It's That Time of the Year - Worst Coins of 2024

[-monolith-]

It's that time of year; fresh snow on the ground, Christmas tree decorated just-so, and everyone's list of this years best coins. However, I decided to play Grinch and show my worst purchases of the year:

 

Number 01

Mysia, Pergamon - At only 5 GBP not a bad purchase but something about it just "bugs" me. I only acquired it as a "budget" coin to help offset shipping cost and to included it in my countermark sub-collection.

 

Number 02

Pontos, Amisos (Time of Mithradates VI Eupator) - A bit too worn for me, the only reason I purchased it is because it's an error coin missing the Σ from AMI-(Σ)OY.

Number 03

Ptolemy III Euergetes - I don't know why I purchased this coin as it has too much porosity for my taste. Perhaps a little renaissance wax will change my mind. 

Number 04

Antiochos IX Eusebes Philopator - Too much wear and green "stuff". This was another "budget" coin for only 5 euros. 

 

Number 05

Constantine I - What can I say I'm just not a LRC collector. It's a respectable specimen but just not my cup of wine. 

 

Number 06

Troas, Birytis - Nice strike but just too many deposits on the obverse.

Number 07

Syria, Antioch - Trajan - Sometimes you buy the ugly coin because that's all there is available (we've all been there). This is the second known specimen of this coin type.

Number 08

Cilicia, Olba - Augustus - This falls under, I don't know why I purchased this coin. I guess I like shiny little objects. 

Number 09

Pamphylia, Perge - Marcus Aurelius - This falls under "but there's only two known specimen's and this is the best one" category. 

Number 10

Trajan AE As - I filed this one under "I know it's ugly, but it has a countermark".

 

Edited December 13, 2024 by -monolith-

[Ryro]

I love this thread idea. I almost wonder, if like in the best of the year threads, you should have folks vote on the worst. 

Either way hilarious. I'll commiserate with a few poorly thought out purchased of my own:

Sure it's a portrait of the last great Macedonian king, Philip V, and it fills a hole. But it looks much like something that comes out of another type of hole. 

Uncertain mint. Philip V 221-179 BC.

Tetradrachm AR

22 mm, 5,41 g

Nearly Very Fine, cut

I could've done worse... oh, wait. I have. Here's one of Herakles leaning on his club that looks like it's had a many run ins with bd has Herk has had labors. Sure it was only 3 euros and a snack/ travel buddy for other "good" coins, but why?

Æ. Weight 3,67 gr - Diameter 16 mm

And lastly, here's one that I purchased specifically due to it's fugglyness. Why? For the challenge of identifying it. And now I have identified that it's a common ugly coin. Good for me. 

[Postvmvs]

I paid money for this coin 🙃

 

[Croatian Coin Collector]

Serbian Silver Dinar of Stefan Uroš IV Dušan (minted sometime between 1331 and 1355):

Edited December 1, 2024 by Croatian Coin Collector

[seth77]

I'm so gonna do this top ten too.

[JayAg47]

I wouldn’t call it my worst coin, but for 85 aud it’s hard to give up on an Argenteus! compared to other coins I got this year, it certainly is the ugly sibling. While it appears to have a chip near his neck, it’s a die crack so the coin is actually intact! 

Obv: MAXIMIANVS AVG, laureate head of Maximian facing right.
Rev: VIRTVS MILITVM, the four Tetrarchs sacrificing over a tripod, before a Roman camp gate.
3.15g, extensive die cuds on both sides.
286-305 AD

Edited December 2, 2024 by JayAg47

[Sulla80]

Great Top 10 list @Monolith!  This one is definitely in my top 10 - the mangled flan was the attraction.

Islamic, Anatolia & al-Jazira (Post-Seljuk). Lu'lu'ids. Badr al-Din Lu'lu (AH 631-657 / 1234-1259 AD). Ae Dirham. al-Mawsil. Dated AH 631 (1233/4 AD).

Obv: Pearl-diademed head left; star to lower left; all within pelleted square border; legend around.

Rev: Legend.

Ref: S&S Type 68; Album 1874.1

[JAZ Numismatics]

This coin isn't really terrible. In fact it's "nice for the grade" - it's just done a lot of work. It was languishing in a pick bin and I was moved to give it some love...

M. Furius L.f. Philus. 120 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.38g, 10h). Rome mint. M FOVRI L F, laureate head of Janus / Roma standing left, holding wreath and scepter; to left, trophy of Gallic arms flanked by a carnyx and shield on each side; star above; ROMA upwards to right, (PHI)LI in exergue. Crawford 281/1; Sydenham 529; Furia 18.

