Sestertius - Coins from the Safety Deposit Box

In the early 2000's I became and still am friends with an eastern European dealer, since forced into retirement - another story - who sold me coins which I sold on ebay for about 10 years. It was like a second job - at one time I was selling 25 coins a week - all auctions - there were reserves back then and "buy it now" was a rarity.

People today forget how important ebay was as a place to sell ancient coins up until about 2010 - even CNG sold coins on ebay at one time. And it was ALL auctions. As a result I was able to afford to buy my passion- large bronzes - sestertius - which have held my interest for over 26 years. I bought these at a time when almost all of the newer sestertii on coinarchives were high grade - not the low grade stuff now being sold in huge numbers by mostly European auction houses. Higher grade can still be found - for a price.

In about 2012 I put these sestertii in a safe deposit box and after that focused on the family of Septimius Severus and Hadrian travel series but mostly Septimius and sort of forgot the coins in the box - focused on other things. Although I didn't really forget about the earlier coins - how could I? each is like an old friend now - I didn't have easy access since the box is in New York City and I live in Jersey.

However, two weeks ago the Capital One branch where the box is at told me the branch is closing, so I was forced to take the coins home. I picked out some of the more interesting ones, made some not so great but not too poor photographs - and here they are:

1. Titus sestertius - Mars - when I purchased this on ebay, it was one of maybe five known but it seems like a dozen have appeared for sale since then. The coin is far nicer than the photograph, and is high relief:



2. Nero sestertius - Temple of Janus - I believe this was purchased on ebay from Dianacoins and cleaned by a good friend in the UK - this is much nicer in hand, as is the Titus. The patina is simply perfect.



3. Drusus Germanicus - Pax? - purchased on ebay from an Eastern European seller in the UK for $400. Yes in 2004 it was possible to find many coins like this for prices that would seem incredible today. Was it the war in Serbia? The fall of communism - or one person who told the gypsies in Bulgaria to stop tossing the coins with construction debris in the river, and sell these. Next thing you know two tons of coins are moving through Germany - one story I heard. I got into ancient coins from an interest in history - shame on me for not knowing who this is.

4. Domitian sestertius - on horseback with shield going after foe - I purchased this coin from a woman in Italy - I think on ebay in about 2006 - who was selling other gorgeous coins at an incredible price. She would have sold one other to me but some ruthless Italian dealer told her she had to sell all of the coins to him as a group or no deal. So I missed out on another one which was far nicer than this extremely nice coin - this type always has a medallic flan and must be a special issue - perhaps not Rome mint?



5. Trajan - eastern conquest platform - The last one is from a CNG ebay sale I think ca. 2003 - I know it is CNG, not 100% certain about ebay. This was my first really nice sestertius - I love the history behind it and I really like the perfect medallic flan which were struck during this period - the last common use of the really large perfect flans - after this smaller became the norm, although there were exceptions. I will post some more but 10 pix is the limit - I will also post the size - the price was $700 and no buyers fee - the buyers fee is a pernicious aspect of online auctions.


The coin above has a beautiful green patina that I bolloxed in the photograph. None of the coins are perfect - but most are honest VF which was what I was always trying for.

I have many more coming - Claudius, Caligula, Marcus Aurelius, Commodus even Gordian as Caesar. But 10 photographs is the limit so the rest will be replies.
Blake

 

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Hopefully, I can put up some more:

6. Sabina sestertius - Eagle Divvus type - I saw this (I think) on VCOINS and could not believe it - I thought these were never offered for sale. But it was affordable at the time. I am still waiting for other divus (divvus?) especially Julia Domna.



7. Nerva sestertius - Libertas - I purchased this coin from a young German collector who sold me several other coins, including a Thracian Titus sestertius that I foolishly later sold. One of many I regret selling. I have been able to buy several beautiful coins from overseas collectors but the hard part if making these connections. What a schnoz!


8. Gordian as Caesar Sestertius - Priestly Objects - I love these rare examples - still waiting to find a Severus Alexander as Caesar sestertius. This one was also cleaned by my British friend Anthony Holmes who has passed on at a way too young age.



9. Vespasian sestertius - Fortuna - this was also from Dianacoins. There was a time when Dianacoins was selling incredible examples for prices that were about a third under the rest of the market. I recall example after example of Caligula as's - if only I had not sold the one I purchased! But I could not afford to add another catagory of coins to sestertii - as one sage wrote - "you cannot collect them all." But Dianacoins sold quite a few Vespasian sestertii - I bet I paid less than $125 for this one. Harlan Berk was selling a die match to this and I recall the description indicated there was something special about it but I do not recall what.



10. Aelius sestertius - Spes: The last one for today is an Aelius that was one of a few purchased from Richard Beale of the "Four Bad Years" website and collection. Before he focused on sestertii of Trebonianus Gallus and family Richard was trying to put together a collection of sestertii of all of the emperors - and I joined in and tried to do the same. I recall searching high and low for a Valerian II or Saloninus sestertius. Valerian II did made an appearance on a CNG auction and other places I think but too expensive, I missed the Saloninus that was offered and stopped actively looking - until now. When he switched to putting together the greatest collection of T. Gallus and family and documenting it in a fantastic web-site Richard sold off his sestertii of earlier emperors on ebay - I picked up a Caracalla/Mars, a REALLY nice Julia Maesa and this one, a beautiful sestertius of Aelius. I am now back to looking for sestertii of Valerian II and Saloninus!

