EXTREME MAKEOVER

Hole repairs do happen with some modern coinage, notably 8 reales coins. These coins were often drilled and either used for decorative purposes, or to put them on a string. Some of the clothing of the indigenous populations of Central America and other areas lacked pockets, so coins of various denominations drilled or punched through to create a hole.

Hole repairs do reduce the value of a coin, and the quality of the work can vary. Most reputable firms and dealers will mention such a repair when listing a coin. Still, if a collector is willing to accept a rare coin in this condition, it does present an opportunity to acquire it at a much lower price compared to an un-holed comparable coin.

 

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All true, but the problem with the examples I posted earlier was that the hole-repair was 1) apparently undetectable and 2) not indicated. If the before-pictures had not turned up it would have been impossible to say that these coins had undergone extreme makeovers.

About the Julian of Pannonia aureus, the cataloger wrote this:

"This coin was struck from the same dies as the Ponton d'Amécourt example. That piece, a remarkably fine example, appeared in no less than eight sales between 1887 and 2011, finally selling for CHF 115 000 in NAC 62. What is particularly interesting about this coin is that, unlike virtually all of the other known examples, this coin shows clear signs of having circulated. Normally, after a usurper is defeated his coins will be recalled and melted down; in fact, possession of the coins of a usurper can even be a capital offense! This piece clearly was in circulation for longer than the year or so of Julian's reign; this makes it an important historical document. Perhaps it was kept as a memento by a surviving partisan of Julian's?"

Herein lies the problem, the repairs have distorted the coins' history. The coin was found in modern Ukraine, where it was holed by Germanic warriors (Goths) who wore these coins customarily around the neck. The signs of wear originate from this practice, rather than any partisans of Julian keeping the coin as memento.

I think with the hole and the find spot, the coin was more interesting (and historically more valualbe) than the repaired coin. The coin was an important historical document attesting to the geographic distribution and the secondary use of these coins. Since the repair, the coin has seized to be an important historical document.

 

Damn not only did they re-engrave the sphinx, they went even further to smooth flan defects and filled in the edge split. This is really stupid how on earth did they expect this to go unnoticed for a relatively rare coin indexed in so many sites online. I also don't understand why they bothered with the split, the vast majority of staters have one to four splits, I think it's an interesting feature that adds character to the coin.

 

Anyone have a link to the Ukranian auction site selling the holed aureii?

Thanks.

barry Murphy

 

Not sure about this specific aureus, but this place sold other holed aurei last year :
https://violity.com/?page=1

 

Thank you.

Barry