Cursed coins

Recently, when I realized I had some budget after unexpectedly losing a coin at auction, I pulled up my Pri 1 list and remembered that there was one coin I'd been watching for some time from a seller. I hadn't bought it since I felt it was overpriced, but I thought perhaps it was time to just pick it up.

The coin is a silver triobol from Phokis. Thanks to an exhaustive study by Williams, the coins may be attributed to the four different kings who ruled Phokis during the Sacred Wars. Since these wars played a major role in the rise of Philip II, all four were on my list.

However, one aspect made me pause. The gold and silver coins (and for all I know the bronze) were first gathered from heavy taxes on the inhabitants of Delphi, and then eventually formed by melting down the offerings that had piled up. Other Greeks considered this abhorrent, and conscious efforts were made to gather and melt-down these coins afterwards. From what I understand, they were so successful with the gold issues that no samples are known.

This was far different than the Athenians issuing gold coins from their own statues. The offerings left at Delphi were meant for religious purposes and the Phocians had no authority to use them to pay mercenaries. From what I understand, these coins were detested by anyone who wasn't paid by them, which is why they're relatively rare today despite the massive issue.

I've never been the superstitious type, but could these coins still be cursed? Since things are going well for me now, I chose to not try my luck. I removed the coin from my watch list and all four from my "to buy" list. Ultimately, I felt it didn't matter whether they were cursed. If I believed they might be, then that was a good enough reason to not collect them.

What do you think? Are there similar coins that you won't collect?

 

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I bought a small lot of German notes that had been countermarked by the SS. Presumably for circulation in the Warzaw ghetto. They send chills down my spine, and I have stayed away from swastikas ever since.

 

When it comes to coins, I don't see if it's a lucky charm or a cursed horcrux, all are same to me that survived for 100s or 1000s of years to reach my hand.
BUT
I never wear them, I have a holed denarius that I'd once tempted to add to my chain, but then I just realised how miserable/or not the original person was who one had that coin, and I want none of that!

 

If I thought coins minted or spent with evil intent carry that evil with them, I wouldn't be a collector. I can't imagine many coins would be innocent.

 

What did they do with the 30 silver coins - probably shekels of Tyre - Judas received for betraying Jesus and, according to different versions, he either gave back or used to buy a piece of land? In all versions these coins were considered impure (because they were the price of blood) and unworthy of being placed in the temple's treasure. So they were spent to buy a field, but what did the seller who received the coins do with them? Maybe if you have in your collection a shekel of Tyre dated 33 AD or a few years before, you could imagine a prestigious and highly cursed provenance...

In the middle ages there were old silver coins venerated as relics and believed (by some) to be from the 30 pieces of silver. In Limerick, Ireland, in the Hunt Museum, they have one of these so-called relics. It is a very nice decadrachm of Syracuse set into a gold ring with this inscription in medieval calligraphy : QVIA PRECIVM SANGVINIS EST ( Mt 27:6).


Well... Nice coin indeed ! Is the obverse die signed by Evainetos (it is his style anyway)? Did Judas collect classical Greek coins as a hobby? Were the other 29 they gave him decadrachms of Akragas, Athens, Carthage, imperial and Porus decadrachms of Alexander, etc.? More probably it was the medieval person who acquired this coin as a Passion relic who was a collector, because any collector would immediately think : who could I sell or betray for just 15 like that one?

 

That opens a BIG can of worms. Coins struck under evil Regimes/ rulers....the list would be endless. I have a lot in my collection
AV 10 Roubles 1923 (USSR)
AR Denarius Caracalla
AR D. Septimus Severus
AV Aureus Elagalabus
AV Dinar Tamerlane
AV Dinara Huna Empire
AV Dinar Ghenhiz Khan
AV Solidus Justinian I
AV Histamenon Basil II Bulgar Slayer
AV H. Nicephorus I
AV Ecu d'or au soliel 1567 Charles IX of France

 

I'm a little tempted to chime in, but you know, politics.

 

FWIW, I gladly collect coins from evil regimes/rulers. I also (arguably) have a Judea Capta - which wasn't a great time for my ancestors.

However, when it comes to looting religious relics to melt down into coins that are then viewed with disdain by the populace, I get a bit nervous. Sure, they're probably not actually cursed, but I'm still superstitious enough to not chance it, and there are more than enough other coins to collect.

 

I agree 100 percent Even had the evil Vlad Tepes "The Impaler" struck goldgulden in Wallachia/ I would want them for my collection. Just as much as a AV Sultani from his adversary Mehmet II "the Conquerer" Ottoman Sultan/ the "goodguy" in their wars.

