Posts that don't deserve their own thread, Thread.

[Sulla80]

2 hours ago, Steppenfool said:

Does anyone know why this coin is so expensive? It's the same price on Diller's own site too. Everything else is reasonably priced. 680 EUR

 

 

https://www.ma-shops.co.uk/diller/item.php?id=221104001

several obvious reasons: 1) it is 1800 years old - 2) it is nicer than mine - and that means it should be 10X mine - 3) it is made of precious metal (silver) - 4) Septimius Severus has a cool name and was the founder of a dynasty and the first emperor of Rome to come from North Africa - 5) the reverse celebrates Septimius as the "bringer of peace" and who doesn't like peace......so the pricing seems fair to me.

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Sulla80

[Severus Alexander]

2 hours ago, Steppenfool said:

I also only have one coin of Gordian III, but that's true for most rulers for me. However, unlike the other rulers, I have absolutely no intention of adding any more. His reverses are so boring (someone standing/sitting) and lack historical import.

It’s worth getting a late Antioch antoninianus, if you’re a history-based collector (I am too). These coins were used for the unfortunate expedition against the Sassanids that resulted in GIII’s death. Eastern provincials are good too, some great reverses there!

2 hours ago, Nerosmyfavorite68 said:

Oh yeah, that reminds me of another question.  Why do Byzantine AE's almost NEVER (other than Sicily) have nice patinas? Many were probably deposited in the Balkans.

Interesting question!  I tend to agree with your observation.  Now that I think about it, sestertii and dupondii tend to have nicer patinas than asses, I’d say. Maybe orichalcum/brass tends to patinate better than copper? Byzantine AEs are mostly (but not exclusively) fairly pure copper, I think. Some Justinian 40 nummi are pretty brassy looking, but that’s a type that seems to patinate better than the usual Byzantine AE, I’d say.

Maybe the relative youth of Byzantine coins has something to do with it too?

Pure speculation based on anecdotal recollections, I hasten to add!

[Limes]

19 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

I probably shouldn't encourage people – it's dumb to invite more competition! – but the fear of allegedly "hidden" costs etc. is way overblown IMO. Just like you'd factor in shipping costs when buying on VCoins or ebay, you factor in the buyer's fee, which is easy to find under the "Auction terms" link on biddr, or the "Terms of Sale" link on Numisbids:

If you can't find it straightaway in the text that pops up, just search for "%".  To that, add in the corresponding exchange rate in % of your own currency (from Google or wherever), and you've got your max bid. Easy-peasy!

Lots of dealers make their money by buying at these auctions and selling on VCoins.  If you have reasonable knowledge of your target area, it makes sense to cut out the middleman.

I do have trouble finding postal and 'handling' costs in some terms. Not all are transparant when it comes to those costs. I used to adhere to the 1/4 rule: coin + 25% is the total price. But since quite a few auctioneers raised auction fees, its more +30% now. My advice to anyone: take this into account when bidding! 

3 hours ago, Nerosmyfavorite68 said:

Is it weird that I only have one Ant of Gordian III and only 2 or 3 coins of Constantine?  (not counting some awful Constantines in incidental group lots).  I don't dislike Gordian III Ants, but I never got around to getting another since around 1994. I also don't think I've bought (some probably in incidental buys) any FEL TEMPs since around 1994.

I also only have only 2 or 3 coins of Probus.

 

Well, I recently bought my first Gordy III after eight years of serious collecting, so no, not weird 😁

3 hours ago, Steppenfool said:

Does anyone know why this coin is so expensive? It's the same price on Diller's own site too. Everything else is reasonably priced. 680 EUR

 

 

https://www.ma-shops.co.uk/diller/item.php?id=221104001

👨‍⚕️Who knows? Maybe you can make an offer, of say, 68, and see what happens 

[Severus Alexander]

2 minutes ago, Limes said:

I do have trouble finding postal and 'handling' costs in some terms. Not all are transparant when it comes to those costs.

Good point. I’ve found that in cases where they ding you with high courier fees they’re almost always open to an alternative arrangement through the postal service (a much better option in Canada). The only major exception is Naumann - they’re very inflexible. As a result I almost never bid in their auctions.

