While Greek coins are not my area of expertise/knowledge, I do know that for 12 Caesars Roman coins, lifetime issues command a premium over non-lifetime coins. Is it possible that this is also true for Greek Alexander III coins, and maybe the dealer's information and expectations reflect the market?
What an you say about this one? It is the same type but fourree and 7.3g. The style is not all that bad. Who issued the "into the early AD" coins? My monogram matches this higher grade one which is given as 7.51g. http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1764583 I suspect it is not solid either.
Certainly there is a price bump for lifetime coins of Alexander but it is not right to extend that other rulers on a wholesale basis. I also agree that most 12 Caesar Romans are better lifetime but the one below here is certainly the exception and the Augustus/boys coin I would most like to own. http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=562455 Is there a price difference for lifetime Hermaios? I do not know. I am more likely to accept JA's suggestion and hope that it was the lesser evil of his having overpaid himself.
India, Jammu Indo-Scythians Rujuvula as Satrap of Chach (10 BC -10 AD) Billon Drachm 14 mm x 2.39 grams Obv. Diademed bust of Rujuvula right. Crude BASILWS SWTPOS Rev. Athena Pallas Standing Gorgon shield and hurling thunderbolt (imitation Indo-Greek Issues)-Kharoshti legend around Chatrapasa apratihatachabrasa, control marks in field. Ref: MACW 2501 Note: Rare silver rich Billon.
I came across coin number one with an unusually high realization, the coin is nice. https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=999&lot=212
Remarkable! The CNG coin is slightly better struck than yours, but that's about it. It always feels good to snag a coin on the cheap that everyone else is paying top dollar for.
It's a gorgeous coin, but I'm a bit surprised that it exceeded the estimate by so much....What am I missing???
Two bidders really really wanted that coin. That's all. Also, CNG estimates are extremely low. They encourage bidding, and when the bidding goes above the estimates, that makes the consigners happy. Never take a CNG estimate as anything but marketing - it bears no relationship to the value of a coin.
Thanks JA It seems I did miss at least one thing, that CNG 'estimates' are extremely low. Other auction sites I have browsed seem to have estimates that seem more in line with the current market and sometimes seem a bit inflated...at least compared to actual sales which are a strong indicator of current market values over time. Of course, 'estimates' by definition, are just that and there can always be a bidding war between two buyers who desperately want a particular coin for whatever reason. But, I must admit, placing estimates does seem to create the 'market value' in and of itself...a point you emphasize and one I must keep in mind more often.