Share my pain - the ones that got away

Yes, but the downside of that is that the coins may not be properly cared for and properly disposed. We'll never know how many coins were lost when Grandpa died without a plan for his collection, and it wound up in the hands of uneducated or uncaring descendants.

I recently bought a handful of ancient coins at a pawn shop. The owner told me that if he wasn't able to sell them, they were going to the melters with the jar of 40% Kennedies. I gave him my number and told him that if he acquired any more ancient coins he should get on the phone IMMEDIATELY and give me call.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I have never tried a foil pressing. Love that Caligula sestertius, hope you find it again someday.

 

This is what got me started into foils. The owner of these coins made the pressings like mine but then filled the backs with glue and folded the foil over the dried glue before gluing them to the card. Now 45 years old, it is as good as new and has been thrown in a box with no special care. Severan collectors may note a few things you don't often see like the Divus Caracalla, the Septimius arch and Di Patri and the left Geta. I do not remember the collector's name or have any idea what happened to the coins. When I dropped out of the hobby from 1974 to about 1984 I lost contact with all my old friends.

 

very cool

 

WOW! Those look fantastic!!

From your experience, which thickness of foil works best? I have some absurdly thin foil which is useless for wrapping food (tears too easily) and some moderately thick foil. I'll try both but wonder which you found most effective.

 

Lol, thats something someone could post on ebay and call it a collection. It looks like real denarii.

Im surprised to see the Severus Alexander as Caesar Denarius, #18

 

50¢ was worth a lot more back then.

 

Thin foil is better because the detail transfers through better. Be careful when pressing or it will tear.

 

You've discovered the secret behind "Security+"

 

very interesting.

i tried to do one last night, and it just didn't work out well. the foil is kind of thick, i didn't have any glue, the foil image deformed when i took it off the coin.

did you every use clay or anything like that DS or anyone here? i know they did that back in the day.

@jwitten you made me spit out my coffee!

 

I have had great fun in the past making plaster casts in clay but sometimes it is hard to get clay proper for the purpose. I may have to try again when bored. Curtis Clay is a great believer in casts and has posted a step by step over on Forvm.

 

I like those foil pressings are good because you can admire your coin's design anywhere without damaging it.

 

Wow! I'd rate this coin a lot better than fine. The portrait is good quality, and the legends, especially on the reverse, are outstanding. Most unfortunate that you had to part with it.

 

Great post Doug. I do feel your pain sir. I remember every time I had to part with a coin. Giving coins away to kids I feel good about, but still remember those LRB's my wife made me sell. Even though I don't collect them, kept the 100 best from the group, and was able to sell some of the better ones to friends here, I still didn't like it.

Now you know why I am just a hoarder. Once the coins are in my grubby little paws I regret it too much to let them go. I understand your situation in life back then, but thankfully and hopefully I am not in that position anymore. My wife the other day asked me why I save so much money, (401k, IRA, HSA, deferred compensation, after tax stocks), and I told her it is so I never will be forced to sell my coins!

 

I tried foil on a few and used wax to make casts which seemed to work well. I also tried to make polymer clay molds, but they warped when cooked to harden them. Unless I left the coins on them when I baked the clay but I was only brave enough to do that with modern coins, not ancients.

 

I wonder about that too. I would love to hear the story how a Cleo VII 40 drachm in a Littleton flip appeared in a cheesy little flea market in rural Minnesota. Even funnier to me is it stayed there for a few years, fully attributed, with an asking price of $120 on it.

 

It looks like some of those coins have been sold by CNG, ex Rob Kutcher collection (was he the maker of the glue-filled foils?). Matches from CNG's archives:

Coin 1: http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=93806


Coin 3: http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=91426

Coin 4: http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=93819


...and more in their archives from several different auctions, earliest in 2006.

 

Nice sleuthing, TIF.

 

My only coin from Kutcher.


FAUSTINA Sr. (138-141 AD)
AR Denarius
Lifetime Issue
O: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, Draped bust right.
R: IVNONI REGINAE, Peacock seated on throne and scepter behind.
18mm
3.5g
RIC-340, RSC-221 BMC (Antoninus Pius) 145 (same reverse die)

Ex Robert Kutcher Collection (Triton X, 8 January 2007), lot 1606 (part of)

 

Yes, this DI PATRII is the clincher. It is listed as unique.
https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=91427

If you want to be put in your place when it comes to collecting just look at some of the lots from the Kutcher sale that were sold a large lots. There were many what we might call nice coins worth having.