Coin Talk

For 2015 I sought to set a simple goal. I would acquire a gold coin by hook or by crook. Many of you saw the large Electrum Kidarite Dinar I posted a while back, great coin but still not a gold coin. I knew there were of ancient and medieval coins available everywhere and its just a matter of throwing money at it.

Hugely generalizing its very difficult to find an ancient or medieval coin in VF or better condition for less than $500. There are a few very good candidates for what is considered relatively inexpensive gold coins. You have some common Byzantine solidi and fractions that can be had in the $250 range. On occasion you might find a large diameter scyphate coin from the Middle Byzantine period in VF (or super EF if you are Eng). If neither of these is what strikes your interest at the moment than the quest gets rather interesting. Ancient Roman, Greek, Persian and Chinese gold are generally unavailable to the average casual collector and can range from $1000 to Moon Cheese....

This info comes from one of my bullion suppliers.

At first glance the American Gold Eagle looked fine. Its color, weight, density and feel were all correct. It measured 32.70 (mm) Diameter and 2.87 (mm) Thickness, matching that of a genuine Eagle.

The other day I stopped in a local coin shop which had a weekly bid board ending then. After looking over the lots on the wall and not seeing too much that I really wanted to bid on, I looked over the large lots and expensive coins which are kept in one of the glass cases instead of being hung up on the bid board. One lot that caught my eye was the following medal, sorry the photos are so dark, was doing the best I could with a borrowed camera set up:

Among the earliest of my ancient coin purchases was a fascinating bronze of Germanicus and Drusus issued during the time of Tiberius and later overstruck by a creative proconsul, possibly during Caligula's reign. It appears to be the sole instance in which coins were later modified with special ring dies, preserving the central devices while creating a new legend. Recently I picked up a second example and a copy of an old Celator issue* which has an article about the type.

The Wheat Penny/Cent: The Wheat Penny/Cent is one of the most well-known coins in U.S history, minted from 1909-1958. Buyers of all range of wealth can spend on common dates (such as the 1944 copper cent or the 1958 cent) or Key Dates (such as the 1909 S VDB or the 1914-D cent). Wheat Cent hoards are common and will continue to grow in value as long as the coins continue to grow in popularity and collectors' value. Before we need to know about the specific dates, however, we need to learn about the designer.

Victor David Brenner- Victor David Brenner was born in Lithuania in 1871, by the name of Viktoras Baranauskas. At age 19, he immigrated to America as his father had done years before. Unable to find a job, he decided to work with his father, as an engraver. He mastered skills surrounding this art, and also learned the English language during the time. His designs for the Obverse and Reverse were picked by the government, out of many designs submitted by professional engravers....

This actually happens to be my first post-Carolingian medieval French coin, after the split of the Frankish Empire into the kingdoms of West and East Francia, which later developed into France and Germany, respectively.

This coin was struck by Count Herbert of Maine (a region in northern France). I think this coin, not being struck in the name of the king at the time (Robert II of the Capetians), is a testament to the feudal, decentralized nature of France at the time, when many local counts and dukes pretty much had free reign to do what they pleased as long as they recognized the king.

Those wacky Romans… they deified and worshipped everything. This one, however, deserves your devotion: Venus Cloacina, Goddess of the Great Sewer.

Yep. That’s right. A Sewer Goddess.

Before you poo-poo Her importance, consider this: Rome’s Cloaca Maxima (Great Sewer) was in large part responsible for the health and prosperity of Rome. Waste-related bacterial burdens were reduced as the sewage flowed away from the city instead of pooling in populated areas. The sewer also drained the marshlands, greatly diminishing the breeding grounds for disease vectors such as mosquitos.


Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. L. Mussidius Longus, 42 BC. AR denarius, Rome mint. Radiate and draped bust of Sol facing slightly right / Shrine of Venus Cloacina: Circular platform surmounted by two statues of the goddess, each resting right hand on cippus, the platform inscribed CLOAC and ornamented with trellis-pattern balustrade, flight of...

I shared my U.S. Half Dollar Type Collection with this board in Summer of 2011, however since then I have found some new examples and have upgraded a few coins. So I wanted to share my updates. I have been working on this collection since January 2011 -- and as some of you know, I have a passion for coins with interesting color and/or toning patterns, so when I could find a colorfully toned example of a type, I made the leap.

Flowing Hair: I knew the early Flowing Hair Half Dollar was going to be a stumbling block. The Flowing Hair Half was the first Half Dollar type minted in the U.S and was only produced for two years: 1794 and 1795. It sports the "Small Eagle" reverse, a design that Ben Franklin complained looked more like a turkey than an eagle. According to the Guide Book of U.S. Type Coins, only between 3,500 and 6,000 Flowing Hair Half Dollars remain in existence -- so this is a very rare type coin. I wasn't sure I would ever acquire this early Half Dollar; but...

The Young Numismatist auction is a fundraiser held at the ANA Summer Seminar to help fund YN Summer Seminar scholarships. All of the auction items are donated and no one is looking to get a "good deal" on anything they purchase. However, being new to the Summer Seminar and YN auctions, I didn't know that various bidding antics were quite typical and that there were actually "no rules" during the auctions!

So when I saw this medal come up for bid, I raised my bidder number, but then someone else began bidding on it. What I didn't know was that my good buddy Todd Pollock was the other bidder and that he was using a "counterfeit" bidder number he had created of MY OWN bidder number - which meant in essence, I was bidding against myself! Once I discovered that the other bidder was Todd and that he was using my own number, he "graciously" dropped out, but there was another real bidder, so we both kept bidding higher and higher, until finally I won out.

This is the beautiful Cathedral...