Today I gifted this Gordian III provincial to a professor whom I've known for 12 years, and who has a passion for history. He was so excited that he asked me to recommend dealers and forums for him to do research and perhaps buy a few coins for himself. As I was showing him the websites for dealers I trust (big mistake), wouldn't you know it that I found a coin I wasn't looking for and didn't particularly need (a bronze of Vespasian) that all of the sudden I have to have because it called to me? Funny how that works. Well, I purchased this today as a result of me trying to show the professor where to get coins. Hopefully he'll join us soon, as I showed him this forum as well. Vespasian, 69 - 79 AD AE As, Lugdunum Mint, 27mm, 7.45 grams Obverse: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS VIII P P, Laureate head of Vespasian right with globe at neck. Reverse: S C, Eagle standing facing on globe, head turned to right, with wings open RIC1327 ex Charles H. Wolfe. It may have some corrosion and wear, but I still think it is one attractive chunk of 1st Century Roman bronze. Post whatever you deem relevant.
giveth and ye shall receive( 1 way or another)..that is a fine looking Vespasian bronze and very noble of you to gift that very nice Gordie 3 too!..i've been looking at some also..kool big O..
Don't you just hate it when someone holds you down and stuffs money (even 2000 year old money) in your pocket?
In 12 years I've known him, the subject of coins never came up until around 3 months ago when I told him I collected ancients as we were discussing 1st Century Roman politics. The other day he revealed he loved Hadrian. I don't have a Hadrian that I want to part with, but I did have a Gordian III from Hadrianopolis (close enough). The poor man met me unsuspectingly today to watch a football game on TV, and as he was focused on the task at hand, he was confronted with the terrible and horrific experience of having an ancient coin shoved in his hands. I certainly didn't do him any favors because 15 minutes later he was asking me for dealer recommendations and forum recommendations. We all know where that leads. The dark side
Nice find, Sallent. I almost hate to post this one, it is so cruddy, a "rare" head left: Vespasian Æ As (78 A.D.) Lugdunum Mint IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS VIII P P, laureate head left / S-C, eagle standing on globe, head turned left. RIC 1238
You old coin people scare me sometimes, be careful with your images! Well, maybe not? I really like that green!
I don't get it...why do we scare you? Anyway, you know what scares me? Paying $100 or $200 for a 100 year old US coin in MS-64 with a polulation report of 4000+ at that grade and with tens of thousands of the type still in existence in all grades, when I can buy my 2,000 year old As of Vespasian for $60 (of a type of which only a few hundred probably still exist in any condition). That's right, $60 for a coin minted in the last 2 years of the reign of Vespasian, and only 3 years before Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed.
Well, maybe it's that old creepy dude with the lighting coming out of his hands! I have a metal object in my hand next to my eyeball !!!!!!
I'd have to side with the 100 to 200 purchase. Don't get me wrong I love my ancients, I think it boils down to the relation aspect. A problem I have is knowing what a coin looked like a few thousand years ago. I have reference to the moderns. Post away, I hope my next coin is one that fell from the wagon, an Ancient.
Emperor Palpatine. LOL. Only one of the most recognizable characters in Star Wars. I'm not even a Star Wars fan and I know who he is. Mind you, Star Trek is a million times better than Star Wars (I'm a Trekkie), but even I have to admit Star Wars (at least the original 3 movies) are pretty iconic and instantly recognizable in popular culture.
Ok, here is as good as it gets as far as a reference to my coin. A CNG Auctions sample that sold for $850. Extremely minty except for some small high point wear. Also a pretty skilled celator, much more than the one who worked on mine (even taking into account the wear on mine). Not sure I would have paid that much though, even in that condition. I think $500 is more like it, but that's just me. Sometimes people get carried away at auctions. -VS- My coin...which I can live with at only $60, and glance at the $850 one and get a better idea what mine could have been when new. Not that I'm complaining, I'm pretty happy with my bargain Vespasian. Oh, I also have a sweet portrait of his in silver in case I want to look at him through that medium . Here is my silver Vespasian.
I am touched that you feel you can recommend us to an old friend. I have heard we are nasty to newcomers and refer to ourselves as the "Darkside". Well, we do have a fondness for the guy who said, "Oderint, dum metuant." "Let them hate us, as long as they fear us." (Caligula) Some of us believe you can't have too many roaches. Maybe being afraid of 'old coin people' is the wise course. http://a-coins.blogspot.com/2011/10/most-expensive-roman-coin.html I matters nothing what a coin looked like then. Now is everything. Take for example the 'most expensive Roman' (link above) which would be worth a fraction of the $2.5 million if it were just another ordinary original mint state bauble. Some of our coins spent those many years getting better. I wonder what today's most cherished modern coins will look like in a few more decades/centuries/millennia when they settle in for the long haul.
I think you read my statement wrong, my problem is just what you posted. these fantastic coins are what keep us on the drive to buy them. amazing Hadrian I might add. Coins like the one you posted are pedigreed and passed on to new caretakers, not exactly by happenstance. Thanks for the mint example, and no wonder why it achieved the price it did, a marvelous example. In retrospect, coins like those need caretakers to get them to the next millennia, and that is what I strive for.
@Pickin and Grinin If you ask me, all ancient coins deserve a caretaker. One of the things that has changed in me since I became an ancient coin collector is that I no longer look for perfection. I have come to accept and appreciate the beauty of coins that are less than perfect. I've learned to love the history, uniqueness of each particular coin, and the talent of the celator that made that coin possible. And it's not because I can't afford high-end stuff. Heck, I could probably sell my entire collection off and get $15,000, and use that to buy 9 or 10 superb ancients graded by NGC from a high end auction. But would I really be happy doing that? The answer for me is a flat NO! I would end up missing my other coins far too much. You see, this hobby for me is not about acquiring the fanciest coins I can find, but rather the journey and experience.
That a cool coin you gave away, nice that it went to a good home. That new Vespasian is nice, nice color and sweet eagle!
