Your Most "Precious" Coin

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by kevin McGonigal, Nov 9, 2019.

  1. kevin McGonigal

    kevin McGonigal Well-Known Member

    Most of us who have collected over a period of time, probably, have one coin that is just extra special. It may be because it is valuable, maybe a gift from a dear friend or an unexpected find. For whatever reason it is just extra special or "precious" for reasons perhaps unfathomable. For me it is this Tetradrachma of the Greek Colony of Leontini in Magna Graecia. This was my first expensive addition (more than $100) to my collection back around 1980 that I bought at a show. At the time, with two toddlers in tow, this was a huge layout of cash but even though I have acquired more expensive coins over that time, maybe even more attractive ones, when I open up my collection to peruse the pages this is the coin that always first catches my eye This is Sear 825 (Vol 1) from circa 450 BC and even thought the lion is the reverse of the coin, that is what is most striking. The actual obverse, the chariot with Nike (I think) flying overhead, is much more worn from the way the coin is struck and looks to have been harshly cleaned at one time. IMG_1164[2367]Leontini Lion.jpg IMG_1165[2365]chariot leontini.jpg . It weighs in at 17.1 grams. Should readers have a "precious" coin in their collection perhaps they would like to share it and tell us why this is the special one.
     
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  3. Curtisimo

    Curtisimo the Great(ish)

    This coin attended my wedding in my wife’s shoe. Pretty hard to top that in terms of a unique connection to a coin in my collection. :)
    A01D635C-9AF4-4CBE-BB3A-512E79022128.jpeg
    England, Tudor Dynasty
    Elizabeth I (1558-1603)
    AR Sixpence, London mint, Struck 1575
    Dia.: 26 mm
    Wt.: 2.92
    Obv.: ELIZABETH D G ANF FR ET HI REGINA: Crowned bust left
    Rev.: POSVI DEV ADIVTOREM MEV: long cross over arms with date above
    Ref.: Seaby 2563
     
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  4. Deacon Ray

    Deacon Ray Artist & Historian Supporter

    Your Tetradrachma is beautiful @kevin McGonigal ! All of the coins that I've received as gifts are precious and I would like to display all of them. I don’t want to fill up the thread however, so I’m going to display one that was given to me as a total surprise from a CoinTalk member who had been following my posts. I was so moved by this generous gift that, although it happened months ago, I’m still in shock :wideyed:

    3.jpg


    The following two coins are precious to me because originally, I thought all Bar
    Kochba coins were out of range for me, price-wise. Although these were not cheap, they were under the limit I had set for myself.

    Bar_Kokhba.jpg
     
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  5. kaparthy

    kaparthy Well-Known Member

    Miletos Electrum ObvRev.jpg

    Obverse recumbant lion looking over back. Reverse incuse punches.
    2.37 grams electrum one-sixth stater c. 550 BCE Miletos
    British Museum Catalog Vol. III, No. 7: Ionia
    Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum Von Aulock, #1796.
    Ernest Babelon Trait Des Monnaies Grecques Et Romaines, plate I, 14 and I, 20.
    Agnes Brett, Boston Museum of Fine Arts Collection
    Weidenauer 129, 130
    Nancy Waggoner, The Rosen Collection, Pozzi 2465
    Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, The Huharrem Kayhan Collection, Coin 442.

    None of those looks exactly like this. They all are individual examples of a type. I bought it from Gordon Andreas Singer at a Michigan State Numismatic Society show. The coin was misidentified; and being a specialist in medieval issues, he had no compelling interest in it. If I wanted it, it was mine, for about the same price as a common slabbed BU Morgan.

    My interests all coincided here. It was from the event horizon of the invention of coinage. It came from Miletos in the lifetime of Thales. It represented to me the confluence of mercantilism over farming, democracy over monarchy, philosophy over religion, the first formal proof in geometry, and the advent of the professional citizen-soldier from a time and place where those who voted for war were actually those who really fought the war. It hallmarks a saying from classical Greece: "Long ago, even Miletos was great." In other words, by 400 BCE, there existed a sense of history because by then, Miletos had been defeated, depopulated, and refounded with observably lesser status. But this coin was from the golden age.

    When I leave this planet (on an orbital tourist spaceship), this coin is coming with me.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2019
  6. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    Can't really narrow it down because I have a bevy of coins I consider precious.
     
  7. kevin McGonigal

    kevin McGonigal Well-Known Member

    Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in her shoe.
     
