Category Archives: Russell A. Augustin

Ancient Greek Coins – Agathokles’ Victory

Sicily, Syracuse. Agathokles. 317-289 BCE. Silver Tetradrachm By Russell A. Augustin – AU Capital Management, LLC …… Agathokles was the last of the larger-than-life rulers of Syracuse, but he was not merely given the right to the throne. He was born in Thermae in 361 BCE to a Greek manufacturer of pottery, but he quickly […]

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Ancient Coins – Zeus, the King of the Gods

Ancient Coins and The Colosseo Collection, by Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC ……   Depending on who was in control at the time, the electrum coinage of Phokaia and Mytilene in Ionia was struck as payment to either the Persian Empire or the Delian League. Issued semi-annually, the volume of ancient coins minted […]

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Let’s Talk About $20 Gold Coins: Grading, Population, and the Market

  In this episode of the CoinWeek Live Stream on YouTube, noted coin expert Russ Augustin (AU Capital Management/RARCOA) joins Charles Morgan to discuss common date $20 Gold Coins. We cover a wide range of issues in this video. Whether you stack coins (a term Russ was unfamiliar with before this stream), collect coins, or […]

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Let’s Talk About the Current State of the Silver Dollar Market

In this episode of the CoinWeek Live Stream on YouTube, noted coin expert Russ Augustin (AU Capital Management/RARCOA) joins Charles Morgan to discuss the current state of the silver dollar market and to discuss 24 silver dollars in various grades and how they may fit into your collecting plans. We cover a wide range of […]

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The Grandeur That Was Rome – The Secular Games of the Circus Maximus

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC …… The Secular Games at the Circus Maximus were some of the largest and most memorable celebrations in antiquity. They were held on two different cycles, first on the “saeculum”, thought to be the longest possible length of a human life (between 100 and 110 years) and […]

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The First Ancient Coins – Aegina’s Sea Turtle

Ancient Coins – ISLANDS off ATTICA, Aegina. Circa 550-530/25 BCE. AR Stater. Sea turtle   Ancient Coins Profiles By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC …… Aegina is a rocky and mountainous island in the Saronic Gulf located about 25 miles southeast of Athens. It was settled by the Dorians around 900 BCE and […]

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Ancient Coins – Alexander the Great Tetradrachms and Herakles’ Slaying of the Nemean Lion

MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Alexander the Great Tetradrachms (336-323 BC). AR Tetradrachms By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC …… The early Macedonian kingdom did not have sufficient access to mines to be able to mass-produce influential coinage. However, when Philip II rose to power in 359 BCE, he recognized the importance of mining and prioritized […]

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Ancient Coins – A Soldier’s Share of Alexander the Great’s Plunder

Ancient Coins By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC …… Alexander the Great, born in the autumn of 356 BCE and taught by the famous Aristotle, was one of the most successful military generals of all time, conquering a large part of Asia and ruling a kingdom that spanned from the Ionian sea to […]

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Ancient Electrum Coins – Strength and Unity of an Empire

The Colosseo Collection Electrum Coins …… By Russell A. Augustin – AU Capital Management, LLC The ancient Greek island of Lesbos was located in the northeastern Aegean Sea off the coast of modern-day Turkey. Its largest and wealthiest city, Mytilene, was originally founded in the 11th century BCE by the Penthilidae family of Thessaly, who […]

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Ancient Gold Coins : The First Circulating Gold Coinage and the Stag of Artemis

Ancient Gold Coins By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC …… From the The Colosseo Collection The First Circulating Coinage Little is known about this mysterious archaic electrum coinage – the first ancient gold coins. It was minted in Ionia, somewhere in central Western Anatolia on the shores of the Aegean sea, but scholars […]

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AU Capital – Indian Peace Medals: Important and Historic Collectibles

  AU Capital Management President Russ Augustin teams up with CoinWeek to discuss the fascinating Indian Peace Medal series. In this episode, Russ shares a number of medals from his collection and discusses the important historic role these numismatic objects played in bettering relations between native tribes and the American government. From the English administration […]

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Ancient Greek Coins – New Style Athens Tetradrachm

Attica, Athens AR Tetradrachm. New Style Coinage, circa 154-153 BC By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC ……   Athens was once immensely powerful and independent, but its invincibility was ultimately disproved. It was conquered first by Sparta, then by Macedonia, and eventually by Rome. Athens’ value was well understood, and it was allowed […]

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Ancient Coin Profiles – Portrait of Alexander the Great

Macedonia, Philip II, struck under Philip III; Kolophon, c. 322 BC, Stater By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC ……   With no mass media, ancient coins functioned as powerful tools for propaganda due to their portability and potential to circulate widely. Rulers would carefully choose their types and each element of the designs […]

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Ancient Coin Profiles – Portrait of Alexander the Great

