Ancient LRB Bargain Bin

I wrestled really hard with that one.

All the Rome mint marks I could find had S "club" as a used mintmark, but I couldn't find an S "Star" but you may be right. I might not have crossreferenced enough. Used Wildwinds primarily with Sear as a backup.

I also questioned whether the second symbol in exergue was a star or some letter/symbol that had been worn beyond recognition with time.

 

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Actually, the Latin "genius" has a different meaning from the word in English. A better translation would be, "the Spirit of the Roman Empire."

 

Watch for low-opening-bid auctions on LRBs. Some sellers still go that route, and that's where the real bargains are. I recently tracked two auctions, one for a Crispus, another for a Delmatius. They sold for $22 and $30 respectively, and they both had very smooth surfaces. The only reason I didn't bid is because I was holding out for higher grades, but the grades weren't bad: VF and F.

 

No offense taken at all Chris. I take your points as constructive criticism in the light in which I believe they were intended. That's how we learn here. I also really enjoyed the historical commentary. It's post like yours that make this a such a great learning forum. Thanks.

 

Oh ok, I was just repeating what I had heard. So these reverses were just generic, "the empire has strong spirit"? Kind of seems like a strange change from previous reverse depicting dieties. I thought the tetrarchs were trying to portray themselves as demigods to an extent, which is why a "genius" reverse made sense to me.

 

They always are meant that way. Its the internet though, sir, so you never know how any post is taken.

 

The real theme of Tetrarchic propaganda was solidarity. Four rulers, one empire. Brilliance and strength of the emperor was used by the various military rulers of the preceding decades, including, at first, Diocletian.

 

This is what wiki has. Not sure how accurate it is, considering the source...

 

I agree solidarity was a guiding theme, as represented by the silver "4 emperors shaking hands" reverses from the period. But, you just said "brilliance and strength of the emperor". I thought that was what these reverses were trying to show, but like I said I could be mistaken.

 

Wikipedia is actually fairly accurate for classics, most of the time. I still prefer the earlier meaning of "genius," especially in a Tetrarchic context. After all, the Genio populi Romani is an older theme that is regularly repeated on the coinage.

 

I believe it was to show the Stability of the Empire...


After the Instability of the earlier century, it would be wanted by the plebs.

 

I used Helvetica's to come up with Rome mint. It's a great resource when WW is in complete. BTW, Dane put both WW and Helvetica's together and keeps them updated. Kudo's to her.

 

The Greeks and Romans seemed to personify every human characteristic as a deity. I think the modern, abstract, psychological description of personality traits would have been completely foreign to them.

 

Are you sure of the mintmark on the Probus? It looks more like XXIQ from the image. If it is XXIQ, I would say it is from Siscia and attributes as RIC V-2 Siscia 671

 

I think you're right. Again at first I could only make out the IQ, but if you look very closely, you can see the ghosts/outlines of what could be two X's. One for sure.

 

If it is XXIQ, I would say it is from Siscia and attributes as RIC V-2 Siscia 671 ​

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This thread has brought up several interesting points on the philosophy of collecting ancient coins. Some of us value smooth surfaces above 'grade' or lack of wear. I certainly would rather have a F-VF Crispus or Delmatius than an EF of the same coin with rough surfaces. In my mind, coins wear naturally but the porosity or roughness created by improper cleaning or burial in soil polluted with chemical fertilizers is just not appealing.

Another difference we have is the relative values of what and when we buy coins. I have a want list but most coins I buy are targets of opportunity - things I happened upon that struck me as worth having even though that morning I did not know on that morning that I might be buying it that afternoon. Others of us go to a coin show certain that we will buy a specific coin to fill a specific need. If we go with the idea of buying a Crispina we will not consider a Lucilla and certainly not consider a Caligula even if we find a great bargain on a real beauty. I'm currently on vacation and happened across a decent as of Tiberius which I did not have. Now I do.

'When' also applies to price. People like medoraman and I already have 'enough' coins so we are not likely to buy something not very special for twice what we consider a fair price. In fact, a coin has to be a little special or we will not pay half of a fair price. Beginners with six coins are more likely to feel driven to buy number seven even if the price is more than what we might find the coin if we spend a year looking. I rarely pay 'fair' prices for coins. If something is a special want and not likely to show up again anytime soon, I may pay double retail. If it is not special to me and something that I don't mind never owning, I'll expect it to be 1/4th retail. Many of my common, ordinary, boring coins (I have at least a thousand) came to me in groups containing something I did want or in moments of weakness when I felt like I wanted something new and forgot that I would regret the purchase before the sun sets.

When we give advice on this venue, we each assume that you are more like we are than is probably the case. I hope you each will find a way of collecting that serves you well and allows you to be happy with what you buy. Moreover, I hope I have enough sense to stop buying things I don't want at prices I didn't want to pay. After all these years, I doubt that I will wise up completely. Avoiding the regrets we get when we buy wrongly or leave behind things we wish we had bought is the hardest part of the hobby for me. I wish you well.

 

About the only thing I can say after this is I just don't have enough "likes" to give. One of the best posts I have read on CT, and sums it up entirely.

 

I see Genius more as the spirit of the state rather like the US used Liberty and the UK used Britannia on some coins.

 

Once I was told the honest answer when asked what you collect was, "Coins I like at prices I can afford." If you really want to turn off a dealer and convince him you are wasting his time, just use that line. Honesty is not always the best policy.