SteveJBrinkman

I had a great time at the New York International Numismatic Convention.  My second and hopefully not last attendance.  As with the previous visit in January 2020, I met friends with whom I have corresponded, and some new acquaintances.  I also picked up a few new coins.  Some of these are shipped to me to avoid the 9% sales tax in NYC but a few I carried away.  Here is the first.

I've looked for the right example of this issue for years and thought it is among the most elegant female images of those depicted in the RR denarii.  The identity of the bust is uncertain, but the visual impact is amazing.  Not all of this issue are so elegantly and skillfully done and I've looked at many over the years to find the right one.  I finally found it.

RRC 405/3b  69 BC; 

moneyer: Plaetorius Cestianus

From the EE Clain-Stefannelli collection.  Ex. NAC 92, 2016, lot 334

Here are my 2022 Auction winnings.  Not many coins this year but CNG and Roma came through with my favorites of all:

Gerhard Hirsch 1 - Roman Imperial

Leu 3 - (2 Roman Imperial, 1 Roman Republican)

CNG 3 - (1 Roman Republican, 1 Roman Imperial, 1 English milled Liz I 6pence )

DNW 1 (English Hammered Liz 1 6Pence, companion to the above milled coin)

Roma 2 - (1 Roman Republican, 1 Roman Imperial)

Vico 1 - Roman Republican

InAsta 1 - Roman Republican

Artemide 1 - Roman Republican

Stacks Bowers 1 - English Hammered Penny of King John

14 hours ago, idesofmarch01 said:

Even in the short period I've been collecting ancient coins, it's been my observation that commonly available, middle quality coins rarely, if ever, benefit predictably from the effects of inflation or appreciation while coins in visibly better condition than, say, 90% of the same type can appreciate astronomically.  

This has been my observation as well.  The finest coins in terms of condition, and even moreso, style, have tended to appreciate significantly over a few years.  Nice coins, (just nice) even relatively scarce nice coins have unpredictable performance.   In my collection, I have a few lower grade coins in my specialty area that are very rare.  I expect to lose money on all or most of them.  This is ok with me.  But I unapologetically get the most pleasure from the finest examples in my collection, so this is where I focus most of my resources.

OK, I didn't do so well on this.  My final score was 43% winnings.  "H:" is the hammer price.  My main weakness was over-estimating some of these.

All denarii unless otherwise indicated

Heritage Sale 3105

Lot 32066 – Denarius – Julius Caesar – Feb-Mar 44 BC RRC 480/6 -$26,000 H: 19,000 Won

New York Sale #57

Lot 146 – Denarius – Antony & Octavian – 41BC - $5,100 H: $5250 - Won

Triton XXVI 
Lot 601 – Denarius Sulla - $2,800 – H:2750 - Won
Lot 602 – Poblicius - $2,900 – H: $1150 - Won
Lot 632 – Brutus - $14,700 – H: 16000 – Lost 
Lot 633 – Ahenobarbus - $6500 – H: 4,250 - won
Lot 637 – Marc Antony - $10,500 – H: 6,000 Lost
Lot 651 – Mark Antony Legion IX - $6,200 – H: $8500 - Lost
Lot 688 – Tiberius - $4,300 – H: $2000 - won
Lot 1246 – Elizabeth Pattern Shilling – $21,000 – H: $1,1000 won
 

11 hours ago, DonnaML said:

I've gotten emails from both Nomos AG and Leu in the last few days saying that they'll have "fixed price" coins at their tables at NYINC, which will also be available through their websites. That doesn't sound like they intend to leave room for discounts. 

Interesting,  Neither Nomos nor Leu have a fixed price section on their websites.  I guess it will be a mystery until we get there.

Here are my max bids.  All denarii unless otherwise indicated.

Heritage Sale 3105

Lot 32066 – Denarius – Julius Caesar – Feb-Mar 44 BC RRC 480/6 ----$26,000

New York Sale #57

Lot 146 – Denarius – Antony & Octavian – 41BC - $5,100

Triton XXVI 
Lot 601 – Denarius Sulla - $2,800
Lot 602 – Poblicius - $2,900
Lot 632 – Brutus - $14,700
Lot 633 – Ahenobarbus - $65,00
Lot 637 – Marc Antony - $10,500
Lot 651 – Mark Antony Legion IX - $6,200
Lot 688 – Tiberius - $4,300
Lot 1246 – Elizabeth I Pattern Shilling – $21,000 
 

Bill,

I am in the same quandary about how much cash to bring.   I believe most of the larger enterprises will accept credit cards, and US dealers should accept personal checks.  As a last resort you could offer to do a Wise bank transfer and have the dealer hold and ship the coin when they have confirmed receipt.  Ultimately, they want to make the sale and will work with you on how to pay it.

As far as negotiating the price, I've rarely paid the asking price at a show and I've always asked "what is your best price" and engaged in a reasonable back and forth arriving at the final price if I really want the coin.  As I recall, I negotiated the price on each of the five coins I purchased at the NYINC in 2020.  Three of the five coins were European dealers.

@idesofmarch01 It's an interesting game with no prizes so the honor system is probably appropriate, but when will we compile the results, and how?  Should we message you our bids?

