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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Roman Collector, post: 3588836, member: 75937&quot;]I have a two-step approach to assessing rarity -- counting other examples at online databases and doing die-studies:</p><p><br /></p><p>1) I look up examples in all of the online databases of which I&#039;m aware, including records of previous sales and of museum holdings. These are: <a href="http://wildwinds.com/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://wildwinds.com/" rel="nofollow">Wildwinds</a>, <a href="http://numismatics.org/ocre/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://numismatics.org/ocre/" rel="nofollow">OCRE</a>, <a href="http://numismatics.org/search/search" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://numismatics.org/search/search" rel="nofollow">The ANS collection</a>, <a href="http://coinproject.com/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://coinproject.com/" rel="nofollow">The Coin Project</a>, <a href="http://www.coryssa.org/index.php" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.coryssa.org/index.php" rel="nofollow">Coryssa</a>, <a href="https://www.acsearch.info/index.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.acsearch.info/index.html" rel="nofollow">acsearchinfo</a>, <a href="https://www.coinarchives.com/a/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.coinarchives.com/a/" rel="nofollow">CoinArchives</a>, <a href="http://www.tantaluscoins.com/browse.php" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.tantaluscoins.com/browse.php" rel="nofollow">Tantalus</a>, the <a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx" rel="nofollow">British Museum</a>, <a href="https://cngcoins.com/Coins_sold.aspx" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://cngcoins.com/Coins_sold.aspx" rel="nofollow">CNG&#039;s archives</a>, and <a href="https://www.vcoins.com/en/coins/ancient-2.aspx" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.vcoins.com/en/coins/ancient-2.aspx" rel="nofollow">V coins</a>. Depending on the issue, I may also search <a href="http://isegrim.dasr.de/isegrim/anmelden.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://isegrim.dasr.de/isegrim/anmelden.html" rel="nofollow">ISEGRIM</a>, <a href="http://www.ric.mom.fr/en/search" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.ric.mom.fr/en/search" rel="nofollow">MER/RIC</a>, <a href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/" rel="nofollow">RPC online</a>, or the <a href="http://www258.pair.com/denarius/coinage.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www258.pair.com/denarius/coinage.htm" rel="nofollow">Gallienus</a> <a href="http://gallienus.net/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://gallienus.net/" rel="nofollow">websites</a>. Occasionally, I am <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/funeral-pyre-dupondius.324353/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/funeral-pyre-dupondius.324353/">unable to find another specimen</a> of a coin apart from Cohen citing its presence in the French national collection. A coin is truly rare in that case.</p><p><br /></p><p>2) If the coin appears rare (only half a dozen examples total among all the sites), I will do a die-study. If a coin appears to be struck with only a few different dies, then it&#039;s likely to have been in limited production or that only one or two hoards have ever been found containing it. For example, only nine examples of <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/rare-faustina-i-lifetime-denarius-die-study-to-boot.336597/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/rare-faustina-i-lifetime-denarius-die-study-to-boot.336597/">this coin</a> with a right-facing bust appear in any reference, printed or online; they were produced by four different obverse dies and only a single reverse die. The denarius shown at the bottom of <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/does-a-scepter-make-a-difference-maybe.320899/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/does-a-scepter-make-a-difference-maybe.320899/">this post</a> appears in only one other online source, the British Museum Collection, and it&#039;s a reverse die match, suggesting production by a single aberrant reverse die. There were only four other examples of <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/three-nymphs-not-three-graces.316058/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/three-nymphs-not-three-graces.316058/">this coin</a>, struck by two obverse dies and two reverse dies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The combination of very few examples online and produced by only a few different dies suggests true rarity.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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