Coin show pick ups today

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Jay GT4, Aug 9, 2018.

  1. Jay GT4

    Jay GT4 Well-Known Member

    Picked these two up today for what I consider to be a bargain. I'll explain why...

    First up is a Julius Caesar elephant denarius:

    Caesar elephant.jpg

    CAESAR in exergue, elephant advancing right, trampling horned serpent.

    Pontifical implements: simpulum, sprinkler, axe and priest's hat.

    49-48 BC. Military mint traveling with Caesar.

    3.87g

    Crawford 443/1; HCRI 9; Sydenham 1006; RSC 49.

    Wonderfully struck but with a test cut

    Ex-RCNA coin show

    Originally I wasn't going to buy it because of t he cut across the coin, but it is a really nice strike for the series. To sweeten the deal the dealer threw in another Julius Caesar denarius but a fouree. The price was too good to pass up so I bought them. I then walked down the isle and found this didrachm from Tarentum:

    Taras didrachm.jpg

    Horseman riding left, holding shield and bridle.

    Taras seated on dolphin left TAPAΣ beneath.

    Tarentum, Calabria 390-385 BC

    7.40g

    Rare

    Vlasto 379; SNG ANS 900 (but with Y on obv. and A on rev.)

    Ex-Calgary Coin; Ex-Alberta Coin;

    There are so many variants of this type most dealers can't be bothered to check them and just accept what's on the tag. That was the case here. I'm still researching it for the exact reference but it's already become apparent that this is a rare type. I've narrowed it down to the above references but can probably take it further. Much nicer in hand. The icing on the cake is that I traded in the JC fouree (which I already had an official coin) towards the purchase of this didrachm. So a win, win all around!

    The extra bonus: I ran into @Orfew at the show and saw his fantastic display of Roman coins. We tried getting them in the shot. I'm in the hat, fresh from a Smashing Pumpkins concert the night before :)

    20180809_113844[1].jpg


    Let's see your coin show bargains
     
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  3. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    Nice pickup, Jay! Great picture of you and Orfew with his displays (and the displays do look awesome).

    I don't think that is a test cut. How would a test cut cause all of those stress cracks in parallel with the main crack? To me it looks more like a coin that was bent and then subsequently straightened, causing the crack upon straightening.
     
  4. Jay GT4

    Jay GT4 Well-Known Member

    Thanks TIF, that's probably correct. The dealer thought it might have been pinched with some kind of shears which I questioned, but the bent theory is the most likely.
     
  5. CoinBlazer

    CoinBlazer Numismatic Enthusiast

    It aint ancient but my first small coin show, one of the dealers I was chatting with figured out I was new to the hobby (probably by my VERY basic questions)
    so he gave me a handful of modern foreign coins...for free
     
  6. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    I know why coins are test cut. Why are they bent and straightened. Denarii are too thick to bend easily of accidentally. Opinions?
     
    Multatuli and Deacon Ray like this.
  7. Orfew

    Orfew Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

    @Jay GT4

    It was great to meet up with you at the show today. I am very glad you bought that JC elephant. You have now officially joined the JC elephant club...welcome.

    I picked up 3 coins at the show...I will post them when I return home in a couple of days.

    Also, your Elephant is Ex: Charles Euston
     
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2018
  8. R*L

    R*L Well-Known Member

    Love the coins Jay.

    Nice!
     
    Jay GT4 likes this.
  9. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    I figure it happened sometime after the coin was lost or buried. Maybe some heavy and angular object fell on it. When the coin was discovered someone tried to unbend. It's harder to imagine scenarios for a purposeful bending of the coin or of any denarius.

    Whether or not this is plausible, I'm not sure. Unbending an age-hardened silver coin would be risky business. If the unbending was done in modern times, perhaps someone heated it first?
     
    Multatuli, Ryro and Jay GT4 like this.
  10. Jay GT4

    Jay GT4 Well-Known Member

    If I were to guess I'd say it was bent (straight) quite a while ago. Looking inside the seam it looks corroded and has dirt inside, it's not bright as you might expect. This is turning into quite the mystery.
     
    Ryro likes this.
  11. FitzNigel

    FitzNigel Medievalist

    Medieval coins are often found bent, as many get lost in fields which are subsequently plowed (and I believe it is the plow which then bends the coin if it’s hit just right). Modern metal detectors then attempt to bend them back into shape, and many snap in half. I found the picture below on a site explaining how to do this (metaldetectingworld.com). The right side of the coin is detached (their solution was to tape the two together and thus “seal” the coin... giving it the weird sheen in the image. ugh), but the left side was successfully bent back without breaking. The stress lines do look similar!

    E5D3257C-1F06-42D7-8FB1-A67568A06207.jpeg
     
  12. Obone

    Obone Well-Known Member

    @Jay GT4 was this at the RCNA show in Mississauga? I was planning on going Saturday! Would you say they have a good selection of ancients?
     
  13. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

    Hey, that's cool you got some awesome coins and ran into some awesome people!

    This wasn't really a bargain, but it was my last coin show coin that I like...

    [​IMG]

    How were the Smashing Pumkins @Jay GT4 ? I would like to see the current tour but it isn't in the card right now. I saw them opening up for the Chili Peppers back when Gish came out. They had another band opening up I'd never heard of at the time called Pearl Jam.
     
  14. Jay GT4

    Jay GT4 Well-Known Member

    The usual suspects are there. Sveto (ANE), Robert (Calgary Coin), Gary (Londinium) and a few scattered ancients among the rest.

    Pumpkins were AMAZING! 3+ hours including some covers of Bowie and Zeppelin. 33 was incredibly emotional as was the opener...Disarm. Pearl Jam... :)
     
    Numinaut, Marsyas Mike, R*L and 2 others like this.
  15. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    Cool additions, and usually not my cup of tea but I really like the character of the caesar
     
    Jay GT4 likes this.
  16. Nicholas Molinari

    Nicholas Molinari Well-Known Member

    It looks like someone tried to split the coin but gave up.
     
    benhur767 and Jay GT4 like this.
  17. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    Cool coin and nice pick-up.
     
  18. Deacon Ray

    Deacon Ray Artist & Historian Supporter

    If a fourrée were bent—would the silver coating flake off thus revealing it's fraudulence?
     
  19. Jay GT4

    Jay GT4 Well-Known Member

    Depending on how thick the plating was.
     
    Deacon Ray likes this.
  20. TypeCoin971793

    TypeCoin971793 Just a random guy on the internet

    Plow hit?
     
    Curtisimo likes this.
  21. TypeCoin971793

    TypeCoin971793 Just a random guy on the internet

    Uh oh. I am against you in the CIT Round 2. :nailbiting:
     
    Curtisimo likes this.
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