Hey everyone! So, my friend the auctioneer has asked me to get some info on this coin and then sell it for him. I know NOTHING about ancients...but luckily the coin is already graded by NGC. Just wanted to ask your opinions on value (is it common? rare? desirable? in good condition?) so I have an approximate worth, and get any more info from you if I could...again, thanks in advance! From the slab: Roman Imperatorial Julius Caesar, d.44 BC AR Denarius (3.96g) c.49 BC. obv elephant & serpent. rv implements NGC F Strike: 3/5 Surface: 3/5 And the photos, of course:
Coin struck by a military mint traveling with Caesar. Obv.: Elephant advancing right, trampling on horned serpent. Rev.: Emblems of the pontificate: simpulum, aspergillum, securis, and apex. References: Crawford 443/1; Sydhenam 1006; BMCRR (Gaul) 27. This is the first coin struck in the name of Julius Caesar. The symbolism on the obverse apparently alludes to the conquest of good over evil, Caesar's victory over the Gauls, while the reverse refers to Caesar's possession of the office of Pontifex Maximus. It's really difficult for me give a grade to coin into slab...NGC says "F"? I found the same coin, grade "Good VF", sold for $ 266. If your is "F", maybe $ 130-150? This is what need to do with slab :hammer: petronius :smile
You guys are hilarious! Well, I'm supposed to list this for sale for my auctioneer friend...so if any of you buy it, feel free to crack that slab open and do whatever you like with it! I do appreciate the help with value and historical info - like I said, besides doing Google searches...no idea here.
petronius pretty much gave my assessment on the coin. Its one of the most common & affordable coins to get of Caesar. Most people want a portrait coin of his and those were talking about $800-$1500, sometimes more. The slab is OK on coins like this mainly because it confirms it's genuine. This type is often faked. But I am with others, ancients+slabs=NO! lol.
I agree but believe its worth a little more than that. THese have been going up lately, and I bet in a good show or venue he could get $250. They are popular coins.
This is a lovely coin, it has great great eye appeal. Eye appeal is really what counts, more so than a by-the-book grading. With ancients you can't really rely on grading so much as the personality of each coin. I am a big fan of this type, but as a poster above said, portrait coins are likely to be more popular. But Julius Caesar coin will be popular due to his celebrity status, and also as a part of a Twelve Caesars collection. Unrelated and nit-picky point, shouldn't Julius Caesar be classified as a Republican coin? The principate/imperatorial period didn't start until Augustus.
I agree, the slab is good for authentication purposes. But, in my opinion, the grade given is a little low on this one. Could it be that the grading companies have less experience with ancients?
The Roman Empire is the historical period from Augustus (27 b.C) to Romulus Augustus (476 A.D.) But in numismatics, is usual to include in Roman Empire the coins of Julius Caesar, dictator for life. So, the Roman imperial coinage starts by Pompey the Great (period of civil wars, 49-45 b.C.) and includes, with Caesar, also Brutus, Cassius (killers of Caesar), Mark Anthony, Cleopatra, and others. petronius :smile
You r definition is correct, but we use the term Imperaterial for the timeframe from Pompey until Augustus.
This is the coin sold for $ 266 http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/imp/julius_caesar/RSC_0049.11.jpg It seems to me better than the other, especially on the obverse the elephant and the name CAESAR. Make your opinion. petronius :smile
Yeah, I saw on Sear catalog, but in Italian catalogs there is no distinction, it's all Imperial coinage petronius :smile