Let me add again that what I looked for was not perfection since I could not afford it but through scouring the listings I looked and sometimes found higher grade coins that had small imperfections that resulted in a lower price - these were acceptable. I did not buy tooled coins, but smoothed was ok and maybe barely noticeable strengthening of inscription. Also I looked for anywhere I could find affordable, examples - it was quite a task - still is, although I do not have the time I had then.

Buying bronze coins is hard sometimes but with persistence you can find examples that are far better than photographs. However, I think if I were starting out I would focus on provincial bronzes - the last area where you can find quality coins for relatively reasonable prices and an enormous selection - but tough to resell - that's of course not a problem.

In fact, I am looking more and more at Alexandrian drachms - but darn these are not cheap in mid and higher grades if you can find any at all! So maybe not.

The search is never ending isn't it?.....

 

Awesome Sestertii! Really enjoy the Nero, Gordian and Vespasian.

 

beautiful sestertii!

 

Coincidentally, I got mine from eBay as well!


Titus as Caesar [Vespasian]
Æ Sestertius, 25.56g
Rome mint, 73 AD
Obv: T CAESAR VESPASIAN IMP IIII PON TR POT III COS II; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, r.
Rev: S C in field; Mars adv. r., with spear and trophy
RIC 563 (R2). BMC -. BNC -.
Acquired from Charles Euston, eBay, February 2025.

FWIW, I still consider it a fairly rare variety.

 

Fabulous collection of sestertii!

 

Quantity isn't everything - these are beautiful - the Claudius is amazing!

 

P.S. I have seen the Claudius before but do not recall where. There is something extra beautiful about the sestertii of the early emperors, because of the large flans. But the celators retained their skill through to the end - with up and down periods. One down period was during Marcus' reign, another Commodus - the portraiture looked sloppy, the relief low, although Commodus did have those lovely unaffordable medallions. A book I referenced in a prior post examined the skill at length - Sutherland's "Roman Coins." It is also subjective.

 

My only Sestertius is a Claudius/Constantiae
Claudius Æ As. Struck circa 41-50 AD. TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP, bare head left / CONSTANTIAE AVGVSTI S-C, Constantia, helmeted and in military dress, standing left, holding long spear in left hand. Cohen 14. RIC 95

 

I have none, but had a thrill seeing everyone else's

 

I had posted a Titus which I purchased recently from Leu. Mine is from a Thracian mint and I will repost - but first more coins from the box.

 

I have a number of coins still to go and thought I would continue to post in 10 coin batches:

1. Agrippa As - Neptune - this was from Dianacoins. At one time they put up what seemed like dozens for sale, and purchased one. I used to have a Caligula As and a few others and very foolishly sold them - I recall how exciting it was when Dianacoins resumed selling every September after taking the summer off. This is only one of the many many amazing coins purchased from them until 2009.



2. Claudius sestertius - Spes - this was purchased from a seller who would sometimes post amazing coins - I lost out on a perfect Volusian that is on the "Four Bad Years" site. I had also purchased a Claudius inscription sestertius with Tiber patina from Richard Beale but foolishly sold it thinking I already had a Claudius sestertius. But I like this one.



3. Caligula Sestertius - inscription - cleaned by Anthony Holmes, purchased from Dianacoins - one of my favorites but I wish the laurel leaves on the portrait were clearer - but again you won't find perfection in any of these.



5. Agrippina Jr - blank - Thracian mint - this coin is insane. Recently CNG sold one like it and it went for only a few hundred dollars even though there are only a handful known - in coins condition is king. This one is from Dianacoins.



5. Agrippina Sr. "SC" - another Dianacoins purchase - a bit rough but as with many, if not most of the earlier sestertii - it is large and heavy.





6. Viitellius sestertius - Pax - ebay purchase. Usually these go for thousands but I got this much less than that because of the wear. Finding it was hard, but I didn't want the gap - I had a tendency to go for higher grade more common coins, and as a result didn't have one. I tried to find a Pertinax that was affordable but these go four figures even for really worn examples. I was lucky to find this.



7. Gordian III sestertius - Roma - In or about 2015 CNG had a large number of high grade Gordian III sestertii for sale - why? Who knows? But these were too nice to pass up and the quantity made the price reasonable, which no longer seems to happen - as with many of the other coins posted the color of the patina is a bit off.



8. Nero sestertius - the only coin I have from my friend Walter's coins which I helped sell on ebay the early 2000's. He was an amazing guy, his passing was sudden and he is much missed. The relief on this coin is amazing as is the excellent job done by another friend who has passed - Anthony Holmes.

9. Balbinus sestertius - Providentia - a CNG acquisition purchased on ebay. Amazing to think that ebay had such beautiful coins for sale there although judging by what is above there are a few very nice ones that appear there. And why not - no consignment fee for the seller and no tacked on 22.5% for the auction house. Ebay isn't free but it is still a good place to find coins IF you can ignore the fakes - it drives me crazy that ebay does not police this.


