I have picked up several very rare coins -- less than half a dozen known examples -- for my Faustina collection. Some of these I picked up for < $100. But I don't know if they are truly bargains because I haven't sold them. What's the demand for a certain bust variety or a particular reverse type? Were they bargains or merely market value? Rarity has only a loose relationship to value in the ancient coin market.
Very true, variety rarity is not necessarily indicative of high value. Also, I've seen some Roman provincial bronzes with high rarity selling for under $100 as post auction lots. The rarity is there, but not the demand.
About 20 years ago I bought a solidus of Julius Nepos for $300 (picked it from a group of solidi of that period, mostly of Anastasius) and sold it on Triton for $7500. It changed few hands since, last year it brought 11,000 CHF. I wish I could afford to keep it...
This is the rarest denarius of Julius Caesar, Crawford 452/5 (rarest along with its "large head" sibling, Crawford 452/4, and excluding Crawford 482/1, perhaps struck by Octavian rather than Caesar). An Ebay purchase for $182.50. Phil Davis
This deal was the best discount I’ve received % wise. At a local max sold auction, someone was selling obviously fake coins. 1804 dollars and such. I noticed this Chinese dragon dollar looked ok, so picked it up for $30. Graded XF details. not ancient, hope that’s ok. My best ancient discount would be a lot of about four nice imperatorial coins for $1000
I do enjoy these "bargain" threads - nice coins posted. Here's a rather scarce Hadrian Dupondius ("laureate") type. I could only find two others online, only one on OCRE, none on Wildwinds, etc. It cost $16.50. As with "rare" ancients, I wonder what the real story is - because this is my second example. The first one I posted here, "Rare but Boring": https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ra...-fides-pvblica-and-a-little-ptolemy-Æ.358192/ Hadrian Æ Dupondius (c. 134-138 A.D.) Rome Mint [HADRI]ANVS [AVG COS III P P], laureate bust right / FID[ES PVBLI]CA S C, Fides standing right, holding two corn-ears downwards, in right hand and basket of fruit in left. RIC II, 3 2269; BMC 1591 (old RIC 890d (dupondius)) (12.15 grams / 23 x 20 mm) eBay Jan. 2021 $16.50 Attribution Note: "Laureate bust" dupondius; Hadrian struck these c. 128-138 A.D. This type with "PVBLICA" is rare; OCRE has one, which is in the Münzkabinett, Kunst Historisches Museum Wien; British Museum has one as well. http://www.ikmk.at/object?id=ID61754 http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.2.hdn.809d_as This isn't my "best bargain" but it is my most recent - two LRB's for $10. I find this kind of "bargain" (if that what it is) can be had pretty readily on eBay. They made a nice matched pair with the sand patina, I thought. The Licinius has the peculiar denominational X IIG on the reverse, which is unique to this emperor, apparently (see link to CT post below - thanks Roman Collector!). Licinius also has a really big eye on this one. Constantine I Follis (Æ 18) (317-318 A.D.) Rome mint IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right / SOLI INV-I-CTO COMITI, Sol standing left in chlamys holding globe and raising right hand, wreath in left field, R T in exergue. RIC VII Rome 97, T (2.77 grams / 18 mm) eBay Feb. 2021 Lot @ $5.00 Licinius I Æ Half-Follis (?) (321-324 A.D.) Nicomedia mint IMP CVAL LICIN LICINIVS P F AVG, radiate draped and cuirassed bust right / IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter standing left holding Nike & scepter, eagle left, captive rt., X IIG right, SMNA in exergue. RIC VII Nicomedia 44 (2.76 grams / 19 mm) eBay Feb. 2021 Lot @ $5.00 "Sear (RCV iv, p. 377) writes...some have suggested that the curious numerical formula on the reverse field ...indicates a revaluation of the follis from 25 to 12-1/2 denarii (c.f. Carson, Coins of the Roman Empire, p. 167)....the adoption of the radiate crown may be connected with Licinius's devotion to...sun-god Sol Invictus at a time when the survival of paganism was being threatened by Licinius's western colleague,Constantine I." (CT Roman Collector) https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-acquisition-licinius-i-half-follis.303008/
My collection strategy is to stay roughly at zero costs, meaning that I have to sell with profit to expand. I've posted this coin a few times: Cnut rex daenorvm type, exceedingly rare (only two others known). Bought it as part of coin collection, unknowingly for €7,50 per coin (the other coins were valuable as well), and sold it for 1900 USD at CNG. AR Nomos of Tarentum. This was sold in an auction that never sells coins, and was thus overlooked. Photo's were extremely poor. I paid about €25 for it. Not valuable per se, but a nice one for the type. From the same collection as coin nr. 1, and thus bought for €7.50. Knowledge helps: this is a rare BMC 10 series D sceatta, of which only about 30 are known. Bought for €200, and though valued at about 800 USD, it's here to stay Rare right looking early Bohemond III. This was part of a group lot from MPO, which I bought for the two sceatta's that were in it. Total of six coins, which I bought for about €220 or so (~40 per coin). This one turned out to be rare (only a two sold in the last 20 year, for between 400-500 USD).
I've created a bargain for the seller Coin costed GBP 430 with auction fees, but with VAT for non-EU country shipping came about GBP 530. Probably costed $50 20 years ago.
Some fantastic bargains in this thread! Some favorites of mine: Kyme Aiolis AR "trihemiobol" - Common as a hemiobol but unique as a larger fraction - previously sold by Roma for £220+BP then showed up in a Leu lot, average $41/coin Same lot, Cilicia unattributable satrapal AR obol, possibly finest known of type, sold for $300 Ditto, sold for $250 This is one of the finest-style Gupta drachms I've ever seen, and IMO a steal for $15 in a no-reserve ebay auction Axum, Aphilas AR (possibly still) gilt unit, bought in an ebay lot for less than $3/coin, and most other coins in that lot were worth $10+ Quinctillus Varus as governor of Africa, AE "As", bought individually and poorly described as "Augustus with Gaius and Lucius" for about $500 - comparable examples have seldom hammered for less than several thousand dollars Perhaps my best lot was this one from CNG Paid $250ish for the lot, kept the Carausius, Saloninus, and Tacitus, and sold the rest for over $800
I think my best bargain in a long shot was this Hadrian sestertius listed on eBay erroneously as a fake , I paid £11.20 all in.
Hard to pick, I'm just going to share my most recent: I paid under $7 with shipping for this coin that arrived yesterday without any idea what it was until it arrived. Sassanian Occupation of Alexandria 12 nummi Khusro II 618-628 AD.