What Your Budget Buys - Bargain Bin Edition

My final offering is the cheapest individual coin I have bought in the 2015-2017 span I set for myself for the purpose of this thread. There were some other coins that came as part of bulk lots which I valued at less than $20. It was from a small show in 2015 from a seller who had many, many of this sort of thing. None were worse so I bought this one for $13. This is a really superlative coin in other ways. It is a Barbarous Radiate with the worst style of any I have. It is so bad it is good. The portrait (if we can call it that) is left facing. That is rare on Barbarous Radiates. The reverse is very unclear but you can see a rudder, long staff and bare legs. Who is that?

 

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Ah, here is my Wang Man cloth/male coin, which only cost me $8 with shipping. Not bad for a 2000 year old coin and one that is a lucky charm too, as ancient Chinese women believed sewing one of these coins into their clothes would give them a baby boy.



This other Wang Mang cost me $15, and it was supposed to be rather common. However, my research uncovered that this was in fact a rare issue from around 14 CE.

What's the difference between this rare coin and it's very common counterpart? A slight weight difference and a slightly different shape to the right character. But then again, Chinese coins are all about subtle changes, something US collectors would be familiar with due to their obsession with microscopic varieties.



And does free count? If it does, this Philip I of Antioch was a real bargain at $0.00

 

I got this one for $10 about 6 months ago. Great detail for that price in my opinion

Licinius I AE Follis
RIC VI 59 Thessolanica, 312-313 AD
Obv.: IMP LIC LICINIVS P V AVG Laureate Cuirassed bust right
Rev.: IOVO CONSERVATORI AVGGNN Jupiter standing left holding Victory on globe, left hand holding scepter, eagle at feet holding wreath in beak TSA in exergue
Dia.: 24.25 mm
Wt.: 3.25 g

 

$10 for that? You got away with theft. Great acquisition.

 

I guess some deals you still can only get on eBay .

Maybe at the end of this run, we'll have a separate thread for group lots. Hmm, on second thought, maybe not .

 

I love that you were able to score a rarity in your area of specialization for under $20, and of course, how your knowledge just magnifies what a great catch it was.

 

knowledge is power z.

 

I paid around $15-$20 for this one of Caligula. It was attributed incorrectly (as Germanicus i think).

 

I got the following FORUM ANCIENT COINS member auction lot late last year for $28 shipped, including the scarce unlisted Constantine at the bottom. Pretty good for $4 per coin, prorated.

 

Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, with Romanus I. 913-959. Æ Follis (27mm, 9.32 g, 6h). Constantinople mint. Struck 931-944. Crowned bust of Romanus I facing, holding labarum and globus cruciger / Legend in four lines. DOC 25a; SB 1760. VF, brown patina with earthen highlights/deposits.
Cost me $18.27 (+ $5 shipping)



Constantine IX
Sear 1854 overstruck on 1853
Part of a lot of 4 coins that cost $0.99 + $3 shipping

 

These were $8.83 each in a group lot at auction. That includes buyer's commission, currency-exchange fees, Paypal fees and shipping.

 

I have to look up what I paid for some, surely I have more that fall in to this category.
Here's what I can think of that were bottom feeders or a great deal, you'll have to be the judge on that.


Caracalla-Serapis AR $9.50


Vespasian- Seated right $9.00

Severus Alexander- Pax running left $14.50


Julia Mamaea- Sestertius $15.00


Thessalian League- Apollo/Athena right $9.00

Salonina-Alexandria $20.00


Seleucid $18.50

 

Here's a couple of cheap coins I got at the Baltimore show this past November. This decent bronze of Mesembria in Thrace was $6 (unattributed) from Don Zauche:

And this coin was $8 (part of a 5-for-$40 box) from Steve Album's table- Joe Lang verbally ID'd it as Bela III of Hungary:

 

@dougsmit Fortuna?

Some really good deals here!

Here are my some of my more interesting budget examples...all prices include shipping:



SICILY, Himera.
AE hemilitron, 3.2g, 15mm, 4h; c. 420 - 409 B.C.
Obv.: [IME]; Head of nymph Himera left, wearing sphendone, six pellets before (off flan).
REv.: Six pellets within laurel wreath.
$20


Septimius Severus, Nikopolis ad Istrum, AD 139-211
AE, 3.11g, 16.5mm; 2h
Obv.: AV KAI [CE] CEVHPOC, laureate head right
Rev.: NIKOΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ ΠΡΟCICT; crescent and one star
$19


Commodus; Philppopolis, Thrace; AD 180-192
AE, 4.07g, 18mm; 6h
Obv.: AY K? M?...-KOMOΔOC; laureate head right
Rev.: [Φ]ΙΛΙΠΠΟ[ΠOΛEITΩN]; coiled serpent, bearded with two head fins
$19

 

Nice group lot for the price!

 

Once (?) a year, Frank Robinson e-mails out his bargain list. What you find there will not be high quality, but everything goes for fire sale prices and you can find some neat picks if you're quick - much of the list will sell out in a matter of hours, despite the fact that he only describes the coins and doesn't even bother photographing them. This rather rare Gallienus antoninianus was $8.50 off his 2014 bargain list.
GALLIENUS
Billon Antoninianus. 2.5g, 22.8mm. Mediolanum mint, 262-263 AD. RIC 537 var (field mark). O: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right. R: VIRTVS AVG, Hercules standing left, holding laurel branch, club and lion's skin; retrograde S in left field.

