Curtisimo’s 2021 Budget Top 10 ($1 to $100)

A great group for some great prices! My favorite is of course the Elagabalus denarius, #10, which used to be in my collection. I really didn’t want to part with that coin, but ended up selling it because I already had another “horned” Elagabalus denarius. I’m SO happy it ended up in a great home, and that you made it the subject of what was (in my opinion) probably the best article of the whole year on CT.

Interestingly, that coin was actually part of my best bargain of 2020. I got it as part of a CNG group lot, which I’ve found to be a surprisingly great way to find a good bargain. The lot was a group of 4 coins of 4 different emperors (Elagabalus, Valerian, Philip I, and Gallienus). The only photo from the auction listing was the one below:


The CNG photo didn’t even show the obverse of the Elagabalus or Gallienus coins, but I really liked the Valerian, so I decided to take the risk and bid on it. I was able to get the whole lot for a hammer price of just $110.

When the coins arrived, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the Gallienus had a stunning portrait and a very interesting flan shape (which I always like), and that the Elagalabus denarius was actually the nicest coin of the group. If the obverses of those two were shown in the photo, I think the lot would have gone for at least double what I paid, and probably more. I sold the Philip I coin as part of a consignment to Leu, and after keeping the Elagabalus denarius for about a year, I ultimately decided to consign it to AMCC. I kept the Valerian and Gallienus coins.

I paid (including fees, taxes and shipping) $151 for the lot of 4 coins. By selling 2 of the coins, after consignment fees, I made a total of $150. So in the end, the two coins below ended up costing me a total of $1. I’d say that’s a pretty good bargain.

 

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It's a great collecting idea! I'm going to give it a whirl in 2022.

 

I have to go with #1. I love the FTR, and you can some bangers for low prices.

This guy was on my 2020 top 10 list, and it only cost $10.

 

Wow, Curtis! Each of those really is a bargain.

I was able to pick one favorite for each of the price categories (haha).

Seriously, it is extremely difficult to pick a favorite bargain. While FTRs are extremely common, the artistry of that one is remarkable and when combined with the price tag... I'm really impressed! Great snag

The Elagabalus is a terrific example of the type and with a much lower price tag than expected.

Love the Homer... I keep bookmarking examples but just haven't pulled the trigger. Years ago I vied for a different type of Homer coin but it ended up in AJ's collection. Still wish it were mine.

The Perge cult status of Artemis is an interesting coin.

Love the Etenna. Here's mine, certainly not the bargain that yours was but with a Leu hammer of 85 CHF, it was a relative bargain considering the venue .


PISIDIA, Etenna
1st century BCE
AE chalkous, 14 mm, 2.1 gm
Obv: Nymph advancing right, head left, holding coiled serpent in both hands; to left, amphora
Rev: ET-EN Curved knife
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 147. SNG Paris 1334 = SNG von Aulock 466.

 

Excellent coins Curtis/ do did an amazing job of securing them for such bargains The quality/ eye appeal are astonishing to say the least for what you paid....
Thanks for sharing them
John

 

Thanks IM! Glad that you enjoyed the list. I appreciate the kind words.

Thanks @Mammothtooth . It’s nice to see the Galerius get a little bit of love.

Thanks AA! I was hoping you’d be proud of me for having not one but TWO architecture coins.

Nice Perge example. I think it is fascinating that the Roman era reliefs allow us see what the cult statue might have looked like and compare with the coins.

Thanks cmezner!

Hahaha This post is awesome! I totally agree. Excellent score on that Maximianus example!

Interesting observation about Italia. I wasn’t aware of that dynamic. I looked back through my coins to see if I had any examples with Roma and the emperor together on an imperial issue and I do not. I’m interested now so I’ll have to look into it a bit more.

I’m happy to see the Homer getting a lot of positive attention. That was my first coin of the year which turned out to be a good omen of a good collecting year for me.

Here is another Homer coin I’ve had for a long time. My dad brought it back from Greece when he went there for work when I was a kid. He gave me all the change he brought back and I’ve always thought it was cool that the pre-Euro coins had depictions of famous ancient Greeks (imagined likeness of course).

Thanks Brian! I made it a focus for the year to find good value coins. The hobby really is open to all budgets even with the recent shenanigans at the high end of the market.

Glad you enjoyed the list my friend.

Thanks for voting Al! I always find it fun to see how the voting breaks down.

Thanks RC! I was happy to win that Homer for what I thought was a very fair price. I wonder if Homer would be the most recognizable Greek name modern people after ATG.

Thanks Pavlos! I appreciate the kind words. I enjoy coins of all types and price brackets so this list wad really enjoyable for me to put together. I like the fact that so much history can be had on a budget.

Thanks gogili!

 

Great list, Curtis. Nice coins in all the ranges and many excellent bargains too. The Elagabalus in particular is a real beauty, and the Hadrian ITALIA is a wonderful score. I love your Smyrna homereion as well. It's a very nice example of the type!

I've bought fewer coins this year than any of the prior years I've participated in posting these favorites lists on CT. I'll have to see if I can cobble together a $1-$100 for 2021.

 

Thanks for a great post, @Curtisimo !

