I'm new to the world of ancients and just started looking around for coins to collect. I like the roman republic coinage, specifically the Q. Pompnius Musa coins with the 9 different Muse reverse, plus the Hercules. My questions is on the Hercules reverse in particular, I found the following two coins sold on Heritage: http://coins.ha.com/itm/roman-repub...bc-ar-denarius-17mm-375-gm-5h-/a/3020-25578.s http://coins.ha.com/itm/roman-repub...is-hair-falling-in-ringlets-larg/a/3011-205.s The VF sold in 2012 for around $400, the xf sold in 2011 for around $10,000. Is this price differential due solely to the condition of the coins, or is there a variety here that I don't know about? Just trying to make sense of pricing on these coins, thanks!
Both are nice coins, but I can't explain that kind of difference. Obviously the xf is better, but not that much better to explain $9600.
I guess it's a type that commands a premium in higher quality. For additional comparisons, here's the relevant search result from acsearch.info. A few, including one you cited, seemed unusually high for the type though. It's a popular series for collectors so the prices are going to be commensurate with that demand.
wow, what a range of prices...that's some exponential growth in what you have to pay for the high end coins. cost "quality"
Part I have an issue with is the pricee in sear, they list $250 in vf and $650 in xf. Given the prices I see, I would have expected the dramtic price increase to be shown in sear.
Oh, well that one is easy to answer. The coin values in printed books are irrelevant . You have to search archives for recent sales data plus search fixed price stores and even then it's a guess. Even the auction houses' estimates on upcoming lots are often not useful. As Doug says, it only takes two determined bidders to drive a price skyward.
I figured the prices would be wrong, but the relationship would be close... thanks for ythe link btw, very helpful.
You will find instances where very well-heeled collectors are prepared to pay extremely high prices for what they deem to be the best example of a type they desire. And when more than one of them want the same piece, they can leave auction house estimates, reference book values, and even previous records in the dust. Beyond grade (which is to some extent subjective), style and provenance play a part as well. 10-20x more for a 'Best in Class' example is certainly not out of the ballpark, and $400 seems like about the right price for the VF example. Incidentally, this is a very interesting and also highly desirable series. Some of them also happen to be very rare, so trying to make a full set may take some patience and a lot of money. Erato is considered the rarest, and this example which I believe was the only one auctioned in the whole of 2014 hammered for $38k before fees: http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1995598
By the way, modern scholarship does not agree with old scholarship on which coins are "Erato." Coin counts showed the old Erato to be, inexplicably, much rarer than the others. That, and its sexy muse, caused it to be listed for much more. Banti says the symbol behind the head, a plectum, distinguishes Erato (which puts some formerly called Tersicore into the Erato category, evening up the numbers). Banti, Corpus Nummorum Romanorum, Pomponia, 19-21. Nevertheless, if anyone has a Erato, for sale, it will cost a lot more.
