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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 1685648, member: 19463&quot;]Ides asked I post an example of what I considered an underpriced coin.&nbsp; This arrived today after crossing the Atlantic.&nbsp; Postage was $6 but the hammer price on the coin was $5.05 making it $11.05 delivered.&nbsp; I consider the coin worth at least $33.15, 3x if you require me to multiply the postage as well or 5x+ if we only multiply the bid price.&nbsp; People don&#039;t bid on coins with postage higher than the value of the coin in their estimation.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH]253611.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]253612.vB[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Most of the coins Ides posts are what I might call perfect.&nbsp; None of my coins are.&nbsp; I have to be selective choosing faulty coins with faults I can accept.&nbsp;&nbsp; There are many $5 Falling Horsemen that I would not pay $1 to own and I have over 120 of the type so why did I consider this worth the extreme <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> expenditure?&nbsp; It is a Constantius II AE2 at 24mm.&nbsp; This coin is a common Constantinople mint workshop 11 with a slightly weak strike of the CONSIA* mintmark.&nbsp; It has a really nice strike of the soldier (often found to be flat headed but not here) and a clear pigtailed, bareheaded barbarian.&nbsp; The horse could be better.&nbsp; The reason I wanted the coin, however was the soldiers shoes.&nbsp; I have never seen a better detailed pair of army boots on one of&nbsp; these coins.&nbsp; First, they have an overall dot pattern suggesting texture (perhaps laces???).&nbsp; From the top hang two long strings ending in a heavy ball.&nbsp; What are these supposed to represent?&nbsp; I have seen other army boots with &#039;wings&#039; at the top which I believed were related to Mercury but these seem certain to be something else.&nbsp;&nbsp; My favorite coins are those that have something to teach me.&nbsp; The coin is not a great beauty even though it has a decent green patina (unfortunately with some patchy red/brown here and there).&nbsp; I am not a seeker of perfect coins but prefer interesting ones.&nbsp; To me, this one has more than $5.05 plus postage worth of interest.&nbsp; What kind of fool would buy a coin for a pair of shoes?&nbsp; This kind.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I would love to see other (better?) shoe coins.&nbsp; Anyone who knows anything about Roman shoes that could explain these, please come forward.&nbsp; These look nothing like the sandals or full shoes I have seen in drawings.&nbsp; Perhaps it is just an example of a die cutter who liked dots (it has been pointed out that the shields and other parts of this dies are also dotty).[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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