Picked this one up seller had it at $39 then dropped it to $29 and I had $13 in E-bay bucks fixing to expire so I got it for the bargain price of $16 shipped ! Maximianus Herculius, AE Follis. AD 297-298. Obverse: IMP C M A MAXIMIANVS PF AVG, laureate head right Reverse: GENIO POPVLI ROMANI, Genius standing left, holding patera and cornucopiae. Mintmark HTB. Heraclea. 9.8 g. RIC 19b,B
Nice coin and at a nice price! This Maximian follis was just over $16 as part of a group lot of folles of the tetrarchy: Maximian, 1st Reign, AD 286-305. Roman billon follis, 10.96 g, 27.2 mm, 12 h. Trier, AD 298-99. Obv: IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate head, right. Rev: GENIO POP-VLI ROMANI, Genius, wearing modius, nude but for chlamys draped over left shoulder, standing left, holding patera in right hand and cornucopiae in left hand; A/*//TR. Refs: RIC vi, p. 186, 277b. Notes: Typically, the reverse legend is broken GENIO POPV-LI ROMANI.
I have a theory: EVERY coin I purchased, the price was right on. Else, I would not have spent the money. Otherwise, all the OTHER coins that I do not have, were not the right price.
Picked this one up for $19..... 3 years ago at an auction, there was another similar coin at the same time which went for the same price......I wish I'd gone for both... Tabaristan ½ Drachm - "Ispahbadh of Tabaristan" Khurshid - 740-760 AD (Tabaristan mint 752/3 AD ) 2 gram Obverse-Bust right,crescent in right field, breast ornament with 4 pellets.Pellet above crown to right, Name in Pahlavi. Reverse- Fire altar with 2 attendants; star left and crescent right of flames.
All of these postings are very interesting. I don't have any "...the price was right..." coins. I have a very nice collection of ancients. Perhaps 100 fit for viewing. But, they all started out as very deep in the uncleaned category. A different perspective on collecting I suppose. I do like to see the coins that the members come up with and post. Several times they have given me an "ah ha" moment and put me in the direction I needed to identify one that I was working on. Keep posting these nice additions.
Well what your telling me is you have bunch of coins that price was right, but I have not seen any pics.
I got this Philip I sestertius for $30 +free S/H. Philip I, Ruled 244-249 AD AE Sestertius, Struck 246 AD Rome mint, 5th officina, 5th emission Obverse: IMP PHILIPPVS AVG, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right. Reverse: ANNONA AVGG, Annona, draped, standing left, holding corn-ears in right hand over modius and cornucopiae in left hand; S-C across fields. References: RIC IV 168d, Banti 10 Notes: Rare. Banti records only two examples with this obverse legend. 8 examples on ACSearch cf: CNG E-Action 238 (8/11/2010), Lot #549 I got this Diocletian ant pretty much fully silvered for $15 + free S/H: Diocletian, Ruled 285-305 AD AE Antoninianus (silvered) Struck 285 AD, Antioch Mint Obverse: IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG, bust of Diocletian, radiate, draped, cuirassed, right. Reverse: IOV ET HERCV CONSER AVGG, Jupiter, standing right, holding globe in right hand and sceptre in left hand, and Hercules, standing left, holding Victory in right hand and club and lion’s skin in left hand, A officina designation above, mintmark XXI. References: RIC V 323 And I got this big Carthage dishekel for under $40 shipped: Zeugitania, Carthage, 264-241 BC First Punic War AE Dishekel, Sardinia Mint Obverse: Head of Tanit left, wearing wreath of grain and earrings. Reverse: Head of horse right. References: MAA 58, SNG Cop 192 Size: 27mm, 14.5g cf: CNG E-Auction 407 (10/11/2017), Lot #27
LOL, YUP! EVEN if I overpaid for the coin (compared to OTHER folks), it was still a value. Because I PURCHASED the coin, I AGREED to its price. As the quid quo pro for the price, I received a cool coin that I AGREED to buy, that met my wants at that time. Everyone that squawks about high prices, YET purchases a coin at that high price, is AGREEING that it is the right price for their purchase of that coin. So, every coin purchased is at the price that you agreed. Purdy simple. If they were too much, you would not buy them. I have not looked up the price I paid for this coin. But, I will tell you that it was the PERFECT price, as I PURCHASED it at the time it was offered (whether an auction, a seller, or a shop.) Here is one of my SUPER-VALUE WOWEE coin (as is every one of my collection.) Zeugitania Carthage 400-350 BCE Æ unit 15.3 mm, 2.7g Tanit l earring necklace - Horse r palm tree two pellets r MAA 18a
@Justin Lee you got some real good bargains on those coins for sure the Phiilip Sestertius is nice and I love the Zeugitania Carthage coin and love the one @Alegandron posted up also. I have one of those on my list to buy but so far not yet.
