My Worst Coin

Doug in another thread warned others not to buy coins struck on a Friday afternoon. It got me wondering what I would consider my worst looking coin overall.

So, since Mystery Science Theater 3000 is officially back on Netflix, I asked the guys to help me out with my pick, this Domitian denarius doggie.



Crow: Ahh, good old fashioned nightmare fuel.
Joel: Just because you lost your hair, doesn't mean you have to take it out on the whole empire.
Servo: When circus freaks ruled Rome!
Crow: It looks like someone's last known photograph.
Joel: (into loudspeaker) PUT THE DIE AND HAMMER DOWN AND STEP AWAY FROM ANVIL!
Crow: Luckily, this was struck before twitter had been invented.
Servo: Now this will anger the gods!
Joel: I never knew Bette Midler was on a coin.
Servo: The engraver really captured the grandeur of a bald white guy wearing a wig.


What do you consider your worst coin?

 

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As someone who focuses on aesthetic coinage, this example definitely raises eyebrows relative to my other pieces. It's a 1/192nd stater, with only a few examples known:



It's nothing to look at, and nothing to hold (really, I've nearly lost it a few times), but I'll be keeping it, even if I consciously choose to not display it alongside the rest of my coins.

 

As far as poor workmanship from celators, and not simply normal wear from circulation or environmental damage from burrial, it has to be this one....that nose! What were they thinking?

ROMAN REPUBLIC. P. Servilius M.f. Rullus, 100 BC. AR Denarius. (3.90 gm).
Helmeted bust of Minerva / Victory driving biga.
Servilia.14. Cr.328/1. VF.

 

@Sallent, that's one uber Roman nose! Some things are so ugly they are beautiful.
Steve

 

The worst I have??

WOW...I have at least a 'baker's dozen'----even when excluding the usual crapola from uncleaned lots LOL

Damn, the examples David and Sallent posted are too good to be my worst and even the 'gnarly' stater AJ posted is at least rare and valuable.

I'll be back later when I can narrow my choice(s) to a more manageable level---if that's possible LOL

 

I've bought all manner of aesthetically-challenged coins in my time - $1 eBay dogs, uncleaned culls, broken coins, holed coins, corroded and/or overcleaned 3rd century barbarous discards from fourth-rate group lots... the list goes on. Yet, this truly ugly Elagabalus provincial from Thessalonica, one of ten coins that formed part of my first ever purchase of ancient coins, holds a special place in my heart... even if I can't stand to look at it for too long.



I think someone yesterday posted an animated gif of Clint Eastwood from the movie Gran Torino. I think it would be appropriate to post it here again.

 

Coincidentally, I just watched MST3K for the first time a few days ago, starting with "Manos: The hands of fate". That was an experience, to say the least!!

 

OK, Since David started this and I'm having as much trouble listing a top 10 of my worst as I do of my best, I chose this holed fourree of Domitia:

 

I think we need to define "bad coins". Are we talking about sloppy quality control from the mint such as poor flan preparation, poor work by the celator, etc. (which is what I believe OP was asking for) or simply coins with environmental damage and wear?

Many damaged and worn coins show evidence of skilled celator work and high mint quality control, despite the environmental damage and wear that happened post-minting.

 

Yes, 'Manos' is truly a wretched film that needs to be seen to be believed. Kevin Murphy, the voice of Tom Servo, once remarked it's the worst film ever made that isn't a Transformers movie.

 

For me it's sloppy die engraving and craftsmanship. For someone else it may be something different.

I have other coins in worse condition than the one I posted. However, it's the bad style of the piece that makes me cringe. I don't know why I bought it.

 

Worst coin...wew I got some that are hard to beat.

Hard to beat...
Crappy workmanship
Crappy condition
Crappy alloy
Spotty history
Poorly understood
Hardly collected
Totally Undesirable....except to me.

Anuradhapura, Taprobane
Maha Sen of Anuradhapura (r. AD 277 - 304)
AE Unit 13 mm x 0.52 grams
Obverse: Maneless Lion right.
Reverse: 4 dots within a circle
Reference: H.W. Codrington: Ceylon Coins and Currency (Colombo, 1924, repr.1975) Pl. II 18-19.
Osmund Bopearachchi & Rajah M. Wickremesinhe: Ruhuna, an Ancient Civilization re-visited (Sri Lanka 1999) #H27-29
Prov. ex. Kushan Ranaweera (Sri Lanka) 2015
Note: Extremely rare go ahead find another one.

 

I'm with Sallent on this one. Th OP 'worst coin' is better than half of my collection and that include both mint workmanship and things that have happened to the coin since it left the mint. When I did my grading pages I termed these things Condition of Manufacture and Condition of Preservation. I believe NGC employs similar concepts calling them Strike and Surface. An unpleasant fact of collecting ancient coins is that there are a million variations and not all of them survive in a condition the majority of collectors would be willing to admit they own. When there is one example known there is a good chance that one will be FDC or even presentable. Upgrading might then mean pretending that the coin does not exist.

I'm not sure that it is my worst coin but the one I will show is pretty evil looking but it is also the only seen by me Septimius Severus, Alexandria mint denarius with the Trophy of Arms reverse commonly used at Emesa. I have posted it several times in several places asking for someone to show another. Please do but remember it must be Alexandria mint, not Emesa, style.

 

For all around butt ugly of the modern era, I think anything with Eisenhower's image is up there. I mean, Peace Dollars were a big enough of a step down from the grand old lady of Morgans, but at least they were 90% silver. Ike is just NOT stud muffin mintage material.

 

For an odd example of mystifying die engraving and other 'issues', I'd include this denarius of Malleous among them---yet that's exactly what appealed to me;

 

Well, there are ugly faces on rare coins, or ugly faces that are charming, like these two. First a nummus of Gunthamund, King of the Vandals, looking like the worst Vandal, too. Only .79 gr., coined in Carthage.



And Ruttpir, King (or Queen?) of somewhere in the Chach oasis (Sogdia), 7th-8th century. At the reverse the fat-nose tamgha (here pictured upside down) that points to Chach. 1.74 gr. With casting sprues. Shagalov & Kuznetsov #113.

 

Man, I used to love to watch MST3k!

Yeah, kind of hard to quantify "worst". Some relatively ugly coins are the crown jewels of their type. Well, I can put up some dandy coins to matter how you want to skin that cat probably.

this one is one of the few coins i actually kind of regret buying...man, the surfaces.

 

CILICIA, Pompeiopolis (Soli) Ae 22 131-32 AD Athena standing
Hadrian as ugly as can be

 

Heres a few

Bad flan, cracked/split during strike:


Another bad strike:



And a nose:

 

The hard part for me is that I love ALL my coins... they all represent cool historical times...

Here is a CRAPTASTIC one:


RR Q Titius AR Quinarius 90 BCE G Sear 240
MARSIC War / Social War - Rome / Italia