SteveJBrinkman

Great coins.  They all have their own unique charm.

Many congratulations Jordan on the acquisition of this rare early type.  I haven't been in Numis Forums for a while so  I was glad to see this posting.  The 46/1 issue was at the top of my want list for many years.  These earliest of the Roman Republican anonymous denarii have fascinated me and the unique style of this issue is immediately recognizable as being separate from the more common 44/5 group for which the 46/1 specimens are often mistaken for.   A couple of years ago, I won my example and I'm happy with it.  Here is my example (with spears).  

Artemide is top notch for knowledge, honesty, and pretty good material - especially at their live auctions.  They've been around quite a while and I always look forward to browsing their auctions.  They don't typically offer the extremely high end coins but frequently offer rarities not found elsewhere.  I highly recommend them.

I have two coins of Julius Caesar in my collection.  Hope for more someday.

Military Mint traveling in North Africa
Weight: 3.82 g.
Reference: RRC 458/1/3b
Date Acquired:  Jan. 14, 2023
Provenance:   Purchased at the NYINC.  CNG Classical Numismatic Review volume XLVII, No 1.  Winter 2023.  ID 5616574
"Crawford 458/1; CRI 55; Sydenham 1013; RSC 12; BMCRR East 31; Kestner 3577-9; RBW 1600.

Obverse: Laureate head of Caesar r., border of dots

Reverse: Pax (or possibly Venus) standing l. holding caduceus & scepter; on r., L. FLAMINVS, downwards; on l., IIII. VIR upwards

Mint: Rome
Weight: 3.70 gm.
Reference: Crawford 485/1
Provenance: Superior Galleries, The Dr. Feori Pipito Collection Sale, lot 780, December 12, 1987.

On 1/1/2024 at 7:58 AM, Prieure de Sion said:

I will die on April 15, 2044... that was predicted to me, so it won't really affect me anymore. Unless I get reborn as an earthworm or a frog again and again and again. Then things could get tight.

During an LSD trip in the early 1970s I foresaw my demise in 1999.    I think changing my lifestyle (like not taking any more LSD) saved me.  Here I am with my lovely wife/best friend and granddaughter.  These last 23 years have been great.

I'll be there Friday and Saturday.  This will be my third NYINC and it is the best show for attendance by ancient coin dealers of any that I've attended.  The ANA is pretty well attended but it doesn't hold a candle to the NYINC.  There is lots to do in NYC and were I to bring my wife, we would do Broadway theater in the evenings, but she's not coming this year and it's just not the same on my own without her.  The restaurant scene is another reason that the City is a fun place to go, (although very expensive),  and I'm already planning the venues where I'd like to have dinner.   I Plan to visit with some of my old numismatic friends and hope to meet up with new ones and some who I've only known virtually through email, Numisforums, and Coin Talk.

Phil,  These are all fabulous coins in one way or another.  #11, the wreath symbol denarius is my favorite.  This is not a rare issue but they just don't come this nice.  A perfect example for one of our generation's greatest Roman Republican collections.

Donna,   I had no idea you collected French coins and medals.  I have for years thought that a beautiful Napoleon medal would be an attractive and historically significant addition to my overall numismatic collection but it has never been in front of me when I shop.  Thanks for sharing.  I will be considering this at NYINC (if I don't find much in my major focuses).  Hope to meet you there.

On 12/5/2023 at 7:45 PM, akeady said:

So, another 15 years and likely adding fewer coins per year, but scarcer/more expensive ones?

Aiden, This is my dilemma too.  I don't have nearly the number of coins that you do in your collection, but even still, I'm finding that those missing from my specialty area become available very infrequently, so I can no longer afford buying 10-20 coins a year in the quality standards that I try to maintain.

On 12/5/2023 at 9:09 PM, akeady said:

One annoying thing about trays is that you need to leave some empty spaces to allow for additional coins.   Otherwise, after each addition a big reorganisation is needed. 

Full trays.  This is a good problem to have. 

Most of the silver coins in my collection are toned.  In fact with few exceptions I usually stay away from untoned (recently cleaned) coins.  Natural toning gives ancient coins character.  Here are a couple of examples that have an abundance of iridescence.

Quinarius, Crawford 44/6,

Provenance:  CNG 120, lot 698 From the J. de Wilde Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 61 (5 October 2011), lot 188; Lanz 80 (26 May 1997), lot 226. 

