Last week-end (27-28 June) was Savoca's Blue Auction # 80. I just received today by Fedex - with a surprise bill of 27 CAD $ for customs fees and taxes- my two won bids. If I would play baseball, my batting average for the week end would be .500. Not that bad for a blind dwarf. It's a real thrill attending "live" by internet these auctions, waiting for the designated lots to arrive, ready for the battle...So here are my 2 new babies. Please feel free to share your wins of the last week ! Quintillus Ae Antoninianus 270 AD Milan 20mm. 3.57g Maximinus II Daia Ae Follis As Caesar 305-308 Cyzicus 26mm. 6.77g
Nice coins @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix, I have no Savoca to share, but I do have a nice Follis that just arrived with Imperial Genius dousing his barbeque grill: Constantine I, 307/310-337, AE Follis, Nicomedia, circa 312 Obv: IMP C FL VAL CONSTANTINVS P F AVG, Laureate head of Constantine I to right Rev: GENIO A-VGVSTI / Δ * / SMN Genius, nude but for chlamys, standing front, head to left, wearing kalathos and holding patera from which liquor flows over lighted altar in his right hand and cornucopiae in his left
I used to be a regular at Savoca, but I don't follow them as avidly any more since it's become harder to snag bargains. I hate it when this happens. For Canadians, I strongly recommend avoiding FedEx and asking for regular post. I did pick up something at another auction this week: It was incorrectly identified. Listed as a later leftie type, it is in fact a first-year-of-issue follis with a bust/legend unlisted in RIC. I'm not aware of any others, though I haven't looked thoroughly yet. (If someone knows of one, please let me know!)
Picked up two: Gordian III, AD 238-244, with Tranquillina. Roman provincial Ӕ Tetrassarion; 11.05 g, 25.5 mm, 7 h. Thrace, Anchialus, AD 241-244. Obv: AVT K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC AVΓ CЄB/ TPANKVΛ/ΛINA, confronted busts of Gordian III, laureate, draped and cuirassed, right, seen from rear, and Tranquillina, diademed and draped bust, left. Rev: OVΛΠIANWN AΓXIAΛEWN, Zeus standing left, holding patera and scepter. Refs: RPC VII.2, — (unassigned; ID 65809); AMNG --; Varbanov 739; BMC --; Tachev, Anchialos 2-5; Moushmov --. Volusian, AD 251-253. Roman billon antoninianus, 4.15 g, 21.2 mm, 1 h. Rome, 2nd issue, September - December, AD 251. Obv: IMP CAE C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust, right. Rev: SALVS AVGG, Salus, standing right, feeding out of patera snake held in arms. Refs: RIC 184; Cohen/RSC 118; RCV 9769; Hunter 22.
My first auction since I moved to the Old World – suddenly, Savoca's shipping fees are much lower! I agree with @Severus Alexander : a year or two ago, it was a lot easier to get bargains at Savoca. I assume that word about their Blue Auctions has spread by now... Though most of my cheapo bids were blown out of the water, I still won two coins that I consider bargains (both under $25 after fees and conversion) in this auction: Gordian III, Roman Empire, AR antoninianus, 240 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG; bust of Gordian III, radiate, draped, cuirassed, r. Rev: LIBERALITAS AVG II; Liberalitas, draped, standing front, head l., holding abacus in r. hand and cornucopiae in l. hand. 25 mm, 5.51g. RIC IV Gordian III 36. Ex Savoca, Blue Auction 80, lot 1316. Principality of Antioch, Tancred, AE follis, 1104–1112 AD. Obv: [KE BO TANKR or similar; as usual not struck]; bust of Tancred, bearded, wearing 'turban,' holding raised sword in r. hand. Rev: Cross as the Tree of Life; in quadrants, IC-XC / NI-KA. 22 mm, 2.45g. Ref: Schlumberger II.7, Metcalf 63-70, CCS 4a. Overstruck on Schlumberger II.6; Metcalf 49-62. Ex Savoca, Blue Auction 80, lot 1827. I also managed to win a third coin, my main target, which definitely wasn't cheap. Still, I'm more than happy to have bought it: Knights Hospitaller (Order of St. John) at Rhodes, under Raymond Bérenger, AR Gigliato, 1365-1374. Obv: + F RAIMUNDVS BERENGERII D GRA M; Grand Master, wearing cloak with Maltese cross on shoulder, kneeling l. in prayer before patriarchal cross set on steps; arms of Raymond Bérenger to r. Rev: + OSPITAL ♣ S • IOhS • IRLNI : QTS • RODI •; cross fleury with arms of the Knights Hospitaller at the end of each arm. 28 mm, 3.64g. Ref: Metcalf 1208–1210; CCS 22. Ex Savoca, Blue Auction 80, lot 1844.