[Curtisimo]

I suppose if we rank stack our coins like we tend to do for our top 10 then we will inevitably have a bottom 10 (which may even overlap if you bought fewer coins!). That said I actually like all of the coins you show here Grin… I mean @-monolith-. 😉 

[mcwyler]

My excuse on this is I like campgates. Deep breaths…

 

And once bitten, twice bitten as they say…

 

 

For your amusement, here are the attributions from the auction house. Respectively:

Valentinian III, 425-455 (or imitation). Nummus (bronze, 1.16 g, 10 mm), Rome (?). Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust to right. Rev. [VOT PVB] Camp-gate. Cf. RIC 2126. Fine.

and:

VANDALS. In the name and types of Valentinian III, 5th century AD. Ae (bronze, 1.05 g, 10 mm). Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust to right. CKA[..] Camp gate with open doorway and star above. Cf. BMC Vandals 73-80 (in the name of Valentinian III). Nearly very fine.

I have to admit I rather like them!

[AncientOne]

It turns out I only bought 10 coins this year. So for my top 10's the worst is also my best. 

PHRYGIA. Amorium. Augustus (27 BC-14 AD). Ae. Weight 5,70 gr - Diameter 19 mm.

[AncientCoinnoisseur]

Probably my worst-looking coin of this year, and thinnest by far:

Naples (Napoli), Charles II of Anjou (1285-1309 AD). Denaro regale, 18.00mm, 0.71g. P/R 4; MIR (Napoli) 25. MI.

To be fair, these coin usually look like crap, so despite being the most beat up, it’s still considered nice looking for the type!

 

[-monolith-]

4 hours ago, mcwyler said:

My excuse on this is I like campgates. Deep breaths…

 

And once bitten, twice bitten as they say…

 

 

For your amusement, here are the attributions from the auction house. Respectively:

Valentinian III, 425-455 (or imitation). Nummus (bronze, 1.16 g, 10 mm), Rome (?). Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust to right. Rev. [VOT PVB] Camp-gate. Cf. RIC 2126. Fine.

and:

VANDALS. In the name and types of Valentinian III, 5th century AD. Ae (bronze, 1.05 g, 10 mm). Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust to right. CKA[..] Camp gate with open doorway and star above. Cf. BMC Vandals 73-80 (in the name of Valentinian III). Nearly very fine.

I have to admit I rather like them!

The obverse looks like a "spidertaur- half spider / half man" holding a crossbow. 

[Qcumbor]

My worst coin of the year will also make it in the top ten (even though I've bought more than ten coins), just because it's so rare. I've been chasing it for four years, being the third known of its type, the two others at the BnF and at Lyon's museum. I've located that example in a fellow collector's collection a few years ago but he didn't want to part with it back then. A few weeks ago he offered me to purchase it after he's changed is mind.

 

Principauté de la Dombes, François II de Montpensier (1582-1592), Denier tournois type 3 - 1585
Atelier de Trévoux
+ F • D • BOVR[B • P • D • D]OMBES • M, buste cuirassé à gauche
+ DENIE • T[OVR]NOIS • 1585 • deux lis et une brisure (5 sur 2 en fin de date)
1,25  gr - 18 mm - 7 heures
Ref : Divo Dombes # 83, CGKL # 722, PA # 5138v

 

Q

 

Edited December 3, 2024 by Qcumbor
Typo

[ambr0zie]

I am probably too indulgent, but I see nothing horrible (answers included). Except perhaps if the prices were ... too serious. 

I paid money for this. But I do not regret it because a respectable example will be over 100 euros (and I know many collectors will not consider the 100 euros examples respectable). This was 44 and it represents the type in my collection. 

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

The Tiberius isn't 'good', but it's a pretty darn good deal for 44 Euros.

I love the idea for this thread, and I'm able to laugh at most of my failure coins, unless they were expensive.  I've been much better about avoiding lousy coins in recent years, so only a couple came to mind for this year.  I especially need a laugh after my rotten day yesterday.

Technically my 'worst' coins would come from the pseudo-uncleaned lots,  some BD encrusted hunk, but those aren't photographed.

 

I normally avoid badly smoothed/tooled coins, but I included this execrably smoothed coin as a tagalong for an order, because I really like the type and for comic reasons. It was pretty much a waste of money, though.  The obverse doesn't look 'that' bad in person, though.

