El Cazador

6 hours ago, NewStyleKing said:

The Athenian NewStyle was in Good order and a popular one with anchor and star. The price seemed normal nowadays  ..expect to see it imprisoned soon!

Agree, the 1 of 2 coins in that auction with fair price, though there is scuff or dent on a cheek of Athena

Everything went for ridiculously high prices except  for Poliorketes and Athena New Style Tetradrachms

8 hours ago, JayAg47 said:

I follow some ancient coin pages on FB and come across various dealers showing off their recent acquisitions and after a few days I see them listed on ebay or Vcoins. But to me almost every coin that they post is a 'keeper' that I'd never think of selling if I have them. Maybe it's just a part of the business?!

Can you show some examples so we can align on “keeper” definition- if you are referring to Ancient Group, virtually none, posted for sale are keepers from my perspective 

4 hours ago, panzerman said:

Today it rained all day/ so bored I ended up baking 120 cinnamon buns and German plum kuchen.

I scanned MA-shops in between baking and saw a coin that was really nice/ and not that $$$$. So I hit the "buy" button.

England/ House of Tudor

AV Half Sovereign ND (1549) Second Period 1549-50

Tower Mint

Swan Mint Mark (I think)

Edward VI 1547-53

Crowned/ Armored Bust facing Right

EDWARD.VI.D.G.AGL.FRA.Z.HIB. (Swan)

Crowned Oval Ornate Shield/ Arms of England/ Ireland) E-R flanking

*SCVTVM*FIDEI*PROTEGET*EVM*

Tower Mint

5.07g.     30mm.       .833     9h

Seaby 2438 Fr. 181  Schneider 672 North 1911

 

I compared coin to exs from famed Theo Law/ Sincona "British Coll."/ think I got a super duper deal.

I don’t collect these, but this is absolutely gorgeous coin! Well done

On 10/20/2023 at 5:25 PM, JayAg47 said:

The seller is asking for 1100 usd or 1750 aud, they're also domestic. If I'm gonna pay this much I'd rather buy it within my country than have it shipped halfway around the world and wait for weeks! But i'm not sure If I really want this coin. Most issues I've seen have really high relief, but with this one it looks like it was minted from worn dies. 

 

For $1,750 USD you will get xf or better Lysimachos, example you shared is at most $400 coin, if that…

On 10/20/2023 at 7:02 AM, JayAg47 said:

It weighs 17.12g.

$380

5 hours ago, Salomons Cat said:

Why do you think so?
Because of the auction description? Here it is:

The obverse of my coin was definitely not smoothed but possibly cleaned with a tool that left some tiny scratches that are visible at 10X. In contrast, I only detect very few of these on the reverse. On the reverse, there are some tiny encrustations near to the trophy and near to the letters IVDAEA, only visible at 10X. But the majority of the small field areas (that would be difficult or impossible to smooth) looks like exactly the rest of the surface. Also when I compare the surface of the coin to the surface of my other coins I cannot detect any relevant differences. So, I do believe that some encrustations have been removed. On the obverse, this was probably done with a brush. On the reverse, the cleaner was a bit more sophisticated. But altogether, I do not think that these are relevant alterations. I could still return the coin if I wanted to - but I don't think that there is any reason for that. 

Here's a double dye match, the coin at the right is currently for sale on ma-shops and got NGC Ch AU 4/5 3/5:

Smoothing was mentioned by Frank, but to me reverse looks more tooled than smoothed: I would encourage asking others for opinion 

7 hours ago, Salomons Cat said:

Vespasian, 69 - 79 AD. Denarius, Rome mint.
Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right
Rev: IVDAEA in exergue, Trophy; to right, Judaea seated right in attitude of mourning, head resting in hand.
RIC 2. Ex Frank S. Robinson auction 122.

This is the coin that made me think about budgeting and financial limits before I bought it.
I'm very happy with it now. It's clearly struck, with a high relief on both sides and well centered.
But most importantly: During the buying process I learned how to create a monthly budget and how much I could spend on "wants" without difficulty and without feeling guilty 🙂

When I have time I will write a bit more about this coin.

Here is the reverse, next to some of my other coins:

(The coin capsules always reflect the light - this was the best picture that I was able to take :))

@Solomon Cat 🐈‍⬛ Lovely set, especially like Nero denarius and Nerva. As far as Judae capta, I would double check with some other members of the forum to ensure the coin hasn’t been “tampered” with

15 hours ago, panzerman said:

Thought this would be a great idea. Select a movie/ post coins relatedto the historical events portrayed in your movie pick.

