What Your Budget Buys - $500 Edition

Okay, folks, so our final thread in this series hits the $500 price bracket. While there are obviously ancient coins that are much more expensive than anything we'll see in this price range, I thought it would be a good place to stop. Collectors just starting out in ancients were who I had in mind when I came up with the idea for this series, and in my opinion, a beginner looking for budget guidance on anything pricier than what we're covering here really ought to seek professional help (you can read that at least two ways ).

Seriously, this series has been a blast to do. We've seen tons of great coins in every price bracket, and I've myself learnt a lot looking at what other members have bought for their own collections. Many thanks to everyone who has contributed pictures and acquisition details of their coins!

And now, please show us your $500 coins (anything between $450 - $550)!

If a coin is an older purchase (ie., not bought in the past few years), please let us know roughly when bought it. If the coin was part of a bulk or large lot purchase, it would be helpful to mention that too.

 

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I'm ultimately more of a $50-$100 per coin collector myself, and I tend towards wanting to spend a fixed coin budget on more coins rather than fewer. That said, when push comes to I-just-gotta-gotta-have-it, there are some coins that simply will not be available in my preferred budget range, and my instinctive preferences will have to make the necessary concessions. In a nutshell, as much as I hate to, I have to buy fewer coins to afford one that I really want.

A Sikyon stater was one of those coins, and a superb example can cost in excess of ten times what this $500 price bracket allows. Even my modest example cost $520 shipped (in a 2015 auction). It took me a couple of years to find the one with my name on it, and it had moderate wear, some reticulation and light graffito. It helps in these instances when a coin's "faults" are things that you can appreciate . More importantly for me, though, was that it also had eye appeal, was decently centered, and the chimera had a tail with a clear and complete snake's head. Yeah, and the dove is pretty cool too.


SIKYONIA, Sikyon
AR Stater. 11.98g, 24.2mm. SIKYONIA, Sikyon, circa 431-400 BC. BCD Peloponnesos 186; HGC 5, 181. O: Chimaera standing left; SE below. R: Dove flying left within wreath.
Ex BCD Collection; Ex Coin Galleries Mail Bid Sale 10 February 1993, lot 80

 

The first ancient coin I ever purchased.

Otho AR Denarius. Rome Mint. ( 17.89 mm, 3.08 g)
Obv: IMP M OTHO CAESAR AVG TR P, bewigged head right
Rev: SECVRITAS P R, Securitas standing left, holding wreath & scepter.
RIC I, 8 (R2), RSC 17. SRCV I (2000) 2162

Paid 480.00 in April 2015



Marc Antony AR Denarius.

Athens, 32 BC. M. Junius Silanus, quaestor proconsul.
(20.16 mm 3.42g,)
Obv: ANTON AVG IMP III COS DES III V R P C, bare head of Marc Antony right
Rev: ANTONIVS AVG IMP III in two lines. Crawford 542/2; CRI 347; Sydenham 1209; RSC 2. SRCV I (2000) 1478.
Ex: Manfred Swan Collection, Ex: Calgary Coin
Purchased January 30, 2016 at CAND in Hamilton
Paid: 480.00

 

Wonderful stater!!

Love the denarii !!

I'll start off with two of my most recent purchases (with easily accessed prices).

SELEUCID EMPIRE. Antiochos VIII Epiphanes (Grypos). 121/0-97/6 BC. AR Tetradrachm (29mm, 16.39 g, 1h). Antioch on the Orontes mint. 1st reign at Antioch, circa 121/0-113 BC. Diademed head right / Zeus Ouranios, draped, standing left, holding star and scepter; to outer left, IE above A; AI in exergue. SC 2298.1d; HGC 9, 1197 e. Good VF, minor double strike on reverse.----$500.75



CLAUDIUS, 41-54 A.D.
CLAUDIUS and AGRIPPINA Bronze (16mm, 5.18gm.) Lydia: Thyateira, 50 A.D.
Reference: RPC 2380. SNG Munich 611.
TI KLAUDIOS KAISAR SEBASTOS, bare head of Claudius right.
AGRIPPINAN SEBASTHN QUATIRHN[OI], draped bust of Agrippina right.---$500.00

 

I've only got a single coin in this category and nothing above it. This is a silver sestertius. Most of what will come up if you search for sestertius is gonna be bronze, but for a short period after the introduction of the denarius and then sporadically during the first century BC the Republic minted these tiny silver sestertii, worth ¼ of a denarius. These things were very rarely hoarded and while they are not terribly rare, most examples are ugly, corroded coins, so I jumped at the opportunity to pick up such an excellent example even if it was much more than I normally spend on coins.

Roman Republic AR Sestertius(12.75 mm, 1.14 g). Anonymous. After 211 B.C. Rome mint. Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, IIS. Border of dots / Dioscuri galloping right; in linear frame, ROMA. Line border. Crawford 44/7; Sydenham 142; RSC 4.

