I just bought this DIVO CARO, which came with the qualifier: "MONNAIE DE PLUS EN PLUS DIFFICILE à TROUVER", i.e. coin that is more and more difficult to find. I know it is not particularly rare, but condition and price were about right for me. PS: The Victorinus with Mars and Fortuna Redux reverses are great and true rarities.
Excellent! It is an very historical type--the perfect type to propagandize what Postumus was doing. I have this "hard to find" Postumus: 23-20 mm. 2.28 grams. VICT GERMANICA RIC V.II lists the reverse only as a denarius (not an ant) "R2, mint of Lugdunum" p. 345. Cunetio 2410 is VICTORIA GERMANICA (1 piece only) and Cunetio 2939-2940 (2, 5 pieces) are VICT GERMANICA like this one but more obviously irregular than this one. Sear III --. One on acsearch, but more obviously irregular than this one. I bought it as an ancient imitation, but now I am not so sure. Maybe it is a poorly struck official issue. In either case it is "seldom seen."
There are so many things that I "did not often see" but after seeing it once and wondered, I started seeing it everywhere. It's the same as with buying a car that you think "hm not that many people have this brand/model/year/specs" and then everyone and their grandmothers start driving it around.
I like your "Not Often Seen" types - I have been using a simple scarcity score for a while that I find useful to answer: will I see another one of these any time soon? I choose to be skeptical any time I read: rare, rare in this condition, scarce, etc. Short of an elegant and complicated approach such as that proposed by Hendin and Houghton in this article: "Defining Rarity in Seleucid and Ancient Jewish Coinages", a useful score is difficult. The authors ask, "Can one devise a concept approach to rarity values that can be applied to all ancient coinages?" There is also the problem of what of detail you care about - do I just want a coin of Victorinus? or do I want one with Mars specifically? or with a specific reverse from a specific mint? or all of the above in fine style, and good condition...Here's my approach: CC - Very Common, several nice examples available on vcoins for sale at a reasonable price today C - Common, several nice examples available on vcoins for sale today (includes unreasonable prices) S - Scarce, not many (subjective, but somewhere around 30 is "many") in ACSearch and none recently (the longer the time the more it qualifies as scarce) R - Rare, not many (<30) in ACSearch and none recently (the longer the time the more it qualifies as rare) Combined with the question - "how much do I really like this coin", it is a useful tool for deciding how hard to bid. Does this reflect mint output or number of items today in personal and museum collections, certainly not. I don't have a "Not Often Seen" coin for Victorinus, here's a Very Common (CC) coin: several sold this month in ACSearch, more than 200 in ACSearch, >30 in vcoins, a few for reasonable prices, ...(I am ignoring the detail of something funny going on with the F in PF AVG on obverse - PV AVG?). Victorinus, Romano-Gallic Emperor, AD 269-271, Antoninianus, Colonia Agrippinensis (Cologne) mint, 5th emission, AD 271 Obv: IMP C VICTORINVS PF AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right Rev: PROVIDENTIA, Providentia standing left, holding baton and cornucopia; globe at feet to left. Ref: RIC V 61 Note: Victorinus seems to have raised the jealous ire of his quartermaster, Attitianus. Attitianus arranged the murder of the emperor but had no ambitions to replace him. (See de Imperatoribus)