Cinco71

Did Mr. High Price / Low Quality start selling cars?

As a high school teacher, I've seen worse handwriting.  🙂

This is amazing.  If they were able to decipher all those scrolls, who knows what gaps in our knowledge of Roman life we might find?

It's interesting that in the most recent edition of Aaron Berk's Ancient Coin Podcast, he weighs in a bit on the topic of smoothing and tooling (starting at about 17:50 into the episode).  He makes the statement that "most bronze coins have some kind of smoothing in them somewhere."  He goes on to suggest that NGC change their standards for labeling the smoothing and tooling of slabbed coins, especially when it comes to smoothing in the fields which he feels is not a big deal.

I think his most interesting suggestion is that NGC not slab tooled coins at all, and as far as smoothing goes, they should just ding the surface score on the label.  For those of you who don't believe in slabbing at all, then this might not matter to you, but to those who purchase coins in slabs, this would be a significant change if adopted.

Yesterday I visited a coin shop in Tokyo that specializes in turning Greek and Roman coins into jewelry, mostly pendants and rings.  Below is an example of taking a typical Alexander drachm and putting it into a ring as well as a Hadrian denarius as a pendant.  They use real coins, though they also had many pieces that used replicas instead.  I was there to look at their raw coins, but couldn't help looking at the jewelry, too.    I have mixed feelings about the idea of wearing a coin, so I wonder how the rest of you feel about this.   Anyone tempted to wear a drachm around your finger or a denarius around your neck?  Or is this absolute sacrilege?

They are called World Coin Gallery located near the Akihabara area of Tokyo if you want to peruse their offerings.

9 hours ago, ambr0zie said:

Just realized my coin is perfect for a logo of a Mexican restaurant or even a dance school. 

 

Once you see it, you'll never unsee it.

9 hours ago, ambr0zie said:

 

 

On 3/23/2023 at 9:52 PM, Broucheion said:

Hi @Cinco71,

Angel, or maybe a stylized Tanit symbol? See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_Tanit .

- Broucheion 

I hadn't thought of the Tanit sign before.  That may very well be it.

Can't go back in time and ask who did it, though.  So now when I look at it, I'll think swooping angel or Sign of Tanit.  I'm not sure which is cooler.

Here's my double cut Owl with a swooping angel countermark (at least that's what it looks like to me).  I know some would turn up their noses at such a coin, but I love the darn thing.

Here's my relatively humble example that just so happened to come in the mail today.  I'm pretty happy with the obverse, though the reverse has a troubling dark spot.

Whoever bought those mega high-end coins must be feeling absolutely sick right now.  That is unless they are so incredibly rich that having to return those coins wouldn't dent their lifestyle.  

That said, what are the chances that Roma's records would be scoured and letters sent out to people who bought other coins that Italy or Turkey, or where ever, might want to make a claim on?

On 2/9/2023 at 3:13 AM, Octavius said:

 This case is not so clear cut - that is the accession of Philip in 244. It seems he became Praetorian prefect by the machinations of his brother Priscus. Later , Gordian III winds up dead. It is not absolutely certain Philip was involved, but very suspicious none the less, so I'm listing him...

 selection of Philip sestertii...

Each of these Philips looks like a different, but similar looking guy, with that same facial hair.

🙂

I'll throw Vespasian (and his son, Titus) into the mix.  Vespasian is of course the one who came out on top after the year of the four emperors and his quelling the rebellion in Judea.

17 hours ago, CPK said:

 

100% ! I am in exactly the same position. It's a coin I really don't want to skimp on, but I know being choosy will come with a hefty price tag.  😬

Not too long ago I threw out a bid on this one, too low to win, but I enjoyed the novel experience of slapping down a $1.5K bid on a coin 😁 (Hammer was 2600 CHF, still not bad IMO):

 

 

 

I think I bid on that same coin!  

Easily for me it would have to be a lifetime, portrait denarius of Julius Caesar like the one below.  Sure they come up at auction fairly frequently, but I just haven't been able to pull the trigger on buying one.  I don't want a lesser specimen, so I know I'd be putting out a sizeable amount of cash to own one.

...and this is what it came up with.  Not exactly Yeats, Frost, or Shakespeare, but also not bad for an AI program to spit out in just a few seconds.  If you've never played with ChatGPT, it can easily kill a couple of hours.  As for this poem, it does try to hit you in the feels a bit, don't you think?

Coins stacked in jars, a silent company,

Memories of places I will never see,

Each one a story, a history untold,

But in their loneliness, they gleam like gold.

I pour them out, and let them flow,

Through my fingers, a river slow,

I search for dates, mints, and kings,

A treasure hunt, where my heart sings.

But as the night draws on, and I lay in bed,

I'm left with nothing but the coins in my head,

No laughter, no conversation, just me and my hoard,

A collector's curse, a loneliness bestowed.

I try to share, to show the beauty,

But few can see, the value in my duty,

So I'll keep collecting, and keep to myself,

With my coins for friends, and my wealth on a shelf.

This site definitely needs a dedicated ancient artifacts forum.  I don't collect them myself (yet), but I am interested in learning about that type of collecting.

I've migrated over, as well.  If the more knowledgeable and prolific posters start sharing here, then there will be little need to check in there.  But what will be lacking for awhile is the wealth of great posts that had been made over the years. I do look forward to watching an archive grow and hopefully this will turn into the best place for ancients collectors to meet and discuss their hobby.