Celebrity Death Match: Trajan Decius

I promised my girlfriend to start selling some coins before I keep buying new ones.
And she is right, I guess, because the aim of my Sestertius portrait gallery was to have one coin per ruler only.

So which of these do you think I should keep?

- Candidate 1:

I bought this Trajanus Decius Sestertius because it has a full flan and rather complete legends.





IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIUS AVG / VICTORIA AVG
Sestertius, Rome 250
RIC 124 d, Cohen 117

But I am not really a fan of the dark patina which seems typical for Sestertii of this time.


-Candidate 2:





IMP C M Q TRAIANUS DECIUS AVG / GENIUS EXERCITUS ILLYRICANI
Sestertius, Rome 250
RIC 117a, Cohen 53

Then this specimen came along, which I like because of it´s lighter tone (is those green spots the dreaded bronze disease, by the way???) and the more life-like portrait.

So which of these (if any of the two) is in your opinion the keeper here?

 

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I really like the "zombie" portrait of the first one.

 

Keep'em all. I do not sell my coins.

 

Keep #1. The surface on #2 is not so pleasing.

 

I agree. The green verdigris or bronze disease looks bad on the obverse. The first coin is a more honest and better overall looking coin.

Keep both coins, get new girlfriend.

 

I don't think my wife would even ask me to sell any of my coins. Maybe she knows I could always trade for another wife

 

I hope Julius knows we are kidding. But seriously, if you can't decide, keep both. I think the first coin is of the higher overall quality and will retain its value better even if it is not so pleasing to you personally right now. If you can unload the second, if any, then keep the first as the nicer of the two. When a coin that has a better patina comes along to your liking you should have no problem selling the first coin.

 

I would worry about the green on the second.

 

Personally, I would keep the first one. But ultimately you have to decide for yourself which coin will make you happier with your collection.

 

Sell both and take your time finding the coin you know you want without asking. If you have decided to have a small collection of only the best coins, don't buy coins you know you don't want long term. The damage to the portraits make these 'improvable' with little effort. I keep all of mine because they are good enough for me. There is less stress when you are not trying to do everything in a single coin.

 

The green on the second coin doesn't look like bronze disease. I think it was heavily corroded and then someone stripped most of the corrosion chemically, leaving traces of it in the recesses. Or perhaps they used electrolysis but stopped too early. Either way, a little more zapping should remove the rest of it.

But I still like the first coin better.

 

Nice coins. Both keepers in my opinion.

 

Coin 2 fits better with the rest of your collection, plus the double-strike on the reverse is kind of interesting. Keep that one. (And maybe give it some verdicare or something.)

 

A happy wife is a happy life

 

Keep both and change your girlfriend! Trust me, if she already imposes rules and restrictions on your collection, it will get worse day by day...
About the alleged bronze disease, I think that all this green on the obverse is stable at this moment, suggesting more oxidation with incrustrations.
Perhaps some protective wax can keep it fine and on the right way.

Cheers,

Paulo Gerritsen Plaggert

 

Here's a crusty one:


Trajan Decius AD 249-251
Roman Æ sestertius; 26 mm, 15.09 g
Rome, AD 250-251
Obv: IMP CMQ TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right
Rev: PANNONIAE S C, the two Pannoniae standing side by side, holding standards
Refs: RIC 124a; Cohen 87; Sear 9407; Hunter 54.

 

Me too. But Doug made a good point:

 

I agree with this approach. Decades ago we did not have so much selection and opportunity to buy coins. I occasionally got two late Roman bonzes that could be considered duplicates, however one with one side better and the other with the other side better. Now, with many more coins available it is often possible to find, at the right price, one that excels them both on both sides and then move the first two along.

Doug's idea of taking your time to find coins you want without wishing they were better is a good one. The seller usually takes a loss when he upgrades, so it is probably best not to buy coins you know you will want to upgrade.

 

I do not follow my advice since I have no problem with owning multiple examples of the 'same' coin. I have several die duplicates that are sufficiently different that I want to save both. The question assumed the proper collector would only own one and the coin is one that exists in sufficient quantity that it is possible to find one that is better. My answer is very different when we are talking about coins that are not easily upgraded. For example, below are two examples of the same type of Julia Domna. The two are die duplicates. Neither is clearly better than the other in every respect so I will keep both at least until I get a third one that is better than either or, rather, both combined (full legends with good surfaces). If I must have six of these to illustrate the dies, so be it. Rules vary when you can stand up at any auction and buy the upgrade you desire as opposed to looking for decades and not finding what you seek at any price.

 

My vote is for the first one, but I actually like the patina. If I had to choose, I find the general detail more pleasing, and would be somewhat concerned about the green on the obverse of the second example. But others have suggested that might not be anything, so... go with your gut and what fits your collection. It's ultimately a matter of taste.