Clio......why do you do this?

People ask me all the time, "why did he buy this or that, they are unrelated types" or similar questions (or often comments). The answer is because he can.

Out of curiosity I recently looked up his current public net worth which stands at $50 Billion. So, easy answer is because he can. Of course, that public net worth is just that, public. What his holdings are privately nobody really knows. Sure he spends many millions at auction, but he buys almost as much privately and at coin shows.

 

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Let's be honest, if I had 50 Billion I'd probably be buying at least 30 or 40 coins at auctions every month, not to mention a dozen more coins from dealers I like such as JA, Ancient Imports, FORVM, and Ken Dorney. Of course, I'd probably want to do a public museum or a public research center where numismats and people interested in ancients could come see them, and would be providing scholars, researchers, and die hard collectors private tours where they could get close and personal with the coins. But that's just me. Can't blame anyone else in that position for wanting to be private about their purchases.

PS: At 50 Billion it's either David Koch or Charles Koch. Not the nicest guys and lousy politics (though this isn't the forum to discuss that), but I do admire their ancient collecting tastes (whichever one of them it is).

 

Thanks. Although I'll never have the funds to create the "Ancient Numismatics Museum And Research Center" with tours for school children and others interested in ancient coins, and events to promote ancient history to the public, I have provided photos and background on ancient coins to a university professor, which allowed her to incorporate an ancient numismatics "art lecture" into her art history class at a university. Before I met her she made the same mistake many art history professors make, they look at the fancy statues and building remains from the ancient world, and ignore the artistic legacy left by the ancients on their coins. So in my own small way I've tried to do what I can to remedy that.

 

Actually there are a handful of software executives that fit at that number too...

 

Yeah, someone corrected me on that via a private PM. I finally know who it is, and it is nice to finally be able to put a real face on Clio. Of course, out of respect for my source I won't publicly divulge the information here.

 

Can someone persuade him to change hobbies? I can't punch at that weight.

 

Eh, I console myself that there are always other coins. It is not like I have limited tastes, or unlimited funds. I buy what I can, when I can, and enjoy what I own. No sense worrying about what you do not have in life, too much that you do have and can hope to obtain to stress what is "missing".

 

Heck, you could even hire me to maintain the grounds for you

 

I just hope Clio doesn't become interested in Gordian III and Tranquillina marriage issues or well-circulated Antonine bronzes.

 

Now I'm really curious to know who this guy is.

 

If you have billions at your disposal, you are going to win anything that you want. Bid 10,000 on a 300 coin, it is a no brainer.

Personally, I would love it if Clio joined our ranks and made a personal visit every so often. So if anyone knows him, do send him an invite. It might make "being Clio'd" slightly less frustrating for some.

 

I think it’s fair to say that Clio and I will never cross paths—or bids—in an auction.

I’ve often thought about how I would collect if I were independently wealthy. And I’ve come to the bizarre conclusion that having unlimited funds would probably ruin the hobby for me.

Right now I can afford to purchase only one decent coin a month, or perhaps a couple of lesser specimens. Part of the hobby for me, then, is seeing how far I can stretch my limited dollars. Scrolling through VCoins or auctions or even eBay for a good deal. Reading up on the coin before I buy it. Or until I can buy it. I think those aspects of the hobby would be diminished if I could pretty much buy anything and everything that struck my fancy.

This is not to say that I wouldn’t like a little more money in my current budget. But it is to say that there are a lot of ways of enjoying this hobby. Actually acquiring a coin is only one of them.

 

If every I win the lottery and buy a castle, you will be first on my list as head gardener, with the provizo that you leave the butterflies alone

 

Make me your public relations guy and I'll definitely leave those butterflies alone. Butterflies are the scariest insects on this Earth. I find panzerman's obsession with them so creepy.

 

Please don't give him any ideas. He does have the resources to spend the rest of his life buying every single coin on CNG and still will die filthy rich.

I do think when Clio sadly passes away in a decade or so, and his coin collection reaches market, it may be enough to depress prices for a few years. The guy has got to have easily 15 or 20 thousand ancients by now with how much he buys.

 

That's a scary crystal ball you have there, Sallent

 

You are bang on! Even 50 Billion US can be drained fast enough with dumb "must have" bidding. If, I had that sum, I still would not bid 500K on a 75K coin. Maybe go 2X over estimate for a FDC Postumus Aureus/ max. Collecting world stuff, there are thousands of great coins that come up for auction @ month. OK, I may go ballistic if that FDC Saturninus Aureus came up/ only one known/ I would go 10 Million for that God it must be sweet to have that kind of $$$$$$$$ John