For what it's worth, I think You did just fine Markus and I feel I would be stretching things a bit, Greg, if I bought that Divo Carus for more than $175.00 shipped. But, as usual, it's all in the eye of the beholder and whether it's worth that amount to him or her.
I love bird coins, but I like money too ... I like that coin, but I usually "love" a coin that I spend $200 on ... Dude => learn to use historical "research" ... ummm, in other words look around and see what similar coins have been selling for lately (what, is this new info to you, Smeagol?) https://cngcoins.com/Search.aspx?PAGE_NUM=&PAGE=1&TABS_TYPE=2&CONTAINER_TYPE_ID=1&IS_ADVANCED=1&ITEM_DESC=Carus eagle&ITEM_IS_SOLD=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_1=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_3=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_2=1 ... just jokes (I'm ripped .............. maybe)
For example => "I" see a few better examples on this site, so I may say "nay" that over-cleaned coin is a bit over-priced ... ... however, perhaps you thought your target-example had a really cool forehead, so maybe it's a really cool target!! (I'm just trying to get in your head) ... etc, etc ... => by far, the best way to figure-out if a target is cool, is to look-up old data (it really is the corner-stone of coin-hunting .... old data!!) => hey Smeagol, you rock ... I'm pretty sure that you know all this blither (cheers)
The two that are similar do not have the intact silvering of the $200 one. I'm just saying.... Is that worth an extra $50 (after auction fees) over the ones you showed? Maybe to some, and maybe not to others. I still say $200 is not bad if he likes it that much with the silvering.
Exactly Sallent. The most important thing for me is silvering... I keep my coins in an album, and shiny silver and gold things look a lot better in an album than dark brown or black things (which you have to take out and hold to the light to appreciate). Style and condition are important too, but silvering allows you see these things better. This may be a silly rationale to some.
I personally don't mind buying Bronze coins, even if they do look dark with the Patina...but when it comes to coins that had a thin layer of silvering to begin with, if I can find one where the silvering is intact then it will always be preferable over another one where the silvering has worn away.
Bronze coins with contrast (eg desert patina) are fine for an album - in fact I have a few of those. I think my collection looks pretty good for the first few centuries, it's only in the 280s onwards that my coins get dull - and my 300s and 400s look pretty boring except for the occasional siliqua and solidus. I still have much to do.
If you like eagles, consider looking at Greeks or Provincials. Most common are the tetradrachms of Alexandria where just about any reverse sells better than the common eagle. Other cities often have larger flans and different poses you might like. Finding birds other than eagles will be harder. Caracalla Antioch Elagabalus Nicopolis Salonina Alexandria IMHO the best bird type was used by Akragas, Sicily, in the 5th-3rd centuries BC. Two eagles are eating a hare. A nice silver dekadrachm might bring a few million https://www.sixbid.com/browse.html?auction=472&category=10357&lot=485197 but it comes in smaller silver and bronzes like this 3rd century AE21 which would have been a lot better had the rabbit head been on the flan.
Great coins, Mentor => yah, I especially love the example from Akragas (sadly, I don't have a cool example of an eagle and hare ... oh, and the two eagle version is even sweeter!!) Oh, and I didn't mean to diss your choice of eagle-coin, Smeagol ... I was merely drinkin' and tossin' out coin advice on a Friday night (often my Friday night advice has a fairly poor track-record) ... all of the coins shown on this thread are winners (curious, did you end-up buying the coin?) ... I would ask for another photo (I'm betting that it won't be as flashy silver, in-hand)
Nope I haven't bought it yet Gol. I will ask for another photo though - I'm trying to turn my bronzes into silver, so it needs to at least look silvered. I am so hungover right now, but that's neither here nor there