I'm originally from Europe, so "California boy for some years" is probably more correct. But believe me, I never managed to pick up a valleyspeak accent... Now, I'm living in Berlin.
Educate me. What distinguishes this from a 'later leftie' type? I assume it is just the B * in the field. Do you see some significant style difference between the issues? RIC even allows a 'sometimes seen from the back' which suggests there are variations they recognized but did not catalog separately. The way RIC listings are stacked, I never know how much significance to attack to unlisted combinations of die varieties. The first group of these coins included examples with and without the C and facing both directions. There were many dies and we have to expect some unlisted combinations. RIC 282 page 187 Common
Nice coins all! Totally agree with everybody, bargain days are over with Savoca. I used to participate every auction, now my last win was probably somewhere end 2019.
These Savoca blue auctions are where I cut my teeth with ancient auctions. So, I count myself lucky that they were so affordable at that time... cause now everybody and their dog bids in them! Though you can still find good prices here and there. Here's some snacks I picked up to keep my mark company. Got this BIG boy on the cheap Anonymous. Ca. 217-212 BC. AE sextans (25. Mm 12.61 gm). VF. Rome, ca. 217-215 BC. Head of Mercury right, wearing petasus; two pellets above / ROMA, prow right; two pellets below. Crawford 38/5. Nearly VF Ex: Savoca Here's an imperitorial coin of a Pompeian ally that I got for a song A. Plautius, 55 BCE, AR denarius. Rome, 3.23g, 19mm. Obv: A•PLAVTIVS AED•CVR•S•C; Turreted head of Cybele right Rev: IVDAEVS / BACCHIVS; Bacchius Judaeus (Aristobulus II, High Priest and King of Judaea) kneeling right, holding reins of camel standing to right behind, and offering up olive branch. Crawford 431/1 Ex: Savoca Plautius was a supporter of Pompey, and the reverse type refers to the latter’s victories in the east. The obverse refers to the Ludi Megalenses, games hosted by the curule aediles. This Alexander portrait really looks much better in hand Macedon, Koinon of Macedon Æ26. Pseudo-autonomous issue, time of Gordian III, AD 238-244. AΛEΞANΔPOV, diademed head of Alexander III 'the Great' right, thunderbolt below / KOINON MAKEΔONΩN B NEΩKOPΩ, table with two prize urns. Cf. AMNG III, 691. 14.18g, 26mm, 5h. Very Fine. Ex: Savoca
Very nice leftie, Doug! Yes, the main difference between mine and a later leftie lies in the field marks, although I personally have noticed a bit of a style difference too - I would say that the first issues lean towards the more compact pre-reform style, whereas the later ones are moving towards the stark & expansive classic tetrarchic style. This generalization seems to apply to most mints, though not so much to Cyzicus. I am trying to assemble a mint set of first-issue folles of Diocletian, thus my interest in the coin. The first-issues are distinctly scarcer than the later ones. Getting a leftie without the "C" in the obverse legend was just an extra bonus. I would agree that unlisted variations are to be expected. I figure the instructions the mints received for the first folles were a bit sketchy!
A great city. Where my mother was born and lived until she was 15 -- the reason my son and I have dual U.S. and German citizenship. (As I've mentioned, my avatar is my German passport photo!)
This was a good auction, 2 of the best wins: 2 others will be shown and discussed in individual entries when I get the time.