Macedonia, Philip II, struck under Philip III; Kolophon, c. 322 BC, Stater By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC ……   With no mass media, ancient coins functioned as powerful tools for propaganda due to their portability and potential to circulate widely. Rulers would carefully choose their types and each element of the designs […]

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Ancient Greek Coins – Agathokles’ Victory

Sicily, Syracuse. Agathokles. 317-289 BC. Silver Tetradrachm By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC …… Agathokles was the last of the larger-than-life rulers of Syracuse, but he was not merely given the right to the throne. He was born in Thermae in 361 BCE to a Greek manufacturer of pottery, but he quickly tired […]

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Ancient Roman Coins – Vespasian Aureus Buried at Pompeii

Vespasian. 69-79 CE. AV Aureus – Rome Mint – Struck 70 CE By Russell A. Augustin – AU Capital Management, LLC …. Mt. Vesuvius began erupting on August 24, 79 CE and continued for two days, burying the Roman settlements of Pompeii and Herculaneum, among others. There were warning signs: small earthquakes started a few […]

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Ancient Coins – A Soldier’s Share of Alexander the Great’s Plunder

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC …… Alexander the Great, born in the autumn of 356 BCE and taught by the famous Aristotle, was one of the most successful military generals of all time, conquering a large part of Asia and ruling a kingdom that spanned from the Ionian sea to the Himalayas […]

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Ancient Greek Coins – Philip II the King of Macedonia

Ancient Greek CoinsBy Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC…. The Colosseo Collection Philip II was the father of Alexander the Great and the youngest son of King Amyntas III. He took the throne in 359 BCE upon the death of his elder brothers, at a time when Macedonia was a poorly organized, economically insignificant, […]

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Ancient Coins: War and Peace – The Sikyon Stater

Sikyon was located in the northern Peloponnesus and was known in antiquity for its industries, including sculpture, bronze work, and pottery. Its central location meant it was frequently involved in the wars of its neighbors: Thebes, Corinth, Athens, and Sparta. It was the main mint for the anti-Athenian states in the Peloponnesian War and issued […]

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Ancient Greek Coins – The Peak of Classical Artistry

Ancient Greek Coins By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC Lampsakos has a storied past, having been a frequent source of contention between battling powers, changing hands between Lydia, Persia, Athens, and Sparta between the sixth and fifth centuries BCE. It was the first ancient Greek coins from city-state to see its gold coinage […]

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Ancient Coins – The Wealth of the Persian Empire

The Colosseo Collection of Ancient Coins ……By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC Thanks to intelligent political leadership and forward-thinking approaches to governing, the Persian Empire quickly became a substantial power of the ancient world. By not interfering with local customs or religions and granting equal rights for all citizens as long as taxes […]

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Ancient Greek Coins – The Eagles and Coinage of Akragas

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC The Colosseo Collection …… Akragas was a wealthy and powerful Greek state on the southern coast of Sicily, second only to Syracuse in importance. The city was famous for its lavish building projects, proudly displaying its wealth in the form of numerous massive temples, many of which […]

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Ancient Coin Profile – The First Facing Portrait of a King

LYCIA. Dynasts of Lycia, Perikles (c.375-360 BCE), Silver Stater By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC …… Lycia was a mountainous region in Anatolia with dramatic slopes that plunge into the sea. Many of its cities left the Delian League as Athens and Sparta fought the Peloponnesian War but in 429 BCE, Athens sent […]

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Ancient Coins – Zeus, the King of the Gods

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC The Colosseo Collection …… Depending on who was in control at the time, the electrum coinage of Phokaia and Mytilene in Ionia was struck as payment to either the Persian Empire or the Delian League. Issued semi-annually, the volume of coins minted was prolific – both mints […]

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Ancient Coins – The Most Famous Coin of Antiquity – the Athenian Owl

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC The Colosseo Collection ……   Athens was a great military power in ancient Greece and is considered the birthplace of Western civilization and democracy. After defeating the Persians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE, Athens was brought into a golden age. During this period of […]

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Ancient Coins : Lydian Gold Considered the First Coins in the World

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC The Colosseo Collection …… Lydian Coins are considers to be the First Coins ever produced and used. The First Official Coin Natural resources are often a source of great wealth for a country, especially its king. The Pactolus River in Lydia, now modern day Turkey, was one […]

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CoinWeek: Cool Coins! 2018 Episode 1: Amazing Mint Errors, Shipwreck Gold and More!

