A tale of two Dinari

I just noticed Ancient Joe's thread featuring 'some nice ancients'......all of which are normally well beyond my reach. One immediately jumped out at me---that gorgeous Trajan/Column denarius. Nope, I didn't buy it. I just purchased my own 'budget' version last night at less than 1/4 of the cost and mine is closer to' Very Fine' than AJ's fantastic AU.

Trajan 98-117 AD Rome Mint
Silver Denarius 20mm, 3.06grams: Ref: RIC 356, C 284
IMPCAESNERTRAIANOOPTIMOAVGGERDAC--Laureate, draped bust right
PMTRPCOSVIPPSPQR---Trajan's Column, eagle on either side.

Note AJ's gorgeous coin below...I don't think you will have any problem telling which is which LOL

 

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If your gonna own 1 trajan, this is usually the one to get. Don't have one myself with this reverse but isnt high on the want list either.

Congrats on getting one!

 

I'm not going so far as to say I like yours better than AJ's but it is nice to have centering that places the head of the reverse statue on the flan. I assume you noticed that the two coins have different reverse legends as is commonly the case with Trajan coins. To me, both coins are collectible and the perfect coin would be a combination of the two.

I would have trouble picking just one Trajan (and I do not have the column favored by Mat). I rather like the Via Trajana type (below) and the Divus Trajan Pater and several others. I'm never good with the 'just one' concept of collecting.

 

^I only say it's the one to get cause the column itself is still standing and is usually a premium cause of it.

My only denarius of Trajan, have a tet. of course.

I like it for Spes and and the weight.


Trajan (98 - 117 A.D.)
AR Denarius
O: IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P, Laureate bust right, slight drapery on left shoulder.
R: COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC, Spes walking left, flower in right, raising hem of skirt.
Rome
3.5g
20mm
SRCV II 3127, RIC II 127, RSC II 84


Trajan (98 - 117 A.D.)
AR Tetradrachm
PHOENICIA, Tyre
Dated COS 5, year 15 (111 AD)
O: AVTOKP KAIC NEP TPAIANOC CEB ΓEPM ∆AK, Laureate head right set on eagle standing right; club to left.
R: ∆HMAPX - EΞ IE YΠAT E, laureate bust of Melqart draped in lion-skin.
24mm
13.7g
Prieur 1515; BMC Phoenicia pg. 301, 15

 

Neither am I. It seems the 'best' I can do to avoid going bankrupt is to limit myself to a few different types or denominations each, otherwise I could easily try to purchase every example out there....at least those way under a grand each LOL

No, I certainly wouldn't expect you to favor my coin over AJ's LOL

Love your posts Doug and MAT!!!

 

Yours is a very attractive example! I managed to finally upgrade mine, which is why I'm selling my current coin. These are the auction house's images, and I'm looking forward to getting it in hand to take my own



Also, this coin is a good example of why it's necessary to price coins for yourself using ACSearch/CoinArchives and personal preference. I had to pay 14x the illogically low estimate (a personal record ratio!) but there were several other floor bidders in around the same price, and it still sold for less than I was willing to spend. Auction houses sometimes have artificially low or artificially high estimates, and sometimes they have just utterly wrong estimates.

I priced my new example at 3x my previous one, which I think is about right compared to where others have sold. It's tough when this issue is notoriously tight on the flan and off-center, so looking for a strong strike, nice detail, and overall good quality makes for a lengthy search for an otherwise common coin.

As another comparison, this coin sold last year for 2x my purchase (the highest for a Trajan's Column denarius) and I think it's only a bit nicer than my previous coin (maybe 1.5-2x), but priced 7x as much:



It is a solid, high-grade coin, and a much better photograph, but the column is tight on the flan, the obverse legend is considerably off-center, the edge splits are distracting (to me), and there's a scratch beneath the bust. Granted, it only takes two bidders to want a coin badly enough.

 

That new one is going to be hard to upgrade. We all have our 'things'. Mine is a preference for details and legend on flan over perfectly unworn coins. Some details are more important than others and this is a case where I consider the off flan head more important than the base of the statue. There is, perhaps a slight preference for style where the new, best overall, coin is slightly beneath the last in fine detail style on the base of the column. How many people would judge a coin like this on something like the scene on the column? Perfect coins are hard to find.

 

Amazing coins AJ !!

I'd love to just have ONE from your collection, just to highlight how incredibly beautiful and near perfect ancient coins can be.

And I find your insights fascinating.

 

nice indeed! MZ, that new coin of your is no "scrub"...very nice lookin' trajan coin, i'd love to have it.

 

Wow, Mikey-Z => that's a fantastic addition!! (congrats)

... AJ's is pretty good too (*awkward*)

 

Nicely done, Mikey. I'd welcome that one into my collection any day. I'm not a fan of Trajan's mug, but he does have some reverses I like very much, particularly the Column and Danubian Bridge.

 

Mickey, that's a very decent example of a sought after denarius. I'd love to have one myself.
Of course AJ's "upgrade" is fantastic, even though I would have been quite happy with his "old one"

Q

 

That's for sure !!!!

If only I could win the damned lottery....LOL

 

I am extremely jealous of the AJ collection. It's great to have something to aspire to!

 

Nice one, Mikey!

Mine is missing the top of the statue's head and tops of a few letters but that is not enough to make me unhappy with the coin.


Trajan
Rome mint, CE 114-115
AR denarius, 18 mm, 3.7 gm
Obv: IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC. Laureate and draped bust right
Rev: P M TR P COS VI P P S P Q R. Trajan’s column surmounted by statue of Trajan, holding patera and scepter; two eagles at base
Ref: RIC II 35

 

TIF, Fantastic details on that Hadrian/Column denarius!!!

Hmmmm, Wanna trade?

 

One of the reasons I collect coins, and artifacts, is that I want to have the physical contact with the people of the past who used them. For that reason, a good, honest wear is the evidence that many an ancient person used that coinage. Just think of who all spent that coin and what they might have bought with it.

 

It's a great type. Congratulations to Mikey, and AJ on the new acquisitions, and everyone else has lovely examples as well. @AncientJoe -I would say you're pretty much done upgrading this coin!

My silver of Trajan leans toward Levantine Provincials, two examples...

 

Really LOVE them both JA, especially that wonderful camel reverse!!!