I will start with a film about one of the greatest military leaders in history. He took on three empires (Russian under Czarina Elizabeth I/ French under Madame de Pompadour (Louis XV mistress and wearing the shoes)/ Austrian-Hungarian under Maria Theresia) Freidrich II der Grosse took on three women and won!

Seven Year's War/ really WWI since it was fought on all continents/ seas. Combattants: Great Britain/ Prussia vs. Austrian Empire/ French Empire/ Russian Empire. War ended in 1763. There were battles fought near my place/ Montreal. Please add your movies/ coins. I am now off to work....

Love the topic!!

Great AMA session @Ryro!

On 10/10/2023 at 8:02 PM, kapphnwn said:

Tyre Ar Tetradrachm 114-113 BC Obv Head of Melqart right laureate. Rv Eagle standing left wings folded HGC 357 Cohen DCA Tyre 2,13 This coin illustrated 14.29 grms 28mm Photo by W. Hansen

It is generally considered that the obverse of this coin is an extremely modified portrait of Antiochos VII. The eagle on the reverse signifies that this coin is struck on the old ptolemaic standard, a standard which survived the collapse of Ptolemaic power in this region. 

Fine style 100% I have the same style 

56 minutes ago, Brennos said:

thanks to @Deinomenid , i'm glad to see back this coin that has generated so many epic discussions on forums !

The seller was french and never replied to messages including of course requests for an in hand examination...

Here is one from the same dies (de Luynes collection)

 

Did the coin sell on Ebay? What was the final bid?

@Qcumborso glad to see your QA session here… Your collection actually was 100% inspiration for me to switch to quality collecting with fine style focus.

well done and thanks for being an inspiration to many collectors like me out there!!

Unfortunately in the last few Roma auctions material is sub-par

23 minutes ago, Sulla80 said:

@Salomons Cat, a thoughtful post and thread.  Although they certainly retain some value, I treat coins like any other form of "entertainment" whether that is a movie ticket, sporting event, concert ticket or an airline ticket with hotel.  I can get quite a few hours of entertainment from one coin.  I do not have a defined budget other than "reasonable as entertainment".  Your 50/30/20 Budget offers a sound framework (especially with the assumption that "wants are broader than coins" - apologies to all for this potential heretical thought.  @Ryro's approach "avoid bodily harm" makes sense whether the risk of harm is from one's spouse, lack of food & shelter, or a determined debt collector.

The missing element to this thread: a photo of the coin of interest that you mention 🙂

Yes, “coin of interest” @Salomons Cat

18 minutes ago, Salomons Cat said:

I'm not a specialist. Trying to collect all the rare variants that ever existed of a certain emperor would just be too overwhelming. For me, collecting coins is more about history, art and aesthetics. Condition rarity is more important to me than completeness or rare variants. In order to fascinate me, a collection doesn't have to be huge but I like it when it's harmonious and when I can see a connection between the single pieces. 

• @LONGINUS has a very harmonious and beautiful collection that I find inspiring (he has posted a picture here)
• I'm quite fascinated by @Prieure de Sions website with Commodus coins. Although it only features Commodus, these coins are aesthetically very appealing and usually in outstanding condition. I also enjoyed reading about Commodus here on numisforums (e.g. Hercules, Annona/grain market).
• One of the collections that has impressed me the most so far was from A. Lang. It was auctioned by Leu in 05/2022. The combination of coins in this collection is just incredible: condition, toning, centering, relief, ... - everything matches. I can cannot recommend highly enough to take a look at the catalogue.

In the meantime, I have acquired some coins from these collections. I've already posted them a few times, so you might know them already.

Nerva. Denarius, 3.50g, 18/19mm. Rome, 96 n. Chr.
Obv: IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR P COS II P P, laureate head to right.
Rev: CONCORDIA EXERCITVVM, clasped hands.
RIC 2, RSC 16. Ex GM 108 (2001), 1765. Ex A. Lang collection (not in auction). 

Commodus, as Caesar, 166-177. Denarius, 18 mm, 3.48 g, 12 h. Rome, 175-176.
Obv: COMMODO CAES AVG FIL GERM SARM Bare-headed and cuirassed bust of Commodus to right, seen from behind.
Rev: PRINC IVVENT Commodus, as prince of the youth, standing front in military attire, head to left, holding branch in his right hand and long scepter in his left; behind to right, trophy.
BMC -. Cohen -. MIR 342-14/15 (no example recorded). RIC -. Apparently unpublished with this bust type. 
Ex A. Lang collection.

