Your Most Expensive Ancient/Medieval Coins

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by ValiantKnight, Mar 15, 2017.

  1. Gavin Richardson

    Gavin Richardson Well-Known Member

    This penurious professor doesn’t have any really expensive coins. But I spent the most on this shekel of Tyre a little over ten years ago, and it’s probably hard to find one in this condition for much under $1000 these days. And the purchase story is really good.

    So I had a modest windfall of a few hundred dollars, and since such windfalls rarely happen, I wanted to get a “special” coin that I probably would not ever buy otherwise. I’m interested in Biblical-related issues and always wanted a shekel. In those days I really didn’t know about the auction world, so scouring VCoins was pretty much my only option. For no less than a YEAR I checked VCoins faithfully multiple times a week. All the shekels of quality were several hundred dollars--more than I wanted to spend. But finally, after about a year of waiting, I found a nice example and decided I would go ahead and bite the bullet and buy it. I decided to sleep on it one more night, and then I logged into VCoins the next morning. This coin, which had been in VCoins at least for weeks—maybe months—was gone.

    I was kicking myself for waiting so long; the most affordable nice shekel had been scooped up. But I had a desperate flash of intuition. I checked the VCoins auction site—not the retail site—and there it was. I guess the dealer had gotten tired of it sitting in his inventory all that time and, that very morning, had moved it to the auction platform. I got the shekel for the minimum bid, which was HALF of what I was about to pay.

    And we lived happily ever after.
    SHEKEL OF TYRE 1.jpg
     
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  3. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    Good things come to those who wait. I think that's the saying
     
  4. Parthicus

    Parthicus Well-Known Member

    Here's a quick photo montage of six of the most expensive coins from the Parthicus collection (to be auctioned next month):
    Parthian mix.jpg
     
  5. swish513

    swish513 Penny & Cent Collector

    Spent $90 on this, my most expensive Roman. Gordian III Sestertius.

    ric iv 280.jpg
     
  6. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

  7. zumbly

    zumbly Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

    I've only splurged and gone past the $1k mark twice. This one unsurprisingly tops the list for me - it cost 2.5 times the price of the next most expensive coin on the list and a little more than the total of the 500 cheapest coins in my collection. I finally feel that I'm getting decent bang for my buck by being able to share it three times in the past 24 hours :woot:.

    Julius Caesar - BL.jpg
     
  8. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    We pay too much for a coin when we see the one we have to have knowing it is a matter of now or never. My most expensive coin came as a part of a group of 27 coins. There was THE coin I wanted, six other coins I am very happy to have in my collection and twenty that I don't mind at all but that I never would have bought as singles. In such a case, I don't even know how much to say I paid for the coin. I can not just divide the total bill by 27 and say I paid the same for each any more than I can say I paid the total for the seven I wanted and got the other 20 hangers on free. I envy those of you who want things that the big sales offer every few months so you can try again if you fail. I knew I had one shot so I paid too much. I'll not ever know how much too much since that would require selling it. That is not on my bucket list.

    You have seen it before since it just came two months ago.
    pa1300fd3426.jpg

    Severan coins of Alexandria are all scarce. Julia Domna is not as scarce as Geta but right up there. I already had an Alexandrian tetradrachm of hers but the reverse was what made this one push me over the edge. It shows her two sons Caracalla and Geta making friendly like their late father had told them but we know that was a show. The coin is dated LK or year 20 which places it no earlier than August 29, 211. Caracalla killed Geta on December 26 of that year. This coin is listed in the Emmett catalog but, researching the previous reports, each listing seems to refer to this specimen. One can never prove a coin is the only one in existence but I doubt anyone has a roll of them either. More significant is the fact that Caracalla and Geta did not seem to like appearing on coins together. That was too bad for them when their father was alive but even those coins are scarce. This is the only type I have seen showing both that dates after Septimius died earlier that year. When he saw it, I suspect Caracalla was not amused. Which of the figures is Caracalla and which is Geta? Which one has his hand on his sword?

    The obverse die appears to be the same one used for Julia's tetradrachms for the last few years at least as far back as LIH (year 18). One die was all that was needed to strike so few coins. It is distinctive by an odd spelling of her name 'IVLIAN' with the N clear on this coin. Later LK coins used a new die with a portrait style more like the late Domna coins at Rome that used the IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG legend. I still need one of those. I hope when I find the coin I want, the catalogers don't lump it with two dozen other coins forcing me to decide if I want it bad enough to adopt the whole litter. Some will say I should sell off the coins that don't fit making this coin slightly less expensive but my experience with selling coins does not suggest I would get enough to make a difference. What keeps me from getting the next coin I want is less the money since my wants are cheaper than they are easier to find. I am as likely to find what I want in a junk box as in a slab. Perhaps the best answer is for me to develop a new interest in the coins that came with this one.

    So, how much did the coin cost? I had to spend $8+k to get it. The seven coins I 'sort of' wanted take that down to ~$1100-1200 each. Equal shares of all 27 would be $300 or so but who among you wants the twenty at that price? It is a lot easier to figure what you paid when you buy coins singly but you have to do what you have to do. How long will it be until I have a chance to upgrade this coin?
     
  9. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    My Gordian I Sestertius cost me twice as much than all of those of the whole Antonine Dynasty put together. Oh well...
     
