Today’s pickup: 2 denarii :)

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Gam3rBlake, Jun 17, 2021.

  1. Gam3rBlake

    Gam3rBlake Well-Known Member

    First of all please allow me to apologize for the bad photos and the holders.

    Unfortunately there weren’t any good photos taken of these coins.

    I picked up the Commodus because I think he’s one of the most interesting Emperors of them all even though he wasn’t a good one.

    I picked up the Septimius Severus denarius because, frankly, it was at a good price and if I plan on getting a denarius from every Emperor I’ll need his eventually lol. I really don’t like the reverse because there’s dirt stains on it but oh well. I keep them obverse side up in my display case so no one will see the dirt stains xD.

    I wish NGC hadn’t given it an AU grade though. It definitely doesn’t look like an AU coin with the dirt stains so I might send it in just to get some of my money back since they do guarantee the grade even though they don’t guarantee anything else and I don’t think if they re-graded this coin that it would ever get AU again.


    Is it okay to dip ancient coins to clean some of that dirt off?


    Thanks for checking out my newest pickups!

    6087A46D-869B-40D0-887E-46985C806BDA.jpeg
    14951943-49B9-4405-9280-5B298273FD29.jpeg
    973D4911-E2D3-4A61-87A4-6AF783B6DECB.jpeg
    7B961168-01ED-40C7-80A4-6C405B9A4C5F.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2021
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  3. ambr0zie

    ambr0zie Dacian Taraboste

    Unless you're 100% sure about what you're doing, I would recommend against cleaning.
    I have seen people on CT doing a fantastic job when cleaning coins. When I tried it, I only managed to obtain an uglier coin.
     
  4. David Atherton

    David Atherton Flavian Fanatic

    @Gam3rBlake, you're going to have to set aside the condition fetish to get the full enjoyment out of collecting ancients, otherwise you will be continually disappointed. These coins are 2000 years and are are meant to look as such - with all that yucky patina, toning, and 'dirt stains' included.

    If you continue to collect 2000 year old relics with the mindset of a modern coin collector you will be miserable. Embrace the dirt!

    BTW, those coins are perfectly fine as is. Enjoy them.
     
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  5. Gam3rBlake

    Gam3rBlake Well-Known Member

    Honestly I was just going to use a wet cotton q-tip to gently brush away some dirt around the “MON” in MONETAS on the edge of the reverse.

    I figure these coins have been buried for a very long time in dirt so will a little bit of cotton and distilled water hurt them that much?
     
  6. Gam3rBlake

    Gam3rBlake Well-Known Member

    Well I just meant it’s hard to see the full design when some of it is covered up by dirt xD
     
  7. ambr0zie

    ambr0zie Dacian Taraboste

    I am not confident enough about cleaning to give you advice. Some other members here are.
    But don't expect the dirt (if it is dirt and not patina) to wipe away easily and the coin to be the same color as the rest of it under what's there.

    I would leave the coin exactly like it is. The letters are clearly visible.
     
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  8. Gam3rBlake

    Gam3rBlake Well-Known Member

    Fair enough. I guess I’ll leave it as is. At least then I don’t have to crack it out of the holder and risk damaging it.
     
  9. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Probably horn silver on the reverse of that Severus and it will not come off with distilled water.

    It's a cool coin! An eastern mint Severan. @dougsmit and @Mat specialize in these issues.
     
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  10. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Yes the Septimius is a rather scarce coin not appropriate for inclusion in a 'one per emperor' set. You should sell it to someone who would appreciate it and buy a Rome mint coin from later in the reign that would better represent this ruler in a single coin. Perhaps you would like something with the forked beard like the one below better.
    rj4720bb0563.jpg

    I don't have your exact coin but do have the much more rare version with IICOS on the reverse. Specialists would accept this coin despite its wear and weaknesses but no one would want it as their only SS coin.
    rg3660bb1116.jpg

    You completely miss the point on NGC grading of Ancient coins. The letter grades ONLY represent wear on the coin and do not take into consideration things like strike, surfaces (including deposits) and faults. Your slab is the bargain basement version. If you paid the full fee for the full service grading, you would have been given numerical ratings on a five point scale that rated strike and surface quality. There has been no mistake. You are due no refund.
     
