Yeah, I agree with svessien, you can even get a lot more for less cash. This one is not a 100 dollars coin.
I would not pay more than $35 for this coin. For less than a hundred dollars you could get a silver denarius or antoninianus of a Third century emperor (Severus Alexander, Gordian III in VF condition. Look for something like that.
You can do better than that for your money. You could get a denarius if a famous important emperor like Trajan it Hadrian for that price.
If I was to give advice to someone getting into ancient coins, I would say look for a fairly cheap lot of coins from an auction house. If you buy a lot of 8-10 coins for 150$, you get better coins than this cheaper. You would have to be a little bit patient and probably lose a few bidding rounds though.
For a first ancient, I thing a nice second century ancient with someone like Trajan or Hadrian. Get a large copper coin. People love larger coins. Many are turned off by the tiny denarius.
Yeah, this is good to, especially a late roman lot with some people like Constantine and Helena if possible. People that lay people may have heard of.
The OP did not say why this coin was under consideration for the gift. I agree with the thought that most people would prefer something else but this is a goo place to personalize the selection. I also agree that this is at best a $50 coin. Not knowing anything about 'dad' and his hobbies previously, it is hard to suggest a coin. Dad might like this one. The warrior shown was the grandfather or father of the moneyer and fought on after losing his right arm in a previous engagement. Some say he lost only the hand but the coins show no right arm. How one rides a horse, swings a sword and carries a severed head of the enemy with only one had is hard to imagine. I trust you are healing well but not tempted by horses and swords.
Take a cruise around V Coins. If you see something you like, search the site for others like it. That will give you a rough idea of the retail asking prices. You'll get the added benefit of looking at lots of coins. I believe some members on here may even sell there.
Wow, I can't believe all the replies. Thank you guys very much. The feedback is unanimous. I'll be letting it pass being it is now up to $65. Good looking out ev1!!
Okay well I had to make a decision time is a concern here for me. I really like this so I splurged a bit.... Constans - Roman Emperor : 337-350 A.D. - Bronze AE3 18mm (2.36 grams) Siscia mint: 348-350 A.D. Reference: RIC 198 (VIII, Siscia), LRBC 1140 DNCONSTANSPFAVG - Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right. FELTEMPREPARATIO Exe: ЄSIS- Constans standing left on galley, holding Phoenix on globe and labarum tipped with the Chi-Rho; Victory seated to right, steering.
One of my favorite Republican reverses, and I agree that it doesn't require any knowledge of ancient coins to be appealing. Here's the reverse of mine: And, yes, carrying a head and a sword in one hand like that does seem a bit impractical!
Love this reply, Dad was in the airforce and is a faithful catholic which loves the relationships in the bible to the Roman/Greek emperors and their lineage. I am healing slow and yes, I find my self tempted to play with my swords. I couldn't find a coin representing flight, but he should be happy with a navy coin.
A good Catholic coin was issued by the pagan usurper Magnentius in opposition to the emperor Constantius II who was brought up Arian by his tutor hired by his father Constantine the Great. Magnentius was appealing to the Romans who believed that a pagan was better than a heretic (a common belief then). The significant point on the coin is the alpha and omega flanking the large chi-rho. Arians did not believe that Christ was god from the beginning but had been created later so the alpha was decidedly Catholic/orthodox reminding people that the emperor was not one of them.
