Coin Talk

In the words of Tom Petty, “even the losers get lucky sometimes”. You have to love an auction where you lose and still get the coin you wanted. This unexpected star (*) lot from a Frank Robinson (fsrcoin) auction showed up recently. I was outbid on the coin listed in the auction, but there was a second coin, lurking behind the scenes.

Roman Provincial, Gordian III, AD 238-244, AR Drachm, Caesarea-Eusebia, Cappadocia, Regnal Year 4 (AD 240-241)
Obv: AV KAI M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind.
Rev: MHTPO KAICA B N, Mount Argaeus, pellet to upper left, ET Δ (date) in exergue
Size: 3.50g, 17mm
Ref: Syd. 603



Where is Mt. Argaeus?
Mt. Argaeus is a volcanic mountain, today called Mt. Erciyes, which google maps describes today as “This 12,851-foot mountain with a ski resort is also a...

Today I will be reviewing Jax brand patina restoring products.
If you want to try, I recommend getting the Jax 4-pack sampler from Nobleromancoins.com at https://nobleromancoins.com/product_info.php?products_id=1008
For $12, this is the absolute best price you will find.

But it is worth it?

At least, do these products do much beyond what a simple Renaissance Wax application will?

Brown/Black, Brown, Green, and Black (COMBINED)
Let's start with this Philip I Provincia Dacia sestertius. Originally heavily encrusted and ruined, a long soak in Sodium Hydroxide (lye) yielded this disgusting and multicolored piece.

This is unacceptable. So I first tried the "Brown/Black" compound. It helped the rust colored parts a bit, but didn't tough the green.
The I tried the Brown. Again, didn't do too much.
I did some Green for good measure.
Finally, I used Black. This finally darkened the rust colored portions enough that they were no...

As promised, I am opening a new thread to get your thoughts on auction estimates. At CNG we have always tried to estimate coins at what we think is "high wholesale". Over time this is a moving target as the market changes but generally that is what we try to do. The limiting factor on lower valued coins is there are some standard starting points that work with the bid increment system. For example: You will see estimates from CNG starting with: $75; 100; 150; 200; 300; 500... etc. If we think a coin has a wholesale value of $240 it will likely get a $200 estimate placed on it.

All lots open at 60% of estimate. Theoretically, this means if you buy a coin at the opening bid you got a real bargain. If you buy at estimate, it is generally still cheap. Then the question becomes "what is the mark up to figure retail?" On low priced coins this might be 100%. This because the cost for a dealer to buy a coin, reticket it, photograph it, potentially post in on their coin shop website, and...

(LONG POST WARNING)

I spent $150.00 on Noble Roman Coins' "Deluxe Beginner's Set" so you don't have to.

This is the product I will be reviewing.
https://nobleromancoins.com/product_info.php?products_id=237

NRC offers two Beginner's Sets - the regular and the Deluxe. I will indicate the individual price of each component, as sold on NRC.
Regular includes:
5 cleaned and attributed Roman coins ($8 x 5 = $40.00)
5 Premium Uncleaned Coins ($1.70 x 5 = $8.50)
regular dental pick ($10.00)
5 archival double-pocket plastic flips ($0.12 x 5 = $0.60)
2 20-pocket pages ($0.50 x 2 = $1.00)
3-ring lay-flat binder (~$5.00 (not sold on the site))
Custom printed title page for the binder
TOTAL VALUE: $65.10
Sold For: $50.00
Savings: $15.10, or 30%


Deluxe includes: everything above PLUS:
Diamond Dusted Dental Pick #2 ($39.95)
8-ounce packet of Gringgott's Wizard Mix #2 ($10.00)
50 archival double-pocket plastic flips ($0.12 x 50 = $6.00)
25 Premium Uncleaned Coins...

A few days ago, I finally received a Republican denarius I had won in an Artemide auction in late March. Together with another denarius that I purchased in AMCC 2 last year, it constitutes a small set: both coins were produced for Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius (c. 130–63 BC), one of the most successful Roman generals of the Civil War, consul together with Sulla in 80/79 BC, and leader of the conservative political faction of the Optimates.

