaps there is a treasure long way past the evidence. trove in some warehouse where the 2. Having made the quantum leap publisher's disputed assets wound up? (sorry for the cliche, but it seems ap­ About a quarter of a century ago, I propriate here) that the front page was happened to see these books li sted torn off by person unknown before even and thought, "those look very handy"­ one single copy was made and circu­ buying them without imagining that lated, he then assumes that this was they were "rare" books. Now, a hundred done because Mark had recorded a dollars for a used copy would be sur­ Reader Comments on "Natural birth " for Jesus. Really? Are prising-were it not for the skyrocketing "Coins and the Synoptic there no other possibilities? prices of other not so rare numismatic As an avid collector of biblically re­ books. I now realize how fortunate I was Problem" lated coins, the article pleased me im­ atlhe righl moment years ago, but col­ The article by Peter E. Lewis on mensely, but as a student of the New lectors and growing numismatists should "Coins and the Synoptic Problem" (The Testament, it was otherwise. not have to be lucky or rich to have ac­ Celator. February 2010) breaks new Jack Blankley cess to such immensely helpful works.