 CoinWeek Cool Coins! returns with this first episode for 2018. We are excited to share with you a new crop of cool stories about some of the most interesting coins, tokens, and medals that dealers and collectors show off on the bourse floor. Segment 1: Larry Shepherd talks about an original three-coin set of […]

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Ancient Greek Coin Design Features – Front Facing Portraiture

Greek Coins – An apparently unique variety (the only specimen known with this magistrate name) of an extremely rare type. By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC ……   Undoubtedly the finest specimen known of this wonderful issue bearing one of the finest front facing portraits on Greek coins. Of extraordinary late Classical style […]

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Ancient Roman Coins – Octavian and the Battle of Actium

Octavian. Gold Aureus (7.8g) minted at Rome, 32-31 BC By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC…. Octavian was the son of Julius Caesar’s niece and Caesar himself sponsored his introduction into public life when Octavian accompanied his uncle in his triumph over the Spanish in 46 BCE. Octavian was only 20 years old when […]

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Ancient Roman Coins – Rome at its Finest under Emperor Antoninus Pius

138-161 AD. Aureus, 7.30g (6h). Rome, 140-4 AD By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC …… Antoninus Pius is remembered by history as a kind, just, and intelligent emperor. Having held the title for 23 years, the longest reign since that of Augustus, he had a great deal of time in office to make […]

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Ancient Gold Coin Profiles – Civic Badge of Cyzicus

Ancient Gold Coin – Mysia, Cyzicus. Hekte circa 500-450 By Russell A. Augustin – AU Capital Management, LLC …. Cyzicus was one of the great trade cities of the ancient world. It was located on the Sea of Marmara and ruled by the Persian Empire until its capture by Alexander the Great in 334 BCE. […]

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Ancient Coins – A Soldier’s Share of Alexander the Great’s Plunder

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC…. Alexander the Great, born in the autumn of 356 BCE and taught by the famous Aristotle, was one of the most successful military generals of all time, conquering a large part of Asia and ruling a kingdom that spanned from the Ionian sea to the Himalayas before […]

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Ancient Greek Coins – Philip II the King of Macedonia

The tomb of Philip II of Macedon at the Museum of the Royal Tombs in Vergina By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC…. The Colosseo Collection Philip II was the father of Alexander the Great and the youngest son of King Amyntas III. He took the throne in 359 BCE upon the death of […]

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Ancient Electrum Coins – Strength and Unity of an Empire

By Russell A. Augustin – AU Capital Management, LLC The Colosseo Collection ……   The ancient Greek island of Lesbos was located in the northeastern Aegean Sea off the coast of modern-day Turkey. Its largest and wealthiest city, Mytilene, was originally founded in the 11th century BCE by the Penthilidae family of Thessaly, who ruled […]

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Ancient Electrum Coins – Strength and Unity of an Empire

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC The Colosseo Collection …… The ancient Greek island of Lesbos was located in the northeastern Aegean Sea off the coast of modern-day Turkey. Its largest and wealthiest city, Mytilene, was originally founded in the 11th century BC by the Penthilidae family of Thessaly, who ruled it until […]

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Ancient Coins : Lydian Gold Considered the First Coins in the World

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC The Colosseo Collection …… Lydian Coins are considers to be the First Coins ever produced and used. The First Official Coin Natural resources are often a source of great wealth for a country, especially its king. The Pactolus River in Lydia, now modern day Turkey, was one […]

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Ancient Gold Coins : The First Circulating Gold Coinage & The Stag of Artemis

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC The Colosseo Collection ……… The First Circulating Coinage Little is known about this mysterious archaic electrum coinage, the first ancient gold coin. It was minted in Ionia, somewhere in central Western Anatolia on the shores of the Aegean sea, but scholars have yet to identify the precise […]

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Ancient Coin Profiles – Civic Badge of Cyzicus

  Mysia, Cyzicus. Hekte circa 500-450 By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC…. Cyzicus was one of the great trade cities of the ancient world. It was located on the Sea of Marmara and ruled by the Persian Empire until its capture by Alexander the Great in 334 BC. Starting in the first half […]

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Ancient Coins – A Soldier’s Share of Alexander the Great’s Plunder

  By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC…. Alexander the Great, born in the autumn of 356 BC and taught by the famous Aristotle, was one of the most successful military generals of all time, conquering a large part of Asia and ruling a kingdom that spanned from the Ionian sea to the Himalayas […]

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Ancient Coins: Strength and Unity of an Empire

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC The Colosseo Collection …… The ancient Greek island of Lesbos was located in the northeastern Aegean Sea off the coast of modern-day Turkey. Its largest and wealthiest city, Mytilene, was originally founded in the 11th century BC by the Penthilidae family of Thessaly, who ruled it until […]

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Ancient Coins : The First Official Coin

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC The Colosseo Collection …… The First Official Coin Natural resources are often a source of great wealth for a country, especially its king. The Pactolus River in Lydia, now modern day Turkey, was one of the most significant sources of electrum in the ancient world, and it […]

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Ancient Coins : The First Circulating Gold Coinage & The Stag of Artemis

By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC The Colosseo Collection ……… The First Circulating Coinage Little is known about this mysterious archaic electrum coinage. It was minted in Ionia, somewhere in central Western Anatolia on the shores of the Aegean sea, but scholars have yet to identify the precise city-state that produced this sophisticated […]

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