The two denarii struck by him in 81 BC, during a time when Sulla permitted his generals to produce their own money, are full of fascinating political references to this troubled period in Roman history. Both bear a bust of Pietas (embodying “loyalty,” “devotion,” or “filial piety”) on the obverse, identified by her symbolic animal, the stork. This is a reference to the moneyer’s cognomen “Pius,” which had been awarded to him for his repeated attempts to have his father, the war hero Metellus Numidicus (c. 160–91 BC), recalled from exile....

Recent increases in postage rates remind me of a time in the 19th century when the government decreased the postage rate and issued a new coin to make the purchase of postage stamps easier. In 1851 Congress reduced the postage rate for a letter from five to three cents and authorized a new coin, the Silver Three Cent Piece or “Trime,” to facilitate the transition.



Very few customers in rural post offices would have had three large cents available to purchase the new three cent stamps. Large cents did not circulate well outside of the big cities, especially Philadelphia.

Although the mint had been issuing Large Cents for almost 60 years, the big pennies were never popular and were seldom seen in circulation outside of the big cities. Therefore it was highly unlikely that a customer in rural post office would have had three cents to purchase a stamp, and it was almost equally unlikely that a postal clerk would have had two...

Sidon (mod. Saida) is situated in modern day Lebanon and was an important commercial center and maritime power located on the coast of Phoenicia (Mediterranean coast of Lebanon). It lies approximately 40 kilometres south of Beirut and north of Tyre.

Archaeological evidence dates the earliest remains in Sidon to the Paleolithic era. The city of Sidon, like all other Phoenician cities of the coast, was successively part of the territory of Egypt of Ramses II (-1275), then of the Assyrians (-701) with Sargon, then of the Babylonians (- 585) of Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus of Persia (-539), Alexander the Great (-333) and finally under the Roman occupation (-64). Its importance was manifested by the fact that its name was preceded by ‘Cur’ meaning country whereas Tyre, its southern neighbor, was described as ‘Uru’ or city. The relationship with Tyre was never certain with both cities either coming together against a common foe or allying with invaders at the territorial expense of the other....

Hello everyone! Those of you that have kept up with me the last couple of years know that challenge coins are a passion of mine. If you don't know, challenge coins are a sort of unofficial medal given from one military member to another - typically as recognition for a job well done but also to commemorate certain missions, deployments, or sold as a symbol of unit pride. There are a few stories about the origin of challenge coins, however, I'm in agreement with numismatist, retired Master Sergeant Ray Bows that these stories are legends. If you would like to read his opinions, check out the article below:

https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v14n18a04.html

Over the years in my military career, I've accumulated a few. These are the first coins I've collected, even before I considered myself a collector. As I began collecting trade tokens and learning more about military monies, challenge coins became an interest, specifically early examples. I only "collect" coins relevant...

The phrase, The Last of the Romans probably rings a bell for most readers and contributors to Coin Talk, except that if readers were asked just who the last of the Romans was, we would get very different answers. For some it might have been one of the commanders of the Roman Army desperately trying hold off the barbarians at the gates of Rome, maybe a Stilicho or an Aetius. Perhaps a late Roman emperor such as Romulus Augustulus fits the definition. For pious Christians that last of the Romans might have been Pope Gregory the Great. For Medieval Crusaders that last truly Roman ruler (and proto Crusader) was thought to have been the Byzantine soldier and emperor Heraclius. For students of early Medieval England it could have been the sub Roman warrior, Artorius.

Well, I have my own candidate for that role, though hardly a novel one, the late Eastern Roman Emperor, or Byzantine, if one prefers, the Illyrian peasant of the Balkans, Flavius Petrus Sabbatius better know to most by his...

BRONZE MEDAL - ANHALT AWARD FOR ARTIST CAROLINE BARDUA


Medal Depicting the Duke and Duchess of Anhalt-Bernburg, Oak Wreath, and Inscription Recognizing Artist Caroline Bardua for Achievements in the Arts and Sciences. The medal was created by the Loos Medallic Establishment, founded by Gottfried Bernhard Loos, and engraved by F. Staudigel.

Depicted on the obverse of this medal is Alexander Karl, Herzog von Anhalt-Bernburg of The House of Ascania, and his wife Friederike Herzogin von Anhalt-Bernburg. The reverse of the medal shows a wonderfully detailed wreath of oak leaves. The inscription attributes the medal as an award given to the painter Caroline Bardua for her achievements in the arts and sciences.


The Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg was located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe, now part of the German Federal state of...