Commodus. Denarius, 17mm, 3.11g. Rome, 192 AD. 
Obv: L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL, wearing lion skin headdress.
Rev: HERCVL ROMAN AVGV. 
Ex Prieure de Sion (numisforums) and ex Noonans 03/2023, Graham Collection.

Crispina, Denarius, 18mm, 2.79g, 6h. Rome, 178-82 AD.
Obv: CRISPINA AVG
Rev: dis geni tali bvs, lighted altar
RIC Commodus 281; RSC 15; RCV 5999). Ex Prieure de Sion (numisforums), ex Noonans 03/2023, Graham Collection, ex Stanley Gibbons 1973

Really nice Nerva

23 hours ago, Valentinian said:

Take a look at the coin types you know on these scans from an old ancient-coin catalog. Before moving on, think about what they would sell for now. Then check the price given below.

The two images are scans of plates of plates 1 and 2 from the Spink fixed-price list Numismatic Circular of January, 1975. I chose it because it is the oldest Spink catalog I have. Spink's, founded in 1666 [sic!] has long been one of the most respected coin firms in the world. In 1975 if you wanted to buy top-quality ancient coins, Spink was one of the major sources. 

Now, about the Greek coins on plate 1.  Here are lot numbers and 1975 prices in pounds and in 1975 dollars (Today, Sept. 29, 2023, the pound is $1.22. In January 1975 it was $2.35.):
lot   pounds   dollars, both in 1975
#3  £595      $1400
#5  £2650    $6230
#6  £1285     $3020
#9  £1285      $3020
#10  £325      $760
#13  £650    $1530
#18 £295        $690
#20  £310      $730
#21  £525     $1230
#22  £295      $690
#26  650 £    $1530
#29  585 £     $1370
For the Republican coins on the second plate, 1975 prices:
#42  £420     $987
#43  £740    $1740
#44  £285     $670
#52  £265     $630
#56  £40        $94
#58  £45       $105
#66  £198     $465
#67  £175     $410
#68  £225    $530

Observations:  I checked the US Consumer Price Index for January 1975 and compared it the one for last month. The ratio is 5.9. So, a selected basket of consumer goods costs, in dollars, 5.9 times as much as it did then. 

Greek.  Some of those would not cost more now, not even counting inflation. 

Roman.  They all are listed in pounds at well below what they would sell for now. Even in dollars they are below current prices, but by less than the inflation factor of 5.9. 

I solicit your observations. 


 

Coin #13 with superb style will sell for $5,000+ easily now

#68 $2,000 now easily 

the rest - buyer simply overpaid by a wide margin, hence loses. Moral of the story- buy low sell- high and not the other way around, irrespective of stars, slabs, etc…

On 9/17/2023 at 1:53 AM, Brennos said:

It's a nice coin for sure.

Not so long ago, it was possible to have a decent tetradrachm of the same period at that price... damned inflation !

Haha, i wish! Now tetra will go for 12-15K

32 minutes ago, akeady said:

I took 3 weeks off as we finished a long-running project and I needed a break.   I had no idea what to do but finally decided to go to Spain and walk some of the Camino de Santiago.   I booked a flight to Madrid and back from Santiago and went the following morning.   One night in Madrid, AVE to León, a night there and 11 days walking.   A night in Santiago and met some friends there and then home.   It's the fourth time I've done a stint on the Camino, but the first since 2010 and the first on my own.   It went well enough, especially after I posted 4.5kg of dirty clothes and deadweight to Santiago and lightened my load a bit!

I'm on my 'phone and unable to resurrect a photo' of the 2010 Spanish €10 coin with the botafumeira from Santiago cathedral, but here's a photo' of the cathedral from last Tuesday (12th September).

ATB,

Aidan.

Wow, beautiful - Espana is such a beautiful and diverse country, well done!

30 minutes ago, akeady said:

I was away for a couple of weeks holidays and came back to 5 coins 🙂

Here's one of them: - Cr. 128/1, 3.83g, 19mm - Shield & carnyx denarius of ca. 206-200 BC.

Fairly worn, but a bargain at €44 from CGB - it was in one of their E-auctions as an example of Cr. 53/2.

ATB,
Aidan.

Nice, where did you go on Holiday?

On 9/12/2023 at 9:04 AM, Salomons Cat said:

I would like to show you my 3 favorite coins from the Roman Republic.
For me, it's not a difficult choice - because I own only 3 coins from the Roman Republic in total. And I'm completely happy with these 3 coins! 

