Is my Roman coin real?

How do you guys know it's from the siasca mint?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Because it has a Siscia mint mark on it, SIS, short for Siscia

 

=> oo-oo-oo!! ... I have an example!!



Crispus

 

I like that one Steve - Crispus decked out in armor with spear and shield and captives on the reverse. Yep. I like it.

 

Oh since we're on the topic of "first ancients/Romans" I just made a tray of my first 12 purchases. It was a bulk lot. Each one came out to about $5.42.

 

Awesome lookin' tray, Jwt ... certainly worth far more than $5 each (you nailed it!!)

 

Beautiful presentation!

 

Thanks guys.

Ya all you guys and gals and your trays made me want one I'll probably tweak it to sort of even things out eventually.

 

Those coins are all worth considerably more than $5.42 apiece. I would say at least three times as much, which is pretty damn good for a first foray into ancients. One of my first purchases included a coin for which I paid three times as much as I should have, given its fair market value. Live and learn.

I'm sure you're aware that the soldiers/standard types come with a variety of banners. The coin of Constans (top row, third coin) is particularly special because of the nice clear chi-rho on the banner. Chi-rhos on the banners aren't rare, but the design is more intricate than others, so it's always nice to find a clear, crisp rendition.

 

The weakest coin grade-wise is the Constans two-Victories type (third row, second coin). That's not a criticism - it's still a respectable coin with nice surfaces. These were the smallest issues before the the reforms that saw the emission of the AE2 Falling Horsemen. You would think that as the coins got smaller, the designs would get simpler, but the two-Victories type was quite intricate.

A bit of cherry-picking advice to anyone interested: you CAN find these types in VF to EF grades, and it's worth the wait. High-grade versions of these types demonstrate how much care and artistry the engravers dedicated to these tiny coins. Here are two of mine...

 

These were fun coins to attribute - and I don't mean it sarcastically. Some legends are challenging to read, some have missing portions. I had to buy a magnifying glass ($0.98 from the store on base) to read them. The Chi-Rho was nice and I wonder if there is a list somewhere of all known designs on banners. Think all I've seen are chi-rhos, dots and circles...maybe that's the extent of my collection?

And to echo John - really great coins can be found searching through LRBs (late Roman bronzes) without spending a fortune.

 

How do you guys store them? I kept it in the container, as you see in the picture. But does anyone else do it differently?

 

In 2X2 flips I find best suit my needs.

 

Do you put them in a folder? The ones that look like trading card flips you put in binders?

 

Binders. I have enough coins that I have them separated by eras (Greek, Roman Republic, First Century, etc.) Each page holds 19 coins with each having its own ID card. The last spot on the page I reserve for Book/page number which is cross referenced in my catalog.

Everyone uses their own method. As long as it works for you is all that matters.

 

You will find that the method that works best for 30 coins is clumsy for 300 and ridiculous for 3000. Bing is right on when he says whatever works for you.