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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 2014756, member: 19463&quot;]The Baltimore show had quite a large array of Roman Republican coins for sale.&nbsp; I bought three.&nbsp; There were coins worn nearly slick and coins of high grade.&nbsp; The latter included common chariot types which I usually avoid unless they are very nice and very cheap and a few really nice &#039;special&#039; types at prices I was not willing to consider.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; The coins were not new hoard material and many had some toning (not something you can say about a lot of denarii these days).&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Instead I got coins contained in flips from 90&#039;s dealers all of which had some faults that brought them into the grade/price level I am accustomed to favor.</p><p><br /></p><p>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.</p><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calydonian_Boar" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calydonian_Boar" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calydonian_Boar</a></p><p>[ATTACH=full]363512[/ATTACH] </p><p>The coin comes in two obverse variations (bust complexity) and two reverses (with and without spear in the boar&#039;s back).&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; The moneyer was C. Hosidius C.F. Geta in 68 BC (Hosidia 1).&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Compare:</p><p><a href="http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?similar=1245653" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?similar=1245653" rel="nofollow">http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?similar=1245653</a></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Second </b>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).&nbsp; Note that the T and V are shown ligate.&nbsp; The coin is pretty nice with pleasing older tone but it has a double strike of a banker&#039;s check mark on the cheek which probably accounts for this being in my price bracket.&nbsp; Salus on the reverse plays with a snake which we all know is a healthy practice in Roman terms.&nbsp; </p><p>[ATTACH=full]363513[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Last</b> is a 46 BC denarius of Mn. Cordius Rufus showing the heads of the Dioscuri and Venus with Cupid crawling on her back.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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).&nbsp; </p><p>[ATTACH=full]363514[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>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.&nbsp; I left behind several denarii of types equally good as these but with price tags equal to the three here combined.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp;&nbsp; This is the place to show your Republicans not shared here before and not having a Roma head obverse or chariot reverse (picky, aren&#039;t I?).[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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