Favorites of 2015 for under $100

Even as I'm putting together my Top 10 list for the year, I wanted to post a thread that celebrated some coins that didn't make it to that list, but have nevertheless given me a lot of enjoyment for not a lot of money.

The list takes inspiration from (but is not identitical to) Doug's $100 coin show challenge, and is essentially a list of my favorite coins bought during the course of the year that cost under $100 shipped, in total. I excluded coins from mixed group lots that I've bought, as the average prices for those often don't reflect retail value, so I feel including them would just not be in the spirit of the original idea.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the coins!

#6. CONSTANTIUS II - Anepigraphic AE4, Antioch mint

Being anepigraphic, this coin literally does not say much. It says one thing about me, though... when something is cheap and interesting, I find it hard to be a condition snob.

#5. CARACALLA - AE21, Syria, Antioch

For $7 shipped, I got a decent-looking ancient coin of the Roman provinces, along with a tag telling me it's Ex Robert Effler Collection, "said to have been found in Beirut". IMHO, plenty of bang for the buck.

#4. SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS - AR Drachm of Cappadocia, Caesarea

A few members had been showing their silver from Cappadocia, and as a result, I needed one. There's a bit of metal missing from this coin, but the Sep Sev portrait and Mount Argaeus are sharp and strong on it.

#3. THESSALY, Magnetes - AE Tetrachalkon

The Magnetes were a Greek tribe inhabiting eastern Thessaly. If their coins are anything to go by, they liked ships and Chiron. I have a soft spot for Chiron... good enough reason for me to pick up this pleasing 7 gram chunk of Greek copper.

#2. IONIA, Teos - AR Tetartemorion

A teeny, tiny screaming griffin struck on an iota of archaic Greek silver.... shown here next to a grain of rice. Yes, these things really are that small!

#1. ROMAN REPUBLIC, Anonymous - Quadrans, Rome mint, after 211 BC

I always hesitate to use the phrase "nicer in hand", partially because I don't like making excuses, but also because the phrase implies I suck at photographing coins. In this case though, it really is better in hand! And yeah, I'm not great at that photography thing, too. I think this is nice for a budget coin, and burnished by its RBW pedigree.

So those are my 'Favorites of 2015 for under $100'... if you feel like posting any favorite budget pickups of the year, feel free to!

 

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I've got one - this rare Plautilla provincial that I bought for $20.

Plautilla AE27. Moesia Inferior. Nikopolis. Caracalla riding
27mm 15.6g
Varbanov 2276

Pretty sweet, no?

Of your bargain coins, Zumbly, I like your RR quadrans the most!

 

That's a nice one, alright!

 

Sabina too, for $20, although I don't know if i like this one. I might sell:

 

Great idea for a thread, Z! The Magnetes Chiron and itty bitty screaming griffin are my favorites.

Most of my sub-$100 favorites were from group lots so it is difficult to determine the true relative price paid. The following two were individual purchases though.


Elagabalus, with horn:

Elagabalus
AR denarius, Rome mint. Struck CE 221-222. 3.55 gm
Obv: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG; laureate and draped bust right, with “horn” on forehead
Rev: SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB; Elagabalus standing right, holding club and sacrificing from patera over lighted altar; star to right; faint star in left field.
Ref: RIC IV 131; Thirion 302; RSC 246

It's been a while since I added another city to the Pigasus collection. Eventually I'd like to have at least one winged boar example from every issuing city/entity. This type doesn't appear for sale often so its condition was forgiven-- although I missed a much better example the previous month. Not sure how I overlooked the better example since it was in a CNG auction.

MYSIA, Adramytion. Orontes, satrap
357-352 BCE
AE 11 mm, 1.11 gm
Obv: bearded head right, wearing satrapal headdress
Rev: forepart of winged boar right
Ref: S&B 10; Troxell, Orontes 3; SNG France –; McClean 7635; rare

 

I probably have too many of these to post, but of those UNDER $100.00 and far more typically under $50.00 shipped, I would include these:

Aemillian Ant:

Provincial Bronze of Augustus:

Bronze of Claudius (Constantia):

As of Gordian III:

'Judea Capta' Bronze of Titus:

Not to mention several RR types.....