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  8. The Eidolon

    The Eidolon Well-Known Member

    4 Daler 1756 1930g.jpeg Not an ancient, but my most prized "coin" is probably this piece of 1756 Swedish 4 daler copper plate money. I got it from my local coin shop when it shut down and the owner decided he didn't need it for his private collection any more. It's probably recovered from a shipwreck as it looks heavily corroded, and two of the corner stamps are worn off. There just aren't very many of these which didn't get melted down when they were demonetized.
    Center: "4 DALER SILF MYNT" Corners: "AFRS 1756"
     
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  9. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

    For me, any day the sestertius my grandad found at Verdun battle and eventually gave me in his old age, before he passed away aged 86 yo

    Below is the writeup about it in the memorable CIT 2017 tournament :

    [​IMG]
    Commodus, Sestertius- Rome mint, 192 CE
    Wt.: 21.01 g
    Obv.: L AEL AVREL CO---MM AVG P FEL,Laureate head of Commodus right
    Rev.: HERCVLI ROMANO AVG,Hercules facing, head left, holding club and lion's skin, resting on trophy.SCin field
    Ref : RCV #5752, Cohen #203

    My grandfather, born 1894, has been "lucky" enough to get involved in the whole WWI where he's been wounded five times (two actual wounds and three gas attacks). While digging a trench at Verdun battle (1916), he eventually found three coins that he carefully kept with him during three years (he's not been sent back home earlier than 1919). After the end of the war, being on a train, back home with two other "poilus" he decided he whould give one coin to each of them and keep the last one for himself (probably one of the first "ancient coin giveaway" in the 20th century). As written above, when I was 18, being the only one in the family showing an interest for coins he told me the story and gifted me with the coin.



    Why it’s cool:
    It is the very first roman coin I have ever possessed. It's of course the real start of my addiction for ancient coins.

    My grand dad finding it during his service and keeping it until the end of the war and for almost his entire life makes it the coin I will keep whatever occurs in my own life and/or to my coin collections.

    As for the coin itself, its coolness comes from it being minted the last year in Commodus' rule, in 192 CE, as he'd turn completely crazy finding himself being a reincarnation of Hercules. Even though the obverse doesn't show him with the lionskin, the reverse has an explicit legend and clearly shows the emperor/hercules with Hercules' attributes.

    And to finish with, the following comment is taken from the description of a similar example (in far much better condition) in NAC auction 4, # 477 :Few Roman coins excite as much commentary as those of Commodus, which show him possessed of Hercules. Not only do they present an extraordinary image, but they offer incontrovertible support to the literary record. The reports of Commodus’ megalomania and infatuation with Hercules are so alarming and fanciful that if the numismatic record was not there to confirm, modern historians would almost certainly regard the literary record as an absurd version of affairs, much in the way reports of Tiberius’ depraved behaviour on Capri are considered to be callous exaggerations. Faced with such rich and diverse evidence, there can be no question that late in his life Commodus believed that Hercules was his divine patron. Indeed, he worshipped the demigod so intensely that he renamed the month of September after him, and he eventually came to believe himself to be an incarnation of the mythological hero. By tradition, Hercules had fashioned his knotted club from a wild olive tree that he tore from the soil of Mount Helicon and subsequently used to kill the lion of Cithaeron when he was only 18 years old. Probably the most familiar account of his bow and arrows was his shooting of the Stymphalian birds while fulfilling his sixth labour. The reverse inscription HERCVLI ROMANO AVG (‘to the August Roman Hercules’) makes the coin all the more interesting, especially when put into context with those of contemporary coins inscribed HERCVLI COMMODO AVG, which amounts to a dedication ‘to Hercules Commodus Augustus’.

    Q
     
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  10. Kavax

    Kavax Well-Known Member

    This, like most forumers i guess.

    Nevertheless, i have one particularly special for me.

    It is the plate coin of the catalogue Leu 6 1973 , the main sale catalogue of the dispersion of the famous collection Thomas Virzi. His collection is "legendary" for those who collect Sicilian bronze coins.

    It is also a Rizzo "Monete Greche Della Sicilia" 1946 and SNG Spencer-Churchill plate coin (ex : Auktion Ars Classica XVI, Luzern 1933)

    Timoleon plate coin.JPG
    Timoleon LEU_6.JPG
     
  11. Ryro

    Ryro Trying to remove supporter status

    Very hard to beat these Sicilian tets for me at least when it comes to beauty and historicity.
    Though worn, I'm still thrilled and proud Everytime I hold this one minted square in the middle of the Greek and Persian Wars:
    10A0CAC6-FB07-4B51-A2F2-3C355D124ECC.png
    SICILY. Syracuse. DeinomenidTyranny

    485-466 BC. AR Tetradrachm (24mm - 17.45 g). Struck circa 480-475 BC. Charioteer driving walking quadriga right, holding kentron and reins; Nike flying above crowning horses / Diademed head of Arethusa right, surrounded by four dolphins swimming clockwise. Boehringer 134 (V60/R93); SNG ANS 38 (same dies); Randazzo -. rev sl off-ctr, sl surface imperfections,most notably a horizontal scratchlike flaw in obvright field.
     
