I bought my first "real" sestertius for a bit over $30. I previously had a large, sestertius-sized Vimanacium Gordie, but that didn't count. Here's a legitimate Roman sestertius, of Severus Alexander. Although the field surfaces are rather rough, the artistry is pretty high. I'm also a big fan of those Mars reverses. Ruler: Severus Alexander Denomination: AE Sestertius Obv: IMP SEV ALE-XANDER AVG Rev: VIRTVS-AVGVSTI Weight: 19.5g Diam: 28.5mm. 3mm thick! Mint: ? Mintmark: none Reference: RIC 635? (reverse legend break not found in Wildwinds) If you still have your first sestertius, please post it!
Nice sestertius, hotwheelsearl. I am astonished at what nice big portraits you can get for a low price. I think this is my first sestertius - Dec. 2016, so I haven't been at them very long. It took me forever to attribute it because I had no idea what I was doing: Julia Mamaea Æ Sestertius 228-229 A.D. IVLIA MAMAEA AVGVSTA, diademed bust right. / VENVS VICTRIX, S-C, Venus standing left holding helmet & sceptre, shield at her feet. RIC 705; Cohen 78; BMC 718 And just in the mail yesterday - a $20 Hadrian. It was listed as a "provincial" on eBay. For many this isn't "collectable grade" but again, I can't believe what a great ancient portrait you can get on the cheap - and the jaunty Virtus on the reverse is still discernable. Good enough for me! Hadrian Æ Sestertius (124-128 A.D.) Rome Mint HADRIANVS [A]VGV[STVS], laureate bust right, slight drapery on far shoulder / [COS III], S C across field, Virtus standing left, right foot on helmet, holding parazonium in right hand and inverted spear in left. RIC II, 3 741 (old RIC 638). (23.01 grams / 32 mm)
I bought my first Sestertius a few months ago for roughly the same price you paid @hotwheelsearl. I personally wouldn't mind finding a nice sestertius of either Trajan or Hadrian as well. Obverse: Reverse: Marcus Aurelius AE Sestertius 177 - 178 A.D. Obverse: M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXXII, laureate head right Reverse: IMP VIIII COS III PP SC, Aequitas standing left, holding scales and cornucopiae Rome Mint RIC 1230
nice coin with sharp details ! do you intend to clean it more ? this is my first one Claudius , AE sestertius. Lyons mint. AD 46-47. RIC 96 TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP, laureate head right / EX SC-OB-CIVES-SERVATOS legend in four lines within oak wreath.
I do intend on cleaning the coin a bit more. There is some encrustation that should be relatively easy to remove with a bit of chemical and elbow grease. Stay tuned...
@Bradley Trotter, That's Some Of it. Demonstrating Exactly Why there are still some of them in the market, at less than stratospheric prices.
That's not RIC 635 (MARS VLTOR), but 626 (VIRTVS AVGVSTI). The reverse legend break on your coin is well-described. Here's page 119 of RIC: According to Carson (BMCRE6, p. 163), it was issue 9, AD 228. It is BMCRE6 524-26. This, for example, is BMCRE 525:
Thanks so much! I thought that pose looked a lot like Mars. thank you again for correcting my mistake!
Very nice... what accounts for the different photos? Cleaning or just seller VS in hand? Trying to recall - I may be wrong .. but I think this Vespasian is my first sestertius. I am a terrible photographer - this coin in much nicer in hand (but ya - rough!). Its very large, hefty and satisfying in-hand....- and I have no desire to upgrade as of yet (with so many targets)!
The top photo is the in-hand. The bottom photo is just super saturated to show some of the extra details I got from a light cleaning. I should have explained that earlier. Nice coin! No better way to start off than with one of those super beefy ones
That's a nice coin for $30. A good acquisition. Sometimes a good coin comes out of a lot of sestertii. Earlier this year I purchased a lot of three sestertii from a seller in France, through eBay. The total cost, including shipping was $57. One of the coins turned out to be a very decent Faustina Junior sestertius (Juno reverse), not in itself a great rarity - it is quite readily available - but nonetheless a nice coin, a few issues (minor roughness, somewhat off-center, and a patina chip at 12 o'clock on the reverse) for $20, perhaps a bit more as the two other coins have some condition issues. This is the other Faustina Junior sestertius from that lot. As you can see, it is not nearly as nice as the Juno sestertius.
Quite a good one as a first and cheap acquisition I won't post my first sestertius, everyone here is tired of seeing it, and moreover I didn't purchase it, as it was a gift from my grandfather. The first one I bought is the following, that was back in 1988, and it wasn't cheap, as far as I remember. Crispina, Sestertius - Rome mint, circa AD 180-182 CRISPINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right LAETITIA, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath and rudder, SC in field 19.86 gr Ref : Cohen # 27, RCV # 6007 Q
That's a nice SA sestertius! Here's my first sestertius, of Marcus Aurelius. Got it for 50 euro (without ridiculous fees that is).
My first sestertius! It started a lifelong Faustina fascination. I love the smooth black patina on this one! Faustina Senior, AD 138-141. Roman orichalcum sestertius, 24.57 g, 32.0 mm. Rome, AD 145-147. Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: AVGVSTA S C, Vesta veiled, standing left, holding palladium and scepter. Refs: RIC 1124; BMCRE 1519-20; Cohen 110 = 122 corr.; Strack 1294; RCV 4617. Notes: Cohen 122 (Wiczay): "Concordia? standing l., holding statue and wand," (La Concorde? debout à gauche, tenant une statuette et une baguette) is almost certainly a badly described specimen of this type.
My first Sestertius is ... 6 days old (give or take 1940 years) Bought my first lot of ancient coins, it arrived this Monday. Of course, not the best condition, but I'm very glad I was able to identify it without issues. Obverse IMP T CAES VESP AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII Type: Head of Titus, laureate, right; Portrait: Titus Reverse FELICIT PVBLIC S C Type: Felicitas standing left, holding sceptre and cornucopiae From Date: AD 80 To Date: AD 81 RIC 143
Nice big bronzes!.....This was my first Sestertius from early last year... Antoninus Pius. Æ Sestertius (33mm, 26.75 g.) Struck 159/160 AD. Obverse..ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XXIII, laureate head right Rev. PIETATI AVG COS IIII SC, Pietas standing left holding globe, Faustina Junior as Pietas standing left, between Faustina Minima, Lucilla & holding baby Fadilla. RIC III 1031
Here’s my first sestertius, a Gordian III... probably cost around the same as yours. Big bronzes can be a lot of fun to collect on a budget...hope this is the first of many for you.