Tonight's Baltimore coins are not things I usually buy but each had something I liked. First is an as of Antoninus Pius which appealed to me because of the reverse figure of the emperor in a toga and the way his face was captured in small size on the reverse. When I got home and discovered that the coin was missing VOTA in exergue, I was less thrilled with the coin but it is still not a bad looking coin of a ruler I know some of you like better than I do. The second is a lot more coin and cost more as well. It is a sestertius of Marcus Aurelius with Restorer of Italy reverse showing Italia kneeling before the emperor. I assume there was some building or renovation project in 172 but have not done the research. The coin has some legend weakness but is still a decent looking mid grade sestertius. I have fewer coins of Aurelius than most emperors who ruled as long as he and found this one attractive.
Is the bottom coin showing signs of BD on the reverse at 4/5 o clock? Or is it hard green? Both are pretty coins but I too like the MA better. Mainly for the portrait.
I agree I like the reverse on the MA. More unusual. Both of the tets I got recently were just a standing figure type, though on one it was Mars which makes it more interesting.
To me that is a sign of advancement. A lot of beginning collectors, or those just buying to make a "set", only look at the portraits. The coins may as not even have a reverse. To me, those who appreciate and pay attention to the reverse type of a coin is more of an advanced collector.
Doug, I think you would find it interesting to compare your first coin to a tessera in my collection. ROME 1st-3rd century AD PB Tessera (19mm, 3.15 g, 12 h) Togate priest standing left, holding patera Modius with three grain ears, A C flanking Rostowzew 1571 var. (size, no modius) AC may stand for “Antoninus Caesar”, thereby making the togate figure the emperor in the guise of Pontifex Maximus. The presence of a modius also suggests a relation to the annona, implying a reading of “Annona Caesaris.”
I did not find anything immediatly on a building project in AD 172 but I did find something interesting off wikipedia... Emperor Marcus Aurelius crosses the Danube with an expeditionary force, he subdue the Marcomanni and their allies. In a pact signed with the Germanic tribes, he imports them into occupy areas of the Roman Empire that had been depopulated by the plague. I am not sure if this had anything to do with the coin, it does indicate a bit of "restoration" I wonder if this has anything to do with it, or if Italia refers only to the Italian peninsula or if it refers to the whole of the empire and or select parts. I really do like coin no. 2, I have this thing for chunky. As far as development of ones taste. If there is anything that I have picked up from you (you guys included), it is a greater appreciation for legend rather then portraiture. Everyone loves great pictures(I really only like books with good pictures..haha) and especially neat reverse types, but NOW I like clear text. First in foremost I buy coins that call to me. ..."Ancientnoob, buy me, please, I'm chunky." Great pickups- I saw a few of the dealers from the Baltimore show at the small New Haven Show on Sunday-I saw some of the left overs-nothing impressive and nothing impressive in my budget. I am sure there were some guys there with great coins, either they were not at my show or they sold everything, because what I saw didn't spark my interest. I did see a guy that sells US notes with 5-6 Severus Alexander with the suckling wolf reverse-not my forte' and certainly not for the price he was asking. I'm glad you had some success at your show. I had to make a rather huge decision at the New Haven Show. A couple of the local dealers wanted to get into ancients and offered to buy my collection for stock. I would say the offered decent money once they viewed my collection, but after cigarette outside and a short conversation with my Father In-Law, I couldn't do it, I love to many of my coins too much and really didn't need the money that bad. If I were to sell them, I would never get the money that I think they are worth-at least to me. Some I don't think I could replace. let alone replace cheaply. If I were to sell or trade, I would rather do so among friends, were they would appreciate them as I do, rather than they just becoming "stock." Sorry I hijacked your thread with my rant but this decision has weighed heavily on my mind for the last few weeks, and here I know I am in the company of friends.
It sounds like you made the right decision, AN. Judging by your posts here, you seem to be an inveterate collector, interested in far more than amassing bright shiny baubles. You're a true numismatist at heart. I don't think you would have been happy at all selling off your entire collection, even if you spent the money on something substantial and worthwhile. In the end you would have been kicking yourself and saying, "Why the blankity blank did I do THAT???"
Way to go, A-Dawg!! :thumb: Ummmm, but I must admit that I am a little bit curious => how many coins do you have "approx" and what did they offer for your purdy hoard? Example: 200 coins, $20,000 sorta thing ($100/coin), or what? ... how close to "your $$$-tally" did they come? (sounds like they were in your ball-park, eh?) Interesting ....... oh, but again => great job for holding-on (you are still a very young buck, so you have lotsa good collecting-years in ya) .... but it would be interesting to sell and then "restart" .... I wonder what my new strategy might be? (higher-end coins? ... maybe tighten-up the shotgun scatter and concentrate a bit more on one type/area, like maybe just collect Syracuse coins?) ...... hmmmm, interesting? Ooops, sorry Doug (you know me ... Extreme-Extrovert ... I type and then I think about what I've written once it's already been sent) ... this would probably be a very good thread on its own?? (A-Knob, maybe you'd like to start the thread?)
We all have to decide if our hobby is buying and selling or collecting. I have about 50 coins I'd not mind selling but most are low end beginner's things or duplicates not as nice as my other one. I can't convince myself it is worth the effort to write them up and deal with mailing $5-$20 coins. I'd rather trade them for 5 or so nicer coins but people who have coins I want generally don't want coins I have. My hobby is having coins not selling them. Your mileage may differ.
Well, I've collected coins for more or less my entire life (Granny got me started on Canadian Pennies) ... and I have "never" sold one of my coins (I gave a few away as prizes in a few CCF contests, but as you mentioned, those were basically spares that I'd upgraded) ... ... "but" ... selling and restarting is quite different than buying and selling coins for a profit, isn't it? ... it's kinda like a second-chance to aim in the best direction?!! NOTE => but I know me all too well ... I could never sell one of my pets and the same thing would go for my coins ... at the last minute I'd start tearing-up and the deal would be off!! (yup, these babies are mine for keeps!!) .... ummmm, unless my hot wife finds out how mmuch they're worth and then there may be a bargain-basement fire-sale!! (oh, and don't get any ideas, Bing!!)
