robinjojo

I'm inclined to agree that the pits on both sides of the coin are caused by corrosion.  I have seen this condition innumerable times in the past, and they are associated with horn silver.  My guess is that the coin came out of a hoard dark and encrusted.  It was aggressively cleaned which led to the exposure of the pits.  Some of the horn silver is still present and if they were removed there would be more pits.  

Another feature of the OP coin is that the reverse, the side that would receive the force of the hammer die, is clearly concave.  Coins that are cast tend to be basically flat on both sides in my experience.

25 minutes ago, Victrix said:

The duality of a crisis coin. Crisp obverse die and a completely battered reverse. Hard to pass Gordian III and Trajan decius coins when they're so cheap in high grade 🙃.

 

 

Nice coin!  The reverse looks as if it was struck with a worn die.

Here's another Alexandrian Roman provincial BI tetradrachm, part of my piecemeal effort collecting this extensive series.  This somewhat rough coin came from the UAE, which many of you probably know just based on the country of origin.  He has some pretty decent buys from time to time.

Nero with Tiberius, 54-68 AD, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, Year 13 = 66/7.

RPC I 5295

12.98 grams

This is the second coin of this type that I own.  I purchased it mainly because of the different style portrait of Nero.  Here's the other coin:

12.54 grams

15 hours ago, Zimm said:

That’s a wonderful example, though sadly I think it’s Heraclius as opposed to Constans II. It’s actually from the 24th regnal year instead of the 14th, the first X being partially off-flan. If you look closely above the M, you can see a cross above a C, which is only seen on Heraclius’ coinage (on Constans II’s it’d be a K). The high weight and fineish style also hint at Heraclius. After the weight decrease in the 22nd regnal year the type began suffering from poor strike quality, making your example definitely belong to the better end of examples.

Thank you!  I often confuse Heraclius with Constans II, based on the portraiture, alone and not really looking at other details.  I suspected that the year is 24 and not 14, but I couldn't make out the top "X" until you pointed it out.  

As for the cleaning, I took a very cautious approach.  Examining the coin, I concluded that the surfaces below the "sand" patina are dark and rough, especially on the obverse.  So I simply put the coin in a distilled water bath for about 30 minutes and, using a toothpick, gently removed some of the loose deposits.  That was followed with a brushing with a cotton swab.

So, the results are slightly better, but most of the sand patina is still intact.

Heraclius, follis, Constantinople, RY 24, officina  Γ.

MIB 164b

6.29 grams

Trier is a wonderful, picturesque city to visit, with solid Roman roots.  I was there in 1987 and loaded up on German wine.  Since I was traveling only with a carryon bag, the trip back to the US with an overloaded bag full of wine bottles was an adventure.  I did crazy things like that back then.  Now I do different crazy things.

This is my only Roman coin from that city:

Postumus, double sestertius, Treveri, 260-69 AD.  LAETITA reverse.

RIC 143

33mm, 27.97 grams

3 hours ago, ela126 said:

This coin screams “clean me” to me, with easy looking dirt. Love the detail available. 

Can’t offer any help though.

nice coin!

Thanks.  I might, possibly cleaning the high points and trying to preserve the patina in the fields?

Here's a rough Arab-Byzantine fals, which I am still researching.  This coin is the "standing emperor" type, but instead of the usual globus cruciger held by the emperor's left hand, there is instead a bird, presumably a hawk.  The bird is a little hard to see, but its outlines are apparent.

The reverse has a small crescent below the M.

Arab-Byzantine, AE fals, Imitating Constans II, late 7th century AD.

3.40 grams

Here's a coin that arrived recently, a Constans II follis with what seems to be authentic "sand" patina.  As far as I can determine, the regnal year on the reverse is 14, but I have been able to locate another coin of this type with that RY.  The "X" of the date is somewhat weak, but the outline seems pretty clear. 

Does anyone have another example?

Thanks

 Constans II, follis, Constantinople, RY 14, officina  Γ.

6.29 grams

Alexandrian coinage, whether Ptolemaic or Roman provincial is a wonderful field to specialize in, and I wish that I had the discipline to concentrate on that city alone, but my generalist collecting inclinations divert me in myriad directions.   

Alexandrian Roman provincial coinage maintained a generally high level of artistry, especially over the first and second centuries AD.  I think this is due to the city's large Greek population.  It is these Greek die cutters that we have to thank for the wonderful provincial Alexandrian coins that grace our collections.  

Here are a few, which I have posted before:

Claudius and Messilina, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, 41 AD.

14.1 grams

Nero, Bi tetradrachm, with Tiberius on the reverse, Alexandria, RY 13 (66/7 AD).

Köln 187-9

12.54 grams

Hadrian, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, RY 20 (135/6AD).

Emmett 879.

24mm, 12.86 grams

Sabina, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, RY 15 (130/1 AD).

Cologne-1262; Dattari-2063; BM-918; RPC-5774 (9 specimens).

12.84 grams

Antoninus Pius, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, RY 3, (139/40 AD). Eirene on reverse.

Milne 1638

25 mm,13.42 grams

Gallienus, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, RY 14 (266/67 AD).

10.22 grams

Speaking of Kerry, I wonder what this campaign button from 2004 would fetch on eBay?  Should I get it slabbed? 😉

A period piece:

And a period coin, generally speaking:

Italy, Tuscany, Livorno, Cosimo III,  Pezza della Rosa, 1684.

Davenport 4216

25.74 grams

10 minutes ago, John Conduitt said:

Is that even the case when it doesn't say 'best offer accepted' with the price crossed out?

