Even though I try to restrict myself to bronzes, I also tend to be a completist, so I got carried away and bid up to 625 USD on this Niger Denarius in last week´s Vinchon auction. I thought that would be a good deal for a worn but rather handsome Pescennius. I even ALMOST got it and just ONE bidder wanted it even more than me :-(. Was that one of you? Please let me know that this was not a particularly desirable issue to have and that one should stick to his collecting area. Otherwise I will regret not having gotten it at any price. To console myself a little I went to VCoins and instead of a mildly handsome completist´s dream I bought a Sestertius of the commonest emperor. Whenever I fondle it I shall think about the 600 Dollars (including fees) that I saved. And doesn´t one nice Gordian in terms of eye appeal for money beat of all of Niger´s output by miles?
Niger is tough... but you have demonstrated your fortitude in bidding & will get one sooner rather than later, I predict! In the meantime that Gordie is a very nice consolation prize.
Nice Gordian @Julius Germanicus ! Too bad about Pescennius Niger. I still need Pertinax, Niger, and Albinus. I almost won an Albinus at auction but somebody outbid me at the last minute.
A quick review of acsearch shows many examples of Pescennius denarii with Justitia or Moneta holding scales and cornucopia. I think I only saw one example with Fortuna, like the example you show - so, it would appear to be a (very) scarce type for Pescennius. It looks like you should have bid higher..........
Sorry to hear you lost out on Niger (I'm still missing that type as well)---but i kinda console myself with these two bronzes of Gordian..... Actually, having a Sestertius and an AS just ain't the same
That example has stronger metal than many Niger denarii and a particularly strong reverse. I hate to mention it but you really do not know how much you would have had to bid to with the coin. Being underbidder at $600 just means someone bid more but not whether it was on advance more of twice as much as you bid. It might be easier on you to think he bid $1000 more. I have two. The lesser one is possibly unique with the spelling error on the reverse. The better one is one of the more common types and far from the best one I have seen.
I´ve got Pertinax, Didius and Albinus, albeit as Sestertii. But then those Sestertius-sized provincial bronzes of Niger (minted in Caesarea Germanica) are very rare and expensive, so I thought a Denarius must do I´m pulling out my hair right now realizing that... That makes me feel a little relieved but would still mean it was a bargain - for the other guy... PS. Congratulations to your TWO (!) Nigers! That is one nice portrait on the Sestertius you have there
Great Gordian III. I almost bought it myself but I've blown my budget so much that I decided to let someone else have a stab at it.
I only have one Niger. The OP coin seems a bargain at the price. Pescennius Niger denarius Obv:– IMP CAE PESCEN NIGER IVST A, laureate head right Rev:– ROMAE AETERNAE, Roma in military attire seated left on cuirass, no shield at side or feet, Victory offering wreath in right hand, long scepter vertical behind in left hand Minted in Antioch. Apr 193 - May 194 A.D Reference:– Unpublished in primary references, cf. RIC IV 70d, RSC III 62b, BMCRE V p. 80 note, SRCV II 6121, Hunter III -, Scratches and scrapes, small edge test cut, hard edge bump on reverse resulting in crack on obverse, slightly off center cutting off parts of legends 2.690g, maximum diameter 17.1mm, die axis 15o Numerous varieties of Pescennius Niger denarii with Roma Aeternae reverses are published in the standard references, but none describe Roma as seated on a cuirass.
That's definitely a very nice "consolation prize"! Liked that P.N. too (I've never had him), but hey, in due time you're gonna find an even better one, perhaps at an even better price, right?
I do like the coins of Pesc Niger - they have a very provincial style imitating the imperial style, and there a lots of different reverses. If i had the money, I'd start a Pesc Niger sub-collection. My Pesc Niger, i think, is quite reasonable: Pescennius Niger. AD 193-194. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 2.98 g, 12h). Antioch mint. Laureate head right / Spes advancing left, holding up flower and hem of skirt. RIC IV 3b; RSC 6 var. (obv. legend). Your Gordian III is wonderful... It's so strange that such an obscure emperor has so many coins. Does anyone know the reason?
I don't, but I also note the contrast between Gordian III and his I and II predecessors, whose coins (like P.N.'s) I've also never owned and am perhaps unlikely to ever have, due to their costly rarity.
Gordian I and II only ruled for three weeks, which accounts for their rarity. I managed to purchase a Gordian I sestertius and Gordian II denarius a couple of years ago: Gordian I AE sestertius. IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right / PROVIDENTIA AVGG S-C, Providentia standing left, leaning on column, holding wand & cornucopiae, globe at feet. Gordian II, 1st – 22nd April 238 A.D. Silver Denarius April 238 A.D., 2.35 g. Very Rare. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Virtus standing l., resting on shield and holding reverted spear. I suspect whenever a man became an emperor, the first thing he did was call in the celator to engrave the dies. It's the only reason i can think that we even have coins of Gordian I and II (let alone Regalianus, Saturninus etc).
Let's see, you say you generally collect bronze. This was a silver for an emperor known to be a challenge. I think Doug said it best: I think it should be of some consolation for you to take a good look at what you were up against. Here is a link to a bunch of PeNig denarii sold by CNG in their recent online sales. When you filter for grade and your bid level, how many of those would you have landed? How often do you nail it when you walk into a situation out of your element with no advance preparation? Next time you will be primed and ready, or at least AWARE.
I wish I had bid a little less conservative for it... Yeah! I personally saw Pattie Smith smash her Guitar to it :-D Now that is one bad ass Niger you have there! I would guess the reason of the plentitude of young Gordian´s coins today is the fact that they were horded. People must have realized the decline in money quality once Philippus Arabs came into power. The Denarius disappeared from circulation within a couple of years because people refused to exchange it for Philipp´s impure Antoniniani and kept the silver coins. People must also have noticed the higher silver content of Gordian´s Antoniniani and the fact that the weight of the Sestertius dropped after Gordian, not to mention the decline in quality control. I actually like it so much that I even got a full Sear certificate for it which I reserve for the coins that I will never part with. This is the cheapest coin in that club so far. Majestic.
