Help with coin (please!)

Hey everyone, I bought this coin about 12 years ago and never had a chance to attribute it. I am more into U.S. Issues, and have no idea what I have here. I took some pictures with my IPhone. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks again!

 

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It's a Roman Provincial coin of emperor Severus Alexander, minted in Marcianopolis between AD 222 and 235.

Obv: AV K M AVP CE VH AΛEΞANΔPOC; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: YΠ TIB IOYΛ ΦHCTOY MAPKIANOΠOΛITΩN; Eagle with wreath in beak standing facing, head left, wings open.

Varbanov 1772

 

Thanks so much!

 

You're welcome. I edited my post to give you the complete description of the devices and legends.

 

In your opinion should I have it encapsulated? More so for safer storage? I don't think it could get any more porous, but I could be wrong!

 

Geez, could you be a bit more descriptive?? LOL! More info than I expected! Much appreciated!

 

I believe it would be better as a raw coin. Some people slab higher grade examples though.

 

The brighter green spots could be bronze disease, but they look like mineral deposits to me. If they scratch off easily, it's bronze disease and needs to be treated. Encapsulation is a matter of personal choice. I would not bother. The coin has survived over 1700 years without your help. Just keep in a non-PVC flip in a dry room, same as any other coins you value.

 

Ok, thanks!

 

Thanks for all the help gentleman!

 

No problem. It's what we collectors of ancients do. We have thousands upon thousands of types to deal with, and then varieties, so we have to describe coins fairly thoroughly by necessity.

 

No need to slab and I do not think the green is BD. It looks more like mineral deposits.

Welcome here. Maybe you will get the bug to collect a few more Ancients. This one is a nice looking coin for being 1800 years old. Imagine the history you are holding in your hands.

 

The history in the coin is amazing! I'm always reminded of say the 1793
Disme and how much history it has behind it, and I agree but 1700 years is, to me, mind boggling. Why, in everyone's opinion, are ancients so much more available? Demand? Are these ever counterfeit?

 

There are fakes out there for sure. Not only the high end coins, but even the lesser valued coins. Collector's of Ancients need to educate themselves to be able to spot potential fakes/forgeries.

There were literally millions upon millions of coins struck in antiquity. So, unlike modern coins struck to a finite number, Ancients are found every year buried in the dirt or earthen ware jars. Plus, the opening of the Eastern European countries in the past 20 years has brought a flood of coins into the market.

 

You only think ancients are much more available until you try and find a particular one. BTW, you could soak that coin in some baking soda solution and prod a bit at the green stuff with a toothpick to see if some would come off. Just remember to thoroughly rinse (distilled water is best) and dry it.

 

There are counterfeits in any collecting field. Ancient civilizations churned out vast, untold millions of coins, and in the case of the Romans, perhaps billions. They are still being discovered all over Europe, Asia Minor, the Levant, etc., sometimes in massive amounts.

Other than that, everything boils down to demand. If nobody wanted the 1793 Disme, it wouldn't be worth anything. Your question is a common one among collectors starting out in ancients: how can something so old be so affordable? It all boils down to demand. Rarity does not equate to market value.

 

Great info! I can tell that being "fluent" in Ancients is no small under taking!

 

I don't like to disagree with my fellow forum members, but I would leave this coin alone, just as it is. That is, unless the green stuff proves to be BD (I don't think so).

Being fluent in Ancients is just like anything else. One step or, in this case, one coin at a time.

 

Ok, thanks everyone! Research here I come! LOL!

 

For starters, check out the wikipedia articles on Severus Alexander and Marcianopolis. They're both pretty good, even though the article on the city is a bit of a skeleton. S. Alexander had this creepy Oedipal thing going on with his mother, but hey, just another day in the life of those wild and crazy Romans.