Not all the time.  I've negotiated prices in the past for some items on eBay, but the "sold" price is the listing price.  

Yes, the $33K owl has been relisted.  Perhaps the seller closed the listing for some reason, perhaps a offer outside eBay, and then relisted shortly thereafter.  Who knows?

9 minutes ago, John Conduitt said:

Why is it so shiny? There's no way that came out the ground like that, so how does it get 5/5 surfaces? And someone bought it?! A very average coin.

 

I totally agree.  

Yes, it has been sold, but for how much?  The sold listing price is showing $33K, but my experience with eBay is that sometimes sellers do not display the actual sale price, so that owl might have been purchased for $33K or less....

The owl offered on eBay for a $33K asking price is a very nice example.  In the NGC scheme of things, with numeric grading for strike and surface condition, I suppose a "5" for surface condition is warranted, though I am not in favor of this approach.  Is it a "5" for strike?  One can argue that the centering is excellent, while another can argue that most of the all important crest is missing, due to the normally narrow flan and broad obverse die.  So, should it be maybe a "4" or "4.5" for strike?

The other factor with these coins is style.  Sure, there are lots of classical standardize owls out there with a "wow" factor for strike and condition, but many are just plainly unattractive in terms of style.  Many are flatter in relief, or have less sophisticated engraving.  The $33K falls into this category, I think.  The obverse die was engraved in lower relief.  The overall modeling of the face is only so-so as these coins go. 

For comparison, here's a classical owl that, in my opinion is more attractive stylistically.  This coin is a compromise in terms of visible obverse detail, but the portrait is sensitively engraved, even with the slight frown.  Also, the strike is not razor sharp, but very good nonetheless, and there is some wear at the high points.  Color is also important and a matter of personal taste.  The coin below would probably be graded by NGC for surface as a "3" or maybe "4" because of the toning.  

There are thousands of these owls out there, and I find this strike/surface condition and "star" marketing gimmick by NGC a distraction at best and a detriment at worst to the hobby of collecting ancient coins, but the lure of the slab is undoubtedly a drawing card for many collectors and investors.  In the end, of course, it all comes down to personal taste and personal financial resources.  

How about a buyer offer of a 90% discount, plus a set of spark plugs for a 2013 Mazda 3?  The spark plugs could clinch the deal!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/355464842575?itmmeta=01HPQAVQMHEFZTGK63VS6MCN08&hash=item52c35b0d4f:g:6DgAAOSwGtRlzRTm&itmprp=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0KC%2FHyuKiJiG%2FC8xOcIJX%2B867wKuscRs1i9m542L429CWoAs6udeWEv%2Fvh7mT5FeOU1fyAyWydPFl95YPJciw%2BNK9MPLHmGO4sdq7AW38SENlI7H%2BCHB%2FIZzlyFVGWjSv76e618Z2%2BxSjWmTh7F0NHH8gwDYNa95%2Fzss9i%2FmvH91BAc3YvJgjjoNcA4%2FYDEEyHtdnVeTUcNs9T4OT%2F70Gk0sWbELU0Amped0BSFO0zIP0lapUMU94VDDN8Yj5F%2FEMnWoWxu7Uor%2F8aHykMlw3%2Fs%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6r67uq1Yw

Apparently this coin is fairly rare.  Does anyone have other examples?

I see the date now.  Yes, the year is 5, not 4. 

I was a bit confused since I was looking for the usual two character combination for the date.  It is interesting that the year is spelled out.

10 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

I'm not sure you have the correct year. Your coin looks like Year 5 spelled out, not year 4.

Thanks.  Where is the date located in the legend?

Found it!

Volume: II №: 2503
Reign: Domitian Persons: Domitian (Augustus)
City: Alexandria  Region: Egypt Province: Egypt
Denomination: Æ (25 mm) Average weight: 7.19 g. Issue: LΔ = year 4 (AD 84/5)
Obverse: ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΔΟΜΙΤΙΑΝΟΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ; laureate head of Domitian, right
Reverse: ΕΤΟΥΣ ΤΕΤΑΡΤΟΥ; bust of Ammon, right
Specimens: 2

Yes, that's possible.  I'll check RPC.

Thanks

I checked RPC online but could not find a match for this coin, which is quite crude and worn.  I think the reverse depicts Serapis, but I am not sure about the date.

Does anyone have information on this coin?  Thanks!

11.02 grams

Bummer!  In the past I received some really nice group lots from Roma - some rally good buys there.  

I guess CNG and other US auction houses and dealers will hence forth be the only group lot sources for US collectors.🙁

Omelet anyone?  Really, though, this is an extraordinary discovery.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/12/roman-egg-found-in-aylesbury-still-has-contents-after-1700-years

Wonderful owl-related coins posted in this thread!

Attica, Athens AE 14, 130-90 BC.

HGC 4, 1734; Kroll 1993, no. 100.

4.19 grams

Southern Arabia, Qataban, hemidrachm, c. 350-300 BC.

2.54 grams

Northern Arabia, Lihyan Kingdom, silver tetradrachm, 2nd-1st centuries BC.

13.02 grams 

As for "superb", this classical standardized owl is only EF, but a good portion of the crest is visible, which makes it rather attractive.

Attica, Athens, tetradrachm, 440-404 BC.

17.18 grams 

Here's a late addition.  This small figurine is part of a group of jadeite figurines that appeared on eBay around 2004-05.  As far as I can determine they were produced in the 1990s.

Dragon-Turtle jadeite figurine, circa 1990s.  

98.1 grams