Hi community, I was going through some old boxes of stuff and I found an old coin. I made a post earlier and a gentleman told me it was Roman, circa 3rd century AD. The photo's were that great so I decided to make a new post with better pictures, hoping that a member would help identify the coin. Your help would be greatly appreciated, thank you for your time.
Welcome, @jblake. That coin is very far gone in terms of condition. It's a Roman Imperial coin (an antoninianus) and my best guess is that it's a Claudius II consecration issue with eagle reverse, struck by a successor. Some examples from CNG's archives: https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=205727 https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=286395 Here are the search results for "Claudius II Consecratio" on Vcoins, showing currently for-sale examples (the search results will include other types too but you can see a range of conditions, including some very low grade examples like yours).
@TIF Thank you for your response. The information was very useful. I feel it may be Claudius II. I am not interested in selling the item, but the other coins I seen on your link were priced pretty low for a piece of history. I am new to having collectable coins, but its just crazy how cheap older coins are.
Isn't it incredible?! It's a fantastic hobby . Every day I'm amazed at how inexpensive these little relics can be. If this coin has you intrigued, a good place for buying ancient coins is Vcoins. As a beginning ancients collector it's generally best to stay away from eBay with its plethora of fakes. Check the CoinTalk "for sale" board too.
Welcome @jblake. It's an awesome feeling to hold coins that once circulated 2000 years ago. And in comparison to modern coins, are much more affordable since they were stuck in the millions. More are found almost daily so the supply to the demand ratio is still in the collector's favor. Like @TIF said, until you are more versed in what to look for in an Ancient, find dealers you can trust and establish a relationship with them. There are dealers on Ebay who also sell on venues like Vcoins and there are good dealers on Ebay (even some of our posters here on CT) who do not sell the dreaded fakes. You just have to find them. But, as TIF said, it's probably better to stay away from Ebay until you are more comfortable.
Actually, eBay is not a bad place for beginners if you follow a few simple rules: 1) Stick with bronze coins under $15 or so; 2) Avoid sellers from eastern Europe; 3) Check any potential seller on toolhaus.org . Search through their negative feedback to see if there are any complaints about fake coins. If you follow these rules, you will wind up with a lot of medium-to-low grade late Roman bronzes (LRBs). This is a good area to begin with since there aren't as many fakes in this particular niche of the hobby. One you have gained some familiarity with the coins, you can move onto other areas and grades with a little more confidence.
Agree it looks like Claudius II DIVO CLAUDIO. Even relatively challenged coins in terms of condition are worthwhile. 1) You know the coin was well used and passed through many hands 2) Price is right 3) You are still holding a piece of history in your hands. Reverses from that time were basically propaganda most of the time or sometimes wishful thinking on the part of the powers that be. CONCORDIA MILITVM is an example of a common legend across many emperors' coins that presaged the eventual downfall of the regime and usually, the death of the emperor in a revolt.