 

AGRIPPINA M F MAT C CAESARIS AVGVSTI - Draped bust of Agrippina Senior right, her hair waved and fastened in long plaid down the back of her neck /
S P Q R MEMORIAE AGRIPPINAE - Carpentum drawn left by two mules, the hood supported by statues of standing female figures, one at each corner, the side panel decorated with dancing figures surmounted by stars, the wheels with six spokes.
Sestertius, Rome 37-41
34,32 mm / 25,03 gr
RIC (Caligula) 55, BMCRE (Caligula) 81-5 and pl. 30,5 (same reverse die), CBN (Caligula) 128-31 and pl. XVIII, Cohen 1, Sear 1827

 

C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT - Laureate head of Caligula right /
SPQR / PP / OB CIVES / SERVATOS in four lines within laurel wreath
Sestertius, Rome 18.03.37 - 17.03.38
34,65 mm / 24,22 gr
RIC 37, BMCRE 38 and pl. 28,5, CBN 50 and pl. xiii, Cohen 24, Sear 1801 var., Pangerl "Portraits - 500 years of Roman Coin Portraits" Nr.92+93 (same obverse die)

 

FYI the letters in your attribution don't match on your obverse. It's a beautiful coin!

 

That happens from time to time when your computer uses a german auto correction program on a foreign language text

 

Thank you for another great thread, @zumbly !

Here are two coins that exceeded my weekly ancients allowance considerably but I have absolutely no regrets nor buyer’s remorse about making these purchases.

 

Ahhh, that makes sense.

 

OK - here are some.

This was, maybe still is, my favourite coin - £500 from Spink in 2007 - Syracuse tetradrachm, Tudeer 82/SNG ANS 290:


I went through a Celtic phases - this is a Gallic War stater that was £510 in 2013 from Chris Rudd:


A Balbinus from 2014 from CGB to fill a slot in the impossible "All the emperors" collection:


Mostly, I collect Roman Republican - this is a Sulla's Dream fourrée denarius which turned out to have a provenance back to 1913 (Roma, 2015):


And a Pompey denarius from Naumann in 2016:


And finally, back to Syracuse - tetradrachm from 2016 (SNG ANS 664). A really nice one would be well outside my means, but this isn't too bad:


ATB,
Aidan.

 

There is this one for $450, and a great bargain at that price as this is more of a $600 coin easily.


GALERIUS as Caesar, AD 293-305.
AR Argenteus, 21mm, 2.7g, 12h; Rome, c. 294.
Obv: MAXIMIANVS CAES; Laureate head right.
Rev: VIRTVS MILITVM; The tetrarchs sacrificing over tripod before city enclosure with six turrets.
Reference: RIC VI Rome 29b, p. 353, r2.


And of course this Athenian beauty for $500, which I think was about retail for this type in this condition and level of preservation

Attica Athens
AR Tetradrachm (22mm, 17.10 g)
Athens Mint, 4rth Century BCE
Helmeted head of Athena, r.
Owl standing r., head facing, olive sprig and crescent to l; AOE in r. field.
SNG Copenhagen 63ff.

At the time, that owl coin was my holy grail, and I never thought I'd spend more on any coin than that...until I came across this puppy. If you ever do a "What your budget buys $900 Edition," this would be my entry (and the most expensive coin I own). But a real bargain considering these go for $1,200 - $1,300 easily in that condition.


The Caesarians. Julius Caesar. January-February 44 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.9 g, 9h). Rome mint. L. Aemilius Buca, moneyer. Wreathed head of Caesar right; CAESAR • IM downwards before, large crescent dividing P M upwards behind / Venus Victrix standing left, holding Victory on extended right hand and holding scepter in left; L • AEMILIVS • BVCA around. Crawford 480/4;

 

Justinian I, Byzantine Empire
AV solidus
Obv: D N IVSTINI-ANVS P P AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, holding cross on globe and shield
Rev: VICTORI-A AVGGG delta, angel standing facing, holding P-headed cross and cross on globe, star in right field
Mint: Constantinople
Mintmark: CONOB
Date: 542-565 AD
Ref: SB 140

 

450-550


GELA, Didrachm, 490-480 BC, Horseman with spear r/Forepart of man-headed bull r; AVF, nrly centered, types complete, good metal quality with lt tone; cudlike die break at rev upper right edge


The Triumvirs. Mark Antony. Late summer-autumn 43 BC. AR Quinarius (13mm, 1.67 g, 5h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Winged bust of Victory right, with the likeness of Fulvia / Lion walking right; DVNI (retrograde and inverted) above, LVGV in exergue; A to left, X [L] to right (= 40, Antony’s age at time of issue). Crawford 489/5; Lyon 2; King 75; CRI 122; Sydenham 1160; Fulvia 4. VF, lightly toned, light porosity.