I should note that sometimes this means the package isn’t insured, but I’m OK with that if it’s not a really high value. I’ve only had one low- value package get lost; meanwhile I’ve saved hundreds in shipping costs.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

As

Sestertius.

There are some Asses with a nice patina.  A Gordian Balkan AE has that same general type of patina as the As and the same type of encrustrations, sadly.

I've noticed that the big Justinians are the ones to have nicer patinas. I wonder if some of them are faux patinas, though?

Come to think of it, the Byzantine non-Sicilian Italian issues don't even seem to have nice patinas.  Perhaps it's a copper alloy thing? 

So many of the 2nd-3rd century Balkan Roman provincials have GREAT patinas.

 

[Steppenfool]

6 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

It’s worth getting a late Antioch antoninianus, if you’re a history-based collector (I am too). These coins were used for the unfortunate expedition against the Sassanids that resulted in GIII’s death. Eastern provincials are good too, some great reverses there!

That's a very intersting facet of Gordian coinage I wasn't aware of. I am very interested in the death of Gordian III and plan to make a video about it eventually. How do I know an Antoninianus is from Antioch?

[Severus Alexander]

1 hour ago, Steppenfool said:

That's a very intersting facet of Gordian coinage I wasn't aware of. I am very interested in the death of Gordian III and plan to make a video about it eventually. How do I know an Antoninianus is from Antioch?

The earlier issues are harder to distinguish from Rome, but most (all?) of the late ones – the coins associated with the war – are easy because they have a distinct cuirassed portrait:

You'll also want one of these:

Also an Antioch coin, PAX FVNDATA CVM PERSIS: it "celebrates" the patched-up-peace that Philip arranged before heading west to consolidate his power after Gordian's death.

Edited April 23, 2023 by Severus Alexander

[Steppenfool]

53 minutes ago, Severus Alexander said:

You'll also want one of these

Also an Antioch coin, PAX FVNDATA CVM PERSIS: it "celebrates" the patched-up-peace that Philip arranged before heading west to consolidate his power after Gordian's death.

I believe you've solved my predicament that opened this thread. Thank you! Great coin. I had no idea it existed.

[kapphnwn]

I just saw this on Quora. It is a picture of a giant pile of Roman nails. They were probably going to use them building fortifications when the word came "Pack up boys we are heading back south." I remember seeing two of these in our little university collection of antiquities here in Edmonton I wonder how many survive. I imagine a good many were converted into something "useful". 

[Steppenfool]

Here is my only Gordian III. @Severus Alexander I think getting an Antioch one would be a good idea too. Particularly to show the transition to more manly facial features. It's interesting how Gordian outgrows his button nose by the time he's heading East!

 

 

 

 

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

I don't know if mine is Antioch or not. It's pre-2009, so unphotographed and given my incompetence at coin photography and reticence to handle coins, probably never will be.  For some reason I remember that it was a Fortuna Redux.  I haven't looked at it in many years.

Well, here's another Andy Rooney type musing; Why are Drachms of Menander so relatively expensive?  They're not rare.

Or another; why does a Canadian dealer put orange dirt on coins?  It looks awful, in my opinion.  The silver also gets a weird-looking treatment.

A third: Coins were often hoarded in times of tumult so why does one never see a VF+ or XF Heraclius AE?  Seleucia and Isauria are exceptions; they seem to be in better shape than the rest of them.  My VG Seleucia is a rare exception.

[Steppenfool]

5 hours ago, Nerosmyfavorite68 said:

Or another; why does a Canadian dealer put orange dirt on coins?  It looks awful, in my opinion.  The silver also gets a weird-looking treatment.

I'm of the opinion that the appearance of higher reliefs and the hiding of flaws that that this process was initially beneficial to the seller when dealing with those who weren't aware of the process. However, so much awareness has spread of it that people now view it properly and see it for the tacky look that it is. I think it's surely got to be doing more harm than good for business at this point.

Quote

A third: Coins were often hoarded in times of tumult so why does one never see a VF+ or XF Heraclius AE?  Seleucia and Isauria are exceptions; they seem to be in better shape than the rest of them.  My VG Seleucia is a rare exception.

