What's your (realistic) ancient collecting holy grails?

I too don't ever recall seeing a Sulla portrait on coin @nerosmyfavorite68 There is Sulla's dream which is a dream coin. I sure would love to see his portrait on coin if they do exist.

 

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Sulla's grandson minted denarii with his portrait. I've seen them but IIRC they are relatively pricey $500+ coins.

https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=305072

 

Thank you! Now I have one more dream coin.
Kinda funny how ludicrously low that Estimate was:

 

I am currently buying one piece, that I find attractive, for each emperor. That usually means an “old world” VF or better. Under that criteria, I need another Caligula. I have one for each “real emperor,” not the usurpers who never got anywhere, up to Constantine The Great. I have a several after that.

 

..well, its cheaper than a denarius of Pescennius Niger..

 

A realistic grail coin for me is very simple: I would absolutely love another shot at this sestertius of Vespasian (when tax returns get sent out), because I think the portrait is stunning and the most realistic portrait of Vespasian that I've ever seen. I didn't bid on it because "Oh, that's too much to spend"...and now I kick myself for not even trying. The coin has a crack and some wear, and obvious smoothing in the obverse field that I don't care about - to me it's incredible, and that portrait is amazing.

 

This one. It's realistic in the fantasy world in which I choose to live.

 

AV 60 Litrai ND (218/15BC)
Heiron II
Syracuse
Hopefully, I can get one this year

 

Pescennius Niger doesn't have to be that expensive - you just have to find him in a non-print auction and get a little lucky. I managed to win this one for under $1k from Nomos in early 2020


And this one a few months later on a $400 "pfffft yeah right" bid from Ares (or one of those auctions run by the same guy(s)

I wish I could entertain that same fantasy! Isn't Olybrius known from something like 12 coins total? IIRC he's the "key emperor" to the non-usurpers Augustus set. What did that one hammer for? I assume minimum $20k?

 

My holy grail is to find more unpublished variants or even an unpublished type.
I show you one that has puzzled me for a long time, as it IS unpublished and therefore no-one can say anything about it.... It is an Alexandrian tetradrachm of Domitianus with Domitia on the reverse sitting as Demeter. The type is known on (rare) bronze, but not on silver.

 

I have actually bought 4 or 5 of my dream coins the last 6 years, (nice to have a good paying job). I currently do not really have a "dream coin" right now. Maybe the closest would be a coin of Boran, since it is referenced in the Koran and is a missing Sasanid ruler for my set.

 

Two years on and I still am not over losing this one. Think this will always be my grail, and I hope whoever bought it sees my post and wills it to me

 

You should check out the new Roma numismatics auction. Not the same coin, but close enough?

 

Do any of you have an idea where I might be able to buy an antique Roman gold coin, and the aproximate cost and condition it may be in. I have never bought one or even made an effort to get one. Also, is there a reasonable source that wouldn't have me sell our home. I'm thinking in terms of $1,000 to $2,000. Am I way off base? Thank you for any help you can get me. When my father was in the Army 1953-1957, we would travel over Europe. I was too young to appreciate what the tour would mean. Thankfully, my father took many pictures...again, I was too young to appreciate them. Thankfully, he was again, stationed in Europe, however, in France. I was a senor in high school. The base was so far away, that we were bussed to school on Sunday night and bussed home on Friday evening. The night of my graduation, we had to move to Germany. Degaulle decided not to renew the U.S. contract for the bases in France. We lived on Base on the outskirts of Mannheim. I had a job and I saved all of my money so that I could hitchhike all over Europe. I was too young to appreciate it nor did I collect coins from the nations that I visited. I loved going to Pisa to the Bell Tower of Pisa. The Eiffel Tower in Paris. And even, East Germany because I had a Military Dependant ID Card. I was allow 4 hours. Italy is wonderful and I would like to start collecting coins from the nations that I visited. Any ideas where I might start?
Thank all of you, my friends.

 

I would look at Roma Auctions/ there are some nice Western Roman Empire Solidi from Valens/ Valentinian I avaliable in GEF/ MS for that kinda $$$. I got this Valens Sollidus last Auction for 1100 UK Pounds.
John

 

Another Valens

 

I managed to win the M. Volteius recently. Yes, more like large dogs. I am assembling a collection of “odd bigii” in Republicans…..cupids, lions, elephants, snakes, stags, etc…fun stuff!

 

I remember getting a Pescennius Niger from HJB for 200 in the 90s. It was in the window display . Its not great but its in Fine condition.

 

Then as now Pescennius is available at prices all over the place mostly due to the fact that most of his coins were struck in really poor metal. My 90's vintage coin was $140 from a dealer who only saw a VG coin when he felt things under EF were trash.

No one seems to care that many of his coins are known from very few (or one) examples. I understand that the best Pescennius denarii should sell for four digits but I see many with poor metal being offered for top dollar. When I first became interested in the subject, I was told that the only known Pescennius aureus was destroyed in WWII (true?) but a few have turned up since and the ones I have seen offered have been quite nice. Even the Beckers are nice looking. I recommend them highly to those unable to find the silver they want. As for me, the coin I want is this 'unique' as I was shown 50 years ago. Sure it was a Severus Alexander(?) originally but I'd still love to have the coin or even be able to find the photo I had of its reverse.

 

Somehow missed the “realistic” part of the title. Of the ones I already mentioned I’d say what would be realistic would be a Constantine III siliqua, an Anthemius monogram, a gold Ptolemaic but one of the tiny ones, and an Aistulf (there was a very worn down and heavily patinated follis of his in auction a couple of months back that I know for sure I clicked the bid button on but for whatever reason my bid didn’t register/go through; still feels kind of bad ).