Caligula Sestertius in an Upcoming Auction

Described as "good very fine:"



Also candidly described as "tooled and smoothed."

My question is, what sense does it make to grade a coin "good very fine" if it's tooled? Do grades even apply to a tooled coin? Why not just tool it further so it's an EF?

Why would anyone buy this?

 

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I think the concept of a grade is foolish when applied to a tooled coin, too, because it has nothing to do with its state of preservation.

Why would anyone buy it? That's a different question. You have to admit it's pretty.

 

I think the hair is tooled, maybe the faces on the soldiers too.

I ignore grades for the most part since I buy budget coins mostly. But how ever much tooling the coin may have had, still a nice one.

 

The hair is decidedly tooled, but if there was any smoothing, it must have been quite light. Overall I like the surfaces, damn shame about the hair. I'm sure the coin was perfectly fine before the hair dresser came along.

 

This coin sold for 350 euro bad tooled
The vendor has saying it was tooled

 

Good Lord. At that point, it doesn't even matter if it's authentic or not.

 

I agree, it's a bit silly to grade tooled/smoothed coins.

 

LOL, are you sure it is not a Hobo Nickel?

@IdesOfMarch01 , I wholeheartedly agree. Although I do not buy in the circles that you do, it is all the same: WHY would you TOOL something then GRADE it? Conundrum and a conflict to me.

 

I think this thread needs some untooled Caligulas so we can all de-stress, esp. after seeing that appalling thing that ro posted.

I will start (no sestertius here, sorry! & not a good photo):

 

LOL, here are MY "Untooled" Caligula As's to "de-stress" everyone...

 

as a collector, i'd rather have a unretouched coin. but if peeps are paying those kinds of prices for tooled ones, what will become of them?

 

Agreed


Caligula (37 - 41 A.D.)
AE30 AS
SEGOBRIGA, SPAIN
O: C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS IMP, laureate head left.
R: SEGO BRIGA in wreath.
Segobriga Mint
30.5mm
10.1g
Burgos 1724

 

my unretouched bronze and brass caligulas

 

not perfect

 

i like it

 

Good call to post untooled examples. Here's mine:

Gaius Caligula, AD 37-41
Æ As, 29mm, 11.5g, 6h; Rome mint, AD 37-8
Obv.: C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT, bare head left.
Rev.: VESTA above, S C across field, Vesta, veiled and draped, seated left on ornamental throne, holding patera and long transverse scepter.

 

Cool thread ... some good and bad examples

 

Yeah, I did the GUE (Gooey) method for capturing mine: Go Ugly Early...

But, HEY! I am not an Empire collector...