Sestertius….NEW

I don’t know much about what is smoothed and what is not. But this coin looks very evenly smooth…

 

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Oh good.

 

Wow, $22 for a Sestertius is rarely a bad deal, but in this case quite a good one!

Here's my most recent Severus Alexander Sestertius, also got it for what I considered a pretty good price at Naville Numismatics:

Roman Imperial. Severus Alexander (Augustus, 222-235 CE) Æ Sestertius (28.5mm, 22.23g, 12h). Rome, c. 231-235 CE.
Obv: IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG Laureate bust right, slight drapery over shoulder.
Rev. PROVIDENTIA AVG / S-C in fields. Providentia standing left, holding cornucopiae and corn-ears over modius.
Refs: RIC 642. C 503.
Prov: Ex Naville Numismatics (w/ Stack's Bowers, NAC) 22 (30 April, 2016), Lot 628 & 66 (27 June 2021), Lot 557; Ex Elvira Clain-Stefanelli Collection (possibly Vladimir's, too).​

 

Very nice sestertius, and a great price, @Mammothtooth Here's mine:

Severus Alexander Æ Sest.
(226 A.D.)
Rome Mint - 6th Emission
IMP CAES M AVR SEV ALEXANDER AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
/ ANNONA AVGVSTI, Annona standing left, holding corn ears over modius & cornucopiae, SC.
RIC 548 (var.); BMCRE6 346.
(24.66 grams / 31 mm)
eBay July 2020
Attribution Note:
This appears to have a cuirassed bust; as per this one:
Roma Numismatics Ltd E-Sale 70, 7 May 2020, lot 1226. Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 42, 6 Jan. 2018, lot 747.
@Roman Collector on CT pointed out (Aug. 8, 2020) this is: BMCRE6 346 (p. 149)

Severus Alexander had some handsome big AEs, though some of them are on irregular flans, etc. Here are a few others I've scrounged:



And one of my few slabs:

 

Don't wait forever! Get a nice, pretty, but cheap Gordian III. Then after you recover, you'll want a heavy weight 1st century AD one. Eventually, you'll be buying them like popcorn. A journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step!

 

As a mid-range buyer (and without looking it up to see if that's a rare type), I would say that's wayyy too much. Maybe a 60-100 dollar coin? I've seen nicer ones sub-100.

A stunning patina could make it 270, although that would be stretching it.

 

Or if you luck into one with slight problems (such as the tiny hole in my avatar), one can find a very nice Nero for 400-500.

The massive Sestertii (35+ mm.) of the early Empire are very impressive. Although not every one is 35 mm...

The IOVI Victori Domtians are pretty affordable; one of my faves of the whole Roman series.

 

They're nuts that's way better than a VG. You'd have no problems presenting that as Fine. They're only being picky because it's not a rare coin.

 

I'd grade it a Fine, too. And I'm a conservative old-school grader.

I suppose that's better than the modern tendency; grading inflation. I've seen so many coins recently graded so far above what they really are. EF for F, etc. It's somewhat harmless when there's a picture, but it's a bit puzzling.

 

Thank you for that! When I first posted this I groused about the grade a bit - I too think it is F or so. I'm not entirely sure what they mean by "polished" either - it has certainly been cleaned, but I have some really shiny ancient AEs that demonstrate the true meaning of "polished."

 

And if you get really lucky you can find a Nero sestertius for $9.99. This one came my way on eBay last year, and I am not entirely sure it is genuine - when I first posted it on CT, some questioned it, suspicions I tend to agree with (at 31 mm it is a bit small in diameter, apparently). And yet it is not an obvious pressed fake like so many of them. Paduan? No black box for it yet, but it is under suspicion :


Nero Æ Sestertius
(c. 62-68 A.D.)
Rome Mint
NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG [GER(M) P M TR P IMP PP], laureate head right with aegis / DECVRS[IO] below, SC, Nero riding right escorted by a soldier riding right, holding vexillum.
RIC 170 or RIC 172 (see notes).
(21.51 grams / 31 mm)
eBay Aug. 2021 $9.95 BIN
Attribution Note: Many varieties of this type:

Obv.: Laureate bust right with aegis, no globe at tip (thus not Lugdunum mint), CLAVDIVS in full.
Obverse legend variations (not visible on this specimen):
RIC 170: GER (no M),
RIC 172: GERM

Here's some edge views:

 

I have a genuine Domitian, in about the same condition, from when Incitatus Coins would have the Ridiculous Deal of the Week. 10 bucks.

 

Is it as awful as this one? Almost, not quite, two bucks! What a deal!

Virtually unidentifiable, but thanks to the @dougsmit website, I was able to put a date on it.


Domitian Æ Sestertius
(81 A.D. - 8th designated consulship)
Rome Mint
Laureate bust right, all legends worn away / Occluded standing figure (?), all legends worn away except DES VIII.
"Domitian announced 8th Consulship on January 1, 82." (Doug Smith website)
(24.23 grams / 33 mm)
eBay Aug. 2018 Lot @ $1.90