I can only speculate but there was chaos and upheavel for a good few years pre-Heraclius. Perhaps everyone who was worried about their fortune had already buried it by the time Heraclius came to power. 😂

[DonnaML]

15 hours ago, kapphnwn said:

I just saw this on Quora. It is a picture of a giant pile of Roman nails. They were probably going to use them building fortifications when the word came "Pack up boys we are heading back south." I remember seeing two of these in our little university collection of antiquities here in Edmonton I wonder how many survive. I imagine a good many were converted into something "useful". 

How many wagons and oxen did it take to transport almost a million nails to Scotland? Perhaps even more importantly, I feel very sorry for the graduate student who was given the task of counting them after they were dug up. One nail. Two nails. Three nails. . . .

Edited April 23, 2023 by DonnaML

[David Atherton]

Does anyone know if there is a way to filter out certain dealer's search results on Vcoins? There is one specific dealer who has been on a button bender of late and it's very annoying to wade through all of them!

[Jay GT4]

They also regularly list modern coins as ancient.  I asked Vcoins about it a few months ago.  Very annoying.  

Edited April 26, 2023 by Jay GT4

[DonnaML]

2 hours ago, Jay GT4 said:

They also regularly list modern coins as ancient.  I asked Vcoins about it a few months ago.  Very annoying.  

I know there's a dealer in Spain who regularly posts things like 18th century military buttons in the ancient section and has been doing that for years.  Very annoying to have to plow through them.

[Furryfrog02]

3 hours ago, DonnaML said:

I know there's a dealer in Spain who regularly posts things like 18th century military buttons in the ancient section and has been doing that for years.  Very annoying to have to plow through them.

I despise this seller. So much crap you have to wade through to see anything new. 
I too, wish there was a way to filter out certain sellers on vcoins.

[Jay GT4]

Maybe if more people send an email to Vcoins?

[CPK]

Yes! It's extremely irritating. I wonder if @KenDorney could possibly do anything about it. I have considered sending an email to VCoins about it before.

[sand]

Yes. I would really like the ability, to easily ignore certain sellers, on Vcoins. Also, I would really like it, if I could easily select all of the sellers, who are in a particular country, such as the US, on Vcoins.

Edited April 26, 2023 by sand

[KenDorney]

3 hours ago, CPK said:

I wonder if @KenDorney could possibly do anything about it. I have considered sending an email to VCoins about it before.

I sent a message off to see what might be done about this.  While sales of antiquities are no longer allowed on VCoins, these are not old enough to qualify as such.  However I dont know what the current rules are about listing non-numismatic items (if they are even allowed).  

As for some listing non ancient items in the ancient section, this could simply be a matter of the dealer not knowing how to properly use the category function on the site that we see and use as dealers.  There really isnt any kind of training for the site, so some may not know how to create and use the right category structure.

[CPK]

Just now, KenDorney said:

I sent a message off to see what might be done about this.  While sales of antiquities are no longer allowed on VCoins, these are not old enough to qualify as such.  However I dont know what the current rules are about listing non-numismatic items (if they are even allowed).  

As for some listing non ancient items in the ancient section, this could simply be a matter of the dealer not knowing how to properly use the category function on the site that we see and use as dealers.  There really isnt any kind of training for the site, so some may not know how to create and use the right category structure.

Thanks!

It's not that I necessarily object to the dealer selling such artifacts (including coins), it's more when they are listed as "ancient" and thereby cluttering up the category. But hopefully, one way or another, the problem will clear up.

[Molag Bal]

I sent vcoins an email about the seller listing 18th century buttons under the ancients section last year because it annoyed me too. They ignored me. 😃

[Jay GT4]

2 hours ago, Molag Bal said:

I sent vcoins an email about the seller listing 18th century buttons under the ancients section last year because it annoyed me too. They ignored me. 😃

They answered me a last month about this issue, but it did take a few days to respond.

[Theodosius]

 

2 hours ago, Jay GT4 said:

They answered me a last month about this issue, but it did take a few days to respond.

What did they say?