Not too long ago I acquired this little medieval coin from @Valentinian as Bertram for a reasonable price, but looking for more info about it, I found it was a much scarcer/rarer piece, Friedrich von Pluvoise also spelled Frédéric de Pluvoise. I couldn't find too many examples of this type, let alone hardly any info on the fellow himself. I was able to tell it was this person solely due to the curly hair, Bertram lacks it. So it turned out to be a happy mistake that worked in my favor. Post your coins that have been "Happy Mistakes"! Friedrich von Pluvoise (1171-1173 A.D.) FRANCE, Provincial Metz (évêché) AR Denier O: FRIDERICS, Bareheaded and draped bust left. R: (rose) METE[N]SIS, Cross path with central pellet; crescent in second quarter, rosette in third quarter. .76g 15mm Robert 1; Boudeau 1623; Roberts 8856
I purchased this Da Quan Wu Shi of Emperor Wang Mang as a common late-reign issue, from Ken Dorney I did some research and it turns out to be a much rarer unofficial burrial coin which imitates the original, but is slightly stylistically different than the official issue, and a little smaller and lighter. In a way this is the Chinese 1st Century AD version of Hell Money
I purchased this Otho Alexandrian Tet for $150 US, it was described by seller as a Galba. But I was a bit naughty and knew it was Otho so bought it as soon as it come on sale in the new coins search.
Very nice addition @Mat . Congrats! I have bought the following piece from the digger directly by just looking at a poorly taken photo. It was obvious enough to see that it belongs to one of the rarest rulers of Ilkhans: Ghazan II. When it arrived, I checked its weight and it turned out to be an interesting find. For Ghazan II, only 6 dirham (along with 5 dirham) and 2 dirham denominations known. 2 Dirham weights around 1.08 g and diameters ranging 11-14mm. This piece is 0.50 g and 12 mm so it is intentionally made as a 1 Dirham (no clipping from the edges). As of today, it is the only known specimen. Ilkhans, Ghazan II, AR 1 Dirham, Mint missing, Date missing. (altaycoins No.404) Obverse center: la ilah illa allah / muhammad / rasul allah Obverse margin: ... Reverse center: khallada / mulkahu Reverse inner margin: sultan / gasan (in Uyghur) / khan. Reverse outer margin:...
I ordered a coin of Postumus advertised as a double sestertius for $80. Sadly, I weighed it at home and it was 9.78 grams. So therefore a dupondius??? I was pretty miffed at the dealer who seems to be reputable, but I am not sure if I am buying from that outlet again.
Congrats on the cool coin @Mat I really like it. French provincial coins is one of the many areas I would like to expand my collection to.
Postumus double sestertii are usually thin and broadly spread (half dollar size) but still usually weigh about double yours. I am not convinced that the small ones are dupondii as opposed to reduced or even irregular mint products. I wonder if the mint weighed anything. More study is needed before I feel comfortable with the whole matter.
Not many happy personal mistakes, but plenty of happy seller mistakes. Most are incorrectly identified non-coin artifacts for which reference/price guides don't really exist thus making it easier for me to snatch great deals (trust your own eyes, not their words), but the latest post-worthy coin mistake was advertised as an "Alexander The Great Silver Drachm" with the description: "I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A REPRODUCTION OF AND PRETENDING TO BE A FAKE OF AN ANCIENT GREEK ALEXANDER THE GREAT SILVER DRACHM COIN IN VERY FINE GRADE. MY KNOWLEDGE IS VERY LIMITED ON ANCIENT COINS. ITS WELL MADE FOR A REPRODUCTION OR FAKE AND WOULD FOOL MANY PEOPLE I WOULD GUESS. CONTEMPORARY OR MODERN FAKE? MAY EVEN CONTAIN SOME SILVER? WEIGH'S 12.7 Grams And Measures 27mm In Diameter. Well it looked like a perfectly authentic Tyrian shekel or Antiochus VII Tetradrachm (believe it's the latter) and won it for £20.25 shipped (about 28 bucks at the time) from the UK to USA. Nothing fancy but the price was right. Since I'm not generally knowledgeable enough regarding ancients to be competitive it was a pleasant surprise. Wish it would happen more often. The latest noteworthy artifact score was actually from the New World for a change. Seller had a batch of assorted Indian artifacts and whatnot, including the prize which he called an "Iron Spear Tip". Well it is actually an excellent example of an "Old Copper Complex" (Copper Culture) Native American spearhead from the Great Lakes region, and while hard to pinpoint age it is between 3,000-7,000 years old and hammered from pure raw native copper. 4.5 inches, 37 grams and of fine form, and while plain examples roughly equivalent to this are worth ~200.00, you can see that this piece is decorated with 2 rows of divots which makes it significantly more rare and valuable, though how much I can't say as I've never seen another like it. Not bad at 20 bucks shipped, eh?
Plumbata, nice score on the arrowhead. If the seller knew anything he should have known Native Americans didn't work with iron till white men got here. A magnet whould have confirmed it wasn't iron. Duh.