On 12/17/2022 at 1:43 PM, Romancollector said:

Anonymous (214-213 BC)

AR Denarius (20.5mm, 4.26 g). Rome mint. Head of Roma right with three-line splayed visor, X mark of value behind / Diosuri riding right, with wavy cape; Roma in semi-incuse frame. Crawford 44/5

@Romancollector This is among the finest anonymous denarii I've seen.  Although it is a common variety of  RRC 44/5, this degree of centering and the overall condition is extremely rare in these early denarii. 

I will be there on Friday and Saturday.  This will be my 2nd attendance and it is really the premiere show for ancient and foreign collectors.  I regret that I did not plan to spend the extra $125 for the Thursday bourse but the Friday and Saturday bourse was good for me the last time.  I last attended in 2020 - the onset of the pandemic.  I bought only one coin on Friday, an "H" quinarius in my specialty of early Roman Silver (see image below).  After the first day, I was feeling like I would walk away with nothing else (except a book and an extra Abafil tray that I needed for swapping things around.). 

The second day, I found four more coins that are among the finest in my collection.  I wouldn't say these were bargains but I would say they would bring more at auction today than what I paid for them.

So yes, I will be there and look forward to seeing some of my long time friends and hopefully some friends I will meet anew from this and other forums.  Here are the coins I purchased in the 2020 NYINC

.

@akeadyVery nice selection for 2022.  Important historical coins and a lot of variety.  I like the Siculo-Punic tetradrachm but the Brutus denarius is a fine example too. Keep showing your Irish coins.  I have had an interest in Irish numismatics since I visited Ireland nearly 40 years ago, but I have only a very few insignificant examples.

@AncientJoe  I look forward to your top 10 list every year and was glad to see this year is as awesome as prior years.  Thanks for taking the time to share.

If the player's max turns out to be the exact hammer price, is it a win?

This was an interesting quick read from Colleconline where I catalog my collection.  Only one of the most expensive collectibles in this blog is a coin but the context was interesting to me as a collector.

https://www.colleconline.com/en/blog/282/top-14-most-expensive-collectibles-in-the-world#titre1

9 hours ago, antwerpen2306 said:

RRC 169,1, mint uncertain, 199-170 BC, 19 mm, 4.02 gr, 3 h, number of dies : 20/25, G R below

@antwerpen2306 The GR issue is notoriously poorly engraved in excruciatingly crude style.  You have one of the few that has a fine style obverse.  Nice coin.

@antwerpen2306, you are forming a fine collection of early Roman denarii.

Great year Donna.  It appears you've become quite discriminating in the quality of your acquisitions.    The Memmius and the Cotta in particular are outstanding and worthy of the finest collection.

6 hours ago, antwerpen2306 said:

Another quinarius RRC47/1 from the E.E. Clain-Stefanelli collection (Naville Numismatics).  Compared with the @SteveJBrinkman quinarius, there are a lot of differences. I have accepted the reference without checking.

This quinarius is RRC 68/2, characterized by a single gryphon tuft - "horn" on the back of the helmet. 

Very few cataloguers get these attributions right.   NAC is probably the best so its surprising that Naville, a subsidiary of NAC misattributed this coin.  Understandably, most auctions have hundreds of lots and the cataloguers can't spend a lot of time with attribution of these relatively inexpensive anonymous denarii.

Your staff denarius, RRC 112/2a is a relatively scarce coin in any grade.  I do not have one in my collection.

I'm in.  A good way to practice precision bidding. 

1 hour ago, antwerpen2306 said:

@SteveJBrinkman thank you very much for your aid and explanation, your site was and is very helpful for me and I hope for others collectors also. Thanks again, it is all I can say.

@antwerpen2306,  You are welcome.  I must credit my collaborator Pierluigi Debernardi who is the qualified expert on this area of numismatics.

20 hours ago, DonnaML said:

L. Memmius:

Donna,  Your Memmius is Marvelous.

Here is an array of Crawford 44 varieties, denarii and fractions.

Here is my example of Cr. 47/1, Purchased from Ed Waddell, August of 2010:

On 12/26/2022 at 8:22 AM, antwerpen2306 said:

About one third of my Roman Republican coins are of the type Dioscuri, it is the type I prefer.

The early denarii and its fractions with the dioscuri on the reverse have been my passion for a number of years.

On 12/26/2022 at 8:22 AM, antwerpen2306 said:

The quinarius has the same images, the value is a half denarius : V = 5 asses. Number of dies : 100/125.

Crawford 44/6, 16.5 mm, 1.98 gr, 6 h, Mint : Rome, from 211 BC

I think I would classify this very nice quinarius as Crawford 47/1 based on the visor style and especially the overall reverse style.  Probably contemporary with Cr. 44/6 but from a different mint.  Crawford's plate  examples of this are of rather aberant variations.

For some reason I can't post an image of my 47/1 so will post this and try in a subsequent post.

I've been a regular customer for CNG for many decades and except for early on, I only get sporadic printed catalogs.  I was happy to receive the Triton. XXVI catalog and the calendar.  Not sure what triggers a mailing?  Years ago, I was told it was a purchase threshold but I've received some in years when I was somewhat dormant and not received them in some years when I had significant purchases.  CNG's formula for shipping printed catalogs appears to be... Complicated.