@Greg Heinrich ... I really like both. Were his eyes slashed on your original? And the patina on your prospect looks great! No need to ever be embarrassed. I really like them both! Most folks have never even TOUCHED anything made by Humans that are 2000 Years old, let alone hold incredible History in their hands! RI Agrippa AE As 28mm 11g Neptune-S-C
Thats a very nice Agrippa Neptune , cant see nothing wrong with it, certainly a worthy upgrade Greg. Here's my $10 budget one:
Nice one @Greg Heinrich ! I definitely would go for that upgrade, looks authentic to me in terms of the patina.
Go for that AWESOME upgrade, for sure. Agrippa red from the blood of all of Augustus' enemies that he killed! (Or the patina of the coin)
The patina is completely natural from what I can see in the photo. I have owned many coins with very similar characteristics. For comparison and your peace of mind, my example has very similar patina (mine bought just over 30 years ago, and for a whopping 70 cents). BTW, dont hold back, buy the thing. Its a marvelous example.
Nice coins both. The attractively green first is interesting because of the striking Damnation Memoriae.
Nice upgrade for sure Mine has a similar patina to the one you're considering buying and I've always been happy with it Agrippa, As Posthumous issue of Caligula, in honour of his grandfather (died 12 BC) Rome mint, ca AD 37/41 M AGRIPPA L F COS III, head of Agrippa left with rostral crown Neptun standing left, holding trident and dolphin. Large S C in fields 10.9 gr Ref : RCV #1812, Cohen #3 Q
I like it. I consider mine faulty for the lack of clear trident and dolphin but I prefer this style shared by yours and most of those shown here to the other option as shown by Q and Andres' coins. Not all care about style but when I only will have one portrait of a person, I prefer it to be one I like.
Every aspect of your potential replacement coin strongly recommends it: the portrait is bold, artistic, and recognizable; the obverse legend is full and well delineated; both the obverse and reverse are well centered; there is no apparent tooling (always an issue for Roman bronzes) and smoothing seems minimal. As for the potential that (1) the patina is artificial, and (2) the patina is hiding flaws, my personal viewpoint is that while I don't like artificially applied patinas, they are, in fact, just patinas; and it's doubtful that any significant flaws are being hidden by the patina but you can always send the coin to an expert (which I'm not) for a better determination of this possibility. If the price is palatable, you'll be kicking yourself if you walk away from it.
Agrippa never had a Damnatio Memoriae... Even though struck under Caligula his name is not on the coin. Hence the scratch on the face of Agrippa is just that, a scratch.
@Greg Heinrich , I like the coin you are considering buying. It looks great to me. If the price is right, buy it!
I've got one with a little bondo on some dents: Marcus Agrippa, Issue by Caligula, 37 - 41 AD AE As, Rome Mint, 29mm, 11.84 grams Obverse: M AGRIPPA L F COS III, Head of Marcus left wearing rostral crown. Reverse: S C, Neptune standing left holding dolphin and trident. References: RIC58, Sear1812 Smoothed area on reverse. John