Salomons Cat

Would you mind deleting this thread? I had hoped that this collection wouldn’t get too much attention and that I could buy 1 or 2 coins… 😂 Just kidding. Whoever built this collection certainly deserves that it gets some recognition. I don't think that the owner is an active member of this forum. I have never seen any of the coins from this collection here.

@lordmarcovan, your Augustus, Claudius, Vespasian and Domitian are excellent and in very high grade; it's also nice that you have 2 aureii... Otho and Galba are great, too, with their complete names in the legends. It's a beautiful composition of coins that you have. I find it particularly enjoyable to view entire collections. When I have a sense of the collection a coin belongs to, it alters my perception of each new acquisition. A collection, in my view, is usually more than the sum of it's parts. Regrettably, I haven't had the opportunity to create a comprehensive virtual overview of my collection yet. As of now, I'm still missing Caligula. However, I've decided against purchasing coins featuring Galba, Otho, and Vitellius. I'm not sure if I will ever build a complete 12 caesars set. To provide some insight, I've captured a screenshot of the initial segment of my collection:

I think that the coin is innocent. Doesn’t matter who held it in his hands. It is not “cursed” now, or anything like that. I don’t believe in superstitions or that a coin can carry any kind of karma. Obviously, we always share this world with some monsters (just look at the current political situation with Russia, Iran, China, North Korea…). Our coins have passed through many hands and we can never know who all the previous owners were. Therefore, I would suggest to forget this unfortunate provenance. And maybe a friendly collector will buy it, be happy with it and give it a good provenance for the future.

Beautiful coin with nice toning and nice facial details of Sol, @CPK. And full dotted borders on both sides is always great 🙂 I think that it fits very well into your collection. I have a special 1-of-each-emperor-collection, where I sometimes buy more than one coin per emperor... Severus Alexander is such a case. There are so many nice denarii of him that it would be difficult to decide for a single coin. Severus Alexander, 226 AD. 18mm, 2.86g. Rev: ANNONA AVG, Annona standing left holding cornucopiae and grain ear over modius. Ex Andy Barrett, 08.02.2003, for £39. RIC 133 Severus Alexander, 231-235 AD. Rev: IOVIS PROPVGNATOR. Jupiter standing right, hurling thunderbolt. RIC 240. Severus Alexander, 232 AD. 21mm, 3.14g. Rev: MARS VLTOR, Mars advancing right holding spear and shield. RIC 246

Stupid question from someone who doesn't own a gold coin and has never seen one: How is the visibility of the details of an average ancient gold coin when you hold it in your hand compared to silver?

Octavian, 44-27 BC. Denarius , 3.64g, uncertain mint in Italy (Rome?), autumn 31-summer 30. Obv: Bare head of Octavian to left. Rev: CAESAR - DIVI•F Victory standing to left on globe, holding wreath in her right hand and palm frond in her left. BMC 603. Cohen 64. CRI 407. RIC 254b. I found myself admiring this specimen during the previous Leu auction, harboring a faint hope that I might be able to acquire it. But, no... it ultimately hammered for around $4400 (incl. fees). Impossible. That's why I opted for this alternative, with a price of $700. In hand, it has a very attractive appearance with a striking high relief. The surface corrosion is much more visible on the photo than in hand.

No, that's another 'FAN (CONCEPT) Trailer Concept For Gladiator 2'. At least that's what the description below the video says when you open it on youtube. According to newspapers, the real trailer shows a rhino and baboons and is not public yet.

I agree! Contemporary forgeries and imitations are fascinating. The only one that I have is also a Tribute Penny, but it’s an aureus fourree:

Mine has a similar style. It’s one of my favorites in my collection.

I‘m quite sure that this is not the real trailer. Probably a fan-made one. I recognized some scenes from different movies like Lord of the Rings, Kingdom of Heaven and 300… Otherwise it would be a really bad trailer.

When I began my collection, I made some rules for myself: I would buy the highest quality coins within my budget, refrain from purchasing duplicates, and resist the temptation to seek upgrades. But, well, I got a bit obsessed with denarii featuring Commodus as Hercules and ended up breaking this rules a few times... However, I truly believe that my denarii of Commodus as Hercules are among the finest of their kind. In fact, I'd struggle to locate equally appealing specimens in today's market. I still don't understand why they're not more popular. I believe that they might be a bit undervalued, because attractive specimens are not common. Another duplicate that I have is Severus Alexander, RIC 246. First, I bought this one: But then I noticed that Mars has very fancy shoes on that one, so I bought it, too:

Fantastic suggestion, @Restitutor. I already have some people in mind who I believe would make excellent moderators. However, I'm uncertain whether they would proactively apply for the role. For example, what about @DonnaML and @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix? (Please excuse me if you‘re completely against it - I just think that you would be great for this job.)

That's a charming coin. I like the symbolism of the Matri Deum reverse on the coins featuring Julia Domna, as it is obvious to assume that she should be identified with the goddess. And it's a very good example of the strategic use of divine imagery for propaganda. For some reason I just find it more interesting than Pudicitia or any of the other reverses. Maybe because ir shows some megalomania? Here are my Domnas:

Good question... I don't know. Gladiator 1 is from 2000, it was another time with less internet auction houses and more metal detector finds. I don't even know if we have enough data to compare auction prices before and after the movie, without checking some old catalogues. But I believe that the idea that a movie can have an impact is not as absurd as it might sound at first. The Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit" caused an incredible boom for chess shops. I would really not underestimate the potential impact of a movie. If Gladiator II is successful, a few former collectors might rediscover the hobby, and a few new ones might join. Maybe it's only a few people, but given the relatively small size of the ancient coin community, even a single additional wealthy collector can sometimes have a noticeable impact on auction prices. And particularly specialist collectors notice it quite quickly if another collector is interested in the same kind of coins, I believe. It's entirely possible that the movie won't change anything at all, but I genuinely consider the possibility that it might have an impact.

My most recent acquisition, which hasn't even arrived yet: