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

[JayAg47]

Does anyone know what 'choice' mean in numismatic or collectibles in general? after years in this hobby I still don't know. 

Edited May 4, 2023 by JayAg47

[CPK]

13 minutes ago, JayAg47 said:

Does anyone know what 'choice' mean in numismatic or collectibles in general? after years in this hobby I still don't know. 

Of course the word has a number of different meanings, but when used to speak of coins/collectibles I've always understood it to mean "of high quality; excellent; possessing qualities to be desired", etc.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

I was listening to the Totalus Rankium podcast about Michael IV, and they said that the name of the 1041 Bulgarian rebel loosely translated to 'treacherous git.'

[Steppenfool]

9 hours ago, JayAg47 said:

Does anyone know what 'choice' mean in numismatic or collectibles in general? after years in this hobby I still don't know. 

I don't know for sure, but my interpretation was that if you lined up many examples of that coin in that grade, the "choice" example would be the one you'd choose.

Essentially I think it means that it's the very highest tier of that grade. So an Extremely Fine coin on the cusp of AU but not quite? Or perhaps it has some other special quality like fine style that would make that example your "choice"?

[Limes]

This EID MAR denarius sold on May 3 for 720.000 ex. in the Heritage CSNS Signature Sale 3107 auction....! When it comes to denarii, I think this might be the most expensive one. Did anyone follow the auction? 

[Edessa]

Just an opinion, but I have always considered "choice" as a combination of fine style and good eye appeal for the grade. I have seen many modern coins with a high technical grade that had very poor eye appeal. 

[Steppenfool]

I've started a little multiple choice quiz section on my youtube channel. The questions will all be based on Imperial Rome for the time being. Give it a bash if you enjoy testing your knowledge. Once you answer, an explanation, resource or quotation will appear to explain which answer is correct

 

https://www.youtube.com/@iotademia/community

[Deinomenid]

On 5/5/2023 at 6:39 AM, Limes said:

This EID MAR denarius sold on May 3 for 720.000 ex. in the Heritage CSNS Signature Sale 3107 auction....! When it comes to denarii, I think this might be the most expensive one. Did anyone follow the auction? 

The latest Ancient Coin Podcast discusses it. It was bought by the host for a client.

There were some generally very high prices indeed for the usual suspects, aka  slabbed 5/5 star.

[thejewk]

I just ordered a copy of RIC VI, which feels like a right of passage in ancient numismatics.  I have other catalogues, like Sear's general volumes, and Cloke and Toone's London Mint book, but the ubiquity of RIC makes me excited to browse it.

Edited May 11, 2023 by thejewk
Typo

[Hughie Dwyer]

Hello all,

Just a quick question...🙃

If you are looking to create some sort of article about a particular place or person, you would hope to be able to use a number of sources, right?

Yet, what do you do if these books, videos, websites (etc) repeatedly contradict themselves about a particular thing?

Just wondering.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Hugh

[DLTcoins]

15 hours ago, Hughie Dwyer said:

Hello all,

Just a quick question...🙃

If you are looking to create some sort of article about a particular place or person, you would hope to be able to use a number of sources, right?

Yet, what do you do if these books, videos, websites (etc) repeatedly contradict themselves about a particular thing?

Just wondering.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Hugh

Contradict themselves or each other?

If a secondary source contradicts itself, I would give it little or no weight. Mention it in passing, perhaps.

If a primary historical source contradicts itself or if various primary and/or secondary sources contradict each other, I would either attempt to resolve the contradiction(s) through critical methodology or simply present the contradictory material in an even-handed way for the reader to consider. The choice would largely depend on the scope of the project and the intended audience.

Edited May 13, 2023 by DLTcoins

[Hughie Dwyer]

Quote

If a primary historical source contradicts itself or if various primary and/or secondary sources contradict each other, I would either attempt to resolve the contradiction(s) through critical methodology or simply present the contradictory material in an even-handed way for the reader to consider. The choice would largely depend on the scope of the project and the intended audience.

That's great advice, thank you.

Edited May 13, 2023 by Hughie Dwyer

[CPK]

Browsing some of Forvm Ancient Coin's archived sales and came across this lovely Trajan drachm. As a fan of coins with animals, I was immediately smitten by the wonderfully rendered camel.

Just thought I'd share!

Here's the listing for those interested:

Roman Coins of Trajan (forumancientcoins.com)

[Steppenfool]

7 hours ago, CPK said:

Browsing some of Forvm Ancient Coin's archived sales and came across this lovely Trajan drachm. As a fan of coins with animals, I was immediately smitten by the wonderfully rendered camel.

Just thought I'd share!

Here's the listing for those interested:

Roman Coins of Trajan (forumancientcoins.com)

Winds me up that the Provincial is so much better than the official in this instance. The pathetic little camel on the Denarius is a let down.