 

I guess maybe my subject title was a little misleading, and the definition of budget pickups will differ from person to person, but just for the record, the total for all six coins shown was under $100, so on average, each coin came in at under $17. Where are all the non-big spenders??

 

Nice => that's exactly why I love ya, Z-bro => very cool thread idea ... oh, and the BABYMETAL thingy



you rock, coin-bro!!

Ummm, I'll go check for some < $100 examples .... then I'll append my post

*edit* .... oh ummmm, I'll go look for a couple/maybe-one example that might be close to being in that $17 coin-range!! (a stevex6 spit-ball) ...



*edit*

Okay => apparently I only have "6" beauties that I spent less than < $20 (delivered) ... wanna see 'em? (5 outta 6 of 'em are from my guy, Batman => the dude is fricken Golden!!)



=> swing-batter-batter!!!

Money well spent!!

 

$100...almost all of my top 10 was under a $100.

Try under $10! Cheapest ancient of the year.


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.

 

I'm familiar with Aemilian and you got a very sweet deal with that ant. On vcoins similar examples sell for $250+

 

Oops, I didn't read the OP closely...so only two or three of mine posted above would just about fit...so only my LRB's I picked up would about qualify for 5 or 6 TOTAL under $100.00 shipped:
View attachment 458256 View attachment 458256

 

I only have two ancients under $100, so I guess both are my favorites. I think between both coins I spent around $65 total.

CONSTANTINE THE GREAT


CONSTANTIUS II


Honorable Mentions:

This one gets an honorable mention because technically it only cost me $5 as I got it by trading a modern US coin which I had for a while, plus $5. The actual trade value was around $105, but like I said, only $5 out of pocket plus a coin already paid for years ago.

ANTONINUS PIUS

 

Damn, I clicked on the wrong Aemilian example...that was a comparison I forgot to delete---this reverse with standards is the one i purchased for $80.00:

 

Haha, yeah, I've seen your 2015 coins and don't think any fit the bill here. Well, maybe that Nabataean .

Hey, Steve, you do know that everytime you say "BABYMETAL", I have to go watch one of their videos, right? And here goes another 3 minutes of my life...

 

Z-Bro => sorry yah, I was including my entire collection, not just 2015 ...

FYI => I was very surprised to find that I own "98" coins that I purchased for less than $100 ... < $100 (delivered) ...... wild, eh?

... ummm, but that means that I spent + $100 for the remaining "254" examples!!

My average is currently $224-per-ancient-coin, for my 354 examples ($79,000) .... uh-oh, the wife better not read this!!



oh well, considering that I've been collecting for 5 years, or slightly more, I'm sure that there are more expensive hobbies, right? .... oh, and don't forget that "theoretically" somebody might want to give me some money for my collection, if and when I want to get-out!! ........ so again, I'm fairly sure that this is money well spent (I enjoy it, and it's not a "total" waste of money)

Gawd, I have friends that have spent $79,000 or more on a boat and/or a loaded pickup truck (pretty sure in 20 years, my collection will have kept its value more than those two random examples, right?) ... ummm, right?

 

I really like that Lucilla!

Yeah, Mat, you were one of the people I had in mind when I was putting this list together. The idea actually is to put together a list of coins you like from 2015 that collectively cost under $100 (not individually). If anyone can, you can!

 

One last post for me....Since I have numerous 'modest' Greek bronzes from the Forum auctions, I'll post one of my favorites--Apollo and Homer, 19 mm from Smyrna, Ionia (three of which would fall under $100.00):

 

Very nice coins for under a $100, i just pile mine up, before i die i'm going to bury all my coins, hoping some day someone will find them and have to rewrite History, thinking Romans came to the U.S.

 

Great idea Z! I have several cheapies that I haven't photographed yet, but here are some sub 20 buck coins that wont make my top 10 list..but deserve anthor look.



















these last two were 1 dollar each. shipping was combined with other items I had already purchased.

 

I posted my top 10 here: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/your-top-purchases-of-2015.271474/

The cheapest of the 10, the Gordian III, cost $30 shipped. The average of all ten is $97.50. Not bad when the Solidus is considered (the most expensive). If I take out the most and least expensive, the average then becomes $85.