Rarity: What makes you pay more?

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Finn235, Feb 21, 2019.

?

What sort of rarity will you pay extra for?

  1. Ruler or Authority

    21 vote(s)
    43.8%
  2. Type or Denomination

    18 vote(s)
    37.5%
  3. Titulature etc

    5 vote(s)
    10.4%
  4. Mint

    7 vote(s)
    14.6%
  5. Variety

    11 vote(s)
    22.9%
  6. I only buy if it's a slam-dunk deal

    7 vote(s)
    14.6%
  7. I don't care about rarity, just aesthetic appeal

    16 vote(s)
    33.3%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. Orfew

    Orfew Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

    I was willing to pay more for this coin because of its history. Its history actually makes it rare. It is otherwise a very common coin. This is a tribute penny of Tiberius. On its own it is definitely not rare. However, this coin has a story. It was part of the Quidenham hoard found in Norfolk. It was buried in an area associated with the revolt of Boudica. So this coin has an interesting story to tell. I love that I am able to trace it back to the ground so to speak.

    Tiberius ‘Tribute Penny’.AD16-37. Silver denarius.
    17mm. 3.48g.
    RCV 1763 RIC 26
    bold head, clear Livia.
    Found Quidenham hoard, Norfolk, 2014. Recorded as Coin #22,

    NMS-480CEE under the portable antiquities scheme.
    Purchased from Chris Rudd Numismatics July 23, 2018.

    Tiberius Quidenham.jpg

    TIBERIUS COIN 21 QUIDENHAM HOARD PAS.png
     
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  3. octavius

    octavius Well-Known Member

    I agree; the two most important factors for me when considering purchasing a coin would be history and fine style (not always in that order). When they are both present in the sane coin that is an added bonus. Just got this one tonight on V-coins... bTs25DcKEa98jwQ6L3om8zMZ6G7f4s.jpg
     
    roman99, Andres2, Clavdivs and 13 others like this.
  4. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

    For me rarity means something that fits my tastes and goal in my specialized fields (read Dombes and other niches I'm stuck in), and that I will probably not see again in the next decades : I'm ready to pay an extra for thet

    What I like to buy is a different animal : as others stated above, I like rare rulers, fine style, interesting reverses, coins telling a story, and so on...

    I paid three times what various dealers had offered the seller for the following, and still consider it as the deal of the decade : it's unique so far, and seeing another one in my lifetime is higly unlikely

    [​IMG]
    Louis II de Montpensier, prince de Dombes (1560-1582) - Pistole, or - 1579
    Atelier de Trévoux
    + LVDO . P . DOMBARVM . D . MONTISP Ecu de Bourbon couronné
    + DNS . ADIVTOR . ET . REDEM . MEVS . 1579 Croix feuillue
    6.54 gr - 25-26 mm
    Ref : Date inédite : Divo Dombes -, PA -, Mantellier -, Boudeau -, Sirand -

    Q
     
  5. panzerman

    panzerman Well-Known Member

    I like Dombes/ Feudal French coins too! My best area for collecting are German States (160AV coins) next is France with 56 AV coins.... IMG_0986.JPG IMG_0988.JPG IMG_0990.JPG
     
  6. Fugio1

    Fugio1 Well-Known Member

    This topic has been in my mind recently. In my collection area, Early Roman silver, for me to pay a premium, the coin generally needs to be rare BECAUSE of the condition, style, or eye appeal.

    However, as a collector of varieties, small details constituting rarity may be meaningful to me, but may not be so meaningful to most collectors who are happy with one or two of the earliest anonymous denari in their collection. Nevertheless, I still have my “condition” discriminatory nature driving how much I will pay for a coin. Sometimes when it is unlikely I will ever see another example I will buy a lower grade coin,

    Interestingly, a couple of the rarest anonymous denari in my collection are also the coins I paid the least for. Here are two “rare coins” and why they are significant to me but may be of little interest to others.

