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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 3612895, member: 19463&quot;]This thread illustrates well what it takes to be a fan of the Alexandrian coins of the first and second centuries (and on through the Severans).&nbsp; 90% of the coins you see are worn. rough, corroded, poorly struck or missing something important like the date.&nbsp; When we read any book about coins that includes rarity ratings we have to wonder just how much effort was expended looking for examples of R5 level coins but when you realize that a lot of this is based on written reports of guesses as to faint and partial details it is important not to be shocked when we discover coins with less than fully certain ID details.&nbsp; Alexandrians, especially the AE, are simply not the specialty for the condition centered crowd.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Many of us like to think we are students but this is an area where it helps to be a Sherlock Holmes level detective or a bit of a clairvoyant. I really like the Emmett book but would love it even more if there were an accompanying online resource showing images of as many of the types by Emmett number and date as possible.&nbsp; Sometimes it helps, for example, to know just where we should look to find a date or even the obverse letters that confirm the ID to ruler.&nbsp; My knee jerk reaction on seeing this coin is Verus but deciphering the other bits of detail from the sea of corrosion can lead us to doubt what seemed obvious.&nbsp; If someone were to come up with a perfect coin of this die and prove me wrong, it would not be the first time. </p><p><br /></p><p>I should mention:&nbsp; Posts like this are what makes CT worthwhile to me.&nbsp; It is not all about answering drop in/drop out questions from people we will never see again.&nbsp; It is what makes it great to know a family of collectors around the world that share our strange obsession.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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