Toning on ancients.

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

You might consider starting a little smaller. I would recommend going to a coin show and looking for something in the $100 range as your first purchase. Planning in advance to spend $300-500, especially if you intend to buy something over the internet, could prove to be a big disappointment. If you must buy over the internet, I would at least ask for names of recommended sellers. In the past I would recommend buying from anyone on VCoins, but times have changed, and there are now several sellers charging outrageously inflated prices for their coins. Since $300-500 is well beyond my range, I'll let other members recommend potential dealers.

 

$300-$500 will buy you a sweet coin ... ummm, but I wouldn't worry too much about the patina (I would aim for the coolest/nicest coin in that price-range and if it happens to have sweet coloured patina, well that'd be a bonus)

 

@Johndoe2000$, to clarify, are you seeking a darkly toned silver coin or are you seeing a darkly patinated bronze coin? Or do you care which metal?

As others have pointed out, toning generally changes over time (patinas can change too). With careful storage, the change will probably be extremely slow.

 

I do have a couple already. I want one that reaches out and speaks to me. If I find one that does that for less, I'll jump on it, but from what I've seen, the one I want will cost a bit. Will need to have great detail, subject matter, and most importantly, be authentic. The search is on. If anyone has recommendations for good trustworthy sellers, I'm all ears, and will appreciate the help.
Thanks again.
John.

 

I am looking for either a very clean, bright coin, or one with black, shiny patina. From what I've seen, the bronze have been the ones with the appearance I'm looking for, but I'm already learning that the silvers can also have that patina. I have no preference. I hope that I find one that screams "buy me". (Figuratively, not literally) I mean who wants a coin that screams at you, would be annoying after awhile.

 

Many new collectors spend $300 on a coin worth $100 while others try to buy a $1000 coin for $300. That last group tends to buy a lot of fakes. The first group gets a coin they can enjoy for years if they can get over the fact that they paid as much for the service from the seller as they did for the coin and it will be a decade before they could recoup the difference. In the long run, that is a lot better than the one with the fakes.

I suggest avoiding auctions at the start but finding a trustworthy seller who has something you like. Reading these pages for several weeks will reveal a number of dealers some of us have used. You will even discover a few of us are dealers (I'm not) and would be happy to sell you coins but it is not appropriate for me to post names here.

There are coins for sale on CT sales sections. There are dealers who group together on vCoins (some better than others). I do suggest first that you participate here, read posts and determine who among us might be someone to ask for help. If you live near one of us (I'm Mid Atlantic US), we might suggest a coin show where you could see thousands of coins. I know a couple between now and Fall but if you live in a place I have never been, you might be better off asking others. Best wishes.

 

great topic you are no noob oke

want to buy a coin, what that the price listed in auctions
compare with auctions

https://cngcoins.com/Coins_sold.aspx

 

i'm wiff ya on that stevers! i've never bought a coin for that reason. my last coin i got is nicely toned, but i really didn't notice it until it was layed on the table for pics here.

 

I haven't found anyplace locally that has ancients to examine in person unfortunately. While my eyes will tell me the coin I want, I won't know of the FMV, or authenticity. I'm hoping that when I find "THE ONE", I can ask here for opinions, and will trust the consensus, as well as the seller. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not in a hurry, and am only beginning to get seriously into "The Dark Side". I want one that knocks my socks off, a "WOW" (well somewhat wow) coin to both enjoy, and highlight a budding collection. A lot of good people, and information here, yet another reason to join the ancients community.
Thanks.
John.

 

You got that right.

 

Here are mine that score highest on shiny + black:

Numerian (283-4), Ticinum mint:


Severus II as Caesar (305-6), quarter-follis from Siscia:


Constantine I, Siscia, struck 318:

 

I just posted this one in another thread. I had forgotten about the hard to photograph black patina:

 

Hmmm. Silver or bronze? For silver likely the patina will not be original (most will clean them to bright silver, so the original patina will be long gone. 99.9+% of all silver coins will not have original patina). For base metals it will be a crap shoot. One can never know what the original patina may have been as 99.9+% have also been cleaned. Most often we never know what the original state or appearance might have been because of that cleaning. True, often patina colors are the result of chemicals. One never truly knows. I have this Constantine (thought it was a Crispus, but that is what time does), I bought it in the mid 1980's for about $8. Looks really black in hand. I mounted it in a gold bezel but never wore it. Still sits in a jewelry box, ignored all these years. I have sad feelings I never gave it any attention....