Denarius, Crawford 367/5

Provenance: Nomisma ELive Sale 16, June 3, 2020

Iridescence is nice but ancient silver coins are sometimes treated with chemicals or heat to artificially create the effect.  My favorite toning is actually a natural even gray with highlights on the high parts.  Here are a couple of examples:

Denarius, Crawford 44/5

Provenance Dr. Busso Peus Auction, November, 2017

Denarius Crawford 75/1c

Provenance: CNG auction 85 lot 762, Sept, 2010

3 hours ago, DonnaML said:

Is that a forked tongue or some sort of alien creature I see protruding from Roma's mouth?!

I suspect this is a die cutter's slippage.  I see these anomalies occasionally.  Here is an interesting die damage example that I didn't even see when I bought this example of the rare RRC 46/1.  See the raised tool marks partially obscuring the R and the O in the ROMA legend on the reverse.  Now that I'm looking, Roma has a spiked chin as well.

This is a favorite coin design for me.  there are several aspects that make the design unique.  The most obvious is the dioscuri advancing in opposite directions, but the obverse helmet with its intricate representative of the (curly and bejeweled) griffon tufts is very appealing.  Here's the example from my collection:

Very nice example of a the rarest issue of the five major issues with "XVI" as the mark of value.  Your coin is special for the reasons @Phil Davis mentions.  Although Crawford  only cites these five issues with the XVI mark of value, there are extremely rare examples of RRC 232/1, Cn Geli, with this XVI mark of value, discovered by Pierluigi Debernardi.  A few authentic examples with XVI clearly used, and a few examples where the die had been modified to erase the VI

On 8/26/2023 at 4:37 PM, Nerosmyfavorite68 said:

Sounds interesting, but needs some elucidation.  How is it great?  What's the book like?  Is it a Sear-like reference book?

This is a great book.  It is well illustrated with coins, maps, and diagrams.  It is not a price guide like Sear nor will you find an exhaustive list of types, but it relates coins to history quite well.  It addresses the symbology and why it was important at the time and discusses mints, hoards and  why the coins changed from one age  of the republic to the next.   A synopsis of topics would be very long here, so I won't try it, only to say that I enjoyed the read and learned a lot.

On 8/2/2023 at 6:08 PM, Edward Blume-Poulton said:

Just for the record: Cannae was in 216 (August 2 or July 2, depending on how you interpret the calendar) as was Varro's consulship . The consul Aemilius Paullus was killed at Cannae, Varro survived and had other commands throughout the war. He remained in command for the remainder of the year, mostly based at Canusium. Crawford probably attributes it to a younger relative because Varro had no command in Sicily and issuing money was generally done by minor magistrates.

Great coin.

I stand corrected on all counts.  Thanks @Edward Blume-Poulton

Great coin,  Fantastic representation of the dioscuri.  I wish I had one to share from my collection but I've not yet acquired one.

I use CollecOnline to catalog my collection and I'm very pleased with it.  I was using Forum and Flickr to catalog my coins but started using CollecOnline a couple of years ago and I like it much better.  I have also connected with other collectors in their network with similar interests with whom I had not corresponded before.  I use the free version but I'm approaching the 250 item limit so will likely go to the 1st level of their paid membership which is very reasonable.

Here is my collection: https://www.colleconline.com/en/collections/3939/fugio

@dragonwalker,  Welcome to ancient numismatics.   I agree with most of what has been said here but I also have some advice that may be unpopular and up for debate.  If you are dead set to obtain a first ancient coin of Augustus, or for that matter any of the 12 Caesars, go for it.  But you should know that a $200 example of any of these silver denarii will not appreciate much at all and when you finally get a coin with so many quality issues, you may also value it less and less as you learn more about its condition flaws and acquire nicer examples in your collection. then some day, when you finally decide to upgrade the coin to a nicer example, you will almost certainly lose money.

I understand the allure and popularity of the 12 Caesar issues, but there are lots of historically significant, and beautiful later Roman imperial issues in silver and bronze where $200 can go a long way.  Here are a couple of examples:

I bought this nice portrait coin of Septimius Severus, c. 193-211 AD, the patriarch of the Severan dynasty for $75, admittedly more than two decades ago.  Its not a high grade coin, it has some wear and some reverse striking issues, but its free of corrosion, well centered and most importantly, has a good style portrait.   I'm pretty sure it has at least doubled in value since I purchased it.