10. Augustus Divvus issue under Tiberius - this was purchased and shoved into the box only a few years ago. After buying this I realized that it was portraiture I really liked about sestertii - but then again, there is the historical interest.

I have one more that really belongs in this group but I can only list ten at a time. Every penny spent on these coins was eked out of my tiny coin business - for which I am certain I make under minimum wage. But it is a labor of love - not just the coins but history - the amount of time I spend reading ancient history is at least equal to the ti.me spent on coins - well not quite. If only I had the time to learn latin and greek....

 

I love this type = and the irony it represents - at one time I had a close to perfect example purchased from Dianacoins - but foolishly sold it. But the tiber patina on this coins is just beautiful - this type of patina brings out details you just do not get with patina.

 

Thanks - I have many more to post - you keep buying one after the other and next thing you know you have a collection. I have a medallic Commodus that is going to be in the next bunch, purchased from a Serbian friend,

 

I have to do a better job on the photos

 

Tiber Patina is a new one to me, I had to look it up. Thanks, I fell in love with it when I saw it.

 

Mine look like "culls" in comparison to to @Blake Davis' coins:

NERO CLAUDIUS DRUSUS
AE Sestertius
OBVERSE: NERO CLAVDIVS DRVSVS GERMANICVS IMP - Bare head left
REVERSE: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TRP IMP Exe: SC - Claudius seated left, holding branch; weapons on floor
Rome 41BC-2 AD
28.6g, 36mm
RIC 93

HADRIAN
AE Sestertius
OBVERSE: HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS P P, laureate bust right, draped far shoulder
REVERSE: HILARITAS P R S-C, COS III in ex, Hilaritas standing facing holding palm & cornucopia, two small children flanking her
Struck at Rome, 128-134AD
25.30g, 35mm
RIC 970

ANTONIUS PIUS
AE Sestertius
OBVERSE: IDIVVS ANTONINVS, bare head right
REVERSE: CONSECRATIO, four tiered funeral pyre surmounted by Antoninus in a quadriga, SC in ex.
Struck at Rome 161 AD
25g, 31mm
RIC 1266 (Marcus Aurelius), BMC 880 (Marcus Aurelius), C 354

FAUSTINA Sr
AE Sestertius
OBVERSE: DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right
REVERSE: AETERNITAS S-C, Aeternitas seated left holding phoenix & scepter
Struck at Rome, 147 AD
24.53g, 34 mm
RIC 1103A

MARCUS AURELIUS
AE Sestertius
OBVERSE: AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG PII F COS, bare head right
REVERSE: IVVENTAS S C, Juventas, wearing a long robe, standing left, holding a patera, sprinkling incense on a candelabrum
Struck at Rome, 140 AD
12.4g, 27mm
RIC 1232, C 393, S4831

MARCUS AURELIUS
AE Sestertius
OBVERSE: M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARMATICVS, laureate head right
REVERSE: TR P XXIX IMP VIII COS III S-C, Annona standing left, holding corn-ears & cornucopiae; modius with two corn-ears and poppy at her feet
Struck at Rome, 175 AD
22.3g, 30mm
RIC 1154

MAXIMINUS I
AE Sestertius
OBVERSE: IMP MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG - Laureate, draped bust right.
REVERSE: SALVS AVGVSTI - Salus seated left, feeding snake on altar
Struck at Rome, 235-236 AD March - January
20.7g, 29.5mm
RIC 85

OTACILIA SEVERA
Æ Sestertius
OBVERSE: MARCIA OTACILIA SEVERA AVG, diademed and draped bust right
REVERSE: SAECVLARES AVGG, SC in ex, Hippopotamus standing right, head raised
Struck at Rome, 248 AD
18.6g, 30mm
RIC 200a, Cohen 65
ex Warren Esty

PHILIP I
AE Sestertius
OBVERSE: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, laureate and draped bust right
REVERSE: AETERNITAS AVGG, elephant and driver walking left, SC in ex.
Struck at Rome, 247-8 AD
20.6g, 28mm
RIC 161a

 

It refers to the river Tiber - sestertii found in water - if a bronze survives it - or in the desert where patina didn't cover the surface, leads to a preservation of the surface in the original color - although called "Tiber Patina" it is actually lack of patina. Since patina of any thickness can obscure fine details, Tiber patina is a desired condition, if the coin is in decent condition and not too corroded. I have very few sestertii with Tiber patina -- it is very desirable and pricey. I think this is the definition - why Tiber? Rome of course!

 

Look pretty good to me, especially the Octacila Severa. Thats the thing about sestertii - if you compare two sestertii, unless one is perfect you can usually find some details on each that are better that exceed the other. When I purchased many of my sestertii, the market was loaded with high grade coins - as I said coinarchives was filled with gorgeous sestertii. As to where they are now, I would love to know. And auctions - even outside of ebay - started at $1 or one euro - they had reserves, not, as some auction houses do today, start at an insane price. Only Heritage starts auctions at $1 but they sure get great prices - mostly.