It's SHINY Time at the Doctor's LabWell my first image has NOTHING to do with the Moon, but rather aesthetic and monetary value. Yesterday, I stumbled upon a beautiful 1830 "Capped Bust Type" half dollar in extraordinary condition. I picked it up a *very* reasonable price from an reputable online seller of ancient coins. From looking at comparative ( Read more... )

In tribute to the most famous dictator of antiquity (he NEVER was an Emperor) and perhaps the Greatest Roman of all time, I give you Caesar's Comet Coin:


( Read more... )

..A Star in the East

Yesterday I bought a nice, though worn little coin off of an online site. Coins of this 'type' are highly sought for, and yet the price ($25) was much lower than the usual going rate. So even though I have several of these coins, I didn't waste any time using PayPal to acquire this little gem.

Coin of Syria - Antiochia on ( Read more... )

So, what happened to the children of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra VII ( Read more... )

A Decent Game

I admit it, I watched more than 1/2 of the Superbowl. And for once, it didn't disappoint, though I didn't actually start watching until 6:15 PM in order to miss nearly all the overhyped pre-game crap. As for the game I was favoring the Colts who IMHO are still the better team. But it was the aints Saints who were looser and more ( Read more... )

The Iceni Tribe of Britain

The Iceni were one of the strongest tribes of Celtic Britain. They were not conquered by the Romans during the invasion of 43 BC, but at first allied with the Empire. But they would soon revolt against the invaders, first in 47 AD and later in 61 AD, led by the warrior queen Boudica. Under her leadership, a massive ( Read more... )

As many of my readers and friends know, the doctor has a diverse array of hobbies. Not only do I deeply delve into astronomy and astro-imaging, but I'm a macro-photographer and a collector of ancient coins, fossils (trilobites), stamps and historical (propaganda) covers/postcards of Das Dritte Reich.I've just gotten back into astro-imaging, so 'new ( Read more... )

And this time, it's REALLY SHINY ( Read more... )

Yesterday morning I won a beautiful ancient Greek coin at an online auction for $118. Normally this classic coin costs 250 -300 dollars (or more), so this was a pretty good buy. The only catch was that I bought this just before I found out my furlough schedule. This combined with upcoming Dragon*con will make August a bit on the tight side, but ( Read more... )

Impasse!

It's been over a week since the last counter-bid by the mortgage firm. They have been very quiet and it is starting to piss the doctor off since the NET difference is now less than 2 K (lower before the infamous "Bugs Bunny" bid ploy of last week). Today I shot off an email to the my agent to the effect of ..shit, or get off the pot. I'm ( Read more... )