David r sear, Roman coins and their values 1974 revised edition

Hello,

Are these prices still valid?(or am I reading the book wrong):
(12,000 for an emperor that only two coins are known of?)

Thomas,

 

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His aureus was sold at auction in 1991 for 180,000$...

 

Exactly! So why would it be priced at 12,000?

 

Because the book is 46 years old. Using an inflation calculator: £12,000 in 1974 is £113,876.71 today. That would be 148,962.44 US Dollars, according to currency converters.

It wasn't a bad estimate on Sear's part.

 

Thanks, i'll use the book for its identification purpose then.


Thomas,

 

I find the David Sear books to be very helpful in attribution. Many books make no attempt to give a value for several reasons but even if prices from earlier editions no longer offer currently valid prices they can be a guide to relative rarity. If a common Republic denarius in VF condition sold for $75 thirty years ago and another scarcer piece sold for $300 dollars at the same time (four times the cost of the common one) then if the relative value remained the same over the years and you can find current prices for the common one on the internet (but not the scarcer piece) you can surmise that the scarcer one you cannot immediately locate is still selling for roughly about four times the price of the common one you can readily find. Y
es, I know other matters might have changed this ratio (like a finding of a hoard of those once scarce pieces) but for relative rarity and therefore value, I still find even his older books a good guide.

 

Here is Brutus pg 41 from 1964 edition, Saturninus is listed as extremely rare, no price.

 

For someone new to ancient Roman coins, what would be the best reference book to get?

 

If a single volume, I would recommend David Sear's 1988 edition on Roman coins. You can usually find it for sale on the net. Expect to pay about $40 for it. Enough information to become knowledgeable, not so much minutia to get you flummoxed. After this he started on his multi book set. I don't collect much past the Tetrarchy so I only have the first four books of that set. While you are finding your book continue to peruse this site.

 

Ok thanks I'll look for that!

 

Ignore any price guide you see, certainly ones that are decades old. Every coin needs to be individually priced based on its unique characteristics.

 

This was true in 1974 as I recall but not nearly as true as it is today. The sellers I knew way back when did not regularly carry rough and ugly, damaged coins unless the coin was really special in some way. Today we see more acid cleaned culls and a general attitude that having a photo of every coin makes it OK to sell such things. I bought coins by mail from unillustrated lists that would say only "VF, bold" or "F, dark" which was enough to guess whether I wanted to risk buying. I believe more dealers then tried to be use they would make customers want to return for more rather than moving merchandise they wish they had never bought. I don't think grades were as dependent on wear as on 'eye appeal'. My memory is tempered by time and a fondness for the good old days.

That said, I do believe the Sear prices are worthwhile if you think of them as relative desirability points rather than cash prices.

 

I agree with @AncientJoe .

To me, NO published book of “prices” are ever correct or accurate. Prices are determined by the market and your wants. Too many folks seem “conditioned” that if it is written down, that it is the truth, or that it is even the starting point for a price. I chuckle at how the US coin industry has lock-stepped and brainwashed that market into published coin list prices. It is no longer a hobby, rather they are commodities that are an “investment”.

I see why the “low price-high quality” guy on ebay is selling. Folks are suckers to anyone that writes a price and sell a story.

I research research research on the coins I target, past selling auction prices, and balance against my wants. Then, I decide my offer. Basic negotiation 101.

 

Do you have a photograph of the front cover of that book?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Roman-Coins-...words=sear+roman+coins&qid=1578754635&sr=8-27

I assume the price reflects a desire for the first edition. The later ones are better for coins and much cheaper

 

Paid 8 bucks,

 

While coin prices in books are often outdated within a few months of publication, they may still be useful indicators of relative rarity of the coins. Low priced coins - common. High priced coins - rarer.

 

That's how I see it, exactly

Q

 

I ask because I'm interested in the publication history of this book. I am going from memory, but I think the 1974 has a coin of Titus on the dustjacket.

 

I guess that's the one



Q