Errr... I'm sure you took it with your camera phone or something... is it not possible to take better pictures (or with a proper digital camera)? It's pretty difficult to tell from here... Maybe some more details of the coin might help.
Here's a closer picture.That dot you see at the left side of the 5 in the first picture is a M that has a crown over it.This side says ptas and other side says espara.
I knew that one as soon as i saw it! I have a bunch of them that i brought back from Spain in '92. I remember them well.
Which is Spanish for Hispania which is Latin for tsepan which is Punic for something like "land of the rabbits" which is Celtic for who knows what? Anyway,here is a VERY early "spanish" coin featuring the ever so lovely Hispan(ia)
Thanks guys. Nice coin!!! Mikjoo. Have 2 questions. 1.Where and how did you get that coin? 2. What is that made out of because It should be made out of gold because it's SO old. Sorry so many questions. B12
B12, It's a silver serrate (notched) denarius probably minted to brag about the conquest of the Iberian peninsula,Spain and Portugal,by the Roman army.I bought it from one of the websites selling ancient coins,don't remember which but I just found the picture and price which I printed at the time of purchase.I guess I had "coin collector's memory loss" because I don't remember paying much for it.I was WRONG!!
Only $150 in that fine condition! I am surprised because it's so old. I think you got a VERY good deal. B12
You must be new to World coins? Alot of Roman coins can be got dead cheap in VF when compared to US coins. It's not that the rest of the world is cheap, it's just US coins are vastly over expensive in relation to everywhere else (except perhaps for Britain, which aren't always cheap).
B12,a good example is this better condition Roman Republic denarius.It is in almost the same condition as the day it was struck but because it is more common than the Hispania coin,it cost less than half.The main factor in ancients is rarity.
It's not always rarity, often it's pure demand. Some coins just aren't as popular. Mikjo0's showing you the ancients. I'll start dropping in the medievals... Starting with medieval pennies Here's a $70 specimen struck in 1280. Ever watched Braveheart? Well this guy is Edward I (Longshanks). This is at the expensive end (ignoring the rare ones) of the Edward I series due to an exceptionally good strike. Here's an average one for you to compare it to. The average one also struck in 1280 cost about $55.
All in all in aVF (Weak strike) and EF (Good strike) there's not much between them pricewise. Basically because firstly there's a few million of them out there and secondly because they are percieved as common a muck, they don't draw a large crowd, which makes them cheaper than most. Which means if you want to do an indepth collection of them it can be achieved fairly decently for between $40-$70 per coin. Which in terms of the US series' isn't too bad. A set of Merc dimes (relatively modern coins) in EF would set you back alot more! Roman coins are equally as good as medieval. (As are Greek).
