Aureus - opinions please, before i pull the trigger

When i'm not looking for the remaining ultra-rare rulers in my one-per-emperor collection, I'm looking to really upgrade the coins of my existing rulers. This aureus of Antoninus Pius caught my eye:



The seller discloses a "scruff on forehead", which I queried, because I could not see it clearly. The seller offered this close-up:



Tbh, I'm still not clear where the issue is. A minor imperfection behind the ear along the wreath? What do you think? These are pretty expensive so I don't want to pull the trigger if i'm missing something obvious. To me, it looks like an amazing coin in magnificent style. Thoughts?

cheers

 

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I can't comment on how the tiny and to me insignificant mark detracts from the value but it is a beautiful coin.

 

Looks like its part of his coiffure, minor imperfection.High grade beautifull aureus of AP.

 

For me that minor imperfection just makes it a one of a kind piece. It is a gorgeous coin.

 

It is a beautiful coin. I can't comment on authenticity. That little ding/scuff will take money off the price. More so on a coin of this quality than if it was a lower grade coin.

But if the price was right, and it's authentic.....it is certainly a keeper.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. There are sellers who wouldn't point out such a detail, so I am impressed. It does seem authentic to me - style is spot on, but i'll do some further research on that.

 

Very nice coin and in my opinion a minor quibble. I'd pull the trigger.

 

The luster on this coin looks attractive, and it's well centered and generally well struck.

If you hadn't noticed, there's a minor defect/gouge on the obverse legend in the second N in ANTONINUS as well as the PP at the very end of the legend. There is also a bit of overall roughness to the obverse surface.

Overall, there is a lot to recommend about this coin, but you need to do price research on ACSEARCH to be sure that you're comfortable with the asking price.

 

For what it is worth, CNG shows (amongst others) the following examples of ANTONINUS PIUS Aureus RIC III Rome 147. (Coincidentally struck around 147 A.D.)

 

Thank you. That's helpful. The sale price is comparatively high, but not outrageously so.

 

This coin last sold at Heritage this past August for $4300 hammer (or about $5K all-in).

I didn't view it in-hand at the time but to me, that scuff is a deal-breaker and it may be more visible, especially because it was estimated at $6-8K and didn't reach that level when presumably most aurei collectors/dealers saw it.

My mentality with coins in this price range is: if someone can pay $5K for a coin which is 70% "all there", they can probably pay $8K or $10K for a 100% coin. I'd personally rather have a slightly lower grade coin without the scuff.

Antoninus Pius aurei aren't hard to come by and I've amassed a small hoard of them myself but I'd advise to wait for the right coin for you, which may or not be this one at that price point.

 

Grateful for your advice @IdesOfMarch01 and @arnoldoe and @AncientJoe ...

 

That reverse side of the Aureus reminds me of my Solidus of Thedosius II:

There are also two "scruff" on the reverse side in the left direction, and as well on the 3 X's on the right side(marked with Red), and then there is a crack on the corner marked with Green:



As the others say it will/would of course lower the price, and you probably know that pictures of any coin with a large pixels number will look ugly. - But when you have it in hand the "scruff"-thing disappear with the naked eye.

My point is: my solidus above looks 3-4 times more attractive in hand.

And I am not saying that you should bid or not bid.

 

good looking coin..

 

Another point to ponder, a CNG coin that is described as CH-EF is better quality then the same coin slabbed as MS strike5.5 surface 5.5.

On a 19.5mm coin, that mark is not very noticeable/ otherwise its a beautifull example.