Everytime you guys and gals post a coin I do not have, I have to add it to my want list. So, like I tell my wife, it's your fault, not mine! I have seen examples of this coin from several members over the years, and so when I saw this at auction from Savoca, I had to place a bid. I have some coins as high priority, so I thought to place a humble bid thinking I would not be successful. Low and behold, for an extremely low bid, I won. Now I will admit, it's not the best example and it's been over-cleaned, but at least now I have an example along with the rest of the crowd. Taking an image has been a challenge since the surface is so bright and shiny, but in hand it's a nice looking coin. First Attempt One Hundredth Attempt (slight exaggeration) L ROSCIUS FABATUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS ROSCIA AR Serrate Denarius OBVERSE: Head of Juno Sospita in goat skin, L ROSCI below, amphora or capis to left REVERSE: Girl standing right feeding serpent before, sea shell(?) to left, FABATI in ex. Rome 59 BC 3.7g, 18mm Cr 412/1; Syd 915 I am uncertain about the control marks both obverse and reverse, but especially the reverse. If I recall correctly, there is a web site where one might identify control marks; however, I have been unable to locate such a site. If anyone here can point me in the right direction, I will be very grateful.
Very nice @Bing ! Cool RR Denarius, great reverse! Yeah, it is YOUR fault that I am going to have to get one! I do have a grandfather or a great-grandfather from 50-60 years before: RR Marcius C Fabius L Roscius AR Denarius 118-117 BCE Roma Quadriga
@Bing, Crawford says your control marks are “ no more than a random selection of pairs of everyday objects” and “each pair of control symbols has only one pair of dies” He provides a chart with about 400 pairs. I will look for yours and get back to you
Found it! Reference: Grueber 54 Your pair is: Jug/? Even the expert had no idea what that reverse symbol is! Here’s an online guide I found (listed by Grueber number) to the control marks on the denarii of L Roscius Fabatus http://numismatica-classica.lamoneta.it/moneta/R-G117/1 Nice coin!
I would say wine skin as well... Here's my Juno Sospita 105 BC L. Thorius Balbus Head of Juno Sospita right clad in goat skin ISMR behind Rev. Bull charging right H above THORIVS below BALBVS in ex Rome 105 BC Sear 191
Yours is so nice, while mine is not as nice and reminds me of grossly overpaying as a newbie. I've now come to realize that of the first 30 or so ancient coins I ever bought, between late 2015 and early 2016, I probably overpaid for half of them. That's what lack of experience and too much eagerness to rush into a new hobby does.
In all honesty, I do not recall you in particular but over the years we here on Coin Talk have told several new people that they were overpaying for coins of no particular merit. Several of them disappeared so I assume they just wrote us off as fools. I'm glad you and a few others survived the early period. Paying too much. however, is how you get coins you want, when you want them. The fact remains: Right coin Right price Right now Pick two. (Three is not common; one is not wise.)
I don't know about overpaying but that's one nice coin! We all started that way. I'd buy anything just because it was ancient. Over time we learn to focus, but truth be told I still buy what catches my eye...
I can't believe I still don't have one of these despite it being on my want list for the longest time. Time to redouble my efforts... thanks alot, Bing .
Looks like @Bing uncorked the JUNO SOSPITA bottle... and watch out for @maridvnvm 's mega-quantity of cool devices! RR Hd Juno Sospita R goat skin hddrss She-wolf R placing stick on fire eagle stndng fanning flames 45 BCE 19.0mm 4.07g Cr 472-1 RR L Papius serratus 79 BCE Juno Sospita goat skin JUG Griffon Sear 311 Craw 384-1 RR L Thorius Balbus 105 BCE AR Denarius Juno Sospita goat skin Bull charging Sear 192 Craw 316-1
It all of a sudden strikes me that coin dealers as a group owe a debt of gratitude to discussion groups like Coin Talk for the way they pressure us into buying coins we did not know we wanted. I hope my time never comes that I feel the need to apologize for buying what catches my eye instead of limiting myself to some coins I don't like just because they fit some set I'm supposed to be assembling. A major problem and, at the same time, major strength of ancients is the fact that none of us really knows what exists. Most of us probably see a coin that was previously unknown to us every week or so. The real pros among us (I'm thinking Barry Murphy level) may go longer but they see so many more coins, I suspect the new material turns up with some regularity just as it does for the rest of us. We can not very well collect ancient using the "because I don't have one" theory beyond the earliest stages of collecting but I admit a certain attraction to collecting coins that I simply did not know existed after being in the hobby for decades. There are so many different ancients that it is possible for a coin to be both common and unknown to us until we start researching it and wonder how it had escaped unnoticed. That is why one of my specialty interests is "Coins that taught me something."
In most cases these coins come to my attention because someone here shows an example. Thus my premise, it's CT members fault that brings it to my attention.