    Crawford 55/1, Ex RBW NAC 61
    Hammer price: 300 CHF
    Population: < 10 examples known.
    Meaningful because this is among the rarest denarius issues listed and plated in RRC by Crawford. The British Museum doesn't have one. It's the only anonymous denarius issue found with both Peaked visor and splayed visor varieties. (This one is peaked).
    55-1-blk.jpg
    Crawford __ (Not in RRC), Roma Numismatics ESale 44
    Hammer price: 110 GBP
    Population: 3 known specimens
    Meaningful because this is the only fully anonymous issue with peaked visor belonging to the Sicilian style issues grouped together in RRC 72-78 except RRC 75/1c. In those coins cataloged, all but RRC 75/1c have various symbols or monograms distinguishing their issues. Roma's helmet visor on RRC 75/1c is splayed. the visor on this example is peaked (with lowest line extending).
    77a-wht-2.jpg
    Steve Brinkman
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2019
  7. BenSi

    BenSi Well-Known Member

    Hmm, coins I need to finish my collecting goals, if it is a rarity then I am lucky to find it regardless of condition.
     
  8. panzerman

    panzerman Well-Known Member

    Sometimes, you can pick up a rarity for a bargain:happy: I got this RRRRR unique version of Florentine Florin for 1200 euros from Nomisma as "unsold" lot. IMG_0095.JPG
     
  9. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Love those early and tough to find early Post-Reform Denarii / Quinarii:

    upload_2019-2-22_14-23-56.png
    RR AR Denarius 214-208 BCE Roma R X behind - Dioscuri R ROMA linear frame stars Sicily RARE Cr 68-1b


    upload_2019-2-22_14-24-38.png
    RR Anon AR denarius Roma 211-206 BCE ROMA incus Dioscuri single horn-helmet Sear-- Craw 68-1b SICILY ISSUE RARE misattributed as Craw 44-5


    RR Quinarius 212-195 BCE 1.8g Luceria mint Anon Craw 98B-1 VERY RARE.jpg
    RR Quinarius 212-195 BCE 1.8g Luceria mint Anon Craw 98B-1 VERY RARE


    upload_2019-2-22_14-27-51.png
    RR Anon AR Quinarius 211-210 BCE Aplulian mint 16.5mm 2.1g Phrygian helmet Dioscuri Craw 102-2b RARE
     
  10. arizonarobin

    arizonarobin Well-Known Member

    I love rare types when they fit within my collecting interests. A rare coin of Julia Domna, or one of the rare Stobi issues is definitely interesting. However, Rare coins outside of my collection don't hold any particular interest just because they are rare.

    Also many coins are "rare" because of a legend variation or break or something small, but overall there are coins with the same portrait and reverse- these I find less interesting than say a Rare Domna from Corinth!
    Rarity in this age also goes quickly with some types. What was rare when I started collecting 20 years ago is sometimes not so rare today!
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  11. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    I love that Corinthian Domna with Melikertes-Palaimon! What a great find!
     
    arizonarobin likes this.
  12. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member


    Sorry John, but this should be in my trays, not yours

    Nice to have the opportunity of seeing it again, thanks for sharing
    :) Q
     
    Alegandron and panzerman like this.
  13. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    I have only five coins that I spent a "significant amount" of money on (for me, that would be more than 500 Euros, a sum that would be considered an insane price for a piece of bronze by most people outside this community):

    My most expensive coins were Gordian I and Gordian II. It is their rarity as such that makes them expensive, but if you want a complete set of Emperors, there is no way around them.
    Almost as rare, especially as Sestertii in a collectable state, are Pertinax and Macrinus.

    Medallions are extremely rare as a class, but as there were no other Sestertius-sized coins issued after 265 aD, they are the only chance to continue a collection of large bronzes beyond the rule of Gallienus. So when I had the chance to buy one of Numerianus, I did.

    Three out of my five "significantly expensive" coins happen to have a century-old pedigree and are cited in numismatic literature (Numerian, Macrinus, Gordian II).
    As I am into genealogy, this adds a lot of interest for me.

    My Macrinus is not only extremely rare and has an exceptional pedigree, which alone would make it special to me, but on top also seems to be my highest grade coin (rated 5/5 in both strike and surface by CNG, which is very hard to achieve for any Sestertius), plus it features a beautifully toned natural orichalcum patina (according to one expert it might never even have been in the ground), and on top of all that it is of a high style that has never been surpassed in the third century.

    Bildschirmfoto 2019-02-22 um 20.34.58.png

    So I would say, this is the one and only coin that I will ever own that is virtually impossible to improve for a roman bronze (even by someone with 100 times my budget) in it´s combination of rarity, pedigree, grade and aesthetic appeal.
     
    TIF, Cucumbor, arizonarobin and 10 others like this.
  14. octavius

    octavius Well-Known Member

    Your Macrinus is just amazing. Has all the right qualities of a great coin.
     
    Julius Germanicus likes this.
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