Three coins that'll make you say... meh....

The backstory: in Roma E-Sale 87 I only won one single coin. Since shipping is L21.50, that seemed like an awful lot for just one coin, so I asked to combined shipping for the next E-sale.

Nothing I really liked to begin with, but I fell into the sunk cost fallacy and figured I had to "make up" for the expensive shipping with more purchases.

So I ended up with a total of three okay coins that make me look and say, "meh."

1. Caracalla AE28, 13.75g; Caesarea.
Pro: Another addition to my Fireball Island collection.
Con: sort of generic

ROMA PIC:

MY PIC:

Decent job on the photography, but they angled it such that it shines a lot more than it really does.

2. Philip II AE28, 11g; Antioch.
Pro: Quadrigas are cool, my first Philip II.
Con: not the prettiest patina

ROMA PIC:

MY PIC:

I think Roma's picture sort of highlights the defects a bit more than IRL.

3. Gordian III & Tranquilina AE32, 27.42g; Singara.
Pro: really nice reverse color, another random city I've never heard of
Con: absolutely awful off-center strike, terrible sand encrustations

ROMA PIC:

MY PIC:

I think Roma sort of dropped the ball on this one. The colors are a lot more vibrant in hand. Then again, the evidence of slight tooling and smoothing is more evident in hand sooooo....


I think the Caracalla is the big winner here. Large size, attractive, if a bit generic.

I think the big loser here is myself, who's spent a Benjamin and a half on coins I didn't really want, or need, just to make the L21.50 shipping seem more "worth it."

Conclusion: the Sunk Cost Fallacy is your worst enemy.
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What about you all? Did you enjoy your Roma wins?

 

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I did not have any wins, but I like your coins

 

I like the design on the reverse of the Philip II bronze from Pisidia-Antiochia .



I scored a nice example of Gordian III from the same mint earlier this year .

 

Your coin is one I would gladly trade
Think about it - a radiate for a laureate, sounds like any Antiochan in 240 would have gone for it in a heartbeat!

 

Gordian III was a true teenage warrior who was loved by the Roman people , but the same can't be said about Philip II .

 

meh

 

The Sunk Cost Fallacy. That's interesting. It seems like it happens, to a lot of people, companies, and governments. That's good, that you've identified it. $150 is a small price to pay, for learning something about money. Believe me, I've spent a lot more money than that, learning about money. Another expression I like : "Penny wise, pound foolish". I've done that too.
Maybe you can sell the coins. Or, maybe the coins will grow on you.

 

The patinas on those makes me think they were from the Antonio Carmona collection. Were they?

I like the Philip II one.

 

Being a provincial fan, I like all of them .

The Caracalla in particular-- something about the portrait, the uncluttered reverse, and the nice centering makes it very pleasing.

 

I agree on the Caracalla being a very attractive coin with a portrait of the finest style and nice reverse

Q

 

I think we've all been in that situation, but I think an important factor is why you bid on a particular coin. If you're adding it to your personal collection for which I assume you plan to keep for a long time, don't worry about the high shipping cost attached to a single lot win. None of us collectors are in it to make money, and so you'll still enjoy the coin long after you forget what you paid for it. If you're bidding on a coin with the intention to re-sell it, then well that's a different story.

 

I have never been able to successfully resell an individually purchased coin for a profit, so these days I don't even try. I try to be rather intentional with the coins I buy, and to date all of the provincials I've bought individually have stayed in my collection, where they will probably be for quite a while.

 

Actually I really like those coins, particularly the provincials.

 

Actually the Caracalla is really growing on me. I now have the guy as a kid:


Young adult:


And crusty middle aged dude:

 

I like the Caracalla.

 

The nice thing about ancients is that even the “meh” coins are still pretty cool.

 

I'll go with those who liked all of the types but I fall short of suggesting that we buy coins we don't like before we commit to buying them. I buy first thinking I like them and regret it later. I like the Philip but would not pay the price and shipping for a coin I value at about the shipping.

I paid $69 (including post) in 2020 and think I got a bad deal. It was at the start of Covid shutting down shows and I had not yet realized that I did not really need a coin fix. Buy what you like but hope you can like what you buy.

 

None of the coins I bought appeared to be provenanced to Carmona, that would have been a nice boon.

 

The Caracalla is the best of the three. Provincials are underrated and still good value in my opinion.