Even in Germany all Roman structures/ artifacts have been preserved/ now tourist attractions/ Roman coinage a favorite theme for numismatists. What happened before 410AD is past history. Also they (Rome) turned a backward people fighting amongst themselves/ to having Otto I elected Holy Roman Emperor in 962. From slaves of the Romans/ to King of the Romans

 

You seem to categorize quite a lot of rulers as "evil". Elagabal was just a young man beeing catapulted to absolute power by his grandma. He believed he could bless the roman empire by celebrating religious orgies for his god. Was he a good ruler? No! Was he evil? I really doubt that.
I also wouldnt blame Charles IX of france to much for the huguenot massacres because there where far more powerful persons (even his mother) who really ruled the country during this time.
Septimius Severus, Basil II. and Nicophorus I. where harsh military men who brought stability to the empire in times when they where needed.
Justinian I. evil? The secred history of Procopius made him satan on earth but are we to believe every word that is written?

 

8 years ago, I bought a small gold coin ( similar to the attached picture). The image on the obverse is supposed to be that of goddess Lakshmi ( the Hindu goddess of wealth). My wife ( who incidentally shares the name with the goddess) had one look at the coin and said that this is a cursed coin. She usually doesn't stop me from buying, but she was adamant that we shouldn't keep the coin in the house.
I was dilly dallying, but the next afternoon my son had a nasty accident with his Razor Scooter in my back yard and broke his arm and needed surgery to fix his broken arm!
The coin went back to the dealer and while I have bought hundreds of coins after that, I never bought this one and never will!!

 

I have 5 different coins of that type! My luck has been good.
Most Hindu Kingdoms used this type/ even Muslim Sultans from Dehli! No bad luck for me.....

 

Interesting view that I had never considered.

I have a small collection of vintage military arms, which are mostly wall hangers, not shooters. I'd always coveted German Lugers and finally had the opportunity to buy one at a very reasonable price. I ended up taking a pass on it for a reason that I can only describe as "bad Karma". Finally being able to handle one wasn't what I though it would be. It actually gave me the creeps.

 

I draw a firm line at Nazi and Holocaust "memorabilia" (unless the latter is something that can be returned to a victim's family) as well as other antisemitic materials ranging from anti-Dreyfus memorabilia to German kornjuden medals. I've never been very interested in buying a Judea Capta coin either, although it's long enough ago that my feelings are much more attenuated.

 

I don't think it's the aim of this thread to identify which coins are cursed vs not-cursed.

IMHO it's really in the jurisdiction of the individual collector. For me, coins from Phokis during the Sacred Wars cross the line. However, I'm not going to organize a holy crusade to seek out all such coins and return them to Delphi in order to finally restore peace to the world. I'm just not adding one to my collection.

Imagine there was a gold coin listed at auction with the following story. Would you bid on it?

Considered among the most stunning issues of the archaic era, legend has it the engraver was thrown off a cliff to ensure no better one existed. Only a few copies were made, as the kingdom fell weeks later, with every inhabitant slaughtered and the royal family tortured for three straight days before death.

The last twelve owners of this coin have met gruesome deaths, oddly within days of procuring it. The coin was scheduled to be listed a few years ago, but then was stolen during a brazen robbery of the Brinks vehicle in which sadly four people died. The thieves were tracked down to Eastern Ukraine and of the original ten, eight were murdered by others. The remaining two were hung, and the coin was then confiscated by the local government until it was overrun by separatists.

Somehow, the coin wound up at a Swiss auction house after the previous owner passed. It was scheduled for to go last year until the auction house burned down, but now this amazing piece of history can be yours!

 

Sounds like the saga of the "Hope" diamond. There was a series on the History Channel where auction hunters where looking for unique artifacts for rich collectors. On one episode they had a buyer for "torture devices" from the famed Nürnberg Castle. Stuff like racks/ iron maidens/ Spanish Chairs/ amazing to see the demand/ and the fakes on the auction cycle. Would be creepy having an authentic guillotine in your house that was actually used to decapitate people during the "Terror" of 1792-95. Unless it had been used on Robespierre.

 

Just quick note.....I would take the Hope diamond in a heartbeat Then auction it off, use all those millions to secure more coins. I do not believe in curses.

 

I saw Pirates of Cribbean so I am not gonna risk any cursed items, that includes Cain's original pizza cutter that was offered once at a garage sale or Countess Bathory's chakra anxiety bracelet that she lost while waiting for a Fedex delivery in Bratislava.

 

I got the Heritage Collector booklet. Amazing to see how they expanded into different collecting avenues. From rare coins to Nintendo games/ VHS movies all commanding HIGH prices in "mint condition". Glad I kept all my VHS boxed sets in perfect unused condition. Terminator was sold for 32.5K.
Imagine being able to sell that and then get a FDC Commodus aureus in return.

I have a AV Dukat from her relative...

 

This discussion reminds me of a practice my son has. He runs a sports card breaking business, and whenever someone pulls a Henry Ruggs (involved in a fatal DUI) card, with the buyer's permission - he cuts it to pieces on the stream. So far, no one has objected.