Carinus & Numerian join their father, and: how should I break out my first slabbed coin?

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If POSSIBLE: hammer-tap the seams all the around, using a hammer, and the slab is on CONCRETE or a heavy Iron surface. You want all of the energy to go through the seam. No need to hit it super hard, just several firm strikes to the seams, but on a non-resistant surface. Wood surface gives too much.

 

That might be the finest portrait ever on an Antoninianus of Numerian. Congratulations!

 

Beautiful coins Donna!

As for the slab, I'm partial to the hammer method myself, though my taste in tools is a little different....

https://imgur.com/gallery/bSiVAYe

 

I don't like slabbed coins. I have a total number of 0, including my modern coins collection.
Everybody has the right to have personal tastes, so I won't discuss that.

But a collector I know had a similar situation when he wanted the coin out of the slab. It was a modern coin, 25 g, 37 mm so quite large, in an excellent state.
He was not happy with the grade (and even if I don't normally discuss grades, on that one I agreed)
Knowing that there is a possibility to damage, scratch the coin in the process, he used a hacksaw, making a parallel cut with the coin. Took longer than the hammer method, but in the end everything was OK.

 

Thank you! I actually think the portrait of Carinus is pretty much on the same level; its condition is certainly at least as good. Perhaps if the reverses really were done by the same engraver, the obverse portraits were as well. Even if not, it seems that there were some talented engravers working in Ticinum in the early 280s. I haven't tried to check, but I do wonder if 15 years earlier the portraits of Gallienus were as generally poor in Ticinum as they were at most other mints.

 

I would leave it in the slab. Here are my reasons...
A/ safer to handle coin
B/ you can let others look at your coin, without worrying they may have an accident......
C/ protects coin from moisture/ dust/ touching
I have 300 of my coins in slabs (most from Heritage/ Stacks) other 700 are in SAFLIPS but never are removed/ look not touch....

 

The last thing I want to do is get in one of those slab vs. no slab debates! So I'll just say that I've kept my coins (first British, now ancient) in trays for the last 35 years or so quite happily and without any mishaps. Perhaps if I had a large collection of valuable ancient, medieval, and early modern gold coins like you do, I might feel differently, because the risk if anything happened might be too high. (Although I once had a rather decent collection of British gold myself, going back to James I -- mostly just sovereigns and guineas and a few two-pound pieces, nothing spectacular. For the most part, I kept them in a safe deposit box until I had to sell almost all of them. I wish I could have waited to sell them now instead of six or seven years ago, what with the price of gold these days!)

But as for the Numerian, I've made my decision. He belongs with his brother and father, right next to them in their tray in the space I've left open for him. And I can't do that if he's in a slab! Most importantly, I am being 100% honest when I say that I absolutely cannot see any of the design of the coin through the plastic. Which sort of defeats the purpose of buying the coin. I might just as well have printed out the dealer's photo and put it on the wall! Again, a valuable gold coin might be different, because obviously gold is visible even in a slab. But this coin's gotta be free.

 

I agree that is a good one. May favorites of the family:
Carus:


Numerian:


Carinus:

 

Your portrait of Numerian is superb, and looks very similar to mine, although it's clearly not a die match given how different the design of the cuirass, etc. is. What mint is it from?

 

I managed to obtain an inexpensive vise that opens to 70 mm. (2.75"), large enough to fit the NGC slab with the Numerian antoninianus. (I was surprised to see how many vises open only to 50 mm., about 2 ", like my old one.)

The operation is now complete. (It wasn't that difficult, although I admit that I wasn't strong enough to tighten the jaws enough with my hands to crack the slab, and had to use a pair of pliers.)

Although I didn't record the surgery itself, in order to preserve the privacy of the patient, here, with Numerian's permission, are some photos of the aftermath in chronological order:











Numerian is now contentedly ensconced next to his brother and father, to the far right of one row in a 48-coin (6 coins x 8 rows) Lindner tray that holds my Roman Imperial coins from partway through Gallienus's reign, through Theodosius I. One of five trays of varying capacities in which I keep my ancient coins.

 

Ah, good. For ME, I prefer the vise method. very nice!

 

I have mine as Ticinum RIC 447 but i do not recall how I came to that. I got it in 2000 from Stacks and that was before we had OCRE:
http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.5.car.447

 

Beautiful coins, Donna!

I apply gradual slow pressure laterally until the case pops.


Be safe! —Ray

 

Fantastic Numerian @DonnaML ! The portrait is superb!!!

@lordmarcovan that is certainly the most creative method of slab opening I've ever seen! My method is comparatively boring....I just use a mallet.

 

Some beautiful coins Donna ! I do not have the Father Carus but I have the brothers Carinus and Numerian.



Carinus,
Brother of Numerian
AD 283-285. Rome
Obv: IMP CARINVS PF AVG, radiate,
cuirassed bust right.
Rev: FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing left,
holding two standards.
AE Antoninianus. 22mm Rome mint.
Mintmark KA crescent Epsilon. 3.71 grams
5th officina 6th emission
La Venera 4166, La Venera IV 4102-4116,
RIC V-2, 253 var (mintmark). Scarce.
CNG E auction 463 11 march 2020 lot 483
Ex Phil Peck collection AKA Morris collection


Numerian
Brother of Carinus.
Caesar 282-283 AD, Augustus 283-284 AD
Obv: IMP NUMERIANVS AVG, radiate,
draped bust right
Rev: IOVI VICTORI, Jupiter standing,
head left, holding Victory, eagle at
feet to left.
AE Antoninianus. Rome mint.
Mintmark KAB. 3.98 grams
Cohen 16; RIC V-2, 410; Sear 12246.

 

Same RIC number as mine, from the same mint. No wonder I thought the portraits looked very similar, although they're clearly not a die match.

 

Thanks. That's the same method I used, although at a certain point the case hadn't popped or cracked yet but I couldn't turn the handle anymore. I'm not as strong as I used to be -- 30 or 40 years ago I'll bet I could have done it! Anyway, that's when I clamped a pair of pliers lengthwise on the handle so I could get some more leverage.

 

That Numerian is great! My favorite type of his was this Rome-only issue, which ironically declares VNDIQVE VICTORES, or "victorious everywhere", shortly before his death.

NUMERIAN
AE Antoninianus. 3.58g, 22.4mm. Rome mint, 6th officina. 5th emission, 2nd phase, September AD 283 - January 284. RIC 423. O: IMP NVMERIANVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right. R: VNDIQVE VICTORES, Numerian standing facing, head left, holding globe and scepter; KAς in exergue.