A Roman Rampage

We look forward to it too........good to have you.

 

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I experienced the same excitement when I first started collecting not so long ago. In my first ever batch of coins was also an Elagabalus, a provincial bronze, and I also paid $9 for it. It's an absolute wreck of a coin, but even though I'm buying nicer coins these days, I still love that the old troll is in my collection.

 

As an update, I went to a coin show today in South Florida and found that the prices for ancient coins were as high if not higher than on eBay. Coin shows have left a sour taste in me. I think buying online may be the way to go. Considering that common denarii were selling for $30+ at the coin show, I can't say I feel bad about my purchases so far, even if they have not been the wisest.

 

I have been looking recently at some UK coin shops and their online catalogues....
it seems some who do not attend shows have ancients whish they want to get shot of.
i saw a lovely Trajan denarius and a Domitian for about £30 and they were real quality coins. Its worth looking through the UK coin shop directory and spending a few hours searching their online catalogues. some dealers are into modern coins, but ancients come their way in lots, sometimes they dont know what they have....if you catch my drift?

 

I took the advice of members here and found better pieces for slightly more money. I picked these up for a little over $20 each. I just received the 9 dollar Elagabalus in the mail and I have to say that with some light brushing with water the features stand out a little better, and I thus consider it one of my best buys. I now have over a dozen pieces and will be adding more on occasion. I have also moved into Greek coins and will be posting about that in the future. I think ancient coins are well worth the money and are perhaps one of the most overlooked categories of coins out there. It still amazes me how cheaply one can buy very high quality ancient pieces.

 

Now these are two nice looking coins Jo, and the prices are good. Have you attributed these two latest additions?

 

Well, I did not deeply research them, since as Medoraman pointed out Gordon III coins are common in high grades. The other coin is of Philip the Arab, I believe, with Victoria on the reverse, and, according to one website, this particular piece is common.

Mainly I have been focusing on low and mid-grade coins because they are cheaper, though I wanted higher-grade coins like these to complement that. Since the Gordian coins I have all differ, I can't say I regret my lower-grade purchases. The varieties out there seem almost infinite.

I think under $30 it's hard to go wrong with ancient silver, though I avoid coins that are severely worn to the point that they are unidentifiable, or broken or holed coins. I think even my lowest-grade coins can be identified with enough effort.

 

Nice additions, especially enjoy your latest Gordian III. I know very little about this "new world" of collecting, but so far all of my ancient purchases have been through eBay. Everyone has rightfully complained about going through 1000's of junk listings just to find one jewel, and I couldn't agree more, but certain sellers seem to have quality coins with some regularity. When you find one, keep checking their inventory. And as a bonus, going through so many listings has helped me better understand what types & rulers are more common.
It's interesting that another collector is getting into ancient coins at this same period in time with a passion for only Silver Roman (and eventually Greek) coins as well.... Perhaps a trend is forming in the ancient market. Now where'd I put my prophetic investing cap....

 

Yeah, I find it strange that I stand out for seeking ancient coins of relatively high silver purity. I guess it comes more from having a background interest in bullion and fusing it with numismatics. Because of deteriorating fineness over time among Roman coins, I have focused lately on Roman Republic denarii. I also notice that this conflicts slightly with the sensibilities of some numismatists here, but overall we are on the same page.

My interest in silver is also a good source of fuel to my coin hobby, though others might not think so at first. I plan on buying tetradrachms of Alexander the Great very soon. If I were not as fixated on silver, I might have taken the road of collecting sestertii instead. I see silver numismatics as a different flavor of bullion investing, even if values in some ancient coins far exceed bullion value -- it serves as a hedge to my pure rounds and bars.

 

eBay is not a bad place, though many here scoff at the site. I may not have gotten the best deals on some of my coins posted in this thread, but the monthly coin show in Sunrise, FL is a joke by comparison. No way would you find an Elagabalus denarius for 9 bucks there, no matter how worn. I also recommend Vcoins. I'm glad I got some of the feedback/constructive criticism from members here, because it showed me that you can really up the quality for just a little more money. Patience is also important.

 

I shop Ebay, but I am very weary of many dealers. I check and double check the coins before I pull the trigger. I also have my favorite sellers from Ebay. Those I have bought from in he past w/o problem.

 

The Gordian coin I have attributed as:
RIC 144, Gordian III AR antoninianus. FORTVNA REDVX, Fortuna seated left holding rudder and cornucopia, wheel below throne; Rome mint: AD 243

See: http://wildwinds.com/coins/sear5/s8612.html#RIC_0144

 

The second coin is Philip I:

RIC IV 50, Philip I AR Antoninianus. IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, radiate draped bust right / VICTORIA AVG, Victory advancing left with wreath & palm; Rome mint, 243-247AD.

See: http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=216610

 

Those are very handsome ants indeed! I would welcome them in my collection any day. Here's a link you may find interesting, apropos to your interest in weights and fineness...

http://www.tulane.edu/~august/handouts/601cprin.htm

 

Thanks. I now realize that members here like to have specific details of coins posted, so I will be sure to do that in the future with any coins I post.

 

OK, so I have made progress in my buys. Lately, I have focused on Roman Republic denarii, though I have taken a breather to buy more gold. Here are my latest Roman buys. It will be a while before I buy more.



Attribution: Crawford 285/2, Curtia 2, Syd 537
Date: 116-115 BC
Obverse: Q.CVRT, Head of Roma right in winged helmet.
Reverse: Jupiter driving quadriga right, hurling thunderbolt and holding sceptre, M SILA below horses, ROMA in exergue.
Size: 19.91 mm
Weight: 3.76 grams



MALLIA DENARIUS, 111-110 B.C., ROMA/VICTORY


C Licinius Lf Macer, 84 BC
Silver Denarius, 23mm, 3.90 grams
Obverse: Diademed bust of Vejovis left hurling thunderbolt.
Reverse: Minerva in quadriga right, C LICINIVS F MACER in exergue.


These are some of my buys. I like the last one because, at 23mm, it's nice to hold onto. The first one I also like because it has nice detail. The middle one is so so but I only paid $32.50 or so for.

 

The files I attached accidentally are attributed as follows:

GENS AEMILIA. DENARIUS. M AEMILIUS SCAURUS. OBVERSE: CAMEL. 58 BC.

Obv: M SCAVR AED CVR EX SC, King Aretas kneeling beside camel, REX ARETAS beneath camel.

Rev: P. HVPSAEVS/AED CVR- CAPTV C HVPSAE COS/PREIVER, Jupiter in quadriga left, scorpion below.

Weight: 3.56 grams.

 

That third one really stands out, nice work!