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  10. Eduard

    Eduard Supporter**

    Doug, I had a similar situation to yours once: a rare as of Trajan (Temple of Jupiter) was offered as part of a lot - 12 low grade, mainly Flavians (asse, Sestertii, denarii), and the ONE coin I had to have...

    I also paid way too much for that one as of Trajan.

    In retrospect, I should have waited for another opportunity to buy it singly. As it happens, at least 2-3 have been offered since....such is the way of the world.
     
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  11. Eduard

    Eduard Supporter**

    My 5 which put the biggest dent on the family finances:


    Aureus of Claudius:
    Claudius Aureus-Obv - 1.jpg Claudius Aureus-Rev - 1.jpg

    Sestertius of Nero:
    Nero Sestertius Arch Obv - 1_opt.jpg Nero Sestertius Arch Rev - 1_opt.jpg

    Sestertius of Trajan:
    IMG_0851_opt.jpg IMG_0853_opt.jpg

    Aureus of Domitian:
    Domitian Aureus-Obv - 1.jpg Domitian Aureus-Rev - 1.jpg

    Sestertius of Galba:
    Galba Sest Wreath-Obv - 1_opt.jpg Galba Sest Wreath-Rev - 1_opt.jpg
     
  12. Mikey Zee

    Mikey Zee Delenda Est Carthago

    WOW!!!

    Given the nature of this thread, I expected some gorgeous posts and that's exactly what I see and what I'm drooling over.

    Prior to my latest purchase, a few coins punching the $600-$800 mark were my 'evil deed', but that Siculo-Punic Tet I recently posted went over 1k shipped and now tops the list. But I have no regrets just a wish that I could've purchased it for less. I have another on bid that I will not tell Marsha about--- if I win it, she'll have to find out about it when she manages the estate LOL

    BTW: I did release it from the slab and I'll try to reshoot it in the days to come.


    SL84036. Silver tetradrachm, Jenkins Punic 394 (O120/R322); SNG CopVIII 91; Dewing 983; SGCV II 6438; HGC 2 295, NGC Choice VF, strike 4/5, surface 5/5 (3819620-001), Sicilian mint, weight 17.03g, maximum diameter 23mm, die axis 225o, 300 - 289 B.C.; obverse head of Herakles right, clad in lion's scalp; reverse horse's head left, palm tree behind, Punic inscription MHSBM (paymasters) below;


    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2017
  13. gregarious

    gregarious E Pluribus Unum

    a fool and their money soon go separate ways, coin collectors just trade nero, tiberius galba octavian coins 001.JPG nero, tiberius galba octavian coins 003.JPG nero, tiberius galba octavian coins 005.JPG nero, tiberius galba octavian coins 006.JPG nero, tiberius galba octavian coins 014.JPG nero, tiberius galba octavian coins 015.JPG nero, tiberius galba octavian coins 019.JPG nero, tiberius galba octavian coins 021.JPG nero, tiberius galba octavian coins 023.JPG nero, tiberius galba octavian coins 024.JPG for different ...:)
    i believe this to be the pecking order in my collection. 1st Nero super large As(biggest coin in my collection), bust right/ Roma seated(on 7 hills?) right. this must be very rare because i paid a lot for it and can't seem to find an example of it now, however when i bought it i just knew it was nero. 2nd, Nero sestertius bust facing left/ winged victory advancing left holding SPQR shield. 3rd is Galba denarius, 4th is Octavian denarius and 5th is nero denarius.
     
  14. gregarious

    gregarious E Pluribus Unum

    i like the ending of a good story:)
     
  15. panzerman

    panzerman Well-Known Member

    john photos 1 023 (Medium).jpg john photos 1 025 (Medium).jpg john photos 1 018 (Medium).jpg john photos 1 019 (Medium).jpg john photos 1 019 (Medium).jpg 2064724l (4).jpg Well, here are my top 4
    Elagalabus
    Severus Alexander
    Arsinoe II
    Diocletian
    all were over around 10K/ now worth 5X time.
     

    Attached Files:

  16. panzerman

    panzerman Well-Known Member

    OOPS! forgot Aureus Constantius I Chlorus R-5 (2 known) best coin in bunch.....still a bit tired from clearing snow....we had 30cm., I had to shovel 35 driveways!
     
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  17. Nicholas Molinari

    Nicholas Molinari Well-Known Member

    Highest to lowest, highest being over 3k, lowest being just over 1K:

    Aes Grave As (worth every penny):
    RRC.jpg


    Mamar (2nd known, only one in private hands):
    normal_92.jpg


    Herbessos (Potamikon cover, Calciati Plate):
    HerbessosLitra20_82g.jpg


    Tauromenion (Calciati plate, Potamikon Plate):
    TauromenionHemilotron16_81g.jpg


    Gela Tetradrachm:
    3890029.jpg
     
  18. gregarious

    gregarious E Pluribus Unum

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  19. panzerman

    panzerman Well-Known Member

    Welcome to the club!
    That is a very interesting coin! Probably worth between one and two million today!

    John
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 16, 2017
  20. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

    These are my 3 most expensive coins by far.
    all 3 were around $1000 , usually I spend no more then $300 on a coin I really really like.

    P1150895.JPG P1170157.JPG P1170163.JPG
     
  21. GregH

    GregH Well-Known Member

    Mine were:

    Alexander IiI gold stater:
    [​IMG]


    Uranius Antoninus:
    [​IMG]
     
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