There are days when I cannot possibly follow all of the auctions happening at or near the same time. I therefore spend some time perusing the unsold lots from auctions. I have found a number of interesting coins this way and this coin is no exception. There are 4 standard Minerva types in the 6th issue. M1 is Minerva fighting, M2 is Minerva standing on a capital, M3 has Minerva with thunderbolt and M 4 has Minerva standing with spear. M1 and M4 are considered rare, but M2 (RIC 675) and M3 (RIC 676) are R2 (very few examples known). I am trying to get an example of each Minerva type for the issue. A while back I added RIC 675 to my collection and this one is the second from the issue I have added. My RIC 675 was in fact more difficult to find than this one. Both RIC 675 and RIC 676 are quite elusive. In addition, this new acquisition was misattributed as a common issue with TR P VIIII. It is not, it is instead TR P VIII. I cannot tell you how many of Domitian coins were misattributed but it may be more then half! If one goes looking for these varieties it pays to give a second look to coins that may appear at first glance to be common. It is not just the smaller dealers who make these attribution mistakes, I have found these errors from the large auction houses as well. Now I need to keep searching for RIC 674 and RIC 677. Please feel free to post your misattributed coins. Domitian (81-96). AR Denarius, 88 CE September 14-89 CE- September 13. (sixth issue) (18 mm 3.42 g) Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM PM TR P VIII. Laureate head right. Rev: IMP XXI COS XIIII CENS PPP. Minerva standing left, holding thunderbolt and spear; shield at her left side. RIC 676, RSC 256, BMC 160 Ex: Artemide aste auction 50e February 29-March 1 2020. Lot 339.
You are right, an unsold coin can be a nice or scarce one and even beauty as auction are not always logical by essence. Of course you got some unsold coins that are too pricey, with annoying problems or even that experienced collectors and reseller think could be fake. Some are also nice. I prefer auctions house that sell unsold ones without their premium after all if you give a second chance to a coin you should have an incentive and the seller sell it and the auction house earn something on seller rather than zero. I know it isn’t the policy of most auction houses at least officially but some do it even not openly.
Nice find! I think that you are right that many dealers incorrectly attribute the coins. I think that besides the fact that the coins have many legend differences, it also plays a role that some dealers do not have the recent Ric 2007. The old Ric lacks certain rarities. Because the dealers cannot find the coin, they attribute it to something that looks like it. I find it interesting if certain coins from one issue are rarer or more common than others in the issue. I realize that the coins we have do not accurately reflect the quantities that were produced at the time. But it still raises interesting questions. For example, did the production of the four Minerva types have to be in balance and were some therefore struck more than others in issues? Did they work faster at some officinae than at other officinae? I think we will never get answers to these types of questions, but it is interesting to speculate.
I've picked up an unsold or two from the Artemide aste auctions. They seem to have Twelve Caesars coins in modest grades that don't attract a lot of attention.
Yes indeed and I have benefitted from that on occasion. I do have same coins in EF but I usually do not pursue coins only for condition. If I come across a rare coin in vf- to vf I will try to pick it up because in some cases I do not know when I will see another.
There is at least one auction house that offers unsold lots at a discount. sometimes the coins are advertised at 80 or 90% of the minimum bid.
Very nice. Glad it found a home with an enthusiastic collector! In order to remember an auction a week ago, I placed the opening bid on a lot more than a month ago. I forgot the auction, but got mail that I had won the lot. Sweet.
