Anyone in NYC next week for Triton?

@4to2centBC, that First Meris was on my short list and I came very close to bidding on it live online. Glad I didn't. It would have driven up the price for one of us .

Doug, I've been looking for a First Meris for some time and the portrait on 4to2's new coin is the youthful portrayal I want, with great style.

 

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Thank you. I consider that high praise coming from you.

btw I will be hiding credit card payments for the next 4-6 months. I told my wife I bought myself a coin for my upcoming 55th B-day. She was kind enough not to press further.

 

Yes......I forgot to run that one past you a few weeks ago. I really thought I would be focusing on the Kyzikos and the Lycians, but this Meris was very pretty in hand. I was afraid it would go north of $1,800. If it did, I would not have gone after the Lycian that hard. Thanks for not bidding.

 

Don't forget to sign up for all the Senior discounts you now have coming. I don't know if you can get 10% off a doghouse or not but in fifty years or so you might break even on the extra cost of this sale.

 

You bought some nice coins, 4to2centBC, congrats. I bought only one coin today. Could have bought it for quite a bit less in a European auction earlier this year, but I was saving my budget for the Student & Mentor coins in NAC at the time so I didn't pursue it. Oh well, sooner or later...

C. Coelius Caldus. 53 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.80 g, 1h). Rome mint. Bare head of the consul C. Coelius Caldus right; to left, signum inscribed HIS; below chin, boar atop signum; C • COEL • CALDVS to right / Veiled figure seated left on lectisterniuminscribed L • CALDVS/VII • (VR) • EP(VL) in two lines; trophies flanking; C CALDVS vertically to outer left, I(MP) • A • X vertically to outer right, C(ALDV)S • III V[IR] in exergue. Crawford 437/2a; Sydenham 894; Coelia 7; RBW 1551.

 

Nice coin! Can you explain the raised lines from brow, nose, Adam's apple and lower neck as well as out of the back of the neck? They could just be die cracks but none cross into the portrait or letters but the one at the boar crosses two lines before stopping at the third. That is terribly well behaved for normal die cracks. It is a really sharp coin. That tiny CALDVS would be wrecked by even a little doubling. If it had nothing else going for it, I'd want it because it has the same name Caldus on it four times in four different orientations (around, up and down, left to right and ligate). This is a lot more than just another high grade denarius!

 

Holy cow! That's a really beautiful denarius. I don't know what the cheaper example looks like, but it would be very hard to beat the one you ended up with!

 

The Caldus denarius was one of those that really jumped out of the RR section of the Triton catalog. Well played and fantastic score!

 

Thank you for the kind words everyone. The issues of this monnier are really nice looking in general but it's hard to find them with all of the detail because there is a lot of it on these dies.

That is a good question Doug. I've seen this before and have another coin that exhibits it in a way that really compliments the design so that it seems intentional. I've always fancied that they were waves in the harbor on this Sextus Pompey but not all of the dies have the same on them. I'm thinking it is some sort of die erosion. I think the effect is really cool of the Sextus.

 

Wow, Carthago => man, I can't wait to snag that beauty away from you!!



I absolutely "love" both of your RR AR examples that you've shown above (congrats on scoring a super cool new coin!!)

Doug's questions are interesting (as per usual) ... I do think that the boar with the "horizon lines?" in the background looks like an effort by the engraver, eh? (fantastic coin, obverse & reverse)

42BC => gawd, those two scores are amazing (congrats!!) ... I love the incuse portrait!!

TIF => man, I can't wait to see your spoils!!

Bing => I totally agree that these dudes are playing for keeps, eh? (my knees get weak when I think about dropping $500 on a coin!!)

 

Believe me when I tell you that I was standing as I bid on the Mithra and when the increments hit $500, my knees were not feeling very strong. I nodded off a last bid and then changed my mind at the last second and threw up my card one last time. Here is where I bury the lead....I had a heart attack in July while away on business. Should be dead but I am not. It was a stark reminder that Life is short, so now I play for keeps. Not wealthy, just determined.

 

Glad you're still with us, @4to2centBC

Life is short. Be happy now.

 

Wow, what a special coin!

 

Prices on the top coins today were very strong. I was outbid on my two main lots (the Athens AV stater and Berenike dekadrachm) but I can't complain as I wasn't the direct underbidder in either case.

I did manage to buy five coins out of 20 bids, three of which were in my top five choices overall, which is a rather good ratio for me and a very pleasant way to start off the numismatic year! I'll be sharing them here once received, and will hopefully find more at the show to add to my pile.

 

Well, the Triton Adams Greek auction did not disappoint!

Initial stats:

115 lots

$1,719,000.00 total estimated value, average of $14,948/coin

$3,714,500.00 total realized, average of $32,300/coin (2.16x estimate)

# of lots sold for less than estimate: 9
# of lots sold at or higher than estimate: 106
# of lots sold for 2-2.99x estimate: 32
# of lots sold for 3-3.99x estimate: 10
# of lots sold for 4-4.99x estimate:3
# of lots sold for 5x estimate: 1
# of lots unsold: zero, of course . These were all highly desirable coins.

Highest multiple of estimate realized: 5x, for lot 2030 (First Punic War EL tristater, estimated $50K, realized $250K)

Highest price realized: $300,000 for a pristine Berenike II AV dekadrachm, lot 2103, estimated at $100,000.

Congratulations to all the winners!!

 

Thanks for the stats and number crunching! I tuned in for a bit, but after awhile, I had just about enough yellow for the day. Then of course I come on here and Doug is talking about Vespasian's Urine Tax ...

 

It would be very hard to resist a coin from the Adams collection. I very nearly broke my very strict 'on the wagon' rule to bid on one of the cheaper ones in the e-auction currently posted.

This is still time for me to break it but I am holding strong so far.

 

Only won one of the three coins on which I bid -- just today lost on the Sulla aureus from the Adams collection, which not surprisingly went for 4X its estimate.

But still very pleased with the one coin that I won and hope to have in hand soon.

Just curious -- where did you get these stats so quickly?

 

I watched live online and filled in a spreadsheet as each lot closed.

I also recorded the Adams Provincial through Imperial lots (estimate, realized, and winning bidder number) but haven't looked at the data. There were only ~20 lots.

 

For my information what did the Parthian Orodos II tetradrachms do as winning bid? I got the same types...thanks for your answer !!