Dang!! I was skeptical if it was real or not though, being as you posted about you learning how to mint your own coins, lol. That is one heck of a nice coin though IMHO. Phoenix
If I ever mint a coin like this...lets face it, it aint gonna happen Its simply an outstanding coin but I tend to think it went excessively high, it was valued much lower going in.
I can't say 'way too high'. Its a unique piece. Preservation like that, combined with the incredibly well engraved dies - priceless. If I were Bill Gates, I'd just bid until no one else would. And that's how much its worth.
If I had the money, maybe 50,000 maybe 100,000 MAX...lovely coin no doubt but not over a million lovely...the price was very high because it was a part of the Nelson Bunker Hunt collection and the POSSIBILITY (not known) of a famous designer and engraver...this is just speculation and should not be factored into the price IMO. "The portrait of this coin has been attributed by Charles Seltman ("Greek Sculpture and Some Festival Coins", Hesperia 17 (1948), 17 ff) to an individual known as the Alphaeus Master, and it has been further postulated that this superb engraver may in fact be the sculptor Antoninianus of Aphrodisias. Whatever the identity of the creator is secondary to the work of art he has created [sic], which synthesizes the best medallic work of this period, and breathes life into Hadrian's metallic portrait." Before the auction its worth was estimated at 400,000 CHF It is also of the highest quality, and extraordinary high relief...possibly an engraving for a medal which was later used for a coin.
That makes a BIG difference, I feel. It moves this coin from being 'only' an exquisite example to a unique engraving, on par with unique artifacts like the Gemma Claudia or statues of known engravers.
Swiss franc By going here and using the currency converter to discover that 2,000,000 CHF equaled $1,697,000.55 when this post was made.