Here they are:

Place 1)

A. Postumius Albinus. AR Denarius serratus, 81 BC. 
Obv: HISPAN. Veiled head of Hispania right, with dishevelled hair. 
Rev: A·POST·A·F·S·N·ALBIN (AL ligate). Togate figure standing left, raising right hand; on left, legionary eagle; on right, fasces with axe. 
Cr. 372/2; B. (Postumia) 8. AR. 3.91 g. 18.50 mm. 
Ex Artemide Aste, 09/2023.

Why do I think that this coin is special?

• This coin shows the first documented personification of Hispania.
  It was minted in Rome by the Postumia family in 81 a. C., referring to L. Postumius Albinus, who was praetor in the year 180 B.C. and sent to Hispania as governor, standing out for his victories against Lusitanians and Vacceos. (source: Wikipedia)
• I just find the reverse very beautiful.
   

Place 2)

Cn. Lucretius Trio. AR Denarius, 76 BC. 
Obv: Laureate head of Neptune right, trident over shoulder; behind, LXI. 
Rev: Winged boy on dolphin swimming right; below,L·LVCRETI/ TRIO. 
Cr. 390/2; B. (Lucretia) 3. AR. 3.91 g. 17.50 mm.
Ex Artemide Aste, 09/2023.

Why do I think that this coin is special?

• Due to the winged boy on the dolphin, of course! Cupid (or Greek: Eros) was often displayed as a winged boy on a dolphin. It could be because the Greek people thought of dolphins as very affectionate animals (there are various stories about that) that they chose a dolphin as the companion for the god of love and desire.

Place 3)

C. Memmius C.f, 56 BC. Denarius (Silver, 19 mm, 3.91 g, 11 h), Rome.
Obv: C•MEMMI•C•F Head of Ceres to right, wearing wreath of grain ears and pendant earring. Banker's mark and light graffiti on the obverse. 
Rev: C•MEMMIVS / IMPERATOR Trophy of arms set on captive kneeling to right, his hands tied behind his back.
Babelon (Memmia) 10. Crawford 427/1. RBW 1531. Sydenham 920.
Ex Leu 07/2023. 

Why do I think that this coin is special?

• First of all, I always find it fascinating when the Romans designed reverses that would be ethically, morally and politically completely incorrect from today's perspective.
• The design of this reverse has been reused in modified form a few times.
  A while ago, I was the underbidder on this coin of Titus - but 1600$ was just really too much for me. Also in other cases, I could never acquire an attractive example of RIC 1076. It's usually sold as a Judaea capta issue which raises the price - although it is quite likely that it was actually minted to commemorate the victories in Britain. I'm glad that I finally own a variation of this reverse.

My knowledge about coins from the Roman Republic is quite limited and I wonder what else is out there that I have never seen.
I'm very curious which are your favorites and it would be great to look at them! 😃

Superb #1 example 

3 hours ago, John Conduitt said:

Never using Wise is probably a false economy. If you buy through Leu, a credit card costs 3% more than Wise, usually plus a worse exchange rate. If that's typical, paying by card means you expect the package to be lost once every 33 times or more and not to be compensated. For major auction houses, or even minor ones, that's very unlikely. I doubt even one in 33 packages is lost, and almost all that are lost are compensated (eventually). Leu even charge you for insurance, so you are going to get your money back buying through them.

Even paying by card it isn't guaranteed to get your money back - the seller can dispute your claim and you have to provide proof.

Yes and no, depending on the value of the package… In regards to PP and CC: in the situations where i had to get my money back CC and PP ALWAYS delivered, even in the instances where purchases were made more than a year ago…

31 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

Just a wild guess, but perhaps the reason @filolif used the "confused" emoji for your post responding to my account of what happened was simply that a comment saying "I sympathize, but . . . ," isn't usually a good look? I highly doubt that @filofif didn't understand what you meant, given that I had just made the point in my post that Wise doesn't cancel a transfer if things don't work out with a purchase. Any more than a bank would.
 

Why not a good look, just speaking the truth and how i feel, but using Wise - you take a risk and we all know the mantra around risk/roi - otherwise nobody would be using PP or CC - at the end, unfortunately- you get what you pay for and I recognize it might be unpleasant to hear…. Hence I sympathize, but…

17 hours ago, filolif said:

I have a sense Leu may just be going through a protocol no matter how nonsensical it may be in this particular situation. As slow as these auction houses are to fulfil our purchases, it doesn't surprise me that they're even slower to refund our money when we are owed it. Even in your case where you've done as much as you can do from your end to try to receive the coins.

