Tuesday 24 January 2017

NYINC Auction of World & Ancient Coins

Ancient coins saw great results. An Akragas Tetradrachm featuring two massive sea eagles and the fearsome Scylla brought $22,325. A scarce Naxos Hemidrachm realized $3,995.
A rare Bar Kochba Revolt “Large Bronze” nearly quadrupled estimate by realizing nearly $20,000. A Titus as Caesar “Judaea Capta” AE Sestertius, brought $18,800
A Belgian 100 Franc from 1853 brought $21,737, more than doubling the high estimate. A Half Pound of Elizabeth I brought $11,750.
See ----->http://psjfactoids.blogspot.ca/2017/01/nyinc-ancient-and-world-coins-and-paper_9.html

Monday 23 January 2017

Artifacts for Grand Egyptian Museum's Opening

A team of experts shipped a 4-ton, 3,500-year-old statue of King Amenhotep seated next to the falcon-headed Egyptian god Ra. The pink granite piece, which had lain hidden in the sands of southern Egypt until it was rediscovered in 2009, was packed in a purpose-built box and carried in a heavy truck on special air bags over 400 miles.

The statue will welcome visitors to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) when it opens in 2018. Some 50,000 pieces will be on display — 30,000 of which have never before been seen by the public.

Wednesday 18 January 2017

Strange Discoveries

Kepler-78b is a planet that should not exist. This scorching lava world circles its star every eight and a half hours at a space of less than one million miles – among the tightest known orbits. Based on present theories of planet formation, it could not have formed so close to its star, nor could it have proceeded there.
The ancient burial site “El Cementerio,” near the Mexican village of Onavas was disturbed in 1999. Villagers unearthed 25 skulls, 13 of which did not look entirely human.

Experts theorize that the deformity of the skulls were intentionally produced through the ritual of head flattening, otherwise called cranial deformation, in which the skull is compressed between two wooden boards from childhood.

Otzi the Iceman. In 1991, a group of hikers were trekking in the mountains of Austria when they came across an awful sight: a frozen body was buried in the ice at their feet. That body belonged to a 5,300 year old man.

By studying the body, scientists have been able to discover some surprisingly specific facts. When he was alive, he had parasites in his intestines, was lactose intolerant, and had been sick three times in the past six months. His death seems to have been caused by an arrow wound to his back.

In 2012 Australian scientists unveiled the biggest-ever graveyard of an ancient rhino-sized mega-wombat called diprotodon.

Diprotodon, the largest marsupial ever to roam the earth, weighing up to 2.8 tonnes, lived between two million and 50,000 years ago and died out around the time indigenous tribes first appeared.
Pachacamac is an archaeological site 40 km southeast of Lima, Peru in the Valley of the LurĂ­n River. Most of the common buildings and temples were built c. 800-1450 CE, shortly before the arrival and conquest by the Inca Empire.

The adult dead in the newfound tomb were found in the fetal position and were surrounded by a ring of baby skeletons.
Road crew workers working on the expansion of a road to the lsle of Portland came across a mass grave of fifty-four skeletons and fifty-one heads of Scandinavian men who were executed between A.D. 910 and 1030.

Research suggests they were Jomsvikings. Jomsvikings were a merciless group that terrorized the coast of England around 1000 who had a strict military code – never to show fear, and never to flee in the face of an enemy unless totally outnumbered.
An execution of the Jomsvikings captured in the Battle of Horundarfjord occurred in A.D. 986. All the men were murdered methodically and beheaded in an unusual fashion from the front. This is mentioned in Jomsvikings legend which states: ‘I am content to die as are all our comrades. But I will not let myself be slaughtered like a sheep. I would rather face the blow. Strike straight at my face and watch carefully if I pale at all.’

In the second century, Bulgaria was known as “Little Rome”. This title was verified when a gravesite of Roman soldiers was uncovered during a construction accident. Archaeologists say the tomb belongs to soldiers from the eighth legion of Augustus.

In its Roman heyday, Debelt was known as Deultum and held an important place in the Roman Empire. Among the items found there were gold jewelry needles, beads, scrapers used for bathing and massage, medicine, and gold medallions.





Saturday 14 January 2017

UK Metal Detector finds

Ringlemere Cup. In 2001, metal detector hobbyist Cliff Bradshaw headed out in the fields near Ringlemere, East Kent. After some digging he unearthed a rare golden chalice, which would be eventually sold to the British Museum for £270,000. The exquisite cup, the second of its kind to be found in Britain, was called the Ringlemere Cup and is dated to the early Bronze Age.

A treasure hunter discovered a medieval ring in the heart of Robin Hood’s Sherwood Forest which could be worth up to £70,000. Mark Thompson was in the famous Nottinghamshire woodland for just 20 minutes when his metal detector sounded.
A Tudor ring was found in a muddy field by an amateur metal detector enthusiast. Experts confirmed the ring was 80 per cent gold and contains rubies and emeralds. It sold for £20,000.

In 2015, a hoard of over 5,000 Anglo Saxon coins was unearthed near Lenborough, Buckinghamshire. Experts believe the hoard was buried following the Battle of Hastings to conceal it from the Norman invaders.

The coins were estimated to be worth over £1.3 million.

Monday 9 January 2017

NYINC - ancient and world coins and paper money II

Franz Anton von Harrach gold 25 Ducat 1709 MS61 NGC, Salzburg mint. Excessively rare, this piece represents the largest non-medallic gold issue of Salzburg in the 18th Century. Bid $ 125,000
Confederation gold Specimen "Stirnlocke-Vreneli" Pattern 20 Francs 1897-B SP66+ PCGS, Bern mint. Only 12 examples are known. Bid $ 65,000
Issue of Septimius Severus. Severus was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. Receiving the highest possible grade from NGC, this coin features portraits of Caracalla, Geta, and Julia Domna
Transylvania: Stephan Bocskai gold 10 Ducat 1605 AU58 NGC. Bid $ 60,000

Tuesday 3 January 2017

NYINC - ancient and world coins and paper money


A 1923 100 Tomans issued by the Imperial Bank of Persia and payable at Kermanshah only. Graded Choice Very Fine 35, this is one of the rarest banknotes from present-day Iran.
NYINC is considered one of the premier events of ancient and world coins and paper money. The floor auction, which will be held on January 12, includes numerous rarities that are very seldom offered for sale.


A 1908 Zanzibar 5 Rupees graded Very Fine 35 by PCGS. Zanzibar holds a special place in the hearts of world-banknote collectors, as all notes from this island off the coast of Tanzania are rare.

Lot 2008 (Sicily): Tetradrachm of Akragas (17.20 g), ca. 420–410 B.C. Choice VF
An 1839-dated 15-piece Proof set, containing all denominations struck that year for circulation in Proof format, plus a pattern gold 5 Pounds of the famous “Una and the Lion” design.
1716-dated gold Ducat struck under Peter I. Graded AU-55 by PCGS, this is a rare type that incorporates Latin legends instead of the Cyrillic legends usually found on Russian coins.
A 1750-dated example struck under Elizabeth and graded AU-58 by PCGS. This is the finest known example.