Meander

That’s a wonderful sestertius @AncientJoe and with a top pedigree. Mine has a more somber portrait with Napoleonic vibes and a pedigree that goes to 1978 only. Still a proud part of my collection.

Galba, 68 – 69. 
Sestertius, circa 68 – 69, Æ 26.09 g. SER GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG TR P Laureate and draped bust r. Rev. LIBERTAS – PVBLICA Libertas, draped, standing l. holding pileus in r. hand and rod in l.; in field, S – C. C 112. BMC 69. RIC 388

15 minutes ago, Roman Collector said:

Thanks so much!!! 

You’re welcome. While we’re at it, here are the photo and description in the older M&M catalogue.

1 hour ago, Roman Collector said:

Hi all! I am hoping one of you can help me with finding a photograph of lot 449 in M&M's Auction 38 (6 December 1968), an as or dupondius of Faustina the Elder with the CONCORDIA AVG reverse type. I have gone to rNumis, but this particular catalog does not appear to be digitized. Are any of you able to post an image of the coin and its listing in the auction? Thanks so much in advance!

Here you go.

The intervention of that forum member was inappropriate. Starting from the content of the post to its eventual deletion. He provided one inconsequential information but didnt forget to let us know how beneath him it was to react at all. Shameful.

7 minutes ago, lordmarcovan said:

All that stuff in the Heritage auction likely drew strong money because it was in slabs.  Now, say what you like about slabs- and I know most of you purists despise them- but they do bring in interest from a sector of collectors who might not otherwise buy an ancient coin.

Me, I slab ‘em mostly because the rest of my collection is slabbed.  For consistency’s sake. There are a few other perks to slabs, as well as disadvantages.

Because Ancients in slabs are so often overpriced, I typically buy mine raw (like I did this time), and submit them myself.  That’s been the case for all but my Claudius sestertius and my two aurei, which I did purchase already slabbed.  Everything else I bought raw and sent off to be entombed.  (Ow!  Ow!  Stop throwing that rotten fruit at me, already!)

I am your typical slab-breaker but watching the prices achieved in Heritage I am considering slabbing coins that could reach the MS or at least AU grade (very few of those in my collection) and sell them just to see if I get those prices. Dark side of the force is starting to suck me in 👿

Yet another coin that took more than 4 months to arrive. But once again well worth the wait. An issue of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, Roman politician and general who played significant role in the period of the Second Triumvirate. This particular coin issued by Ahenobarbus after his reconciliation with Marcus Antonius honours the latter on the obverse. The reverse reflects the role of Ahenobarbus as a naval commander as it shows the prow of a ship with a star above.

The coin also has an excellent pedigree which took some time to dig out and may still be short of complete as there is a 45 year gap between the sale of Magnaguti’s collection by Santamaria and the one where Canovas’ collection was sold. I blame the French dealers who have a reputation of not giving a damn about earlier provenances. The Borghesi provenance cannot be confirmed with a photo, as is often the case of very early auction catalogs, but is referenced by both the Jacob Hirsch and Bruder Egger catalogs so I choose to trust them 😄

Marcus Antonius and Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus. Denarius, mint moving with M. Antonius 40. ANT·IMP·AVG III VIR·R·P·C Head of M. Antonius r.; behind, lituus. Rev. CN·DOMIT· AHENOBARBVS ·IMP Prow r.; above, star. Babelon Antonia 56 and Domitia 23. C 10. Sydenham 1179. Sear Imperators 258. RBW 1805. Crawford 521/2.

Bartolomeo Borghesi collection (Sambon/Dura, 2 April 1881, lot 503 and Sangiorgi, 19 January 1893, lot 503)

Ingenieur Sarti in Rome collection (Jacob Hirsch VIII, 18 May 1903, lot 2106)

Ernst Moritz Herzfelder collection (Bruder Egger XLIII, 14 April 1913, lot 79)

Vicomte de Sartiges collection (Ars Classica XVIII, 10 October 1938, lot 29)

Count Alessandro Magnaguti collection (P&P Santamaria, Magnaguti II, 14 October 1949, lot 339)

Manuel Canovas collection (Jean Vinchon, 18 May 1994, lot 49)

Étienne Regnard collection (Jean Vinchon, 6 December 2023, lot 117).

For further reading about the collectors and auction houses/dealers referenced above I highly recommend the Provenance glossary compiled by my dear friend and advisor Hadrien Rambach:

https://www.academia.edu/33906715/_Provenance_glossary_

Different from the last coin I have posted here, this one arrived lightning fast. An issue of Maximianus Herculius as augustus.
Depicting on the reverse the third labor of Hercules, capturing the Ceryneian hind. The Ceryneian hind had golden antlers and bronze hooves and was sacred to the goddess Artemis. Hercules hunted the hind for a whole year, finally capturing it when the deer was crossing a river. He brought the deer back to Eurystheus and somehow avoided Artemis punishing him for hunting the animal.

