CPK Posted March 8 · Supporter Author Share Posted March 8 Here is another one of my more recent 'quality' denarii purchases - and one of my favorites: NERO, AD 54-68 AR Denarius (17.24mm, 3.47g, 7h) Struck AD 68. Rome mint Obverse: IMP NERO CAESAR AVG P P, laureate head of Nero right Reverse: Legionary eagle between two standards References: RIC I 68, RCV 1947 A scarce type. Lightly toned with an excellent portrait. From the T. R. Hardaker Collection (1942-2019) "This type, among the last coins struck by the very unmilitary Nero, would seem to be an attempt to curry favor with the Roman legions of the provinces, which were beginning to rebel against his capricious rule. It did not work." - Classical Numismatic Group (lot description) Though this coin definitely exhibits more wear than my other purchases, it's still got a lot going for it in my opinion. The portrait is classic, late-reign obese Nero, skillfully executed and well-struck. The reverse is an interesting, and somewhat scarce, anepigraphic type, among the last types struck by Nero in the last year of his reign. By this time, nobody was willing to entertain Nero's depraved eccentricities. The coin is also very nicely toned, and I discovered an interesting collection provenance after finding the coin on ACSearch.info. It was formerly in the collection of T. R. Hardaker, a well-known authority on ancient Indian punchmark coinage, but who also possessed a sizeable collection of other ancient coins. Many of these (including this coin) were auction off by Baldwin's of St. James's auction house a few years ago. All in all, a very satisfying addition! 5 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerosmyfavorite68 Posted March 8 · Member Share Posted March 8 It's a handsome, well-presented type; a type which is missing from my collection. This acquisition continues the trend of kicking it up a notch. Nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salomons Cat Posted March 13 · Member Share Posted March 13 (edited) 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? 🙂 Edited March 13 by Salomons Cat 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted March 13 · Supporter Author Share Posted March 13 2 hours ago, Salomons Cat said: 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? 🙂 Thanks! It does seem that there's been a lot of lower-end stuff coming onto the market (and a proliferation of new auction houses to sell it.) The higher quality coins remain rather scarce, with proportionate competition. I wish you best of luck in your hunt! I still have the JC portrait denarius. I've thought of selling it, but I'd probably have to spend double what I paid for it to get a nicer replacement, which would be significantly more money than I've ever spent on one coin before. I may get to the point where I'm ready to upgrade it, but for now I think I'll keep it. 😉 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Atherton Posted March 13 · Member Share Posted March 13 3 hours ago, Salomons Cat said: 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. If you don't mind me asking, which coin was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salomons Cat Posted March 14 · Member Share Posted March 14 (edited) 23 hours ago, CPK said: I still have the JC portrait denarius. I've thought of selling it, but I'd probably have to spend double what I paid for it to get a nicer replacement, which would be significantly more money than I've ever spent on one coin before. I may get to the point where I'm ready to upgrade it, but for now I think I'll keep it. 😉 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. 21 hours ago, David Atherton said: If you don't mind me asking, which coin was it? 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: Edited March 14 by Salomons Cat 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted March 14 · Supporter Author Share Posted March 14 59 minutes ago, Salomons Cat said: 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: That Titus was a beauty. Actually I believe it is RIC II 1 - the first issue for Titus as Augustus? It's rarer than my coin's type, which was struck later. Also, fantastic Republican coin as well! A nice consolation prize. 🙂 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salomons Cat Posted March 14 · Member Share Posted March 14 (edited) 18 minutes ago, CPK said: That Titus was a beauty. Actually I believe it is RIC II 1 - the first issue for Titus as Augustus? It's rarer than my coin's type, which was struck later. 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 🙂 Edited March 14 by Salomons Cat English isn‘t my mother tongue and I always find something to correct. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Atherton Posted March 14 · Member Share Posted March 14 (edited) 1 hour ago, Salomons Cat said: 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 think I paid @ $500 for my RIC 1 nearly 20 years ago. Prices have indeed risen! And that Goldberg specimen is an obverse die match with mine! Edited March 14 by David Atherton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerosmyfavorite68 Posted March 14 · Member Share Posted March 14 1 hour ago, Salomons Cat said: 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 🙂 Edited 1 hour ago by Salomons Cat English isn‘t my mother tongue and I always find something to correct. No need to apologize. My high school German is execrable. About the only phrase I remember is "Meine Taube ist Entzuendet," the crazy kid's report. That's a lovely republican denarius. The reverse is exquisitely rendered. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.