Between my wife and I : an owl story !!

I like the intricate engraving on the actual shield on your example, giving the appearance of overlapping links of metal. Compare it to the amorphous blobs on mine. Nice detail on your owl too. I was satisfied to find one with good metal, nice toning and decent centering without major flatness, but the engraving on mine is very pedestrian. This is one of those types where the ultimate example not only hasn't survived but probably was never even made. They all have issues. I doubt a collector back then could've found a truly problem-free example.

 

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Exactly! It is sometimes fun to look at a well struck worn coin and imagine how it looked when new but many coins are simultaneously mint state and just Fine. The part I like best is relatively few collectors really care about style so a VF of finest style is cheaper than poorly cut EF.

 

could your wife talk to my wife about getting husband birthday presents?

 

Interesting observation Doug. Looks like mine is the Doug Type #1 with D at 12. The MN is not struck on mine. Anyone have an explanation for the bumps on the un-struck / lightly-struck portions of an unevenly struck coin? I have seen this on other coins where one side is relatively well struck and the other side fades to almost no strike.



MN.CORDIVS.RUFVS, Rome, 46 BC
Obv - Owl on Corinthian helmet, RVFVS behind
Rev - Aegis decorated with head of Medusa, MN.CORDIVS around.
Cr 463/2
BMCRR 4042

 

Very lucky! Happy birthday!

 

Andrew McCabe pointed out that, in addition to the random vs regular lettering, some of the coins show an aegis with scales as a background while others show dots. Usually, the dots are found on coins with random lettering but scales accompany MN at the bottom. Carthago's coin is an exception with scales and MN at 11 o'clock. We continue to learn.

 

Ummm, does a dog-house count as an animal-coin?

 

Ummm, my wife has never bought me an ancient coin ...

=> but she did buy me this Canadian 1973 Quarter "Large Bust" (it's a sweet $700 score)

 

This is where I'm headed...

 

That's interesting Doug. Here is a prior example I used to own. I'd say this is a scale aegis as well and the MN at 4h.