Hey all, I attended the NY coin show at the Waldorf Astoria over this past weekend and couldn't help but make some purchases. I'll be posting two coins on this thread and one more on another thread. I do not know much about these two coins but the denarius was the highest quality pick out of a bin of $50 per denarii and weighs in at 3 grams. The bronze is an Augustus and Agrippa coin that came with some info. Posted in the picture below. It weighed in at 12.8 grams. If you guys can ID the denarius and give me an idea of the value of both coins I would appreciate that. I paid $125 for the bronze. Thanks Larry
Yay, a COL-NEM! Lots of croc lovers here, including me Congrats on the purchases, looking forward to seeing the other one.
The denarius is: RIC60, Trajan Denarius. IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG GERM, laureate bust right, draped far shoulder / P M TR P COS IIII P P, Victory, draped, advancing left holding wreath and palm. RSC 240a. I think the $50 is in the ballpark for value.
I've gotten some decent stuff from Pegasi at reasonable prices. I think $125 is fair for the Nemausus. The one I want would set me back a grand so I'm taking my time to think about it.
This is Trajan, not Trajan Decius who came much later. Trajan ruled from 98-117AD. By most accounts, he was a decent ruler.
Thanks Bing! So, this is THE Trajan. The famous one who was succeeded by Hadrian who was then succeeded by the Philosopher-King Marcus Aurelius. How could you tell it was minted in Rome?? I don't see a mint mark.
Just in case anyone here has not seen it, I have a page which I believe explains why the crocodile is both common and expensive. There are a million of the things out there and 900,000 of them are real dogs leaving a very few good looking ones and almost no perfect ones. Of all ancient coins, I believe it is the hardest to grade in any meaningful way since they tend to be unevenly struck and have a wide variety of surface problems. The type was commonly cut in half to make asses so these are collectible as what they are rather than damaged dupondii. Certainly, though, a half does not sell for half what a whole one does in equal grade. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/impossible.html I was not aware of any nice ones coming up for sale. I still need a couple of minor variations and would be happy to help run up the prices on the right coins but I won't be paying $1000 of one either. I am way too cheap! Most people here don't care which of the minor varieties they get but I'm trying to fill out my set and consider clear strikes of certain parts very important. The Trajan is a decent coin and worth about $50 under the circumstances it was bought. You must realize that you will pay more if you buy coins at a show where dealers had to pay $1000 a table (or was it more?), had to buy ridiculously overpriced food and stay in a $500 a night 'vintage' hotel (clean ones cost more). Similarly, you will pay more if you buy from a major auction house with a reputation for quality. I would say that denarius would be $35 in Baltimore and $30 in Richmond. The Nemausus strikes me as similarly high at $125 but adding the NYC overhead might make that a better deal than many you would find at the big show. Post it for sale on eBay and I doubt you will recoup your cost.
Yes, that Trajan. Rome was THE mint of the day. There were provincial mints of course, but they did not issue these types. Here's an interesting read about Trajan's Market - a famous Roman strip mall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajan's_Market
For $500 and less there are some beauties on Vcoins at the moment and if you have $800 to spare , well, just take a look!
ha ha ha!!! You may have to be quick JA...I have my beady eye on two there. Only problem is the $2000 plus I sent to France today for 5 coins........Need some cash back in paypal. Seeing all the coin types is getting me set up for a proper collection. Do you know the only thing stopping me at the moment? I havent got a decent coin box/cabinet! I am on the hunt for one, so when I do, i'll start filling it. I need one of these coins when I get my cabinet, but do not worry John, I wont be buying soon. The guy who is selling 3 or more of these coins on Vcoins obviously has access to a part hoard, due to condition and numbers of coins. Same patina etc. thats why they are so good i guess.