Here is a $200 coin that I bought last year with a nice young portrait of Constantine the Great C. 307 AD, as Caesar.  I don't anticipate this example will lose much value over the years.  The guy is well known, even outside of the numismatic community, the portrait is good, and the history of this time period is fascinating.

If retaining the resale value of your collection is important to you, my advice has always been to get the finest example of a coin that your money can buy.  For most of us, this means postponing the 12 Caesar portrait coins until the right one comes up and you have enough in your numismatic fund to afford it.

1 minute ago, AETHER said:

Amazing style. Might as well be Greek! Grats.

I agree.  All of the Sicilian issues, Crawford 67-80 are among the most beautifully rendered in my opinion.  Even the more "primitive" rrc 68 (spike) and rrc 80 (dolphin) are uniquely pleasing in their own way.

A few days ago I received a coin I acquired in the NAC 138 sale, lot 379, an early Roman denarius with the CVAR monogram, struck at a mint in Sicily.  The timing of 209-208 B.C. excludes the possibility that the moneyer was the 215 BC consul by that name, killed at the battle of Cannae, so it is perhaps a younger relative of his according to Crawford.  This issue and the issue with CAL monogram are thought to be the earliest denarius issues signed by a moneyer.  It is remarkable that both are attributed to Sicily rather than Rome.

Crawford 74/1; 4.24 g;  Nice obverse iridescence.

This is a relatively scarce issue.  Schaefer cites 6 obverse and 6 reverse dies.

Jordan, yours is a rare coin.  Crawford lists only a single obverse and reverse die.  Schaefer identifies 3 obverse and 3 reverse dies.  Your example is among the finest, and an excellent addition to your collection.

On 5/24/2023 at 8:16 AM, Restitutor said:

They do get direct sun light for a few hours a day based off their location in my office, although for all of these coins the obverse and reverse sides are toning at about an equal pace, despite the obverse side being the "visible" side probably 85% of the time. 

The active component in photographic film is silver.   All things considered there are probably several factors causing the improvements, but given the short timeframe, I would suggest direct sunlight is the major factor.  I've seen modern silver dollars that have been partially toned in a perfect crescent across the face of the coins.  Dark toning in the crescent near and at the edge,  and the other half, bright white.   This toning  has been speculated to be caused by coin shops putting trays of loosely heaped silver dollars  in their front window for display.

On 4/25/2023 at 2:14 PM, DonnaML said:

I mentioned that article on Friday in the "Coins that Don't Deserve their own Thread" thread, but am pleased to see it get more attention. My comment there was that "one rarely sees anything these days about Roman Republican hoards; mostly it's Late Roman material. Hopefully the coins will be available to scholars, and be helpful in resolving some of the dating issues that still exist." In fact, I can't even remember the last time I saw anything about the discovery of a Republican hoard, either in Italy or elsewhere  And I don't know how long it's been since a previously unknown Roman Republican type (as opposed to some minor variation or a previously unknown control number or symbol) was last discovered: I think the overwhelming majority were already known when Grueber's BMCRR was published in 1910, even if his dating theories have long since been superseded. So this discovery, even assuming that all the types were already known, is good to see.

I've observed new RR hoards that have entered into the market, several recently, but without any fanfare or scholarly publication.   The hallmarks of these hoards are large offerings  with new emergences of scarce or rare issues.  The offerings have a "brand new" appearance (recently cleaned) across all the lots in the sale, and often disbursed across many sales by different dealers.

I suspect this is the result of the cultural heritage laws that make it so difficult to report on new finds without the risk of seizure. 

@Captch,Congratulations on your first RR acquisition.  When I look at auction listings I always go directly to the Roman Republican section first.  My first ancient coin was a denarius of L. Scribonius Libo purchased from Tom McKenna June 1, 1978.  I still have the coin and I'm still learning about RR denarii after all these years.

3 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

I've found that Wise is virtually always the cheapest option. Not to mention convenient!

I agree.  And really easy to use once you setup your bank credentials.  A few auction firms charge a wire transfer fee, but I'm told this is waved with Wise.