Hopefully they will get you your money back when Swiss Post inevitably tells them the package was lost and there's nothing to be done. Keep us updated! Best of luck.

Why are you confused by my post, can I help you clarify things? Seems like you are confused pretty easily… just want to be helpful here..

32 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

On Monday, August 10, I finally wrote to Leu in Switzerland (with a copy to its US representative) to request a refund. Here is an excerpt from my email:

"Dear Ms. ----- and Mr. -----

It is now exactly one month since my package containing the three coins I won in your Web Auction 26 vanished on 10 August 2023 while it was "out for delivery," supposedly being transported from the local U.S. post office branch for zip code xxxxx to my apartment building -- a distance of 0.7 miles, or just over 1 kilometer! It has been almost that long since I filed a "missing mail" claim with the US Post Office, with no success whatsoever to date. As I have repeatedly emphasized, this is NOT a case of a package being stuck in U.S. Customs, or lost while making its way across the United States or even across New York City. Nor is this a case of the Post Office claiming that the package was delivered to me; instead, there has been a "delivery exception" noted since August 10. 

If my package hasn't been found yet, it is impossible for me to believe that it will ever be found. Beyond searching in the post office branch building and in the delivery truck, which I'm sure was done long ago, where exactly is the US Post Office supposed to look for my package after a month has passed?  Either it "fell off the truck," or never was put on the truck, or  someone working for the post office stole it. Whatever happened, it hasn't arrived and is extraordinarily unlikely to arrive. Nor can anyone expect the Post Office to issue an official declaration that the package is "lost" and cannot be found. The case will simply float in limbo indefinitely. . . .

Has Leu at least put out some sort of alert to coin dealers and the numismatic press to watch out for the three coins I purchased, in case someone stole or "found" them, and should attempt to sell them?

Regardless of what steps Leu has taken, I am now requesting a refund. I see no purpose in waiting any longer. . . ."

I was dumbfounded by the following response I received the next day, from a different person at Leu than the ones I had been dealing with:

"Dear Mrs. --------:

Thank you for your email. We have sent an investigation request to the Swiss Post on 17.08.2023. Please note that it can take several weeks for the Swiss Post to get back to us regarding your missing parcel. Thank you for your patience and we wish you a good day.

[Name omitted]

Administration

Leu Numismatik AG"

 

I have, so far, refrained from sending Leu the apopleptically angry response to this nonsensical email that I immediately contemplated. Is Leu genuinely this out of touch with reality, or is it simply being non-responsive and obfuscatory, and refusing to deal with any of the actual facts in this matter, in order to avoid refunding my money? Even apart from the fact that it's already been more than "several weeks" since Leu sent its investigation request to Swiss Post on August 17,  what does Swiss Post have to do with this, and what could it possibly do to find my package or "investigate" its loss that the US Post Office itself hasn't been able to do? My package passed out of Swiss Post's jurisdiction when my package was turned over to US Customs on August 8, and then came into US Post Office's possession on August 9 (according to the tracking history). Swiss Post certainly had nothing to do with the "delivery exception" arising from the USPS's failure to deliver my package on August 10. And there's nothing that Swiss Post can report to Leu beyond what the USPS tells Swiss Post about what happened. Does Leu really think that Swiss Post is planning to send an investigator to Washington Heights to interrogate the personnel at my local USPS branch and locate the package themselves? 

This is completely absurd, and I don't even know what to say at this point. Perhaps I should have offered, or should now offer, that if Leu refunds my money, I'll be happy to edit my missing mail request with the US Post Office to ask that if the package is ever found, it should be returned to Leu rather than forwarded to me, so there won't be any risk that I end up with both the coins and the money? 

It's too bad in a way that I tried to save money by paying with Wise rather than by credit card, so that I have no practical recourse other than depending on Leu to behave ethically.

All suggestions on what to do are welcome. @Julius Germanicus, you've dealt with people at Leu, including the "higher ups." Is there anything you can think of that I could do, or anyone else I could contact, to get Leu to give me a real, human response instead of playing these disrespectful games with me and acting as if they were stereotypical Swiss bankers who only know the word "no"? 

I am so disgusted by all this that I not only haven't made any new coin purchases since July, but am on the verge, even if I do eventually get my money back, of vowing never to buy any ever again, or at least for a long time, except perhaps in person. And certainly never again from Leu!

Many thanks.

Sorry to hear about this situation @Donna, I sympathize, but This is exactly the reason I NEVER use Wise….