Picked up this Sestertius for $7 shipped. Guess the wear turned off bidders but it's honest wear and free of Bronze Disease & even flan cracks. Doesn't get much more of a bargain then this. Still has a pleasant portrait and identifiable reverse. Lucilla (164 - 169 A.D.) Æ Sestertius O: LVCILLA AVG ANTONINI AVG F, draped bust right. R: IVNONI LVCINAE S-C, Juno seated left, holding a flower & infant. 18.94g 30mm RIC 1747, Cohen 37.
People like close to mint condition in their coins, I'm probably guilty of that too, but there is just something refreshing about a coin that looks it's age. You can tell that instead of sitting in a jar from the moment it was minted until now, this coin saw a lot of action in antiquity. Imagine the thousands of hands this coin passed through in the ancient world and the history behind each transaction. Did Titus the butcher use this coin to pay for some wine or prostitute? Did Marcus the street beggar use this coin to get some grub at a low end family restaurant in the Suburra? Too bad we will never know. If only it could talk.
A nice Lucilla Sestertius for just 7 bucks??? That's a super bargain as far as I'm concerned. CONGRATS!!! This one costs me 12 times as much---but I just LOVE those 'King of Bronzes'....Antoninus Pius:
I know we have a lot of Lucilla examples out there in ancient coin-land---Here's my sole Denarius of her (I think she looks far more attractive on Mats bronze):
Another well worn sestertius LUCILLA Æ Sestertius OBVERSE: LVCILLAE AVG ANTONINI AVG F, draped bust right REVERSE: VESTA, S-C, Vesta standing left, holding palladium and sacrificing with simpulum over lighted altar to left Struck at Rome, 161-161 AD 30.4 mm, 21.89g RIC 1779; BMCRE 1178
Great bargain pickup, Mat (it has a comfy look about it ... congrats) Lucilla, eh? ... yah, I've got a bargain-gem around here somewhere ... owww, it has a nasty ol' peacock!! (animal-coin credit!!)
Whatever the wear when style is there ! Look at that chin ! One of the first roman coins I ever possessed (a few months after my "famous" Commodus sestertius) is a worn but adorable sestertius of Lucilla's, and I still like it very much Lucilla, Sestertius Rome mint, circa 164-166 AD LVCILLAE AVG ANTONINI AVG F, Draped bust right VENVS, Venus standing left, holding an apple and raising drapery from left shoulder, SC in field 24.42 gr Ref : Cohen # 77, RCV # 5507 Q
30 mm, nice smooth surfaces...WIN! now i have an ugly lucilla.... can't find my reverse pic, you're not missing much.
As sestertii go, this one is considered nice. http://a-coins.blogspot.com/2011/10/most-expensive-roman-coin.html or did you mean Lucilla? There is an EF coming up in a big sale estimated at EUR4000 but what they call 'Gently Smoothed' is pushing tooled IMHO or, perhaps, the style is just not as fine as this $7 coin which looks a lot more pleasing to me. It is all a matter of opinion. I would buy the $7 coin for a bit more (at last $8) and the EUR4000 one for a penny on the dollar.
