AussieCollector

Your bank will always charge you more, or PayPal, or whoever. There is no escaping it.

Ah geez, I missed so many time periods between 1500 and 1600. I might post them tonight anyway, along with my 1600 to 1650.

Yes to the first, and agree with the second.

Speaking of Romans actually speaking Latin, I highly recommend Barbarians, which is loosely based on real events.

Congrats on the coin, very nice condition and seems to have decent gold content (which not all of them do). I'm curious however, how does the gold tone in the photo compare to the coin in hand?

Desperate journalists.

Wasn't the pay cheque approximately 1 denarius a day, equivalent to about 1 tetradrachm a week?

I guess whatever works. I'd vote for continuing into the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the WRE (which in my view is not a different empire, and nor should it be called the Byzantine Empire). But portraits do get difficult, and I'd love to see someone post a Constantine XI ;)

A question, what happens when thr Empire splits, and when the WRE falls?

Remarkable... we have filled the internet with such Western Roman Empire focused rubbish, that the smartest AI in the world falls for it.

Sigh. Can we please keep it to the topic, and not play the person.

Agreed, the struggle in real.

Wow, what a great response all. Learning as I go. Thanks for sharing coins and learnings. Thanks, I thought so too. Not exactly common, but apparently they are becoming more common. And WOW! Look at that Antioch Billon. Almost mint state. Makes me think I should upgrade mine. Thanks Ryro, sharing coins gives me more ideas for my next acquisitions. What's the second one you posted? Thanks, I felt very lucky to have secured this one. There aren't too many around that I've noticed, but perhaps with patience more will pop up. In any event, so glad to have secured Edessa. Thanks for sharing your Tancred, very high on my list, although I want to find one where he's not wearing a 'toupee' / a 1990s teenage haircut. Ahhh Bezants, I have mine, but it fascinates me that we don't really really know whether they're a crusader coins or the real deal (only by how poorly they are copied), and dealers seem to get confused. Both beautiful coins in any event, you must be very happy with them.

Hi folks As per my other thread, I am building my Crusader collection this year, with the aim of 10 coins in total, with a minimum of one coin from each of the first four Crusader states (Tripoli, Jerusalem, Edessa, and Antioch). As mentioned, I will likely also include other quasi Crusader states like like Cyprus and perhaps the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. I'm pleased to announce that in addition to my Jerusalem 1/4 Bezant, I have acquired a coin from Edessa. CRUSADERS, Edessa Baldwin II - Second reign, 1108-1118. Æ Follis (21mm, 4.65 g, 10h). Light issue. Obv: Baldwin standing left, wearing helmet and coat of mail, holding globus cruciger and hilt of sword Rev: Cross fleuronnée set on tendrils Ref: CCS 9b I was pleased to have also individually ID'd this coin in the Coins of the Crusader States, Malloy, on p.244 9b. It matched almost perfectly to the plate - light on detail and all. I am doubly pleased it is Baldwin II in his second reign, after he was released from captivity and reclaimed Edessa from the regent, Tancred (which seemed to be a rather messy affair, all told). With special thanks to @JeandAcre who has been helping me learn all about Crusader coins. Thanks for reading, and feel free to share your Crusader coins. AC

Unpopular opinion - provenance is not all that important. I just don't think it is, other than as an indicator of authenticity. Also to all those who said Athens Owls aren't that interesting, how dare you!

This

WOW. Deep. Dark. Accurate.

My thought was that they're simply "trying it on". Never underestimate the value of "guaranteed getting it now", vs. "maybe at a better price at an auction". As Ursus stated above "Leu's fixed prices, like every other dealer's, include three things: (a) the coin itself, (b) the service they provide, and (c) their reputation" They now have a good steer on b and c. Perhaps the next offering will be more reasonable, but perhaps not.

As a friend once said, hobbies are almost always grabbing a bunch of $100 bills, snipping them into pieces, and throwing them in the air. I think with our hobby, this is less the case as coins will hold most of their value. But if you're viewing them as investments, you're probably "doing it wrong". That said, plenty of money can be made, especially if you get into the middle guy business. And of course, there are exceptions. Not that it's exactly ancient, but I bought a Seville 2 Escudos cob coin for $780 Euros in 2016. It is now worth $3000 Euros at a minimum (probably more).

Ha! That's all I'll say.

It's because they were visited by ET.

So despite evidence to the contrary, you are choosing to believe coincidence. And that's fine, that's what you believe. But your belief is no more evidence based than the counter belief.

So much this.

Sooooo.... I wasn't expecting to acquire a Bezant for a while, but I had the opportunity to purchase this 1/4 Bezant at a price I couldn't pass up. CRUSADERS OF JERUSALEM Anonymous, ca. 1150-1187 ¼ bezant 14mm, 1.00g Description: derived from the ¼ dinar of the Fatimid ruler al-'Amir (1101-1130), type A-731, without mint or date

Had a look. Yea.... nah. It doesn't meet my price:quality ratio.