This Rings True For Most of Us

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Mat, May 26, 2022.

  1. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    Saw this Meme and couldn't help but get a good chuckle since it's was and is us.


    eezb1hky0t191.jpg


    Although, mine wasn't a scrap LRB.

    [​IMG]
    Septimius Severus (193 - 211 A.D)
    AR Denarius
    O: SEVERVS AVG PART MAX, Laureate head right.
    R:RESTITVTOR VRBIS (Restoration of the City), Severus in military attire, spear in left, sacrificing over a tripod altar with right.
    Rome mint, 201 A.D.
    3.3g
    18mm
    RIC 167a, RSC 599, BMCRE 202
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2022
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  3. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    Yeah, saw that on Reddit this morning. I have no idea what the second thing is, but I have thought sometimes how I have lost the "man, this is so cool!" factor with ancients sometimes. My first two coins were a scruffy Parthian and a green toned pretty Larissa facing head. I loved the Larissa 100 times more than that Parthian, I have no idea why I then turned to Central Asian collecting over Greek, but I did.

    Sitting on my desk at home is a Trajan sestertius. Nothing fancy, about Fine, but pretty dark green shiny toning. I pick it up sometimes to admire it, knowing that today it doesn't give me chills like it once did, but I still appreciate its artistry and the history it contains.
     
  4. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    It's a Star Wars character that collects light sabers.

    General-Grievous_c9df9cb5.jpeg
     
    randygeki, Edessa and sand like this.
  5. Noah Worke

    Noah Worke Well-Known Member

    *cough cough cough*
     
  6. GregH

    GregH Well-Known Member

    Oh yes, i used to buy all kinds of garbage - some of which i still need to upgrade.
     
  7. Jfp7375

    Jfp7375 Member

    hah, this is great.

    I'm currently the first picture and wrestling with the transition to the second. Debating my first real coin purchase (a nice denarius in the $60-$90 range).

    To a relative newbie, feels like a lot to spend on a coin even though I know that's lower/mid-grade in the grand scheme. But man some of these coins I have my eye on are beautiful...
     
  8. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

    My first ancient.
    aug1.JPG

    my upgrade :)
    009.JPG
     
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  9. philologus_1

    philologus_1 Supporter! Supporter

    @Mat What a great illustration of human nature! LOL! The more we have the more we want. Contentment in many things seems elusive. And as per the memes you included, that is surely the case with this hobby we all share. :-o

    My very first ancient was a Claudius II Gothicus issue, which I bought in 1993. I had no clue as to its attribution. I only knew it was in a box of nearly slick coins marked “Roman coins $5”, in a far corner of a brick & mortar coin shop in Dallas. I asked the shop owner for more information, but he could only quote Sergeant Schultz, (“I know nothing!”) Regardless, I had never seen an ancient coin before and was thrilled to own one! I still have coin and is pictured below. Believe me, as poor as the picture is, the coin is even worse. I owned it for over a year before I found out the reverse is a bird!
    upload_2022-5-27_15-50-12.png

    Then over a decade later I finally upgraded to a better example to represent Gothicus II in my collection (via Zach of Beast Coins). I was highly pleased with my new upgrade! I still have it:
    upload_2022-5-27_15-54-30.png

    But in 2014, having grown less enamored with the above example, I upgraded again via a John Jencek JHE auction. I was happy to acquire it, and it remains my best Gothicus representative. And I am now (trying to remain) content with it.
    upload_2022-5-27_15-55-26.png

    Please suffer one further upgrade story: My first Augustus denarius, purchased from Bart Lewis in 1994, is below. Though quite porous with an off-center reverse, I was very proud to own such an expensive ($90!) silver coin of this famous ruler!
    upload_2022-5-27_15-57-12.png

    But predictably, the example diminished in my estimation of acceptability for my collection’s representative of THE “Caesar Augustus”. So, in 2017, I bit the bullet and spent over 4X as much to buy this example from Den of Antiquity. Amazingly to me it is a double-die match to my above example. (I know die matches are not ‘rare’, but a double-die matched pair, of a type with such a voluminous issue, ‘strikes’ me as beyond merely noteworthy.) Plus, it has a distinct, fully complete legend on both sides – replete with fascinating flowlines! Here it is:
    upload_2022-5-27_15-59-47.png
    I still love my above denarius. But, what’s up with that cheek!?!? Ugh! It’s distracting! And why ‘only’ silver?!?!? So, perhaps an example such as the one below will be my next upgrade.
    upload_2022-5-27_16-1-59.png
    If so, it will be purchased immediately after I win the lottery and immediately prior to my beloved bride quoting Popeye…


    (To clarify and emphasize: The aureus isn't mine. It's in the ANS collection, and is viewable here: http://numismatics.org/collection/1944.100.39118 )
     
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  10. JayAg47

    JayAg47 Well-Known Member

    My first siliqua (Valens), got it from ebay as a metal detecting find for $20.
    siliqua.png

    My siliqua upgrade (Gratian) that got me to splurge a little.
    Gratian siliqua.png
     
  11. montynj3417

    montynj3417 Active Member

    After ll these years, I still wonder where they got that guy, with that voice, to play Popeye? He takes "gravel voice" to new grades of abrasiveness!
     
    philologus_1 likes this.
  12. carson6f

    carson6f New Member

    I think a lot of collectors learn that quality beats quantity. You don't need a lot of fine specimens to make a good collection.
     
    Silphium Addict likes this.
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