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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;nerosmyfavorite68, post: 25006762, member: 134416&quot;]On my excel spreadsheet I graded the original coin (the top picture) aVF by wear, corroded.&nbsp; A 1990&#039;s fixed price list probably would have listed it as F, corroded.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1601663[/ATTACH]</p><p>This Sestertius is aVF also, but has much better surfaces and an exceptional patina.&nbsp; I was entranced with this coin the minute I saw it and is my favorite buy from the past two years.&nbsp; It&#039;s a lovely coin and was only about 70 bucks more than the corroded one.</p><p><br /></p><p>Of all my exceptional patinas, Gordian III shows up disproportionately, both provincial and imperial.&nbsp; It could be the metal makeup, find location (most of the cool patinas seem to come from the Balkans, and Sicily), or either.</p><p><br /></p><p>I suppose most would grade this one VF.&nbsp; It does fit the David Van Meter description of VF, at least two-thirds of the hair visible.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1601670[/ATTACH]</p><p>Q. Cassius Longinus - 55 BC - AR Denarius - 17mm, 3.60g, ob Bonus Eventus, Rx Eagle lovely but Rx gash</p><p><br /></p><p>The Longinus denarius is another example of why it is relatively difficult to slap a grade on ancients.&nbsp; The reverse damage, which I initially assumed was due to farm machinery, was probably an ancient damnatio memoriae, i.e. ancient damage.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;d rate it VF+/VF by wear. The artistry is is lovely and the toning is exquisite.</p><p><br /></p><p>This piece also happens to be my second favorite buy of the same period. It&#039;s not the best preserved, nor is it the most expensive. The personal satisfaction is off the charts, though.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ancient coins all came out of the ground.&nbsp; While there&#039;s certainly some which could be assigned cut-and-dry grades, it&#039;s not that easy for a huge chunk of ancients.&nbsp; There&#039;s so many factors to consider; preservation, wear, strike, toning/patina, artistic merit, etc.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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