The PISIDIA, Etenna snake coin has always been one of my favorites.

 

I like very much the way you envision coin collecting : great idea to show how cheap you can get stunners with a bit of patience and research.
All of them are bargains in their own way, but I picked the temple, the Hadrian, and over the top the Homer

Well done once again

Q

 

That was a incredible group lot and an excellent purchase on your part! All 4 of those coins were VERY nice examples. I am happy to hear that you managed to make your money back and still have two beautiful coins to show for it. That Gallienus! Wow.

I could not have been happier when I won the OP Elagabalus! It was one of my favorite buys of the year. As I said in the OP I have been looking for just the right example for at least the last 4 or 5 years. This one will be staying in my collection for good.

It is definitely a plus that it came from a fellow collector that I know. Which reminds me, I forgot to ask if the below tag is from your collection?

Thanks John. I totally stole the list idea from @zumbly and @dougsmit and I must admit this was a very fun list to put together. I look forward to seeing your budget category list next year!

That is an excellent FH for only $10 HWE! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks @TIF ! I have the highest respect for your taste in coins so I especially appreciate the nice words. I tend to think of all my ancient coin purchases as bargains... even the ones I overpaid for. I think I have only ever regretted one or two purchases since I started collecting. I like doing these lists because it reminds me that even in today's market there are still quality coins at every budget.

Yours is a really nicely detailed Etenna and a very pleasant photo to show it off. Definitely a good buy at that amount.

Thank you John!

Thanks Z.

I do hope you manage to put together a $1-$100 list. Your previous such lists are among my favorite posts of any kind on CT. I didn't have enough budget coins to make such a list in 2018 or 2020. I think if I find that I don't have enough coins for a $1-$100 thread in the future I will switch it over to an "under $x amount" list for that year like @Orielensis does for his excellent budget lists.

Thanks @Deacon Ray . Nice coins and great displays as always. Your prutot are great examples of the Year 2 and Year 3 bronzes.

Thanks Q! I greatly enjoyed your recent Top 10 list as well. You have wonder taste in coins.

 

I believe when we post a coin as such a thrill, it is good to explain what it was about the coin that made it so thrilling. I assume this one is a less common obverse variation which made it better than the standard KOY issue but I, for one, have not shown enough interest in them to pay attention to the obverses. I looked at the interesting feature of these being that the officina letter B appears on different coins in three differernt places. I do not have the whole set but do have the three in KOY but none have the bare bust obverse.


Oddly, I have no B with unadorned bust but have the other two officinae in the version as seen from the back so I assume the thrill here related to the 'from the front' bust.


This demonstrates how specialists get a lot of enjoyment from minor variations/rarities while those who are not specialists may not see a reason for the special thrill. I am a specialist but not in these coins so the bust type was not a consideration when I bought mine.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/code.html
My 1999 page was written before I even had the set for Diocletian with any obverse and I never updated that page after I got those two coins or discovered that I needed at least 54 coins to make a set (2 rulers, 3 officina, 3 officina placements, 3 portrait styles) and that does not include any errors like this ΓΧΧΧΙAΙ for ΓΧΧΧΙΛΙ. How many of that sort of oddity there are is way over my head. I wonder if anyone has the set.

 

That is a terrific set of coins! As a medieval collector, I especially like the crusader denier from the Duchy of Athens. The eastern Severus Alexander denarius is a very beautiful coin, even when not considering the price. Also, thanks for linking your write-ups. I missed some over the last couple of months and appreciate the chance to look at them now.

Here are three 2021 that I consider bargains although they were slightly above the $25 threshold of my own list:


Julia Domna, Roman Empire, denarius, 196–211 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bust of Julia Domna, hair waved and coiled at back, draped, r. Rev: MATER DEVM, Cybele, turreted, draped, seated l. on throne, holding branch in extended r. hand and sceptre in l. hand, resting left arm on drum set on l. knee; to either side of throne, lion. 19mm, 3.19g. Ref: RIC IV Septimius Severus 564. 34$, ex Berliner Münzauktion 126, lot 324


Postumus, Gallic Roman Empire, AR antoninian, 266–267 AD, Trier mint. Obv: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG; bust of Postumus, radiate, draped, cuirassed, r. Rev: SERAPI COMITI; Serapis standing l., raising arm and holding sceptre. 20mm, 3.52g. Mairat 364, RIC V Postumus 329. $29; ex CDMA.


Stralsund, Hanseatic City, AR witten, before 1381 AD: Obv: *MONETA:SVNDENSIS; arrowhead with pellet below. Rev: DEUS.IN.NOMINE.TVO; cross with six-rayed star (emblem of the Wendish monetary union) in center; arrowhead in top l. quadrant. 18mm, 1.23g. Ref: Dannenberg 261; Saurma 4990. $39, ex Constantin Coins.

 

Thanks Curtis, yes, I got very lucky on that group lot...looks like it worked out well for everyone (other than whoever consigned the lot to CNG). That tag is not mine, it was just included with the coin when I got it. I don't know where it originally came from or who wrote it.

 

A clever selection of various nice coins at a plausible budget. I chose 4, 5 and 6 : The snake, the Crusader and the poet Homer. Good Luck.