  12. Spaniard

    Spaniard Well-Known Member

    Couple of great stories in this thread! With some lovely coins....
    For me, as I'm an avid collector of Kashmir coinage, it has to be this Jaya Simha Kaserah...Unlike the majority of the other rulers, his coinage is noted as having an array of different legends and there is still some controversy over the reading of this particular one. But this is the only type coin I know of where the king is holding the trident in his right hand...This is a very rare type especially being able to see the trident and legend below and what makes it that little bit more special is it was in a small lot so only cost a couple of bucks!
    lot3-removebg-preview.png
    Jayasimha ( legend variant ) 1128-1154/5
    Copper Kaserah or Punchshi 18mm (6.06gr)
    Obverse- Goddess Ardochsho/Lakshmi seated 'Sri ma t'(honourable) left and 'Jaya' to the right
    Reverse- King standing facing and sacrificing at an altar with his left hand....
    Interestingly this is the only reverse type where the king is holding the trident in his right hand.
    'Sim ha' bottom left and Deva bottom right.
    Script reads 'Srimat Jayasimhadeva'
    Ref..A.Cunningham coin number 22 very rare.
    Not recorded in Mitchiner.
     
  13. kevin McGonigal

    kevin McGonigal Well-Known Member

    Now that's an extraordinary precious coin.
     
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  14. Alegandron

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

    ALL of them.
     
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  15. rrdenarius

    rrdenarius non omnibus dormio Supporter

    My favorite is one of these two:
    2.17.16 003.JPG
    2.17.16 004.JPG
    The Semis was the first Aes Grave in my collection. It was also the most expensive until I bought the As on the left. With these two coins, I switched from buying mostly RR silver to cast bronze.
     
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  16. panzerman

    panzerman Well-Known Member

    My fav. coin in my collection for its looks.....
    AV Salut d'or ND Saint Lo Mint/ struck circa 1422-30AD
    Henry VI of England
    English Occupation of France during Hundred Years War
    from Gallery 51 where it was graded FDC
    Second fav.
    AV Dukat 1646 A-I (Weissenberg Mint)
    Georg Rakozki I Prince of Transylvania
    Transylvania was a vassal state to the Ottoman Sultan
    Third pick:
    AV Aureus ND Cyzicus Mint struck 286AD
    Diocletian/ Roman Emperor
    Triton V IMG_0021.JPG IMG_0024.JPG IMG_0700.JPG IMG_0101.JPG IMG_0607.JPG IMG_0608.JPG
     
  17. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    To this day this is the only coin I know I will never sell or try to upgrade for sure...

    Alexander III Tetradrachm (1).jpg

    This is the coin that started me on my journey through ancient numismatics, so for that it is extra special. I have more expensive coins now, but this is still my most cherished coin.
     
  18. kevin McGonigal

    kevin McGonigal Well-Known Member

    I totally understand.
     
  19. SeptimusT

    SeptimusT Well-Known Member

    Asking me to choose my most 'precious' coin is like asking me to choose a favorite anything - I just can't do it, because I love them all for different reasons. So how about something that is precious to be despite being completely humble? It's not my first coin, but rather two very humble coins that I feel are among the most interesting items in my collection:

    coin.png

    That's a crude imitation of a Gallienus Sol antoninianus and a barely identifiable Gratian from Lugdunum. Absolutely nothing special as coins, and it would be tough to sell either of them at even $2 each. Together, however, they form part of a late Roman votive deposit from Yorkshire, found inside a small lead 'bowl,' along with an unidentified, possibly figural object:

    bowl3.jpg
     
  20. Spaniard

    Spaniard Well-Known Member

    @SeptimusT ....What a lovely possession to have!
    Great little bit of history...Really cool!...
     
  21. ominus1

    ominus1 Well-Known Member

    ..i'm wiff ya..:)...i guess tho, this coin is what got me into buying coins.. so it's very precious for that reason for without it, there wouldn't be any bought coins collection and i wouldn't be here today..i paid $5 & what sold me on it 20 years ago is it shipped free..:)... 1st. bought coin 001.JPG
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2019
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