After a 30+ year wait - My First Alexander Tetradrachm

So, back in 1987, one of my first ancient coin purchases was this Alexander drachm:



Macedonia Kingdom Drachm
Antigonus I Monophthalmus
(c. 320-306 B.C.)
Lampsakos Mint
Head of Herakles in lion skin / AΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus std. left on throne, eagle & sceptre. Controls: obv. forepart Pegasos left; rev. AI below throne.
Price 1385; S-6731.
(4.22 grams / 17 mm)

I couldn't believe it was mine! It was so beautiful. So I thought: Wouldn't it be great to get a bigger one - a tetradrachm? My collecting has been pretty erratic in the years since then - I am easily distracted - but this month - 30+ years later - I finally got a tetradrachm.

Alexander tetradrachms are common, I realize. I just wanted to get one cheap that wasn't too much of a disaster - and finally, I found one, on eBay in a 'buy it now' auction. It was listed as having a test cut, but it doesn't have one that I can find - the seller sells on Vcoins and was, I suspect, just clearing out some lower-grade tets on eBay. He had listed several others in the same price range, all with test cuts - this was the best one, in my opinion.

It isn't Alexander the Great exactly (my original drachm wasn't either), and it has some problems, but I am very happy with this big chunk of silver. It is my first ancient insect too- a bee. I paid the same for both, 30 years apart: $75.

Any other long waits out there?



Seleukos I Nikator Tetradrachm
(c. 311-300 B.C.)
Babylon Mint
Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / AΛEΞANΔPOY right; [BAΣIΛEΩΣ] below; Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; MI above bee in left field; MYP monogram in wreath below throne.
Price 3754; SC 82.2b
(17.02 grams / 23 mm)

 

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Nothing compared to 30, but almost 7 years (nearly since I started collecting ancients) to finally get my most sought-after ruler, King Odoacer of Italy. Was expecting to wait at least another 5-10 years for an affordable one. And I feel very fortunate to have acquired one with a clear monogram.

Odoacer, Kingdom of Italy
AE nummus
Obv: OD[O-VAC], bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Rev: Odoacer's monogram (letters ODOVA) within wreath
Mint: Ravenna
Date: 476-493 AD
Ref: RIC X 3502

 

Odoacar! He isn't even on my radar - one of the unobtainables for me. Great score.

 

A coin I always yearned for was a Ptolemaic Oktadrachm! I saw my first ones on Triton I/II/III. It took me 15 years to get a beautifull MS example.
AV Oktodrachm ND 28mm. 28.08g. Alexandria Mint
Commerative of Arsinoe II Philadephos
Struck under Ptolomey VI 180/60BC

 

Congratulations @Marsyas Mike - well worth the wait!
at a great price too!!

 

Nice! A long wait but congrats

 

Took me a little over 20 years to finally acquire these two characters:

Balbinus
Augustus, A.D. 238
Bronze Sestertius
Rome mint, A.D. 238
Obv: IMP CAES D CAEL BALBINVS AVG
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG - Concordia seated, facing left, holding patera and cornucopia. SC in exergue.
RIC 22
28mm, 19.8g.

Pupienus
Augustus, A.D. 238
Silver Denarius
Rome mint, A.D. 238
Obv: IMP C M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG
Rev: P M TR P COS II P P - Felicitas, standing, facing left, holding caduceus and scepter.
RIC 6
19mm, 3.3g.

 

This one took a combination of time, a tax-refund, and a forgiving wife to acquire, but she'd been on my list for a long time: