My fav. coin/coins are the ones that are really beautifull to look at. I know probably the most expensive coin is the Mughal Empire 1000 Mohurs issued for Emperor Jahangir circa 1605. Last time this 35 lb. beast was on auction it was unsold but reserve was $8 MILLION back in 1990s. Other then its sheer size, its boring....has arabic poetry both obv./rev. On the otherhand, some of the 100 Dukats issued by Poland/Bohemia/Transylvania are beautifull 10 oz. coins. From my ten best coins, I would put 4 in my ten tops for eye appeal. Really they are all nice, thats why we have them. If, they were all the same value/rarity....probably considered heresy here....my fav. from MY collection would be my 1931 Yugoslavia 4 Dukaten....I love the design! That coin I won Rauch auction for 800 in FDC. So, I hope I do not get shot for Blasphemy.
Funny ... I just wasted an hour of my life and discovered that only "8" of my Top-20 most expensive coins made it into my Top-20 stevex6's favourite coins (well, those are "today's" favourites anyway) Top-20 Most Expensive Coins (NOTE: the coins that also made it into my Top-20 Favourites are high-lighted in red) 1 - Calabria Tarentum = $2,005 (Warrior on horse & Rider on dolphin) 2 - Syracuse Heiron-I = $1,365 (Quad/Nike & Arethusa w. dolphins) 3 - Otacilis Severa = $1,000 (Hippo Sestertius) 4 - Lucius Axius L.f. Naso (Mars & Diana with stag-biga) = $840 5 - Sikyonia, Sikyon = $800 (Chimera & Dove) 6 - Gallienus, Pamphylia, Side (Gallienus & Athean w Pomegranate c/m) = $776 7 - Mysia, Kisthene, Orontes (Nude guy & 1/2 boar) = $771 8 - Dionysian Tet of Maroneia (Dionysos & Dionysos) = $750 9 - Kings of Macedon, Antigonos II Gonatas (PAN shield & Athena) = $735 10 - Sicily, Selinos, Cast Onkia (Kantharos & Selinon Leaf) = $730 11 - Thessaly, Skotoussa (Herakles w lion-headdress & Horse Forepart) = $676 12 - Divus Augustus (Elephant quadriga) = $666 13 - Caracalla (Oxen-Biga) = $616 14 - Lycia Phaselis Alex-III w. c/m = $575 15 - Carolingians, Charles le Chauve AR Denar = $568 16 - Thessaly, Oitaioi (Lion w spear in mouth & Herakles) = $565 17 - Kings of Bosporos, Sauromates-II w. c/m = $560 18 - Sextus Pompey (Galley & Neptune statue w. Scylla) = $552 19 - Boeotia, Thebes (shield & amphora) = $545 20 - Lucania, Velia, AR Nomos (Lion with prey & grasshopper) = $545 stevex6's Top-20 Favourite Coins (today's choices) 1 - Calabria Tarentum = $2,005 (Warrior on horse & Rider on dolphin) 2 - Syracuse Heiron-I = $1,365 (Quad/Nike & Arethusa w. dolphins) 3 - Thessaly, Skotoussa = $676 (Herakles w lion-headdress & Horse) 4 - Lucius Axius L.f. Naso = $840 (Mars & Diana with stag-biga) 5 - Sikyonia, Sikyon = $800 (Chimera & Dove) 6 - Gallienus, Pamphylia, Side = $776 (Gallienus, Athean, Pomegranate) 7 - Nero AE As = $445 8 - Caracalla = $616 (Oxen-Biga) 9 - Constantius I AE Follis = $335 10 - Lucania, Velia, AR Nomos = $545 (Lion with prey & grasshopper) 11 - Lesbos, Mytilene EL Hekte - Sixth Stater = $459 (Ram & Bull) 12 - Macedon, Mende AR Tritartemorion = $396 (Crow & Donkey) 13 - MACEDON Eion = $400 (Geese Lovebirds) 14 - Ionia Ephesos Tetartemorion = $382 (Bee & Eagle) 15 - Thessaly, Pherai, Alexander = $273 (Hoof) 16 - Syracuse, Sicily Agathokles = $425 (Herakles & Lion w. club) 17 - Hadrian AE Alexandria Obol = $410 (Snake) 18 - Egypt, Alexandria, Antoninus Pius AE Drachm (Venus & Bull) = $150 19 - Marcus Aurelius AE Drachma (Alexandrian Green Gryphon) = $250 20 - Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine, Theobald II (Horse & Knight) = $385 .... sorry, that's probably only interesting to "me" ... but maybe the results are similar in other people's collections? => "most expensive" does not always = favourite!! HAPPY EASTER, coiners!!
Stevex6 - I like your top 20 approach, it is easier than making a top 10. My list would probably include two that are not my most expensive, but really neat to me: P Scipio, the first living Roman on a coin: The little bag I use to show folks some really old coins, or my bag of half Asses: I will not post Easter dinner, but my Easter flowers. I hum a song by Dickey Betts and the The Allman Brothers Band - Bougainvillea -
My top ten.....in cost/value now....* means I like them for coin design 1. FDC Aureus Elagalabus most recent price realized 45,000EUROS * 2015 2. FDC Aureus Diocletianus " " 45,000US 2010 3. FDC Aureus Constantius I R-5 40,000 SFRCS 1995 4. FDC Aureus Severus Alexander 21,000 US 2015 5. mintstate 10 Zecchini Papal States Pope Pius VI 1787 18,000 EUROS * 2010 6. FDC Aureus Gordianus III 16,000 EUROS 2015 7. FDC Dukat Transylvania Georg Rakozki I 1646 A-I 12,000 EUROS * 2011 8. FDC 100 Francs 1862-BB Napoleon III 16,000 US * 2015 9. FDC Salut d'or Gallic France 1430 Henry VI 12,000 EUROS * 2015 X FDC AV Stater Scythian-Celts Basternae 4 known 12,000 US 2014 Asterisk=love em for coin appeal. Note: I paid far less, these are recent prices realized. Probably will double in next 5 years again....John
ahahaha, panzerman => your number one example = $66,000 Canadian!! That is 5-times more than my entire Top-20 (that's ridiculous) Yah, I'm pretty sure that my entire collection is only worth approximately $80,000 => I wish I was rich like you, my friend!!
rrdenarius => awesome flowers and great coin posts (Happy Easter) ... sadly, we don't have any flowers blooming yet (maybe in May?)
Your right, one always wants most whats out of reach like the Roman 8 Aurei I posted from Ars Classica auction. One thing that does bug me (other then mosquitos) is the crappy Canadian Dollar. Everytime you have to buy UK Pound/German EURO/US$ bank drafts to pay for auction coins you get dinged horrific exchange rates. Here we still have lots of snow too. I will be back at work in ten days doing clients Spring cleanups. On May 14th we start cutting grass/maintaining flowerbeds. End of November...UNEMPLOYED! John
It's a NotInRic medaillon of Constantius II, struck between 326 & 327 in Nicomedia's mint. Price is over and over the clouds..... Nummus-bible link
I like that one too! I think its time to call these not medallions but 3 Solidi/8 Aurei etc. After all, we call 100 Dukaten just that, or 100 Zecchini (Venice) 1000 Mohurs etc....20 Staters of Bactria....