A favourite Republican

This is one of the most visually appealing ancient coins and I've been after the 'right' one for a while. How to spend the coin budget is always a dilemma, and I'd always thought it would be worth spending serious money for a great example. But then a few weeks ago a dealer at a small low-end fair showed me his recent acquisitions and this jumped out at me. I hesitated over it for a long time. It's half-brilliant, sharp with beautiful toning. But it also has a big area of infuriating flatness that curses so many of these coins. I'm really glad I bought it. It was a good price, and I can get a couple of other good Republicans for the difference between what I paid for this and the cost of a perfect one. It's also characterful and appealing, and I get stunning detail for most of the design.

 

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Weak strike or not, it's pretty.

 

I have no idea what it is or the meaning of it but I love it!

 

A lovely example.

 

This really is a great type and like so many ancients, most collectors have to decide which shortcomings they can live with. Yours has exceptional fabric and areas of very nice strike. The centering is also very good.

Mine lacks in the fabric department, being porous, but in its favor the centering and strike are atypically good. My main wish was for one with a relatively well-defined reverse scene and this one fit the bill


Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome, L. Plautius Plancus
47 BCE
AR Denarius, 3.79 gm
Obv: L. PLAVTIVS; facing mask of Medusa, serpents at either side of face; banker's mark on cheek
Rev: PLANCVS; Aurora (or Victory?) flying right and conducting the four horses of the sun. Banker's mark in left field.
Ref: Plautia 15b Sear 429, Cr453/1b; Syd 959a.
formerly slabbed by NGC

 

Crawford says that it might be based on a picture by Nichomacus owned by the moneyer. It's a Head of Medusa obverse with Victory holding a palm branch and leading four horses on the reverse, 47BC.

 

Yours has nicely dramatic toning on the obverse, too. And the banker's mark adds character in my view. Kudos for releasing that lovely specimen from its slab ;-)

 

I got it at a coin show ~3 years ago. The dealer, now retired, had been jumping on the slab bandwagon in his later years. I had browsed his table several times without finding something I wanted at a price I liked. I went by one last time and he had just received a box of freshly slabbed coins back from NGC. He cut open the tape and started removing the coins. I saw this one and immediately wanted it and asked the price. I don't think he was mentally prepared to quote the price because it was lower than I'd expected. I bought it immediately and removed it from the slab almost as quickly. It may set the record for Least Time In A Slab .

 

As TIF has already said, your coin looks like it has excellent metal, and where it's not flat it's truly fantastic. Nice buy!

The style of your Medusa is very similar to mine.

 

Excellent work. I don't even look at slabbed coins. It's not a point of principle, but it helps narrow the range of things to look at, and I figure at least some people will pay a premium for the slab, so why compete with them?

 

At the risk of creating another competitor, I've found some bargains with slabbed coins labelled less than AU. Companies that cater to the ancient coin "tourists", Grade Is King collectors, and recent converts from modern collecting seem to get high prices for slabs bearing AU or MS labels-- often comparatively crazy prices as I'm sure you've seen. The mere VG, VF, and EF coins often don't bring such stupid-high prices even when the types are extremely desirable and/or more rare.

 

That's a good point. And there's the pleasure of 'un-slabbing' ;-)

 

That coin has a lot of eye-appeal! I can see why you bought it!

 

Those are always sweet, still need one myself.

 

Ditto

 

Great coin. These are hard to find with no issues. Your coin is well centered and most of the devices are well struck. Medusa on mine is a bit of a flat head.

I like that most of the reverse on mine is well struck - you can see all four horse heads and both . Medusa is not why I bought the coin, but is shown pretty well.

 

It's a stunning type, and it possesses so much character and beauty that even some "infuriating flatness" can't hold it down. I would have bought the OP coin any day of the week!

 

Same here, wonderful metal, style and toning, I don't even notice the flatness

Q

 

My example, with snakes; ex Bement Collection, Naville VIII, 1924:

 

This issue almost never has a good strike. TIF's is one of the few I have seen with a good strike.

Mine has no reverse at all!

L. Plautius Plancus. 47 B.C. AR denarius (18 mm, 3.62 g). Brockage strike. Rome.
Obv: L · PLAV[TIV]S below, head of Medusa facing
Rev: Incuse of obverse.
Crawford 453/1c; Sydenham 959b; Plautia 14.
Classical Numismatic Group, e-auction 59, February 2003, lot 131.
For another example of the die, see CGB.fr, MONNAIES 21, June 2004, lot 2221