Cheers to CNG for publishing, in paper form, the catalogue of its RBW sale from December 2015! I received my copy in today's mail, totally unexpectedly. I'm sure many received it and thought "WTF? This closed six months ago!" But this is obviously an effort, at considerable expense, to maintain the WRITTEN record of dispersal of this outstanding collection. Having succeded in this sale on the two nice bronzes pictured below, I'm happy to have the printed catalogue on my shelf .
I was wondering when that would show up. They mentioned on the first lot that all successful bidders would receive one. I am looking forward to receiving mine. I actually have another CNG RBW catalog on the shelf already but it's not what you might expect: RBW's copy of CNG 43, first sale of the Goodman Collection in which he bought a ton of coins. It's a pretty interesting viewpoint into how he built his collection and how he decided what to bid on, with quite a few lots having notes like(gVF, have 8 in F->VF, won @ $220). I'm really envious of the coins you won in the sale, the latter being a type that is high up on my want-list but I haven't found in my price range just yet. I purchased the following victoriatus in the sale, then a month later purchased the as for the price paid by the winner(it is also published in NAC 61 & the plate coin in Russo RBW):
Those are nice coins, Red! I particularly like the victoriatus. I also have several of RBW's old auction catalogues from the 1980s-90s. They are indeed fabulous, time-capsule glimpses at a premier collector's method in the pre-internet world, including telegrams with his agents, notes, and snapshots of coins that are not in the plates! There were no internet forums, but colllectors certainly found ways to build strong personal relationships in those days.
My OP coins are as follows: 1. Octavian, 38 BC. AE 30 (16.72 g). Bare hd of Octavian right/DIVOS IVLIVS within wreath. Crawford 535/2. Ex RBW collection; ex Frederick J. Knobloch collection. 2. C. Censorinus, 88 BC. AE As (11.73 g; 27 mm). Conjoined heads of Pompilius and Marcius/two crossing ships. Cawford 346/4a. Ex RBW Collection; privately purchased from Frank Kovacs, March 1992.
@Carausius, love your avatar. And I have been looking for one of those AE As from C. Censorious, was clio'd on one yesterday!
@red_spork That victoriatus is so nice. I've had my eyes on it since you first posted about it. I kind of keep hoping one day you'll go mad and post it for sale in the sales forum, and I can snap it up before you have a change of heart. Well, that is how I go that other coin with the awesome dolphin and eagle (still one of my favorite coins to this day).
Thanks! The Censorinus asses are tough to find in nice condition. Shortly after I bought this one, I lost a bid for a lovely example of the arch reverse type with an undisclosed pre-war provenance. You win some, you lose some.
