Personal First Ancient: Claudius II Roman

Safe to say that I know who and/or where I'm going to if I ever have any questions about anything, thanks for the info!

 

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Yeah I've definitely developed an interest outside of US coinage, there's silver coins like these that have caught my eye and I'd like to more about them as well apart from just having them. I LOVE silver though so that's probably another reason why I like pieces like these as well

 

Good call! I LOVE Sasanian silver, especially the 'skeletal' style of the 7th century.

I haven't ordered anything since the tariff mess (really wreaked havoc on ordering coins from overseas), but Zurqieh (vcoins, out of Dubai) has good ones, fairly cheap. The downside; you usually get a barebones description. It would be worth giving him a PM to see if Dubai mail is still going through.

Even with cheat sheets, I still am pretty hopeless with reading the Pahlavi dates and mints, having to rely on specialty collectors for that.

 

And that's where Totalus Rankium and the history comes in. By listening to Heraclius' episode, you'd learn about the fascinating history, Khrusru's alleged rude letter to Heraclius ('my vile, imbecile slave'), and the awesomely-named Castle of Oblivion.

 

Nah, you are talking to the REAL experts that have been chatting here. I am just a novice.
My advice is to listen, observe, learn, ask fellow Ancients collectors… as you start to determine your interests in areas of Ancients… then, do homework and research.

 

I’ll be the first to admit I know very little to almost nothing about ancients, so there’s no issue there in asking/learning. That being said: I’d also like to avoid overpaying if I can help it (and VCoins has been brought to my attention/bookmarked).

 

Through the years, the Ancients Threads have posted trusted places to buy ancients, sites to research, sites that show fakes and how to spot them, etc. I use the Search function a lot, read through the threads, and find a lot of great info here in the CT Ancients. Most of the folks here (past and present), are pretty knowledgeable, helpful, and good people.

 

Now that my weekend has begun and I have it: here are the obverse and reverse of the coin

 

Interesting… it looks like the coin you bought and the coin you received are different coins. Although a bit off center on the reverse and on a bit too small of a flan, the coin you received is in good condition, so not necessarily a downgrade. Although, the other coin and this coin are from different mints (Milan vs Rome for the coin you received). Looking up the original coins number at NGC, I’ve pasted a picture of the reverse of the original coin and as the image is dark, a photo of my own coin of the type (also too dark in my own photo!).

 

I got so caught up in the coin itself I overlooked this. Granted, I've only been burnt once in US coins a while back when i bought 3 peace dollars listed as "Brilliant Uncirculated", but i ended up sending them back and getting a refund because 2 were cleaned and one had a rim ding.

 

Coins of Claudius II are common and to many, the value of a coin from one mint, compared to another is usually similar. So… if you’re happy with the coin you got, enjoy it and use it as a first step into ancient coin collecting as a hobby. The coin you received looks nice and features Victory on the reverse which is cool.

 

I am pretty happy with it, as long as it's not cleaned/damaged I'm more than satisfied given how detailed it is pairing with the age. Definitely going to ask more questions when it comes to dealing with ancients/world coins in general. Example: the seller is asking 100.00 for the Sasanian drachm as seen above. Is that a decent price for it or does that also seem to have a sizeable slab tax with it? Because based off the pricing of their Morgan silver dollars (which I know more about) much of, it not all of their slabbed coins are priced 20-40.00 dollars plus more than the coins are worth.

 

One could probably get the same thing from Zurqieh for c. $60, maybe $70.

The ones from U.S. dealers generally tend to be a little more expensive, probably because he's close to the source and can get them cheaper.

 

I was bookmarking coins for Secret Saturnalia. Check out Aegean Numismatics, there's quite a few drachms listed, at very competitive prices.