Maximianus Herculius first reign, 286 – 305
Aureus 287, AV 5.05 g. MAXIMIA – NVS P F AVG Laureate head r. Rev. VIRT – VS AVGG Hercules standing r., kneeling on the Cerynean hind, which he seizes by its antlers; in l. field, club. In exergue, P R. C 595. RIC –. Depeyrot 6/10. Calicó 4736.

From the Rudolf Hoesch, Walter Niggeler and E.J.Seltman collections. Dr. Busso Peus Nachf. 438, 26 April 2024, lot 3157, MMAG/Leu, 3 November 1967, lot 1481, MMAG VII, 1948, lot 653 and Sotheby´s, 6 July 1921, lot 122

30 minutes ago, David Atherton said:

Roma didn't help matters with the false provenances and looted material. Talk about shooting oneself in the foot!

False provenances, sure. As far as looted material, almost everyone is selling it. Athenian tetradrachms come to mind.

Hi, not really my most recent purchase, but due to export licensing requirements in France I received this coin only 4 months after the auction. Still worth the wait. An issue of Trajan honoring Nerva and Trajan's father on the reverse. In addition, a nice pedigree to the collection of a famous tenor Enrico Caruso.

Trajan, with Trajan Pater and Nerva. AD 98-117. AV Aureus. Rome mint. Struck AD 112-113. IMP TRAIANVS AVG GER • DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / DIVI • NERVA • ET • TRAIANVS • PAT, laureate bust of Nerva right, slight drapery and bareheaded and draped bust of Trajan the Elder left, vis-à-vis. Calicó 1138a

From the Enrico Caruso collection, Canessa, 28 June 2023, lot 296, and J. Tyszkiewicz, R. Serrure, Paris 25.6.1901, lot 78

Quite a number of argentei tend to have a beautiful iredescent toning. 

Maximianus I. Herculius, 286-305. Argenteus, 294, Augusta Treverorum (Trier). RIC 102b.

Photo credit: Busso Peus Nachf.

So why did you even consign with Leu? You are German, I am right? There are several German auction houses that cater for different categories of customers. No exchange rate risk, no customs issues (however improbable). It seems you thought Leu was getting better prices. Or did they give you a lower fee?

But, as @ajax has pointed out, the auction house is putting their own coins into their auctions and they may be getting better prices than those of the other consignors. Coincidence? I dont think so.

8 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

Thanks to all of you for your enthusiastic support! I admit that I'm a bit disappointed in the result. Not that I really expected the coin to go for much more, but there's always hope, and specifically I did hope that the excellent pedigree (especially the recently-added 1909 Sir John Evans Collection pedigree, which for all I know most people didn't even notice) would make more of a difference, and would outweigh the "ex-jewelry" issues. On the other hand, a quick look at the other Vespasian aurei in the auction indicates that mine was the only one to exceed the estimate, and that a couple didn't even reach their estimate. Why? Who knows? I haven't taken a look to see how other aurei have done. The answer could lie in the phases of the moon, for all I know! I will try not to think about how the coin might have done with a different auction house (Leu was the only one I seriously considered, ironically enough), or with a retail dealer like Ed Waddell -- with whom the coin may not have sold yet, or for a long time to come.

In answer to the question about how much I'll actually receive (assuming the buyer pays!), I agreed in advance to a 5% seller's fee, compared to the usual 15% seller's fee. No, I'm not getting a cut of the 22% buyer's fee! So I should end up with 95% of the $6,250 hammer price, or $5,937.50. Since settlement will be by check, and since the transaction is entirely a domestic U.S. transaction, I won't incur any additional fees. In the end, I won't get back what I paid when I bought the coin at retail -- there will be a shortfall of about $1,000 -- but it could have been a lot worse! (Like it was back in 2015-2016, when I sold most of my collection of British gold coins, silver crowns, and historical medals directly to Stacks for about 30-40 cents on the dollar, because I needed money immediately.) Besides, if I pretend that the refund I just got from Leu for the lost coins is part of these proceeds, then I end up ahead!

I do very much hope that my Vespasian aureus was purchased by an actual collector, and that I won't see the coin on sale on V-Coins anytime soon for $10,000+!

 

I understand your disappointment. You would hope that with those pedigrees you would at least break even. On the other hand, you have to consider that someone just paid $7,500 for your coin, which is more than you did initially. Blame the auction fees.

I was thinking of bidding on your coin but there were two other aurei in the sale which were pedigreed and much scarcer so I went for them. Better luck next time.