Pupienus Ar. denarius, IMP CM CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, dr. laur. bust r., rev., CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated l. on the throne holding patera and double cornucopiae (Seaby, 6).
3 g

From a friend of mine:

CARTHAGE, ZEUGITANA
AV GOLD 1/10 STATERor Trihemiobol.350-320 BCE
Carthage mint
7.50 mm, 0.94 g
Obv: Palm tree with two date-clusters
Rev: Horse’s head right
Ref:Jenkins & Lewis Group III, 138; GC.6461-Müller II,87,81; Sear 6455;SNG Cop (Nordafrika) 132, MAA 8; ;;; CNG ATTRIBUTION: (same size and weight as mine...) Carthage mint. Palm tree with two date-clusters, border of pellets / Horse's head right. Jenkins and Lewis Group III, 136-155; MAA 8; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG Lloyd 1613; Pozzi 3290-1; Boston MFA 500
Comment: two small scratches on reverse (neck of horse)

To get an Etrurian AR coin THIS CHEAP? OH HAIL YES!

Etruria, Populonia
211-206 BCE
AR 10 Asses
20mm, 4.21g
Obv: Laureate Male Head L
Rev: Blank
Ref:
Vecchi III 13 (same obverse die); SNG ANS 26 (same obverse die); SNG Copenhagen 38 (same obverse die); HN Italy 168.
EF, lightly toned, usual obverse die rust and a large die break


Carthage LIBYAN UPRISING Mercenary War 241-238 BCE Heracles Head in Lion's Head L - Lion walking R SNG Cop. 240 f - Obv tooled (my comment), Very Scarce

 

Well, 75-150 is where I try to keep my purchases. I have one coin at this level. Earlier this year I had a little extra money and put a minimum bid on this coin on a crazy whim. It's gorgeous, unpublished, and potentially unique. I was intrigued. I kinda regretted bidding so much on one coin at the time, but I figured I'd get outbid. Didn't happen. I don't regret it now, as I do love the coin, and it's likely a contender for my top purchase if the year.


Provincial Rome - Phrygia
Caracalla, r. 198-217 A.D.
Hieropolis, AE30, 30 mm x 12.36 grams
Obv.: AV K M AVP ANTΩNΕINO/C. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: ΙΕ POΠ ΛEITΩN. Nemesis, wearing polos, standing facing, head right, holding rein or halter. To right Serapis, enthroned left with Cerberus at feet.

 

I've used this photo before, but it's relevant to the discussion, so here it is:

Parthian Kingdom. Seleukia-on-the-Tigris mint. Artabanos II (or III, or IV) (10-38 AD). Debased AR tetradrachm (26.4mm, 12.51g). Obverse: King's diademed bust facing, with beard, mustache, and shaggy long hair. Reverse: King on horseback left, receiving palm branch from Tyche; four-line Greek legend around Basileos/Arsakou/Dikaiou/Epiphanous, year in front of and behind head, month-monogram below horse. Dated Gorpiaios, 338 Seleucid Era (= August, AD 27). Sellwood 63.5, Shore 336. This coin: Agora Auctions Sale 66, lot 66.

My winning bid was $480, which is rather cheap for this type. I think the reverse being off-center made this less desirable to many collectors. Fortunately, the obverse portrait is still well-centered.

 

Some great coins here, my humble offering is a two-fer, a snake biga and plumb bob coin in one.

RR Denarius 78 BC, M. Volteius M.F.
Obv. Head of Liber right, wearing ivy-wreath.
Rev. Ceres in biga of snakes right, holding torch in each hand; behind, plumb-bob. In exergue, M. VOLTEI. M.F.
Cr. 385/3.
3.77 grams, 19.5 mm
$470
This coin started at 150 Euro and hammered at 320. There were 13 bids, most in the live auction. Normally I bow out when I see that much of an increase, but this one said, "You gotta have me."

 

I'm more of a $5 - $150 range collector, with an occasional large purchase after a tax refund or unexpected bonus, so I don't have many at this price level. I bought this one about 20 years ago and it was in that price range then. I hope it's not too remote of a purchase to count for this thread.

 

Got one more... bought this for 500 Euros at CGB last year and it was my most expensive coin then (OK, I have posted this several times before, but here it is again ). It might be at the lower end of collectability, but it was no compromise of me as it still has a nice enough portrait and color-wise totally suits the "needs" of my collection.

IMP CAES M DID SEVER IVLIAN AVG - Laureate of Didius Julianus right /
RECTOR ORBIS S C - Didius Julianus, bareheaded and togate, standing facing, looking left, holding globe on extended right hand and scroll at his side in left
Sestertius, Rome 28.03.-01.06.193
26,73 mm / 17,93 gr
RIC 16, BMCRE 28 and pl. 4,3; Hunter 10; Cayon 5, Cohen 17, Sear 6077, Woodward ("The Coinage of Didius Julianus and his family", in Num.Chron. 1961) obverse die 16 and reverse die F