The Baltimore show had quite a large array of Roman Republican coins for sale. I bought three. There were coins worn nearly slick and coins of high grade. The latter included common chariot types which I usually avoid unless they are very nice and very cheap and a few really nice 'special' types at prices I was not willing to consider. One dealer in particular had a nice group of coins which I found interesting because many were contained in envelopes of dealers I recall patronizing 30 years ago. The coins were not new hoard material and many had some toning (not something you can say about a lot of denarii these days). I did not buy any of them since the combination of old collection toning and interesting types only seemed to occur on coins over $400. Instead I got coins contained in flips from 90's dealers all of which had some faults that brought them into the grade/price level I am accustomed to favor. First is a type I like showing a bust of Diana and the Wild Boar of Calydon she sent to punish the locals who failed to honor her properly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calydonian_Boar The coin comes in two obverse variations (bust complexity) and two reverses (with and without spear in the boar's back). This one is faulty from poor striking failing to fill the obverse head and the opposing area below the boar making a weak spot in the small dog yipping at the boar and in the center of the reverse legend. The moneyer was C. Hosidius C.F. Geta in 68 BC (Hosidia 1). This is a popular type which I did not see better at the show but could not have afforded in mint state so it is just as well. Compare: http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?similar=1245653 Second is a 49 BC denarius of Mn. Acilius Glabrio showing Salus (personification of health) on both sides but the reverse is labeled VALETV for valetudo or another way of saying health (perhaps like we say vigor). Note that the T and V are shown ligate. The coin is pretty nice with pleasing older tone but it has a double strike of a banker's check mark on the cheek which probably accounts for this being in my price bracket. Salus on the reverse plays with a snake which we all know is a healthy practice in Roman terms. Last is a 46 BC denarius of Mn. Cordius Rufus showing the heads of the Dioscuri and Venus with Cupid crawling on her back. I am not sure but I believe that the central weakness on both sides in this case was caused by the flan having been scoop adjusted. I have shown this adjustment before since it always makes a coin cheaper but I do not consider it damage as much as evidence of how the coins were made. This one was struck particularly hard erasing the edges and stutter marks common on flans that were adjusted but there still was not enough metal to fill the dies. The coin has nice detail on the reverse faces. In all honesty, the obverse heads are not as well executed as some other moneyers provide on their Dioscuri types but there is always some appeal to jugate heads like this (at least it is better than the regular Roma head). I have detailed the faults of these coins (not listing everything but just the really bad stuff) to make the point that we each must choose whether we would prefer these three coins or spending at least the same amount on just one of them without the listed faults. I left behind several denarii of types equally good as these but with price tags equal to the three here combined. I am still thinking about a couple others I left behind that were just a little more than these but I really did not plan to spend all my money on Republicans. A later post will show others of the 13 Baltimore coins which I am sure will be more of interest to some and less to others. This is the place to show your Republicans not shared here before and not having a Roma head obverse or chariot reverse (picky, aren't I?).
Very nice RRs. I would be glad to have any of the three in my collection even though I have a couple of them already. There really is an appeal to the jugate heads isn't there.
another sweet coin show score for DS! i also went on a republican splurge and i have a cordius rufus inbound myself, should be here this week. i'll post it soon. i also thought they type was cool, dioscuri are different ( i love the jugate head on bings coin) and cool, and the little cupid is awesome. i have post this before (MANY times), but it's one of my favorite coins.
Sweet RR hat-trick ... nicely played!1 (I like all three) I only have one of 'em (yup, the one with the animals on it!! => I love the boar on your example)
I thought you were going to comment on how a Republican in Baltimore is about as rare as a Democrat in Shreveport......... you went the other way it appears.
Those are wonderful coins, Doug. I also have a Glabrio/Valetudo denarius which fell into my price range because of its faults: minor roughness and a flan crack. Perhaps I should put it into an old envelope...
I have a nice Republican not shown before. I'm not satisfied with the pictures. I've taken a hundred or more and the coin looks very different in various lighting situations. This shot is a bit strange because I lit the obverse from slightly below-- purposefully, to give Medusa a more hag-like look. I'll probably take another hundred shots before calling it done. (Note to photographers: never photograph a woman with lighting from below or from directly above. She will hate you for it ) I've wanted this type since first seeing one. It was difficult to find an example with good strike and centering yet still reasonably priced. Thanks to the banker's marks, which fortunately aren't too distracting, the price tag on this one was reasonable. I purchased it from Jonathan Kern at the 2014 ANA World's Fair of Money. After sitting on the coin for eight or so years he sent it to NGC. He was opening a box of newly-slabbed coins while I was at his booth. This coin may have set a record for shortest time in a slab. Roman Republic, moneyer L. Plautius Plancus 47 BCE AR Denarius, 3.79 gm Obv: L. PLAVTIVS; facing mask of Medusa, serpents at either side of face Rev: PLANCV; Aurora 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. ex Jonathan K Kern Collection; formerly slabbed by NGC, XF, strike 5/5, surfaces 3/5, cert # 2400920-14 While doing some research I noticed that several sources call the reverse deity Nike Victory rather than Aurora. Thoughts on that, anyone?
Ugh..lovely coin...I want one...as always...Doug has one these. I do recall seeing other RR coins with an "F" banker's mark. I have heard it might be a "collectors" mark or it might mean "FALSE" (FAKE)...I am not saying its fake but this has been up for discussion before.(Help me out guys) People stamped F replicas in the 19th and early 20th century...right? Aww man this is going to drive me nuts.....and it has been NGC slabbed....I would be nuts about it....but not nuts enough not to own it...
I had to re-read that a half dozen times to work out the double negatives but I'm fairly sure I understand what you meant.
Did I mention that I always bought a lot of coins from Jonathan and always like him until he discovered the slab. At Baltimore, after not having bought a single coin from him for ten years, he called me by name and ask if I would like to see the boxes. These were the coins not worth slabbing (most had faults like the ones I showed). Five of my 13 new coins came from him; he was the dealer mentioned in the first post of this thread. I do not know if he has always had these lesser coins but I have been skipping him because of the slabs and his prices. The Plautius comes in two versions. Yours is among the finest example of the one with serpents at the face that I have seen. I have the less scarce version without serpents. Mine, as most, is poorly struck or centered on the reverse so you lose one or more of the four horses. Style also varies with some being a bit crude in the face. Yours is fine. I could never call a coin XF when the face of Aurora was missing and the nose of Medusa was this flat but it is a great coin and excellent example of a lesser grade coin worth more than 99% of the real XF's out there. Both of my lower end coins are shown on my favorites page. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/f37.html
Gorgeous! This one is a recent addition to my want list. I've seen quite a few, always with the typical faults of the type. Yours is practically flawless. I am truly envious!