I do love a bargain thread. Some great stuff here. Justin's Philip I sestertius in particular got me to a'drooling. I've been buying a lot of unattributed lots on eBay lately - I find I enjoy the figuring-out process a lot, and there tends to be some minor gems from time to time in the dreck. But I'm not sure about this one being a "bargain." Two sestertii, from France (shipping time: June 30 - July 9 - France to Midwestern USA! ). Price works out with shipping to just under $30.00 each. I went for it because of the Aelius - he was on my bucket list. My photos show the Aelius pretty accurately - quite worn, but identifiable. But the Faustina is actually nicer in hand - a kind of worn, warm brassy look to it - and she weighs a ton - 28 grams+. I actually prefer her to the Aelius. Anyway, I like 'em, but feel free to unleash if you want to tell me about a fool and his money... Aelius (Caesar) Æ Sestertius (137 A.D.) Rome Mint [L AE]LIVS CAE[SAR], bare head right / [TR POT COS II] S C, Spes walking left, holding flower and raising hem of skirt. RIC II.3 2695 (RIC 1055a). (22.24 grams / 28 mm) Faustina I Æ Sestertius 5th Phase: Anniversary of Faustina’s Deification (c. 150-160 A.D.) Rome Mint DIVA FAV[STINA], draped bust right / AE[TERNITA]S S C, Juno standing left with raised right hand and holding sceptre in left hand. RIC 1102a; Cohen 28. (28.20 grams / 30 mm)
A nice bargain @bcuda! I'm in the @Alegandron camp on this...here's one I had no intention of buying, but the price was right and I liked the capricorn which seems to have been a popular theme for Parium going back to Augustus: Marcus Opellius Macrinus, 217-218 AD, Parium, Mysia, AE (22.5mm, 7.09g) Obv: IMP C M OPE SEV MACRINVS, bust laureate, draped, cuirassed right, border of dots Rev: Capricorn right, extending front legs to hold globe, cornucopia above back; C G I H P below, border of dots Ref: AMC 13405, RPC Online missing? What is the C G I H P? The "H" was added for Hadrian, to recognize his generosity to the city of Parium, the "H" was added to read Colonia Gemella Iulia Hadriana Pariana. Macrinus was born in 164 in Caesarea, Mauritania. He managed the "res privata" of Caracalla and in 212 became prefect of the praetorian guard. He was declared emperor on 11-April-217 days after Caracalla's death. The first non-senator emperor and the first emperor from Mauritania. He took the title of "Severus" to garner support from the Severan family. Apparently that didn't work, as Julia Maesa had her son, Elagabalus, declared emperor, and shortly after 8-June-218, Macrinus and his son Diadumenian were dead.
a couple of years ago, I won this coin for a few dollars (felt a little guilty)...seller's original pic--
Both of these 2 coins have Genio on reverse. The first was struck at Cyzicus under Constantine the Great. The second was issued at Heraclea under Licinius. I chose them because reverse legends read respectively Genio Augusti and Genio Caesaris. I wonder why did the Romans attribute these titles to their deities?
A Valentinian II AE3 re-issue of the GLORIA ROMANORVM type of Valentinian I from Siscia autumn of 384 to the summer of 387, rather scarce I think, despite what RIC says for 7$ delivered.
This Heraclius follis, RY 3, came out of an auction lot of 34 Byzantine coins. The average price paid per coin was around $7.92 per coin, with the conversion and buyer's fee. This example has a twice struck obverse, and an over-strike on the reverse, probably over a follis of Phocas. The second coin, from the same lot, is an anonymous follis of Basil II and Constantine VIII. Both coins, I think, are good buys. It is possible to get some really interesting Byzantine coins in large lots. It is also amazing seeing many that are being sold at high prices, in my opinion, on the Internet.
I am a fairly new collector - but I got a ton of deals 3-4 year ago on the Forvm Free Members Auction site: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/Auction However for the last couple of years those interesting sellers do not seem to post anymore - probably went to eBay. Now its mostly Forvm themselves posting coins and they seem to go quite high. It was fun while it lasted - and hopefully will return. A few examples that were around $5 - $15.. Quite a few more too..