 

 

 

[Theoderic]

If anyone has a copy of Calico's "The Roman Aurei" and could post a screenshot of the entry and image for 2449 I would be most grateful.  I recently won this holed but rather rare aureus of Septimius Severus that supposedly is a die match to the example cited in Calico so I'd like to double-check it.  RIC 1 (denarius), BMC 5.

Thank you!

 

[Edessa]

[Theoderic]

50 minutes ago, Edessa said:

Edessa,  thank you so much - I really appreciate it.

Comparing both sets of images I think they may indeed be a die match but difficult to tell since mine's not in as good as condition.  Besides the example from the British Museum, which is from different dies, I haven't been able to find online photos of any other RIC 1 aureus.  

[Steppenfool]

Anyone else in the same boat as me?

Been waiting for an opportunity to buy a certain coin for about 9 months now, it just won't turn up anywhere! This seems to happen to me a lot.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Yes.  I had to wait years for my Sulla denarius.

I've also been looking for a large follis of Constantine IV, off and on.  It's made all the harder because I'm looking for a non-bd budget one.  They rarely turn up on vcoins.

[sand]

5 hours ago, Steppenfool said:

Anyone else in the same boat as me?

Been waiting for an opportunity to buy a certain coin for about 9 months now, it just won't turn up anywhere! This seems to happen to me a lot.

Yep, sort of. At the beginning of the year, I had 9 coins on my list, all of them ancient, none of them high priority. Currently, 4 of those coins are still on my list. 1 of them, has been on my list for more than 1 year, and it's medium priority, and it's within my budget, but examples are rarely seen. 1 of them is medium-low priority, and it's barely within my budget, and I'm picky about the appearance of it. 1 of them is medium-low priority, and it's easily within my budget, but examples are rarely seen. 1 of them is medium-low priority, and it's within my budget, but examples are rarely seen. However, I've still managed to buy 10 coins this year, all of them ancient. 5 of the coins I bought, were on my list as medium to medium-low priority coins, which finally appeared on the market. 1 of the coins I bought, because I suddenly became interested in the area, and I easily found 1 on the market. 4 of the coins appeared on the market, and I found them interesting, and I bought them. Because I've had no high priority coins on my list this year, my coin buying this year, has been way less, than the previous 2 years, which is good for my budget. And, it's given me more time, to take photos of my coins. And, I've bought a few more coin books this year. Therefore, it hasn't bothered me, to still have 4 coins on my list.

Edited June 22, 2023 by sand

[Curtisimo]

Waiting years to mark a coin off my want list is pretty much the standard for me. For Roman Imperial coins in particular I am picky about choosing interesting reverse types. For this reason my imperial silver collection is growing at a snail’s pace.

[Cordoba]

5 hours ago, Steppenfool said:

Anyone else in the same boat as me?

Been waiting for an opportunity to buy a certain coin for about 9 months now, it just won't turn up anywhere! This seems to happen to me a lot.

yea, there are some types i'm after that are quite rare, only showing up every couple years. i knocked out the more common coins on my list already, and now the only ones left are rare and/or expensive.

[DonnaML]

There are quite a few scarce ancient coin types I'd love to have that never seem to turn up except in examples that are either way too expensive, or not nice enough for me to want to buy them. Like the Julia Domna / Cybele in lion quadriga denarius I've wanted for several years. Or several Roman Republican types, such as the Manius Aquillius Sol/Luna denarius -- which I did win at a Cayon & Subastas auction, but it was lost in the mail, and I've never seen as good a specimen since. So I have to be patient!

[Steppenfool]

10 hours ago, DonnaML said:

There are quite a few scarce ancient coin types I'd love to have that never seem to turn up except in examples that are either way too expensive, or not nice enough for me to want to buy them. Like the Julia Domna / Cybele in lion quadriga denarius I've wanted for several years. Or several Roman Republican types, such as the Manius Aquillius Sol/Luna denarius -- which I did win at a Cayon & Subastas auction, but it was lost in the mail, and I've never seen as good a specimen since. So I have to be patient!

I think that's a worry of mine too! When you are so desperate for a coin and it has eluded you for many months/years, that's when you start making silly decisions, my budget for the type I'm after has almost doubled since after almost a year of hunting. 😂

[Captch]

On 4/30/2023 at 2:12 PM, Steppenfool said:

Rather than shamelessly self promote in a separate thread. I'll do it here. I've started a Youtube channel that aims to engage in more in depth analysis of specific historical topics. I try not to let unevidenced narratives take over and instead attempt to present the primary sources directly to the viewer, justify anything I say, and try to guide the viewer to somewhat make up their own mind. This video is on the evidence before 312 for Constantius I's personal religion and therefore contains discussion of Numismatics. In a few days, I will be finished  the sequel that explores the Christian revision of Constantius' reign.

I'm still working on the ins and outs of video production etc. and I hope to improve as I go!

 

 

I'm guilty of necroposting here, but @Steppenfool this is a great video!