6 minutes ago, sand said:

It would be interesting to know, how much @DonnaML actually receives for her coin, after any fees and such. I'm just curious, in case I ever decide to auction any of my high end coins via CNG.

Its useless to judge based on one coin anyway. It is much better not to sell piecemeal but all at once to get the best conditions. Still, in my experience some coins sell well, some break even and some are disaster 😄

Its a nice coin but not rare and with the problems mentioned one cannot expect miracles. I feel for an aureus of a common emperor to sell well it has to have both a good pedigree and an interesting reverse. Pedigree is less important than with the Greek coins as the regulations are (so far) relatively relaxed.

4 hours ago, Roman Collector said:

You're not imagining things. I couldn't believe someone paid 750 CHF for an EF but otherwise unremarkable denarius of Antoninus Pius.

Well, you failed to mention that the coin was once a part of Mazzini collection. Some people value such a pedigree quite enough.

I love Commodus' portraits and especially on bronzes. I chased this coin when it appeared for the first time in NAC auction in 2014 and was a disappointed underbidder. When it appeared again in 2021 I was able to get it and for a much lower price. Never lose hope!

Commodus augustus, 177 – 192.  
Sestertius 183-184, Æ 25.76 g. M COMMODVS AN – TONINVS AVG PIVS Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. P M TR P VIIII IMP VI COS IIII P P Pax seated l. holding branch and cornucopiae; in exergue, S C. C 453. BMC 531. RIC 405.

My specimen, which I consider one of my best coins. The wrestlers' pose is once again nothing out of ordinary but they are beautifully modeled and the coin has a very nice toning.

Aspendos. Silver stater, ca. 380/75-330/25 BC. Obv. Two wrestlers beginning to grapple with each other; between them, ΚF. Rev. ΕΣΤFΕΔΙΙΣ. Slinger striding right, preparing to launch sling-bolt; to right, triskeles to right. BMC 44; SNG v. Aulock 4544 var.; SNG Cop 217; SNG France 102.

Great examples everyone. I never got to obtain a full stater but managed to get a nice drachm. And it is from the BCD collection which is a plus.

Drachm (Silver, 5.97 g 2), c. 431-400. Chimaera moving to left, without ground line, right paw raised; below, . Rev. Dove flying left with wings open above and below; all within olive wreath tied on the right and with the branch ends entwined on the left. Pozzi 1791. Traité 762, pl. CCXIX, 30. Weber 3908. From the BCD collection (LHS Numismatik 96, 2006, lot 204).

1 hour ago, Prieure de Sion said:

Only "low price" coins - but without any problems...

This coming auction I will participate too.

 

 

Good luck with that! The estimates mean nothing. All coins have hidden reserves, sometimes stratospheric ones.

One of my favourites:

Gela, AR Tetradrachm circa 480-470. Slow quadriga driven r. by charioteer; above, Nike flying r. to crown horses. Rev. Forepart of man-headed bull r. Jenkins 106

from the Comtesse de Béhague Collection, Vinchon 14.4.1984, lot 28, and Jacob Hirsch VII, 2.6.1902, lot 91

44 minutes ago, Prieure de Sion said:

I didn't get anything - or in other words - decide against one or the other lot. The prices were at a premium anyway because of the names - pieces that are worth around 1000 euros in the open market - went 300-500 euros over the market value.

Problem due to the weak euro - around 1500 pounds are around 1700 euros. Then there are the auction fees - that's around 2000 euros in the end.

And then the next problem is German customs. Almost all deliveries from England are not cleared properly because we have new customs tariff numbers in Germany since January 2022. Roma writes the right number on it 100 times - but customs always charges the wrong 19% tax instead of the correct 7%. And then I end up with around 2400 euros.

So from a 1500 pound coin in England at Roma I end up paying around 2400 euros with fees and the wrong customs duty. I had two coins of Titus in mind - they were worth maybe 1300-1500 pounds final price - but not the almost 2,500 euros I would have had to pay.

Therefore - no - nothing at Roma.
Why did the British have to leave the EU too 😞 ....?!

Can’t you challenge the setting of the VAT by customs? I do it all the time here in Belgium.

I find the portraits on Philip II gold coinage really attractive.

KINGS OF MACEDON. Philip II, 359-336 BC. AV Stater, Pella, struck under Philip II or Alexander III, circa 340-328. Laureate head of Apollo to right. Rev. ΦΙΛΙΠΠOY Charioteer driving biga to right, holding reins in his left hand and goad in his right; below horses, trident right.

This text from Harlan Berk may serve as a basic guide to collecting Greek gold and electrum although it is hard to read due to formatting

https://www.hjbltd.com/#!/article/242-your-first-25-greek-gold-and-electrum-coins-prices-have-chan