 

Nice looking coins. They have the type of toning/patina I was looking for, unless a very clean one "finds me" first. How stable is the dark patina? Do they just get darker with age? I don't know much about bronze coinage, more familiar with silver.

 

I find black patinas to be very stable.

 

In terms of reasons to buy a coin, patina or color is an unusual primary goal-- but whatever floats your boat

Since everyone's showing their examples of dark patinas, I will too. As others have mentioned, they're challenging to photograph!

Bronze with blackish patina:


BRUTTIUM, the Brettii
216-214 BCE
Æ quartuncia, 13.5mm, 2.06 g
Obv: head of Amphitrite left, wearing crab headdress
Rev: crab; torch above, BPET-TIΩN above and below
Ref: Pfeiler p. 33, 4a; Scheu, Bronze 51; HN Italy 1944; SNG ANS 123–4; SNG Lloyd –; McClean 1579


AEOLIS, Grynion (alt. spellings: Gryneion, Gyrnion, Grynium, others)
4th century BC
Æ 17 mm, 3.7 gm
Obi: laureate head of Apollo facing slightly left
Rev: ΓΥΡΝΗΙΩΝ; mussel shell
Ref: SNG Ashmolean 1445-6; SNG Copenhagen 202-4


PHOENICIA, Tyre. Julia Maesa, Augusta
CE 218-224/5
AE 27, 12.71g (11h)
Obv: IVLIA MAE - SA AV[G] Draped bust right, wearing stephane
Rev: TVRIORVM Dido (?) standing left on deck of galley sailing right, extending right hand and holding cornucopia in left; to left, helmsman bending left over rudder (?); to right, sailor extending right hand and holding curved staff in left; stern decorated with a shield and aphlaston, [two murex shells] in exergue
Ref: CNG e320, 12 Feb. 2014, lot 323 (same dies). Rouvier 2408


PTOLEMAIC KINGS OF EGYPT, Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II
145-116 BCE, Alexandreia mint
AE28, 29.1 gm
Obv: Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right
Rev: ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ BΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ; Two eagles with their wings closed standing left on thunderbolt; cornucopia to left
Ref: Svoronos 1424B (Joint reign of Ptolemy VI and VIII); Weiser 142 (Ptolemy V); SNG Copenhagen 308-310 (Joint reign of Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII); Noeske 212-5 (Joint reign of Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII); Lorber & Faucher Series 7C

Darkly toned silver:


THRACE, Byzantion
340-320 BCE
AR siglos, 17 mm, 5.0 gm
Obv: Heifer standing left on dolphin swimming to left
Rev: Incuse mill-sail pattern
Ref: SNG BM Black Sea 21
A cow surfing on a dolphin-- how wacky is that? When I first saw one of these (@Ancientnoob had one) I knew one was in my future .


Roman Republic, the Pompeians
L. Cornelius Lentulus and C. Claudius Marcellus
Military mint in the East (Apollonia and Asia), 49 BC
AR denarius, 19 mm, 3.8 gm
Obv: Triskeles, with winged head of Medusa facing at center; stalk of grain between each leg
Rev: Jupiter standing facing, head right, holding thunderbolt in right hand and eagle on left; LE(NT) (MAR) upward to left, COS upward to right
Ref: Crawford 445/1b; Sydenham 1029a
formerly slabbed, NGC ChVF*, 5/5, 5/5

 

Oh my. Would you be willing to sell that beauty? One of the reasons I dont collect mass quantities of coins is that most simply dont 'speak' to me as this one does. That is one lovely coin! You should be proud to be the temporary custodian of it!

 

Thank you, Ken! However, this coin spoke very loudly to me too

If I ever sell it I'll keep you in mind though.

Oh I am... I am... I adore this coin.

 

So many people focus on the major themes or the obvious. This coin is amazing in its simplicity and its humanity. Not only do we see the goddess in her main glory, but the simple helmsman attending to his task, and the attendant as well attending to his. Just amazing. And some people cant see the art in numismatics!