Salomons Cat

I don’t see anything suspicious; in other words, I believe it’s genuine. However, if you purchased it from a suspicious source, such as a Bulgarian seller on Etsy, my opinion might change. If you only checked for a casting seam and did not check weight… Well, it’s better to teach someone how to fish than to simply give them a fish. This is what I do when I want to check if a coin is authentic: • Consult Prokopov’s Fake Coin Reports before making a purchase. While the absence of a specific coin doesn’t guarantee authenticity, I’ve been surprised by how much is covered there. • You can also check databases like Coryssa to find a die match. If you find a match and the coin shows no signs of forgery (e.g., soapy features, casting bubbles, incorrect weight, odd patina), it’s likely authentic. Just my quadrans… I mean my 2 cents 🙂

Thanks @rasiel, very interesting. Same for me. Aquilia is also my rarest individual:

I still think that capsules or slabs significantly lower the risk of a coin to contract bronze disease (or, in other words, to get into contact with chlorides). Because chlorides are not a part of the air, even if it is humid. I'm not sure how effective distilled water is to neutralise chlorides. I assume that it is a very careful approach that needs a lot of time. I have read that for a localized treatment to extract chlorides, a solution of 5% sodium sesquicarbonate in distilled water is recommended. This would be, for example, 5 grams of powdered sodium sesquicarbonate plus 95 ml of distilled water. @Theodosius has tried this here 🙂 Verdi-Care seems like another option, although I have no clue what is in there. And they probably also don't want to tell it.

First of all, I do not collect bronze coins at all. But I think what helps here is a basic understanding of what bronze disease is. Here's wikipedia for the details: So, what causes bronze disease (or first, cuprous chloride) is chloride. Where does chloride come from? It exists in tap water, although in many countries the concentration is very low. Chloride is also a natural part of sweat. I would advise to never touch your coins with sweaty fingers. Gloves, coin capsules or even slabs make sense if you want to avoid bronze disease.

I always upload images here first, save the links in an Excel sheet, and post them when I want to show the coin. I think that this helps save server space. And I don't have to search the images on my computer.

The latest coin in my collection features Maximinus Thrax, dated 235 AD. Before him, there were 25 other Roman emperors, which means that the selection of emperors who were not cold-blooded psychopaths was quite limited. I couldn’t identify with Trajan’s haircut. Hadrian was cruel at times, too. And I can’t compete with Nerva’s nose. Antoninus Pius was too boring. So, I somehow ended up with Marcus Aurelius.

@KenDorney, at this point it almost looks like a fantasy coin. And even really good specimens already sold for less... This is a coin from my collection that has moderate environmental damage, but no loss of weight. Sometimes, photos exaggerate the impact of some roughness. And when you hold the coin in hand you don't even notice the roughness so much because the coin is much smaller. On the other hand, this is what I would not want: This coin hammered for $3600 at HA two months ago. Not an unreasonable price. But I would just be too worried about the crystallization. Which was not mentioned in the auction description, by the way. In my opinion, it should be the duty of any seller to mention such things. Of course, NGC did not mention it either. This is also a reminder that impeccable surfaces are not a guarantee that a coin is not crystallized...

You got one of the Soaemias with a nice bust, @rasiel. She's hard to find like this. I've tried many times to take better photos of Domna, Maesa no. 1 and Aquilia, even using the tips discussed here, but I still can't get it right. Anyway, here comes Julia Titi Domna Maesa (which portrait do you prefer? I can't decide 🧐) Soaemias Paula Aquilia Mamaea

You’re right, it must be Septimius Severus. The beard of Marcus Aurelius goes in the other direction. Septimius Severus was actually my first thought; don’t know why I changed it.

I‘m impressed! If you say that is even difficult to do this in wax, then the ancient engravers must have been really skilled. My guesses: Marcus Aurelius, Hadrian, Vespasian, Nerva

What I don't understand is why people don't try selling their coins via Vcoins more often. It's certainly slower, but it depends less on luck, and prices are more predictable. There are plenty of trustworthy dealers on Vcoins. For example, if I wanted to sell my collection, I would ask @Prieure de Sion if he would like to handle it and what percentage of the sales price he would take, as I think that I know him best and he doesn't live too far away from me. Depending on where you live and who you know there is certainly someone available. (Although I don't know if PdS is available because I haven't asked if he sells private collections and I also don't intend to sell mine. This is just an idea that I had.)

I believe I was the first to discover this charming denarius of Elagabalus on vCoins, as it was quite conservatively priced. In hand, it closely matches the photo, with sharp details and attractive toning. Later, when I have more time, I plan to do some research to see if it might qualify as a best-of-type specimen according to my own subjective standards. 🤔 Elagabalus, 219 AD. Denarius, 2.96g. Rev: FIDES MILITVM. Fides, standing front, head to right, holding vexillum in her right hand and signum in her left. RIC 73

What kind of coins do you intend to sell? If they are relatively common but expensive, and achieving AU or MS grading is realistic, I would recommend using a slab. Otherwise, it might be better to sell them without a slab, potentially through CNG if you’re based in the US.

@jdmKY yes, and I have to say that I was waiting for you to show your Gallia here 😁 I have checked all Hostilius Saserna/Gallia on acsearch and I also find yours the most attractive. I have a few nice Hercules Commodi that I believe are among the finest. It must be a few weeks already since I showed them the last time. I have probably displayed them too frequently already. I'm a bit crazy about this type, that's why I have 2 more than I would have "needed". But I also believe that it is currently a bit undervalued. They‘re not as common in good condition as people usually seem to think. My impression is that they might be on par with the Elagabalus stone of Emesa denarius, which commands much higher prices. One of my favorite coins. Despite the flan flaw on the reverse I found only 1 specimen that appeared similarly attractive to me on acsearch. And when I hold this coin in hand, it has exceptional eye appeal with high relief and beautiful golden/copper color toning. Therefore, I would probably not exchange it for the other specimen. At least not without having seen it in person. Ex Jeremy from nvmis forvms. The denarii of Commodus as Hercules don't come much better than this. Ex Graham collection and ex Yothr collection. Here is PdS's write-up. @Curtisimo has one that is certainly among the best of this type, too.

Your Melkart is clearly not crude but of very fine style, @Qcumbor!