 

This is only my second Gordy Antoninianus and was another order tagalong. I wanted something to tag along with a sestertius and this was the cheapest non-LRB on the website.  It was actually kind of a novelty.  One doesn't usually encounter them this bad.

 

[seth77]

A coin in real bad condition that I absolutely love (more than I had expected when bidding):




vs a coin that was a disappointment once in hand:

[Phil Davis]

22 hours ago, ambr0zie said:

I am probably too indulgent, but I see nothing horrible (answers included). Except perhaps if the prices were ... too serious.

Off topic a bit, but I just want to mention that I love the use of indulgent here! Perfect word choice!

[expat]

I purchased this knowing the surfaces were badly corroded. Having said that, it was a type I liked and eased the shipping charges.

RPC Volume: VII.2 №: 767
Reign: Gordian III Persons: Tranquillina (Augusta)  241-244 CE
City: Hadrianopolis  Region: Thrace Province: Thrace
Denomination: Æ (24 mm) Average weight: 7.47 g.
Obverse: ϹΑΒ(Ι) ΤΡΑΝΚΥΛΛΕΙΝΑ ϹΕΒ; diademed and draped bust of Tranquillina, right
Reverse: ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ; galley with sail hoisted, right; on board, rowers.
7.59g. 24mm
Reference: Jurukova, Hadrianopolis 686–7, 698

[ambr0zie]

3 hours ago, Phil Davis said:

Off topic a bit, but I just want to mention that I love the use of indulgent here! Perfect word choice!

If this was ironic, remember I am not a native English speaker. 

[Phil Davis]

1 hour ago, ambr0zie said:

If this was ironic, remember I am not a native English speaker. 

Not ironic at all! I'm really sorry if I seemed to be hinting that there was something "off" about your word choice. My intent was the opposite; I really did appreciate "indulgent" there. I know you're not a native speaker, which makes your vocabulary and command of idiom and nuance all the more admirable.

[panzerman]

Mine...

Yadavas of Devagiri

AV Padmatanka ND   3.44g    21mm.

Bhillama V 1185-93

Overstruck on AV Padmatanka of Jagadekamalla Chaluykan ruler

reverse/ Blank

obverse/   Sri Bhilla   mahadeva (two Lines

Below/ Rajadanda (Forked Sceptre)

Central Lotus Blossom/ Four Punches/ Chalukyan Lion visible

Chandor Mint

Deyell 402

ex: Chand Coll.

 

[GregH]

Oh god. You must all be coin haters. I purchased just six coins this year!

My worst in 2024 is this Mary I groat, which i purchased in person in at Baldwin's in London a month ago.

It's an entry level Mary, and for 100 pounds, i think i did alright.

I haven't really been buying duds since i first started collecting. That Julius Nepos AE4 was probably my biggest mistake.
The warning signs were there - this seller *on eBay* had THREE Nepos coins in stock!

 

[GregH]

This was the "Julius Nepos" I bought a few years ago when i was young and stupid.

It is possibly an altered Libius Severus / Ricimer monogram AE4 but with an altered obverse legend "(DN) IVL (NEPOS PF AVG)".

But the engraving style of the legend isn't right.

So this would be my worst ever purchase.

 

[John Conduitt]

15 minutes ago, GregH said:

Oh god. You must all be coin haters. I purchased just six coins this year!

My worst in 2024 is this Mary I groat, which i purchased in person in at Baldwin's in London a month ago.

It's an entry level Mary, and for 100 pounds, i think i did alright.

I haven't really been buying duds since i first started collecting. That Julius Nepos AE4 was probably my biggest mistake.
The warning signs were there - this seller *on eBay* had THREE Nepos coins in stock!

 

That's a great Mary. Here are my two portraits of her. 🤣

Philip and Mary Shilling, 1554

Tower. Silver, 31mm, 5.05g. Profile busts facing each other, crown above; PHILIP ET MARIA D G R ANG FR NEAP PR HISP. Crowned quartered shield of arms, value either side of crown; POSUIMUS DEUM ADIUTOREM NOSTRUM (S 2500). From the Poorton (Dorset) Hoard 2019.

Mary Groat, 1553-1554

Tower. Silver, 24mm, 1.64g. Crowned bust left within inner circle; MARIA D G ANG FRA Z HIB REGI; mintmark Pomegranate. Quartered square-topped shield of arms over long cross fourchée within inner circle; VERITAS TEMPORIS FILIA (S 2492). Engraved RH.