My sincere apologies to those of you that asked about this coin when I mentioned that I bought it for my store, but it arrived today and I simply can't part with it! If I come across a ratty old worn one, I'll let y'all know, lol (jk, but not really).
You should give us a little scholarly background on this coin. I assume this marks the end of the Nabateans being an independent nation?
In fact, I have a page on this type on my website... A Roman Republic Denarius of M. Aemelius Scaurus
When I bought mine, my requirements were a full camel neck, ARETAS showing, and decent artistry on the figure. It all depends on what is most important to you on these.
This coin in particular has to be one of the toughest to find a perfect example of. They simply made the die so busy that any offcenter strike or flan defect makes it defective somehow. Its one of those that either you must wait a very long time to find a very rare perfect example, or choose what aspect of the design is most important to you. I chose Aretas name and style, along with camel head, as my key points. Others will differ, and I understand. I simply bought mine as a cool adjunct to Nabatean coins. Because of that tie, I didn't understand why John would ever want to part with it to begin with.
Well, I was looking for an example similar to the CNG coin on my page, which comes as close to perfect as they get. But I'll "settle" for this one in the meantime, until I find it.
I'd happily 'settle' for that denarius JA----It's a beauty just as it is!!! I'm still looking to add that type to my collection.....sooooo, if you ever have a change of mind