The Show Your (Republican) As Thread

I have decided that my next target might need to be a Republican As, nothing as fancy as an Aes Grave, but maybe something from around the Second Punic War period or even the Third.

But I've only owned one and that was many years ago and a butt ugly one. With that in mind I'm coming to you, my esteemed CT friends and asking for your advice. Why should I look for, where should I buy it and how much should I pay? Are there any pitfalls I should be wary of? If you have one you can show me that would certainly be welcome.

Thank you in advance!

 

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I have a few denarii from this period and only one AE Uncia, so I am lacking in this area as well. Good luck


ANONYMOUS ROMAN REPUBLIC
Æ Uncia
Obv.: Helmeted head of Roma left, pellet behind
Rev.: Galley prow right, ROMA above, pellet below
Rome mint, 217-215 BC
25mm, 8.8g, 3h
Reference: Crawford 38/6, Sydenham 86 , BMC 88
Ex JAZ Numismatics

 

That is pretty cool bing!

 

If you're considering the Second Punic War period, keep in mind that there are both Rome mint examples and also examples coming from several different field mints, both fully-anonymous and with various symbols. Each mint had its own style as well and I recommend checking out the various Janus-headed asses in the RBW collection to get a feel for them. There are quite a few listed, most relatively common though most examples you find will be in rather mediocre condition and even the most common RR bronzes tend to be rare in problem-free VF or better condition.

My recommendation would be to try to figure out if there's a particular style, mint, symbol/monogram or period you want to target then start watching auctions closely. Roma just put up e-Auction 36 recently and it has a pretty impressive selection of RR bronzes, many ex RBW or ex Andrew McCabe. David Hendin(Amphoracoins) lists a bunch of RBW collection duplicates on eBay every few weeks as well and listed several last night, so that might provide some opportunities.

Feel free to PM me as well if you have any questions, I certainly understand how these coins can be overwhelming and confusing!

 

(Sorry... I'm in a mood...)

 

@red_spork Thank you for that very helpful information!

 

I thouht @FitzNigel was very helpful as well.

 

When you look at Republicans from that end (so many wrinkles and a disturbingly ugly tail), makes me want to change my party affiliation. LOL.

Back to coins, I only have silver coins to represent that era, but that is a sweet coin @Bing . Makes me want to eventually get a RR bronze of my own.

 

They say to be careful what you ask for....

 

Next time a little warning, please. I was drinking tea and ended up laughing so hard I ended up with tea all over my shirt and cell phone. Thankfully the phone is water proof.

 

RS beat me to it, the janus/prow is a real winner. this one is ex RBW as well..




Roman Republic, c. 169 - 158 BC, bronze as of A. CAE

Obverse: Laureate bust of Janus. Reverse: ROMA|I|A.CAE, prow r. Reference: Crawford 174/1. Ex. RBW, purchased from R. Schaefer 12/10/1993; 33 mm, 31.7g

 

Like Bing, I am a bit light in the RR bronze with only an Uncia 217-215 BC, 24mm, 11.8gm, but one of my favorite coins for style.

 

A Roman Republic AE As Janus/Prow is very high on my want list. At present I have exactly Ø RR coins

 

Here's my only Roman Republic bronze, a semis from c. 211-207 BC, featuring a bust of Saturn:

 

flip-over double strike

 

It is really hard not to post something political with a title like that

 

sure to be a collectors item..

 

Awesome examples, gang

Aethelred => ummm, if you're looking for an "As" then I'd aim at scoring a cool Janus & Prow (they're so fricken awesome in-hand!)



I bought one of them from a CNG auction, one from a Triskeles auction and the other from a dude on vcoins (Ancient Imports) ... $300 Canadian, average ($220 US, average)

Here is a CNG-link ... https://cngcoins.com/Search.aspx?PAGE_NUM=&PAGE=1&TABS_TYPE=2&CONTAINER_TYPE_ID=3&IS_ADVANCED=1&ITEM_DESC=anonymous ae as janus prow&ITEM_IS_SOLD=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_1=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_3=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_2=1

... the examples on that link are in the same ballpark (once fees & delivery are taken into account)


Oh, but yah => those big AES Graves are definitely the sweetest!! (but it was a bit more pricey)






I hope that helped?

 

@stevex6 Very helpful indeed and some pretty coin you have there!

 

An Aes Grave approx 300 gram, minted during the first Punic war will cost you a couple of Thousand USD.
Heres my collection of RR As coins minted during the second and third punic wars.
The lighter in weight they get, the later they were struck.

Usually buy lots of RR bronze coins , includes Semis, Triens, Quadrans , Sextans and Uncias.
Bought a nice lot from CNG auctions last year, these As coins were minted in Italy and Spain.
You can buy them almost everywhere, never saw a fake one yet.
price depends on weight , quality and if there are any extra symbols like a star, an anchor , an animal , celators name etc.
Good Luck.