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  11. Gam3rBlake

    Gam3rBlake Well-Known Member

    1). Why isn’t it appropriate for a one per Emperor set? It’s still a denarius of Septimius Severus.

    2). Yes. If an XF coin is mistakenly over graded as AU I am entitled. Not to a refund like you’re saying but to the price difference between XF and AU.
     
  12. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    Wow, the Sep Sev is an amazing coin! I was very excited to get one of these last year, hidden in a group lot:
    sep sev emesa.jpg
    At a quick glance it appears to be a double-die match to yours.

    I beg to differ! On this type at least. @maridvnvm has one, I have one, and this is only the third I'm aware of. There are a few more IICOS hanging around. Admittedly the numbers of both are so small the difference may not count. :)

    In any case, the OP coin appears to be best of type.
     
  13. Gam3rBlake

    Gam3rBlake Well-Known Member

    That’s awesome! I didn’t know I had a harder to find denarius of Sept Serv.

    That makes the good price even better ^_^.
     
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  14. robinjojo

    robinjojo Well-Known Member

    If, by dipping the coin, you are referring to using Jewel Luster or an other tarnish remover, I suggest against doing that. The chemical in this type of solution removes whatever oxidation (tarnish) present on the coin, but it will not be effective at removing dirt or other deposits.

    I agree with other posters that the two coins that you just acquired look fine, and that they really don't need any type of intervention. These are ancient coins that have been around for a while, so I in the school of thought that oxidation, deposits, even some corrosion is acceptable, up to a degree, of course. Each coin is very much an individual, and needs to be judged on its own merits.
     
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  15. Gam3rBlake

    Gam3rBlake Well-Known Member

    Fair enough. I guess I’ll leave it alone. In a way I’m relieved because I don’t have to go through all that anxiety and hassle of breaking it out and trying to clean it without screwing up.
     
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  16. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    For sure don't clean it, but you should definitely still break it out. :D
     
  17. Restitutor

    Restitutor Well-Known Member

    Not Doug but, probably because all your posts seem to only care about whether the coin grade is accurate and not so much about the coin itself.
     
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  18. Gam3rBlake

    Gam3rBlake Well-Known Member

    It may seem that way but it’s not.
     
  19. Gam3rBlake

    Gam3rBlake Well-Known Member

    I’m way too scared xD.

    I’d probably damage it.

    Besides I like the case because I can show coins to my young nephews without them dropping it or getting Cheetohs dust all over my coins and so it acts as a nice protector.

    Plus having them in holders makes them easy to display.
     
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  20. Spargrodan

    Spargrodan Well-Known Member

    Do as you see fit but I don't think you need to worry about damaging the coin. It has made it through almost 2000 years I think it can make a couple of more, with or withour slab. ;)
     
  21. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Leave it in the slab. That way when you tire of ancient coins, it will not have been cleaned.

    Before NGC started slabbing coins and tried to force modern standards on ancient coins, there were no AU coins. That grade is whatever they say it is. There is no universal standards for grading ancients. We old timers would mention the deposits but most of us stopped using letter grades because they mean nothing when comparing the desirability compared to strike and surfaces.
    That is exactly how I see it.
    I suggest you put me on Ignore.

    Wow! I was not aware you had a list and I certainly was not aware they were common. That's what I get for believing old stats. Barry's page did not have the plain one either.
    http://bpmurphy.ancients.info/severan/ssemesa1.htm
    see SEV-206
    I wonder if the IICOS coins were made before the plain ones and none were in 193? I'm not likely to see that answered unless I miss my guess and someone is studying these more seriously than I know. Moneta seems to have been a common first type in a series if I was told correctly years ago. How many AVG obverse dies do you recognize?
     
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