A Galerius quarter follis, $7.50 off the same bargain list.
GALERIUS
AE Quarter Follis. 2.0g, 20.5mm. Carthage mint, 303 AD. RIC 35. O: GAL VAL MAXIMIANVS NOB C, radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right. R: VOT X FK - Legend in three lines within wreath.

 

Some great coins (and deals) on this thread. What really drives my collection is finding lots of coins that are poorly listed, etc. on eBay. The stuff below is from the past year.

This batch of Roman Empire silver is a lot I paid $37.50 total - in addition to the silver shown here, there were five bronze teeny-weenies from the Constantine era and a supposedly "Greek" thing that is worn slick. But ignoring the bronze, this lot worked out to $12.33 each. The blotchy tone on the Geta and Julia Domna came off by gently rubbing it with my finger - I suspect poor storage residue; they actually look better now:




Julia Domna
(203 A.D.) Denarius - Rome Mint
IVLIA AVGVSTA, bust rt., bareheaded and draped / PIETAS PVBLICA, Pietas standing left, veiled, both hands raised, altar at left.
RIC 574; RSC 156; BMC 69. (3.15 grams / 19 mm) eBay Lot @ $12.33

Geta (as Caesar)
(209 A.D.) Denarius - Rome Mint
P SEPTIMIVS GETA CAES draped bust right / PONTIF COS II, Geta standing left holding globe & short scepter. RIC 61b; RSC 117; BMC 586. (3.25 grams / 20 mm) eBay Lot @ $12.33

Gordian III - Antoninianus
(243-244 A.D.)
Antioch Mint
IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, cuirassed and draped bust right. / FORTVNA REDVX, Fortuna seated left holding rudder and cornucopia, no wheel below throne (Rome). RIC 210; RSC 98a; RCV 8613 (4.00 grams / 22 mm) eBay Lot @ $12.33

Here's another lot - I won these two for $27.00 total - Philip the Arab and Julia Domna. This works out to $13.50 each.



Philip I the Arab (246 A.D.)
IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG Radiate bust right, draped and cuirassed. / ANNONA AVGG, Annona standing left, holding corn-ears over modius left and cornucopiae. (5th Issue, 5th Officina) RIC 28c, RSC 25; Cohen 25. eBay Lot @13.50

Julia Domna (203 A.D.)
IVLIA AVGVSTA, bust rt., bareheaded and draped / PIETAS PVBLICA, Pietas standing left, veiled, both hands raised, altar at left. RIC 574, RSC 156, BMC 69. eBay Lot @$13.50

Finally, here are a few Septimius Severus denarii purchased in separate auctions. I haven't cataloged them yet, but I paid $14.95, $25.49 (a bit over the limit) and $17.51 for these (left to right).

 

I think medieval coins are often rarer than ancient coins, as the economy was a bit more depressed, and transactions were often in kind than money (and coins were regularly melted and reminded). Barbers are thus tougher to find, but here's a couple under $20s I've bought recently:


French Feudal, Besançon
Anonymous Archbishop, 13-14th C.
BL Denier, 17.33 mm x 0.7 grams
Obv.: PTHOMARTIR, starting at 7hr. Hand with two fingers raised in benediction
Rev.: +BISONTIVM. Cross patee
Ref.: Roberts 4756


French Feudal, Champagne
Henry II, r. 1181-1197
Provins Mint, AR Denier 18.4 mm x 1.0 grams
Obv.: CASTRI PRVVINS. Comb of Champagne, 'V' made of three triangles above, annulet on either side, legend beginning at 10hr.
Rev.: +HENRI COMES. Cross Pattee, pellet in first quarter, omega in second, alpha in third, and annulet in fourth
Ref.: Roberts, 4727 variety, De Wit 512-13 variety


East Africa - Kilwa Sultanate
al-Ḥasan b. Sulaymān, r. 1310-1333
Kisiwani mint, AE Fals, 19.01 mm x 1.7 grams
Obv.: احسن بن / سليمان / عزذصز (al-Hasan ibn / Sulaiman / yathiku (May his victory be glorious!)). Inscription in three lines
Rev.: يتق / بالواحل / النان (trusts / in the One (God) / the Bountiful). Inscription in three lines
Ref.: SICA 10, #615, Freeman-Grenville 1954, pg. 223 no. xv, Walker obv: XVII, Rev.: XXIII, Album 1183, Zeno 112574
Note: found on Kilwa island in 1982

This one was in a group lot of five Douzains, purported to be from Henry IV of France. This one was Henry III, and the other four coins were all different issues from Henry IV. The price came out to be about $6 per coin)

French Royal
Henry III, r. 1574-1589 (1579?)
AR Douzain, 23.76 mm x 2 grams
Obv.: HENRICVS III D G FRAN ET POL REX C. Crowned 3 fleur-de-lis coat of arms, H on either side
Rev.: + SIT NOMEN DNI BENEDICTO [1579?]. Cross patonce, crown in each corner
Ref.: Roberts 3211

 

Wow, some really great finds in this thread. I'm ashamed I paid $10 for this AE3 Constantine now.

 

Paid $12

paid $18

paid $20