The Coin I Have Owned the Longest

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Cicero12, Oct 18, 2020.

  1. Cicero12

    Cicero12 Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]

    Obverse: HADRIANUS AUGUSTUS, laureate head of Hadrian right

    Reverse: COS III, Hadrian on horseback right, raising right hand

    References: RIC II 186; BMCRE 430; Hill 380; Cohen 406; Calico 1215a

    Provenance: Ex Coin Galleries (Stack's, December 2007), lot 392; Coin Galleries (Stack's, February 2007), lot 204; Classical Numismatic Group 42 (May 1997), lot 907; Sotheby’s (London March 1996), lot 183, lot 183; Ex Virgil Brand Collection, Part 1 (Sotheby's, July 1982), lot 16; Dr. Jacob Hirsch Auction XXXIII (November 1913), lot 1242. Sold to Lederer for 205 Marks, probably Dr. Philip Lederer who died in Lugano in 1944.

    While this is the second aureus I have posted, it was the first one I acquired. Prior to this purchase, I had been collecting Roman silver and bronze for about a decade. At the time, I had neither the plans nor the means to move into Roman gold. However, the second I saw this piece in an auction catalogue, I knew I had to have it. Thanks to judicious saving, some additional part-time employment, and some timely life-events, I was able to scrape together just enough to make the purchase.

    While I have parted with the rest of my early collection, I know I will never be able to part with this piece. While it is not particularly rare and, despite the fine style, not in the highest condition, it is the coin I have the strongest emotional attachment to. I will never forget the feeling of getting this coin after waiting so patiently for it.

    I purchased this piece unpedigreed, but I have recently come to find the coin has a fairly long history, and at one point was in the Virgil M. Brand Collection. Recently, I have begun to focus on pedigreed Roman gold and I am so glad this coin fits that focus. I fully intend to hold onto it until my collecting days are done.

    I would love to see the coin that has been in your collection longest, and learn why you have kept it so long!
     
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  3. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

  4. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    Nice gold, love the reverse & I don't blame you for not wanting to part with "your first".

    This is my oldest coin I have owned as well as my first coin that got me into ancients, which was purchased here from a former cointalk poster.

    I would part with my Portrait Julis Caesar coin before I would this.

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    Septimius Severus (193 - 211 A.D)
    AR Denarius
    O: SEVERVS AVG PART MAX, Laureate head right.
    R:RESTITVTOR VRBIS (Restoration of the City), Severus in military attire, spear in left, sacrificing over a tripod altar with right.
    Rome mint, 201 A.D.
    3.3g
    18mm
    RIC 167a, RSC 599, BMCRE 202
     
  5. Cicero12

    Cicero12 Well-Known Member

    That is a beautiful portrait!
     
  6. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    wow.gif That's a really cool gold piece, insanely cool! :D
     
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  7. JayAg47

    JayAg47 Well-Known Member

    While nothing extravagant, this is my first and the longest ancient coin in my collection when I got this from a local 'Sunday community market' in 2013 when I was around 12/13 years old! This coin would also make me get interested in coins in general, especially medieval to pre-independent Indian coins, Australian pre-decimal coins, and American coins a couple of years ago when I started to get funds. This rabbit hole also made me look into silver stacking and recently, ancient coins.
    Raja Raja Chola stater 985-1014 AD.
    I'm just waiting to complete a set of copper, silver, and gold issue of the Cholas.
    first.png
     
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  8. Ryro

    Ryro Trying to remove supporter status

    Thanks so much for sharing! Dazzling obverse:artist::woot:And a wonderful reverse ta boot!
    20190326_172013_315CB2EE-A627-4006-B439-A13B9FF92629-406-000000E65839A9C2.png
    This ATG fouree was given to me by my dad:)
     
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  9. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    My first, purchased 1987, and I still have it. MARS PATER denarius of Septimius Severus:

    Sept Sev Mars 1987 (0).jpg
     
  10. Al Kowsky

    Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

    Cicero12, Your Hadrian aureus is a stunning coin with an impressive pedigree :jawdrop:! The rich toning adds to the eye appeal :cool:. The coin pictured below has remained in my collection the longest. I bought the coin in 1966 (54 years ago) when I was 18 years old :shame:. I posted this coin about a year ago here on CT in a thread "Old Lesson from the School of Hard Knox". The coin turned out to be a forgery made by the master forger Peter Rosa, who was working in N.Y.C. Rosa was selling this fake for $3.00 & I paid $25.00 for my coin from a nefarious dealer in Rochester, NY :mad:.

    Geta-269.jpg
     
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  11. Cicero12

    Cicero12 Well-Known Member

    I’m glad it didn’t turn you off of the hobby. It would have been a real loss! At least it was an early lesson that led to 50 years of great coins!
     
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  12. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    It's easy to see why you fell in love with that coin! Hadrian's portrait is magnificent.

    Not counting a bunch of "uncleaned" dregs (my first foray into ancients) and some prutot which were ostensibly bought for a religious friend (and never given :sorry:), this Corinth stater is my longest owned coin. That's not saying much... I started collecting ancients in 2013.

    When splurging on this coin-- and I have since blown its cost out of the water many times over-- I told myself that every collector should have one nice ancient coin. I had no intention of buying more. Coins are what you get in change for paper money and if a piece of change turns out to be valuable, lucky you. Oh the little lies we tell ourselves :hilarious::hilarious:.

