For his mum, even a roach is the cutest baby in town !

Yes, a roach, but I have excuses :
1 - It's a gift from a friend
2 - It has a tremendous portrait style and
3 - a great preservation

Gordian III, Antoninianus Rome mint, AD 238-239
IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian III seen from behind
IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter standing left, holding thunderbolt and sceptre, a small figure of the Emperor at his feet
5,33 gr
Ref : Cohen # 105 (3), RIC # 2, RCV # 8614

I find the engraving of the better style, hope you agree...
Please post anything produced by a skilled artist, eye candy of any kind

Q

 

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This is currently my favorite coin for its artistic style. I forgot where I saw it. I want to be the mother of this precious coin.

 

Q, are you absolutely sure that's a roach? It just looks like a tremendous coin to me. What a wonderful gift!

 

Q!! That portrait is outstanding-- what a fantastic gift The whole coin is extremely nice in all respects.

Oh yes... the ever-popular "COL NEM croc"-- wonderful coins!! You'll find many threads about them. They are great story coins-- coinage for the "retirement village" set up by Augustus in Nemausus (modern-day Nimes, France), a sort of retirement village for Battle of Actium soldiers . The reverse imagery nicely encapsulates the victory!

Here are a couple of the more recent threads featuring the type:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/not-another-nemausus-crocodile-coin.275894/

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/purchases-from-the-chicago-coin-expo.294363/

 

@TIF You are the best!
Thank you!! I will enjoy reading these threads and looking up more information about that coin. Now I have hope I could actually own one. I think it is the coin I want most of all!

 

yeah, i'm with Z, i just see a great looking coin with a dang near flawless bust. sharp! nice gift!

 

Superb coin Cucumbor, fantastic detail and perfectly centered, you must have some great friends...the best I get from mine is they shout me a beer every now and again, but I am still grateful for that. Any way I have a Roach minted the same time as yours, nowhere as good.

 

I went through a period where I bought little else than the croc coins. I came to the feeling that there was no perfect one (there are very, very few) and they were 'Impossible to Grade' simply because of the many 'situations' that are common on the coins. That is why I wrote my page on the subject:
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/impossible.html
They were issued for several years and passed through several changes in style. Which features you like is a matter of personal preference. The example you show is far above average. It is a middle period coin with croc often too large to fit on the flan. That centering is exceptional. Early versions had a much more slender crocodile and are more often found with both ends on the flan.
Early


Middle


Late

 

Nice coin @Cucumbor ! Great strike, nice flan, and great portrait.

 

Hi Doug! So how many of these little fellas do you have? (she asks as she hyperventilates). And thank you for more reading material on this!

 

The reason Gordian III coins got tagged 'cockroaches' is that there are so many of them. Among specialists (I do know some) a collection under a thousand types would be 'small'. I would be classified as 'insignificant'. Gordian ruled for several years during a time when there were many provincial cities making coins. Many of them are really magnificent.

LaC: I have three crocs that are not shown on that page. I stopped as abruptly as I started. The main thing I lack is a nice example with a countermark. (Unless you want to say what I lack is a really nice example.)

 

@dougsmit - Gee, 1,000 is small collection of Crocs....
Thanks. I think I just need one...or seven of them.

 

As Doug pointed out the Croc coins nearly all have some problem, mine being a tight flan would need to be perfectly centered to enable Augustus's whole face on coin. Here is my middle version.

 

I really like your coin. Maybe that is part of the charm of them.

 

One of mine is almost comical in the facial expressions

 

A wonderful portrait Q

 

Faustina Jr denarii are so plentiful and varied, they might be considered the empress equivalent of Gordian III. But this one is exceptional in its artistic beauty. Therefore, I'm posting it:

 

After looking at the crocs which are available on line, I really do not see much I like. Perhaps all the good ones were purchased and are being held. They are rather expensive at almost a grand for one that doesn't even begin to hold a candle to your crocs @dougsmit. Your crocs would probably bring several thousand each? Now I'm losing hope I'll find a beautiful croc that I will be able to afford. And you guys are spoiling me because now I am quite critical as I look at coins on line. (But, I won't give up).

 

@Bing's delightful coin moved my creative spirit. (Or something.)

 

But more on topic, that is the most beautiful roach I have seen. The portrait style is unsurpassed, and the obverse is perfectly struck from fresh dies. Magnifique, mon ami!

My own roach (now diminished in my eyes):


Some other beautiful roaches (one with incredible iridescent toning!).

And a coin I chose for portrait style: