Missed out on a great coin

I'm sure many of you can empathize with me on this. I have been wanting an early posthumous Alexander Tetradrachm from the Babylon mint, and I found this excellent example up for auction. I bid up to my max, and I even extended a little, but someone with deeper pockets outbid me. Had I the money, I would have bid to win, but oh well...

At least I have a couple want list items I can buy now that the cash has been freed up.

 

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It is nice one with high detail. I can see why you are a little bummed out. But don't worry another one will come along.

 

There's ALWAYS another.

 

That is a nice one, too bad.

How would you define "early posthumous"? What timeframe exactly are you looking at?

 

323-290 BC

 

It's painful to come so close to reaching a goal and then have something prevent it from happening. Like my Mom used to say to me "You lost out because there's a better one coming with your name on it." Those weren't her exact words but they convey the essence of what she was trying to tell me.

 

Maybe I'll have money when the next one comes along.

 

This is true. Not only that, there will be attractive types you weren't even looking for when you didn't win the coin you wanted. I have been underbidder too many times to count, but that did not slow me down for long.

 

Sorry you lost out on that TET---it's a beauty.....but the great part about our hobby is there are ALWAYS new auctions and even more coins!!

 

You never know when you lose a coin just by how much you lost. You saw this as a generic tet to fill an 'early posthumous' slot. The winner may have just been guy with deeper pockets but it may have been the only variation a specialist in Babylon lacked to enable him to write his book on the coins. He may have been looking for years and bid ten times what you did. It works both ways. I have bid three times what I ended up having to pay for certain coins only to find I was the only person who wanted the thing at all. These are questions we don't often learn completely unless you see that coin offered again by a dealer who actually thought the coin was worth twice what he paid. Then, again, you will have the option of walking away. It is not important which fish ends up on your dinner plate as long as it tastes good.

 

All I know was that I was bidding against someone in a live auction. How high he/she would have gone is unknown to me. It got to the point where I would put myself into financial hardship if I bid more, so I have no regrets about backing off.

 

Too Bad............ that is something I would love to have.

 

I got these instead for less than half of the next bid increment.

AE of Alexander III


AE of Philip II (Alexander's father)

 

Those are attractive 'budget friendly' Bronzes!!!

I purchased a couple like that as well before 'scoring' a nice but worn Drachm and a couple of less than perfect tets. But I really like them and I didn't have to take out a second mortgage LOL

 

Mine is also from the Babylon mint. I've seen mine attributed as being from 305 BCE - 281 BCE, which would be Seleukos I Nikator's period of rule. But with a date that wide I guess you could say it is an early posthumous per your definition, or not early at all. I don't have a time machine to figure out whether it was minted before 290 BCE or just after. That's the problem with a lot of ancients, tons of them fall in the middle of these modern imposed timelines. The ancients didn't know 290 BCE was supposed to be the end of the early posthumous period for Alexander tets, so they kept minting this coin for 9 years past that date..

 

@TypeCoin971793 , nice AE scores! Well done. I have a few AE's from Alex III and Daddy Phillip II ...fun issues.

ALEXANDER III

Tougher to find with an Eagle Reverse... (love Eagles...)

Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AE 16 Eagle Tbolt Crescent O-R.jpg

He even struck one with my initials... Brian Alegandron...

Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AE 17 Quiver Club O-R.jpg

Basic Issue... Bow-Quiver-Herakles Club

Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AE 19 Quiver Club O-R.jpg


PHILIP II:

He was a BIG Horseman! Way cool... I raised some horses when I was a kid...

 

Most collectors want lifetime Tets from Alexander, usually they command higher prices then the posthumous ones. Is the Babylon mint an exception ?
or simply harder to find.

 

NICE! I love that Babylon mint short time period for Alex III Lifetime mintage.

I have a couple different ones that are Lifetimers...
(In addition I have a Lifetime Tet too...)


MAKEDON
Alexander III. 336-323 BC.
AR Obol (7mm, 0.51g).
Babylon mint.
Lifetime issue, struck circa 336-323 BC.
Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin headdress
Rev: Club, bow, and quiver; monogram in wreath left, M right.
Ref: Price 3744.

And an Alexandrine Lifetime Tet:

BABYLONIA, Babylon
AR Tetradrachm / Stater (or Dishekel)
Minted ca. 323-328 B.C.
24 mm, 16.3g
Obv: Ba’al seated left holding scepter
Rev: Lion walking left, control mark Г above. (Г - Gamma control mark was minted during Alexander III Lifetime)
Ref: Ref: BMC Arabia XXII no.1

 

LOVE the posts guys!!!

Everyone should have a few of the type

 

I already have a nice lifetime tet. I wanted an early posthumous tet from the Babylon mint because they were struck in the highest relief.