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:

At the moment, the market for high-quality Roman coins seems quite sparse to me. I find very few interesting coins in auctions, and it appears that there are currently no significant collections available on the market. Moreover, whenever I add a new coin to my favorites on vCoins or MA-Shops, it sells quite quickly. Additionally, with the upcoming release of Gladiator 2 in November, I anticipate a surge in interest in ancient Roman coins 🤔 Altogether, I predict that the prices for ancient Roman coins will rise if everything continues as it is at the moment.

Yes, you're right! I only remembered that it wasn't the type that was described in the auction. Again, taking a look at Davids collection on Forum Ancient Coins is very useful 🙂

I'm glad to hear that 🙂 I would keep it, too. It's a well centered coin, you recognize the portrait and you can read "Caesar". Overall, I think that it is still a very attractive coin. Of course, I was the underbidder on this one: I couldn't believe that I was outbid. Maybe that was naive, specimens in this condition usually cost as much or more. Nevertheless, the price appears very high to me. This coin was described as RIC 1076 in the auction. But I think that it is RIC 49, too, like CPK's specimen. By the way, I bought this coin a bit later, so at least I have a similar reverse type in my collection that costed a small fraction of these $1600:

Great coins, @CPK! I've been on the hunt for such a Titus reverse for ages, but I keep getting outbid. I once bid $1600 on a great piece, but still lost out. Finding a Nero denarius at a reasonable price is equally tough right now. It seems like everyone's after one. That Vespasian portrait is fantastic. While the hammer price was high, I've been monitoring Vespasian denarii on ma-shops and vcoins for a while, and ones with such quality portraits are rare in retail and certainly not cheaper than what you paid. I also believe that you won‘t regret it. I also have the goal of acquiring the best coins I can afford. It's fulfilling but challenging. Not only because it‘s difficult to participate in the „Post it and pick it“ thread with a small collection. High-quality coins are scarce on the market right now, and I think that it‘s inevitable to compete with some wealthy bidders. I'm eager to see how your collection evolves. By the way, do you still have the Julius Caesar denarius, or did you sell that too? 🙂

Elagabalus doesn't even look like he's related to himself 🤔 Julia Mamaea and Severus Alexander also look a bit different from each other.

I don't think so. Shipping all kinds of goods via registered mail is quite normal. There are countless reasons for a registered mail. For example, because the seller wants a proof that the customer has received the item. Or emotional value. Usually, import customs should give you a reasonable amount of time to answer and to pay any kind of fees. Doesn't matter how I look at it: 35 Euros within 5 working days and threatening to destroy the coin just seems completely inappropriate to me.

Incredible. Such a soulless bureaucracy is pure evil. If it weren't orchestrated by the state, it would be considered a criminal act. So, if it is not cultural property, then it can be destroyed. This shows how much respect the legislative organs truly have for ancient artifacts and coins.

I just realized that your Gallia is from CNG, 2021. That was an excellent purchase, truly top-notch. A world-class coin. Mine is quite 'barbaric' in comparison— less refined, probably not done by a master engraver, but you still see the despair in her face. I also adore it; it's also among my favorites. I believe Hispania was the sole province that has ever been personified on the obverse of a Roman coin besides Gallia. I find the disparity in expressiveness and abstraction between Gallia and Hispania quite remarkable.

I have scrolled through all Gallia denarii on acsearch (268 results) and did not even know that such an attractive coin of Gallia exists. Also the other coins shown here are exceptional. @Curtis JJ has made an interesting observation about the portrait of Gallia. There seem to be 2 different types, a 'veristic' and an idealized one. Here's mine.

I would like to present my 2 most recent acquisitions. I have already mentioned the first one in the topic about the Tribute Penny. TIBERIUS (14-37). Aureus fourré over a denarius from the Lugdunum mint. Weight: 3.65 g. Diameter: 19 mm. Obv: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS. Rev: PONTIF MAXIM. Livia (as Pax) seated right on throne, holding sceptre and olive branch. I bought this one for 400 Euros. It's my first gold coin. It looks great in hand and I think that it's extraordinarily attractive for a plated coin. I had been a bit worried about the corrosion that is visible at the borders, but it's absolutely not noticeable in hand. And I assume that the gold plating could have prevented corrosion of the central parts of the coin, so I hope that it's not brittle. But I will handle it carefully due to the gold plating anyway. I put it in a coin capsule as soon as I received it, so it should be safe for the next 2000 years. My other coin is from the recent Leu auction and I have won it a few minutes ago. After their last auction, @Prieure de Sion was not happy with Leu's description of many of their lots. I assume that they either read his e-mail or they're secretly active in this forum. Who knows. Anyway, this time, their descriptions seemed a lot better to me. It was a noticeable difference compared to their last auction. The prices for denarii with Gallia and the Carnyx on the obverse are very variable. There are some specimens in XF condition that sold for $4000+ in auctions. The one that I just bought hammered for $850 in 2022 (with an erroneous pedigree that dated back to 1977). This time it hammered for $1135, with a pedigree until 2015. As usual, there was a bid in the absolute last second that pushed my bid to the maximum. I'm still very happy. I would not have liked to miss this coin. There are very few specimens with such eye appeal. Leu writes: I also had some denarii of Octavian on my watch list... With only a little hope of winning any of them. The prices went exactly as high as I had feared, so I did not make a bid.