GTG: Anacs AE Follis

Hello folks, im a first timer here in the ancient section... I thought it would be fun to do a guess the grade here.. This is my one and only ancient, i picked up a few years back just to have an example.. I will probably ask a few questions after i post the grade on the slab 'cause im a total newp on this subject...... Anywho, this one is slabbed by anacs,who can guess the grade??????

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I don't know Anacs' criteria for grading ancients. I think most of us here would call it Fine.

 

WelI arent we a thread shredder???? Is there another more "Accepted" grading company for such coins??

 

Grading ancients is very subjective, I know a lot who don't agree with the grade given.

 

Maybe VG/ F. The mint mark is not very visible. Nice coin anyway... And welcome to the dark side,, Lol.

 

Is there a less 'Accepted' authority?
Many (most?) of us here do not believe in TPG. Some of us don't believe in grading coins beyond 'I like it' or 'Nope'. Those who accept and respect any ancient slab opinions would prefer NGC but the only slabs I really would like are the ones enclosing either a fake or a misidentified coin.

Ancients just don't grade well with a couple letters. My specimen below (same as yours) is poorly struck on the reverse figure so you would have trouble without at least a separate grade for each side (VF/VG) or a paragraph explaining the situation.

Modern coins grade mostly by wear unless they are mint state when strike becomes a factor. Strike, surface, centering and style all outrank absolute wear when it comes to the appeal of an ancient of any given type unless the wear is really excessive (perhaps below VF). It is not a subject that gets a lot of interest here. If forced to assign a grade to your coin, I suppose I'll agree with JA's 'fine'.

Welcome, but realize that 7C's 'darkside' term is a fact, not a joke.

 

I didn't intend any sort of thread shredding, honest. I've never investigated Anacs' grading standards for ancients, nor have I ever bought an ancient in an Anacs slab. I really just don't know their criteria. I call it Fine. I'd be curious to know what they gave it...

 

heavycam.monstervam => welcome aboard, my coin-friend!!

... yah, I have always relied heavily on the following grading-scale:

Interesting Pickup => aGood/Good (it still kinda looks like a coin)
Nice => VG
Cool => Fine
Sweet => VF
Fricken Awesome => EF/AU
AJ-esque => Minty-Fresh => MS

Oh, and I think that your coin is pretty cool ...

cheers (again => welcome!!)

 

Well when it comes to the coins i search out and hoard, its very wise to know how to grade, how to spot a fake and have an idea of the value/market for it...In this particular case i had none of the above! I bought it as an example, and maybe a conversation piece. Noone really likes Anacs at the other end of the timeline either...But i do, they are bar none THE best when it comes to error coins/varieties and with morgan dollars imo.. @ this point im almost scared to tell u what i paid 4 this coin.... but thats y i bought it slabbed because i thought i could find a price 4 it online, lo and behold i was wrong. No matchers on Ebay and i dont have a book to look it up in...anyway heres the grade assigned stand by-

 

I gave $50 for this i believe and I cant say im gonna buy anymore of these but I AM digging the athenian owl and ive spied a few silver coins id be proud to own,all of which are probably out of my budget... So... Did I get took to the cleaners for my $50???

 

You're probably okay ... the reverse is certainly quite sexy (it almost carries $50 on its own)

... and although I hate slabs ... dudes like yourself will probably pay a few extra bucks, so it's all good ...

again => cheers

 

I respectfully disagree with Steve. It's about a $10 coin, raw, and it's not VF. Here is one of mine, which I consider ALMOST VF, but in my opinion the rough surfaces hold it down. I paid $10 for it, because the officina mark (gamma) is much less common than other marks for the Siscia mint. RIC rates it Rarity 3...



Unfortunately, you've been taken in by an all too prevalent scam in the world of ancient coins: a dealer will slab a common, low grade coin and charge 5 times or more its value. There are hundreds of these slabs on eBay on any given day.

Still, it's a decent coin, and it is indeed a conversation piece. I would not be too discouraged.

 

From roughly the same time period, here is a coin of Constantine's arch-rival Licinius (of a different type, of course). This coin would be considered an EF. I paid $75 for it, but it is a very common issue. As in the world of moderns, rarities are more expensive, and decrepit rarities can cost infinitely more than common beauties...

 

I have to agree with JA. It's a $10 coin at best. I'm not at home and I cannot show you how many coins I have in the shape of your coin that I paid $10 or less. But, hey, its a decent coin and I think a good conversation piece.

 

In fact, by calling your coin a "conversation piece," you've pretty much summed up how most committed collectors of ancients feel about their coins. Yes, we need to be savvy about grades and market values, but that is not nearly as important to us as history and numismatics.

What was Constantine's life like? What was happening in AD 313? What do the legends mean? Who is the god on the reverse, and why? These are things we like to mull. If you really want a conversation piece, crack it out, pass it around, and see how people feel about holding a piece of 1700-year-old history. There is no damage you can do to the coin by handling it - it's WAY past that point.

 

ahaha (*whatev*) => I still like your coin, brother (welcome) ...

=> yah, these two cheap chumps always brag about $10 coins!!



cheers

 

Cheap? Yep. Chump? I don't think so.

 

lol

Steve does have a point. Bing and I are cheapskates.

 

nothing to add, other than welcome!

 

Well i sorta figured i overpaid but.... why is it that i cant get past the fact that the coins youve shown me and my coin are slightly different? My sol appears skinnier than yours and when i checked the bay a while back i ran into this same problem: plenty of constantines but none that match mine perfectly... is it because mines from a different mint??