Today's mail brought my two wins from the Robinson sale. Both were bid on as result of their being listed on his 'going cheap' list. I guess none of you saw any interest in them. I wonder if that was because no one here wanted the type or if these were not what you considered 'cheap'. I see things about both that would make me grade the coins lower than the listed grade. That makes no difference. A coin does not have to be EF to be collectible. Each has a good point that offsets their faults so I am glad to have them. lot 19 Antialkiadas AR drachm Baktria 145-135 BC / Zeus with elephant Here the portrait shows the king wearing a kausia (hat) with very high relief brim. This feature really protects the portrait from early wear so the amount of wear on the face seems a lot to be called EF. However, the dark fields contrasting from the worn high points makes a very good looking coin. Click to enlarge this image. There is enough detail from the clear strike to offset the flat tops. Eye appeal outranks technical grading any day. lot 122 Rhegion AE19 facing lion scalp / PH in olive spray I have a feeling I will have to rephotograph this one several times before I capture the patina correctly. There are a lot of pretty patinas on coins from this area. This one is better 'in hand'. Now, is it pretty enough to offset the broken edge flan on which it was struck? My honest answer is that depends on whether I can get a good photo of the color. In the long run, it is wrong for me to grade a coin based on whether it is photogenic but that means more to me than wear. In any event, I love that lion. Frank quoted this as being ex Roma 9/12 realizing $420. It came in a flip marked Roma IV, 10/2012, lot 1037 220 pounds. I have failed to find the coin in the usual online places and know nothing about Roma sales. I would appreciate the link or copy of the Roma image. In particular, I would like to know what the chipped edge looked like there. Did this coin sell there or was the ridiculous price listed from a dream of some consignor who forced an estimate that led to a non-sale. As wonderful as they are, our favorite online resources include prices never paid or coins returned for cause. Any light any of you can throw on this would be appreciated.
I like both of those. My favorite is the top one, the Baktria drachm. I think it has a really great portrait and is well centered so that you can read everything. I would definitely not consider it cheap, at least not within my limits, but I think it is a great looking coin. I also really like the obverse of the lion on the other coin. It is not something I am familiar with since I am just starting to feel comfortable branching out from LRB's and Roman imperials. That being said, I think it is a great looking coin and I will be doing some more research on it to learn more.
Thank you very much. Somewhere along the time between then and now, someone lost money. I hope it wasn't me.
I got my FSR wins in yesterday and am pleased very much with them. I too looked at the "going cheap" list, but then I really started looking and spent more than I had planned on a couple not so cheap lots. In hand I'm glad to have bought them. I really, really like your Baktria drachm and would have bid on it over the Bruttium, Rhegion coin if I could only choose one, but that lion mask is pretty dang awesome too. Looks like it actually did hammer at 220 GBP Here's an x6 Lion Scalp:
Back in 2015 I attended a ACR Auction in Munich Germany. This was the first time I got to attend a good sized auction with ancient coins and I was very impressed. One of the coins I saw was a rather beat up Rhegion tetradachm a signed piece by the artist Kratesippios. What really impressed me was how he used a rather thick flan to create a three dimensional image of the head of the lion. Some coins do not give away all their charms in a photo. As I moved this coin between thumb and forefinger I could see the expression on the face of the lion change as I increased or decreased the angle that I was looking at it. I made a point of wanting to get one of these coins so.... Tetradrachm of Rhegion 415-387 B.C. Obv. head of lion facing. Rv Head of Apollo r. Rutten HN 2496 17.20 grms 22mm
Certainly! While there is nothing wrong with your image of this exceptional coin as it is, this might be a place to try shooting with the coin at a slight angle to the camera rather than flat on. When we look at a coin 'in hand' we wiggle it and see the play of light reflecting from its surfaces. There is a place in photography for work above and beyond the passport. I own very few coins that benefit from this idea and it has little to do with the grade of the coin. My favorite is below.
These are two handsome coins , especially the Bakrian drachm. The portrait is excellent, lettering sharp, & both sides are blessed with great cabinet toning. The reverse isn't as sharp as the obverse possibly because of die wear. Never the less, it would be hard to argue against an Ex.F. grade.
Those are two very lovely coins Doug, congrats! I am 100% in agreement with you about the importance of eye appeal over technical grade. Sadly, none of my bids with Frank were successful this time.
I sat out the auction this month as I purchased several coins from online dealers at Vcoins and M-A shops. Filled a couple of holes in my collection. Nice coins Doug and I'm glad that you got them for a reasonable price. I really don't know what to think about Frank's listing of prices realized for similar coins that seem insanely high, but oh well.
Nice coins Doug. I would have bid on the Bactrian piece if I would have been paying attention, but am glad you got it. I am going to Thailand next week, and between that and my recent platinum purchases have been trying to control myself.
Great coins Doug, that Rhegion coin is a real winner! The Antialkiadas drachm has a nice portrait. I am still waiting for my FSR wins, it takes a lot longer to ship to Europe.
Frank never intends these values to be actual price guides. He notes them in a sense of astonishment that people paid what they did for them.
Yes I agree with Doug Smith about my coin. I have seen how a couple of coin dealers have used video to present their coins for sale. If I ever get the nerve to try this I will try it on this coin.
I also like Baktrian coins and have a few. Tetradrachm of Antimachos I Obv Kings head wearing Kausia. Rv Poseidon stg facing HGC106 174-165 B.C. ? 16.81 grms 30 mm
Well, here's my FSR win. It's a quite rare coin, a Sasanian hemidrachm. I wanted it because I had one in my first collection, that I assembled before I was twenty years old, then sold because of dire needs. I appreciated Frank downgraded it from EF to VF, because VF it is. It was auctioned as an EF in a Pegasi auction in 2018, I don't know who bought it, naturally, but I paid 20% less. It's not perfect: it looks a little reddish = coppery, and the upper reverse is slightly weak, hence the VF. Still, it is a loveable very thin and delicate coin, 18 mm and 1.50 gr. A bit less than half a drachm, but that seems usual. This picture might be a bit better than Frank's, but the Pegasi picture was just b/w and misses a lot of reverse details that are there on the coin really.