Hello all. Here is my latest purchase. Got this coin for 30 bucks. It was labeled as a tetradrachm of Egypt under roman rule by Nero. Can you give me any more info about it? I would like to know if it is in fact what it was advertised as and if it is authentic. Thanks larry
Just got off work so I'll let someone else give you the particulars, but yeah the info is correct and looks ok to me.
Its authentic but in pretty rough condition. Your second pic is the obverse, and the reverse is the god. I forget his name. I am just concerned Larry. Are you shopping around? I just ask that since this coin is available in much better shape. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but think you might do well to try to concentrate on a certain area, read a book, ask some question, before you get too much money tied up in your early ancient purchases. I would hate to see you get burned out of ancients by some early purchases. Roman egypt is a really cool area of coins to collect though. It is the only place where roman, greek, and egyptian dieties all can be on a coin. Kerry from the Celator used to have one of the greatest collections in the world of them. A friend of mine at the twin cities ancient coin club still has one of the most renowned collections of them, at least in the US.
The deity on the reverse is Serapis, a deity specifically created to appeal to both Greeks and Egyptians.
Thanks man. I knew I had seen it, just having a brain cramp and didn't have time to search. I like the reverse on the coin, very nice portrait but would have like the legend, but the obverse is especially rough. $30 was not HORRIBLE for this coin, just not sure how much you may like it in a few years Larry, that was the reason for my earlier post.
Nero's Egyptian coins are usually pretty rough looking largely due to the poor metal used for them. He issued a huge series of reverses including some really interesting combinations with his family members (Augustus, Tiberius, Poppaea) and a lot of boring eagles. Grade is everything when it comes to value on these. $30 is enough but not terribly out of line, IMHO. I'll challenge you to find an image of a really, really nice one. I don't have one to show so I'll show one that is still ugly but not Nero. This is Galba with Roma head reverse. I got it in 1989 for $15. Galba sells for more than Nero but not as much as you might think. Collectors really seem to prefer Eqyptian bronzes over the billon silvers.
Like this Doug? http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=69601 http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=124312 http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=68586 http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=60285 http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=48777 Or a really, really nice one. http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=56895
Nice coin, $30 is a fair price to pay, considering its age and history. I think there are so many ancient coins that are undervalued... I get nice little bronze Roman coins with good detail for less than a pound each which is ridiculous...I struggle to get £2-3 each for them..
Thanks for the comments guys. Until I get more books I'm basing my purchases on other prices + condition. I bid on this coin believing that 30 was a decent price and that they were rare. I thought I would be outbid but I was not and now its in my shoebox collection. Just hoping to find dates of mint and composition. I'm certainly getting more and more careful as I go on. Books are on the way but I have yet to order a good roman book. Waiting for a good price I guess.
The 1988 Sear is on Ebay occasionally for $50 or less. For this coin, you would want a specialty book on Roman Egypt. I have both of them, I think Emmett is the author of the latest one. Here is an interesting link for these coins I found: http://www.coinsofromanegypt.org/html/collection.htm Sorry if I was too hard on your coin sir. I know ancients are way cool when you first discover you can own them, I was simply advising caution. There are a lot more coins than any of us have money. As a specialty, though, I could think of few others that would be cooler than Roman Egyptian coins. Nothing at all wrong with those coins, and really nothing wrong with the one you bought except based upon your other purchases I wasn't too sure how happy you would be with it long term. Chris
These make my point. of the group, most lose half the legends. These are more sound in metal than most and the 'really nice one' has part of all letters but still is not bold and strong. It is just exceptional for its type. There are coin types (Severus Alexander denarii, late Rome mint Septimius denarii) where it is easy to find full and bold coins. Nero Alexandria makes us applaud anything that would be above average.
No need to apologize. You made a valid point while being polite. It great that you are advising caution because it can be easy to spend exuberant amounts of money on coins. One can never be to careful. I didn't realize how bad of condition the coin actually was in when I got it. It is worse than what the pictures seems to let off. And with everything I read, purchase and research my experience is growing. While I don't believe I over paid by much I could have gotten a roman in much better condition. Perhaps not a Nero/Egypt coin but certainly something in better condition for the money I spent. Still it's nice to say I have such a coin and it does add variety to my collection which is something I strive for. Although, me seeking a variety could cost me in the long run. Between books and inexperience I may be in for a pocket thrashing. Yet, I like what I like. What fun is it to say I have lots of American coins. I much rather have a bit of everything.
You sound like me sir. Yes, my pockets can get thrashed, but the education and fun more than make up for it.
OK, I thought you meant condition of flan and strike. I thought all Alexandrian it was common knowledge that legends are tough to find. I wasn't thinking about the legends.
I seem to be in the minority here. A good strike will have all the legends readable and on flan. A good flan will have even surfaces without porosity. Billon coins are rather rarely strong metal but they can be well struck on full flan. There are smooth surfaced Nero/Alexandria coin but finding both at once is not something I have done.
I am not sure why a "good strike" would have much to do with the flan. Unless the coin is offcenter, most missing legends I see are due to small flan. The OP's coin appears that way. I am not sure, even if perfectly struck, that the full legend would have fit on that flan. Hey, I agree Doug, a full legend is always a desirable trait. I guess I have seen too many of these billion coins to think its very achievable. THey do exist, but rarely. It seems the Alexandrian mint most of the time made the flans too thick to be wide enough for the design.
I would say Nero, Tiberius, Gaius, (Caligula), Claudius to an extent, Marcus Aurelius, and maybe Hadrian. Pre-Imperial would be Mark Antony and of course Julius. If you have been in popular sayings, or "starred" in movies then more people will want their coins. I see it when I show non-collectors my coins. They pretty much ignore the coins I like, but are mesmorized by Caligula's or Nero's portrait. I pull out a Cleo VII and they get all excited, though its maybe my 98th favorite coin.
