ANCIENTS: Baltimore Show report part 3 - 2 imperfect Provincial tetradrachms

Tonight's pair from the Baltimore show are both low grade silver tetradrachms. One is the source now of buyer's remorse. If I had it to do over, I'd have left it and spent the money on a better coin someday. This coin of Nero is part of his family series and shows Tiberius on the reverse. I found it appealing because of the bold head of Tiberius but the weak obverse with Nero bothers me more now than it did at the show. Whether it is a fault or a feature, this coin has a bit of red patina commonly seen on Alexandrian tetradrachms of this period. The year 13 date appears at the edge below Nero's chin.



Still welcome in my collection but not really a perfect coin is this Antioch Caracalla tetradrachm from the last part of his reign. I love the harsh, left facing portrait and am certain that I would not have bought it if the head were just another right facer. The cities of this region each used a reverse code as identification. Antioch shows the eagle standing on the leg of an animal. The reverse legend is Greek for Consul 4 dating the coin 213 AD or later when Caracalla's Roman coins had the popular scowling faces. This one is just bigger. The portrait shows a weak strike but most important details are there.



This Baltimore show failed to tempt me with a single Provincial bronze. Certainly I saw some nice ones but all that I liked were priced over my head.

 

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Both are nice additions. I happen to like the Nero Tet. more, go figure. The portrait of tiberius is great on it. The nero doesnt bother me. The red crust I could live with too.

The caracalla is nice overall. I dont see left facing ones often.

 

I agree with Mat. The Nero coin is my favorite of the two and I wouldn't mind it being in my collection. Love the portrait of Tiberius.

 

Gorgeous!!

I'm absolutely lovin' the Antioch Caracalla tetradrachm (nice animal coin!!)

 

I like them both Doug! The Caracala is my favorite of the two, but the Nero is cool also

 

I simply have no issue with worn Nero, not that somebody else's opinion matters if you're dissatisfied with the coin. At any rate, you must be keeping Taco Bell afloat these days.

 

I like the Caracalla more, and i didn't think i would. I have really been getting into roman egypt more lately. I think its Nero's head as well, since i do like the reverse.

 

Very nice Doug, Caracalla for me the best...:thumb:

 

Doug-

I like both and love the work of both mints throughout time. I do favor the Antioch over the Alexandria. Neither is a bad coin. I do think there are better examples of both that can be had for a amounts. Nice pickups, I am sure both look and feel better in hand.

 

This is a fact! These big, thick and sort-of silver coins do feel good in the hand. They are not quite the level of archaic Greek fine silver tets but they are not junk coins even if they have imperfections. The Nero series would be a real winner if they had been made with more care. I find it interesting how different ones of us prefer the opposite coins. I also find it interesting that the Nero portrait is the weak part of his series. As ugly as he was, they could have made some really great coins.

 

Imperfect or not those coins looks good. The details are still there

 

Well thank goodness, right? Every coin deserves a home, and if we all had the same taste we would be fighting over the same 1000 coins over and over.

Plus, I am pretty sure just 2-3 more Sogdian collectors would cause prices to double. Then I would have to hurt someone.