This is my most expensive coin so far. A consular solidus, issued by Valentinian and Valens. The (unfortunate) result of an online bidding war. Depeyrot 22/2, RIC 16b Nicomedia mint, 367-375 CE, 4.52g. 21mm. Die axis 6h. Obverse: D N VALENS P F AVG. Pearl-diademed bust left, wearing consular robes, holding mappa in raised right hand and scepter in left . Reverse: VOTA PVBLICA, S M N I in exergue (MN ligatured). Valentinian I and Valens enthroned facing, each nimbate and in consular robes, and holding mappa and sceptre, in exergue, two bound captives. Possibly one of the last solidus issues from the mint of Nicomedia before gold striking was fully concentrated at Constantinople.
Here is my priciest Roman coin, no regrets! Didrachm or Quadrigatus, Anonymous, Rome, Silver, Crawford:28/3 AU(50-53) Grade: AU(50-53) | Abbreviations Material: Silver Weight: 6.65 g Diameter: 24.50 mm Coin, Anonymous, Didrachm, Rome, AU(50-53), Silver, Crawford:28/3,Anonymous, Didrachm or Quadrigatus, Rome, 225-212 BC, AU(50-53), Silver, Crawford:28/3,Laureate head of Janus, Jupiter, hurling thunderbolt and holding scepter, in galloping quadriga right driven by Victory ROMA
Not my most expensive but they are of Caligula 1. Denarius RIC 16 Rv Augustus 2. Sestertius RIC 36 Obv. Pietas sestedl. Rv. Caligula sacrificing before temple Picture is in reverse order 3. Sestertius RIC 37 Rv wreath
Here is my most expensive purchase to date, nothing great to look at with multiple signs of a hard life. A case of " find me another " over Condition. Macrinus Capitolias, Decapolis Picture courtesy of www.romanumismatics.com
My most expensive by a fair margin still falls shy of the $1k mark, though not by much. Didius Julianus AR Denarius After Julianus come Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, each about $600-700 Non-quantifiable purchases as they were both part of group lots, but probably would have been $300+ coins individually Julius Caesar - Came with 2 posthumous portrait issues and 1 fourree for about $800; sold all the others for about $650 Caligula - Came in an ebay lot of about 10 coins for $750; three high ticket items, and the remainder were filler. I kept the Nero Claudius Drusus sestertius and the Caracalla, and ended up paying about $150 for both thanks to selling this one; the fifth most expensive coin I've ever owned, and by far the most expensive I've ever sold
MANY splendid coins on this thread! Unless I someday achieve my dream of adding a 1st century AD aureus, this Judea Capta sestertius of Vespasian will remain my most costly Roman coin.
Well, since everyone else is joining this party, might as well play... My most expensive is fairly obvious. I believe it was $912 including shipping and insurance. Don't know how good that is except to say that's a $1,400 on Vcoins any day of the week.
My Marcus Aurelius sestertius... can't recall exactly but I think I paid $1,000,000.00 or was it $30? Probably somewhere in between.
So that's where my coin ended up. Paid $2,500,000 for it, but after my mail order Ukranian bride filed for divorce, I had to sell it to a back alley dealer for 900,000 to buy her a Louis Vuitton bag so she would sign the papers. You got it for a steal at $1,000,000. Hey, are we still up for the cigar lounge later today? Got $4000 cigars and a stack of $100 bills to light the cigars with.
OOOPS! I've already posted my Judea Capta sestertius to this thread. But as I was eating dinner my mind drifted to coins (can anybody relate?), and it dawned on me that I have a Roman coin for which I paid more dearly. It isn't a beauty, but it is a bonafide example of a well-known and quite rare type. I purchased it from a European dealer on VCoins in 2014, but the provenance goes back to Giesseber Munzhandlung 73, Lot 495, in October 1995. I know that "better in hand" is an over-used and somewhat suspect phrase, but in this case it is true. The patina is not as green as the above image shows. Instead it has a more brownish color -- almost chocolate. Expensive candy!
This Aug. denarius of AEGYPTO CAPTA is the coin I paid the most for - got into a Triton auction bidding war. I don't know if it's still the most valuable.
I think I met his cousin once.... He came closer and asked if I wanted to jump right in so he could show me his ancient coin collection. It was tempting, but I was in a hurry and had to take a rain check.
Good plan! Wow, what a coin. BTW, in my earlier post I covered my most expensive Romans. This Greek coin is probably the most expensive coin remaining in my collection after my big March selloff/downsizing. I believe it is the last remaining piece I have for which I paid more than $500 (and then only barely). It is my current favorite, though that has little to do with its dollar value. Original seller pix by FORUM (Photoshopped into my standard template, of course). Pix by Phil Arnold, the PCGS Photo TrueView wizard (as a freelance hire, since PCGS does not grade ancients). Here is the slab pic. I'll be cracking this and the rest of my ancients from their slabs soon, and transitioning to a more traditional touchy-feely album with flips and pocket pages. But only for the Ancients. All the rest- medieval and later- will remain in PCGS plastic. This electrum hekte was pretty close to the $500 mark after slabbing (and now I'm gonna be cracking it out soon, but I'll keep the slab label.)
Grading is always an opinion but I would not crack that one. If you don't like it as is, sell it to someone who looks at the label rather than the wear and dings. I doubt the coin out of holder will get such high praise from a raw dealer catalog. gVF?
My most expensive ancient : ROMAN IMPERATORS, Sextus Pompeius and Q. Nasidius, Denarius Mint moving with Sextus Pompeius, Sicily, 42-39 BC NEPTVNI, head of Pompey the great right, trident before head, dolphin below Q.NASIDIVS at exergue, galley sailing right, star in upper field 3.92 gr Ref : HCRI # 235, RCV # 1390, Crawford # 483/2, Sydenham # 1350, Cohen # 20 Q