Hey Erbody, What's happenin'? Bro is being a bit indecisive and needs some advice. He has a wide variety of interests when it comes to ancients, all different types of coins and artifacts. He just got a generous bit of cash from the gov and needs some help spending it. It's the battle of the coin vs the artifact, cue WWE theme. First up is a nice hefty Ptolemy coin around 70g. It's opponent is a 1st century AD Roman fishing hook that was possibly found at the Sea of Galilee (not a certainty). One is about 1.5x the price of the other. He can only get one. What would you choose? Erin
The Ptolemaic coin is better! They are pretty impressive for being big and heavy compared to most ancients.
I'd definitely go with the Ptolemaic bronze if for no other reason then being more comfortable with the authenticity and originality of such a coin than an antiquity. On top of that those hockey pucks are just a huge piece of ancient awesomeness and really can't be beat. That said, if the dealer is good I wouldn't be too wary of picking up something like a fishing hook, but a few years ago I decided to largely stick with coins and pick up other antiquities only after I've had plenty of time to study them on my own.
Thanks everybody. The two dealers are definitely trustworthy. One of which has written a leading book on my area of interest. So, the hook is definitely legit. It's just not known with 100% certainty whether it was found at the Sea of Galilee or not. The other two hooks that have sold went for almost $300. Bro has a Ptolemy coin that's around 45g, but 70g is quite a jump. Plus, it's cheaper than the hook. I'm useless because I go back and forth on my advice. :/ Erin
@red_spork stated it and gave the logic EXACTLY like I would. Ptolemy, and take your time to research the hook for later! Ptolemy is a known (assuming it is a reputable seller), and the hook is a "non-certainty".
Adding my Monday morning quarterback comment---I would have voted for the coin. The coin was likely handled by more diverse ancient people than the fishing hook.
Bro's really happy with the choice he made. This will be his biggest coin. Funny thing is, about an hour later, he bought what will be his smallest coin. Lol. He had a good day. Erin
There will definitely be 'pics or it didn't happen.' We're heading to the Land of Newfs (Newfoundland) in a couple of weeks, so I'll get them up when we get back. Btw, everyone, if possible, should make a trip to Nfld at least once! Erin
