Couldn't help posting this beauty again . . .

The only ancient coin I own:

ROMAN IMPERIAL. Diocletian (Emperor, 284-305 AD). Struck circa 294-295 AD. AR Argenteus. NGC Ch. MS✭ (Choice Mint State ✭) Strike 5/5 Surface 5/5. Sescia mint. 2.64gm. DIOCLETI ANVS AVG. Laureate bust right / VIRTUS MILITUM. The four tetrarchs sacrificing over tripod before camp enclosure with eight turrets; pellet at center of archway. RIC 32a.

 

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Beautiful

 

That is a beauty @Rexford. Love the toning. But why is this the only Ancient you own? C'mon, man, you know you want more.

 

Outside my lane of collecting but I know a stunning coin when I see it . . .

 

A lovely coin

 

WOW!!

That is the visual definition of a coin with incredible eye-appeal that pops!! GORGEOUS!!!

 

That is a nice coin! Don't think I have ever seen toning like that on a Roman bronze.

You definitely need more ancients.

John

 

It's silver. An AR Argenteus

 

@Rexford - oh boy, you can't say things like that here...it's like a crazy cult here, they will suck you in and make you unrecognizable to your family, pets and your coin collecting friends.

Before you know it, you'll be sitting under a bright halogen lamp with three different power loupes trying to figure out if there is an INV, AVG or some other letter combination at the end of the legend on a worn Roman coin. All the while berating yourself for not being able to walk away until it's determined to certainty whether the coin is a Constantius I, or II, or a Contans or a Constantine.

Meanwhile, the dogs are scared to come into the room because you're prone to sudden outbursts of anger, or sudden outbursts of profanity that leave them scurrying for safety under the bed in your room.

....and that's the fun part!

 

Sounds like a fun time to me. The only thing better is scouring dozens of reference books looking for examples of your coin.

 

+1

 

Ok duh!

I should read the attribution more carefully. I plead distraction by the pretty colors.

 

It is a lovely coin. Just a couple things:
The mint is Siscia (not Sescia). The catalog reference is correct at RIC 32a but it might be good to note that this is RIC volume VI page 459 since coins of Diocletian also occur in volume V and numbering starts over for each mint city.

The dot in the archway is not a part of the design but is a center point for a compass used to lay out the border of dots. Some dies will show this more than others and worn dies (yours are quite fresh) will often lose it as well. Catalogs do not make the distinction but some dealers hype it trying to get a higher price for the coin which is perfectly normal. Most coin designs have something (like the portrait) in the center so the dot gets erased but your coin has that arch in the middle and nothing erased the layout dot.

I am a little surprised NGC did not mention the flan crack. It detracts very little but should have been noted. The coin was struck forcefully which gave you all that wonderful detail. It also gave you that little crack. It is really just about as nice as you could hope to find.

 

Absolutely fantastic argenteus! The strike is incredible and the toning quite lovely.

 

Not to worry. The toning is so beautiful it can be distracting!

 

Since this is reportedly his only ancient this seems to be a case where a picture motivated a sale. I see Rexford is not responding to comments. Okay. But in the interests of giving credit where credit is due I would like to know about the photographer:

Did you take these pics, Rexford? Or were these from the seller? If the seller, any idea who did the photos? or how? Who was the vendor?

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Excellent coin. Probably the best argenteus I have ever seen (and I don't own any).

 

Welcome to the forum, Rexford! So what direction would like to go with your collection? Diocletian only? Late Roman? Perhaps an eclectic sampling of ancient kingdoms—Imperial Rome being the first.

 

Sorry for not responding, just been a little busy at work etc. I'll try to answer all the questions here. The photographer of this piece was Doug Plasencia at NGC. I work at Atlas Numismatics and bought the coin from them after a couple of months of gawking at it and saving up my money. I don't really plan on becoming an "ancient collector" so to speak because I'm not really a collector of any particular type or location in general. I collect coins from all over - my only requirement is that I love the way the coin looks. I have my eyes on a Byzantine piece right now as well, but it's a little out of my price range at the moment. The only drawback is that I have a limited budget, which means I have to be very sure that whatever I'm getting is at the top of its class.

 

Uhm, let's trade. You can have my crummy Galerius version, and I can have your deliciously toned and perfect Diocletian version. What do you say?


GALERIUS as Caesar, AD 293-305.
AR Argenteus, 21mm, 2.7g, 12h; Rome, c. 294.
Obv: MAXIMIANVS CAES; Laureate head right.
Rev: VIRTVS MILITVM; The tetrarchs sacrificing over tripod before city enclosure with six turrets.
Reference: RIC VI Rome 29b, p. 353, r2.

One small correction @Rexford , you don't have to have coins at the top of their class. It is a personal choice, obviously, but nothing says you can't enjoy a few VF or XF coins for the price of one deep strike and colorfully toned AU coin that might cost you an arm and a leg. You said your low budget is an issue, so just know you don't have to sacrifice to indulge in ancients. It's up to you.