    [​IMG]
    CORINTHIA, Corinth
    345-307 BCE
    AR stater, 8.65 gm
    Obv Pegasus flying left, qoppa below
    Rev: helmeted head of Athena left wearing necklace; mask of Silenus behind
    Ref: Ravel 1046. Calciati 408. Scarce variety.
    from Heritage Auctions, June 2013
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2020
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  13. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    I never let an opportunity pass to show my avatar coin! It was my first ancient, purchased some time around 1987 or 88 (before I started saving receipts and recording where I obtained everything).

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    Tiberius, AD 14-37.
    Roman AR Denarius, 3.87 g, 18.5 mm, 5 h.
    Lugdunum, AD 16-37.
    Obv: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head, right.
    Rev: PONTIF MAXIM, Female figure seated right, holding long olive branch and inverted spear; legs of chair ornate, triple line below.
    Refs: RIC 28; BMCRE 42-44; RSC 16b; RCV 1763 var.
    Notes: The identity of the female figure on the reverse is uncertain.
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2020
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  14. Limes

    Limes Well-Known Member

    That really is an amazing aureus! I understand you will never be able to part with that. I mean, who could!?

    I've shown my first coin in another thread, which obviously is also the oldest in my collection. But this one is my first purchase, and like your aureus, I will never be able to part with it. I like everything about this coin, but I really cherish the memory that comes a long with it.
    1.1.png
     
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  15. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    When I went off to college in the fall of 1964 I needed a photo of a group of coins to illustrate a paper I was writing for a class in ancient history. I did not take pictures or own a camera. A senior on my hall was the chief photographer for the yearbook and took the picture for me. It included three coins I still own. I had bought no coins that year with most of my coins then coming from the time I was taking Latin in high school so I estimate 1963. This photographer pointed out that there were no underclassmen taking photos for the (small) college and suggested I buy a camera and replace him when he graduated. That is how I got stated in photography but I did not start taking coin photos again for several years and did not have the equipment to do close ups until after I was graduated. Of the three coins, I really do not recall which I got first but this Septimius Severus 'Emesa' denarius with COS I obverse may be it. In those days most of my coins came from a $2 pick out dish at a coin store I frequented but I did not keep records back then. This coin BTW shows cross supports under the chair which I have not seen on another coin of this type (FORTVN REDVC) since. Is it unique? IDK. Due to poverty induced by being in the Army, having a new daughter and stay at home wife/mother, I sold all my coins to Joel Malter in 1974 except the three that then struck me as special.
    rg2400bb0039.JPG

    I have never and probably will never own an aureus. The fact is I would rather have $10,000 worth of denarii (about 50?) than one aureus and I have never seen the aureus I want (SS 'Emesa' mint) estimated for less than that.
     
  16. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    Purchased in 1981/2 Marcus Antonius  1.jpg
     
  17. Cicero12

    Cicero12 Well-Known Member

    Beautiful coins everyone! Septimius seems to have been a popular first choice!
     
  18. Voulgaroktonou

    Voulgaroktonou Well-Known Member

    What a beautiful Hadrian! My first ancient? Oh, this is embarrassing, but here goes:
    Maurice Tiberius, Decanummium. Carthage 582-602. Sear 563; H. 122; DO 245.1; BM 238.
    S0563.jpg
    A beautiful Hadrian. I see why you have kept it!
    My first ancient? OK, although I am embarrassed.
    Maurice Tiberius. Decanummium, Carthage, 582-602. Sear 563; DO 245; H. 122. Cost in June 1960 was $0.25. Perhaps worth twice that today, with inflation...Although the second coin is not the same, it's Sear 564, in essentials, it shows what the first one once resembled.
    Why I kept the first? Well, because it was the first.
    S0563.jpg
    S0564.jpg
     
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  19. AncientJoe

    AncientJoe Well-Known Member

    That Hadrian aureus is a beautiful example, @Cicero12 , and a really great place to start the this era of your collection, and poetic that you managed to track down a fitting pedigree as well!

    My collecting journey started as a child with US coins, then briefly a range of world and ancients (lower-end mixed lots and an attempt at a "one per century" collection). Then after a few fortunate career moves, I was able to dive more deeply into US coins, focusing on early gold and colonials.

    Then, I bought my avatar coin and all bets were off. I stopped buying US coins and eventually sold the bulk of them: I was bit hard by the ancient bug.

    So, while it isn't the coin I've owned the longest, it is the longest member of what I consider to be my "primary" collection today:

    AntoninusPius.jpg

    Antoninus Pius 138-161 AD. Aureus, 7.30g (6h). Rome, 140-4 AD. Obv: ANTONINVS - AVG PIVS P P Bust laureate, draped right, seen from side. Rx: TR - POT - COS III Emperor as Romulus advancing right in military dress, holding spear with points at both ends and trophy over shoulder. BM 238. C. 909; RIC 37, 906 var., Strack 71. Biaggi 761 (this coin). Calicó 1650 (this coin).
     
  20. pprp

    pprp Well-Known Member

    Sadly I have had this Slavey fake of a Lysimachos drachm since 1992. It has even toned since then. It's a good reminder how difficult a collector's life was before the www.

    Lysimachos.jpeg
     
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  21. halfcent1793

    halfcent1793 Well-Known Member

    I don't have photos, but there are two of them. A Fine 1908-S Indian Cent and a 1912 quarter eagle were given to me by my mother in about 1960. The cent was one she had collected as a girl, and the quarter eagle was in her grandpa's (my great-grandpa's) pocket when he died. I'm sure I'll never get rid of either of them.
     
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