How poor does a coin need to be before it's not good enough for you?

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by maridvnvm, Jul 7, 2018.

  1. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    One of my subcollections is sogdian, so F is a goal, not a settle for grade. Depends on what you collect and your budget really.
     
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  3. Pellinore

    Pellinore Well-Known Member

    Low condition Sogdian coins can be very pretty and very hard to find, like these two coins from the region called Ustrushana, east of Samarkand. I must say the first one was not good enough to my taste (it is severely bent), but I didn't manage to buy a better one.

    5690 Ustrushana.jpg

    AE Ustrushana, Sogdiana. Ruler Satachari. Type II. Obv. Facing bust with winged crown. Left side vaguely: a pendant of the crown. Rev. double tamgha. 20.5 mm, 1.91 gr. Blackish. Severely bent. Smirnova 1425. Cf. Zeno 20210 (with single tamgha).

    5676 Ustrus.jpg

    AE Ustrushana, Sogdiana. Ruler Rachanh. Obv. elephant. Rev. Double tamgha. 21 mm. Smirnova 326.
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2018
  4. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    Well, I think I finally earned the "Bottom Feeder's Club badge for sure with my new Galba. I have never before gone below aVF, but with this baby I'm now officially playing in F territory. I guess every time I think I have "standards" I keep finding a coin that because of it's rarity or because it has something I like, it teaches me that I'm willing to go lower than I previously thought possible.

    86832q00.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2018
  5. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    That one be mine, now! :) (Where did you get the photo, @Victor_Clark ?)

    Screen Shot 2018-07-31 at 3.58.45 PM.jpg

    I have it on good authority that it is improvable by cleaning, so the lowest of the low for me is probably my Cleo:
    Screen Shot 2018-07-31 at 4.00.36 PM.jpg
    :yuck:
     
  6. zumbly

    zumbly Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

    A new one for this thread arrived yesterday, a provincial bronze with a reverse type bearing a passing resemblance to Caligula's 'Three Sisters' sestertius.

    In this case, the reverse shows the three children of Claudius. A nicer example would be above my pay scale, and this isn't the worst one out there, so... into my collection goes! :)

    Claudius - Judaea Caesarea Panias - Children 2742.jpg
    CLAUDIUS
    AE24. 9.25g, 24.4mm. JUDAEA, Caesarea Panias, circa before AD 49, pre-royal coinage of Agrippa II. RPC 4842; Meshorer 350; Hendin 1259. O: [TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR IM P P], laureate head left. R: [ANTONIA B]RITANN[ICVS OC]TAVIA, the children of Claudius: from left to right, Antonia, Britannicus, and Octavia, the two daughters each holding a cornucopia.
     
  7. PlanoSteve

    PlanoSteve Well-Known Member

    How poor.....? Well, I really can't say, since I still have, literally, every coin I have "collected" (not counting the ones I have given away). To me, even the ones I can't identify have an identity, a soul if you will. :happy::happy::happy:

    Caveat: Although this is a response on the "Ancients" thread, I am mostly referring to US & world coins in my possession, since as an "ancients collector" I am currently a true minimalist in terms of quantity. :smuggrin::smuggrin::smuggrin:
     
  8. Clavdivs

    Clavdivs Well-Known Member

    I have gone through a few lots of uncleaned coins. Great learning tools and some winners in there... but sometimes you have to look pretty hard for redeeming qualities.
    For instance this one is rough and many would not like it - but I really enjoy the portrait and the reverse..

    VOT_Obv.jpg VOT_Rev.jpg

    But I am also the proud owner of a few slugs... not sure what I should do with them.. maybe bury them in the backyard so I can really confuse someone a few decades from now?? :woot:
     
  9. Johndakerftw

    Johndakerftw Mr. Rogers is My Hero

    Bronze Shekel of Jerusalem. headbang.gif

    This coin is so boss, only a few of them exist. Somebody just needs to figure why lol.

    image2 (2).JPG image1 (2).JPG

    As usual, my pics suck and do not do the coin any favours.

    Erin
     
  10. panzerman

    panzerman Well-Known Member

    I am late to this thread....

    The worst coin I have is my most recent, CNG graded it GOOD VF. However, this is the best example I have ever seen in auction, so I jumped on it 4250723.jpg
     
  11. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    Your worst coin is the average grade of my entire collection. LOL
     
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  12. Pellinore

    Pellinore Well-Known Member

    I just bought a rare coin (though Album calls it only 'S') in a sublevel condition. But Arab-Sasanian coins are really must-haves for me, so I had to have this one when somebody offered it at a numismatic meeting (lovers of oriental coins). These coins are very rare and sought after, all worth extensive study.

    Sorry for the pics, the coin is rather flat and hard to photograph.
    Basically it follows the Sasanid Xusro II model: on the obverse the king's wing-crowned bust right, with text at both sides. The round thing left is the king's neck hairball (that sounds dirty, but in reality it probably was a hairpiece smelling of myrrh, covered with pearls and gold thread). The stripes under it are the seams of the Royal Coat. Rev.: fire altar, but this time with texts, instead of the usual assistants. Outside the circles are crescent-and-stars, dots, and words.

    5414 Darabjird e sun co.jpg


    AE Arab-Sasanian pashiz, Darabjird, Yazdgard Era 67 = 698 AD. Anonymous Xusro II type. Obv. Sasanian bust r., behind: (Pahlawi:) GDH (Kurra), before bust: afzut, in outer margin at 5 h: (Arab.) bismi'llah. Rev. Fire altar between date and mint sigla, in outer margin at 5 h (Pahlawi) afzut, at 7 h (Arab.) baraka, ‘benediction’. 19 mm, 3.59 gr. Cf. Zeno 38998 (var. from year 68), and 7606 (id.). Gyselen 10 b (var. 1: year 67). Album 45.1. CG 39ff. ONS conference Oct. 19, 2019
     
  13. Andrew McCabe

    Andrew McCabe Well-Known Member

    For common types, GVF with perfect surfaces and strikes is my standard. For rather rare coins and for struck and cast bronzes, my min is about VF with decent surfaces and max defects that dont materially affect the design. Flatness is fine. For ultra rare, I'll accept down to good fine with otherwise similar criteria on defects and rather more defects accepted. Strike Surfaces and Style are pretty key. Condition (wear) much less so. I'm strict on what I accept.

    Shiny untoned silver and stripped unpatinated bronzes especially if over-cleaned get much less leeway. Anything much less than FDC for an overcleaned common silver type doesn't do it for me.

    Collectors at an early stage of collecting should ideally focus on strike, surfaces and style, and not on wear. And try for rarities. Experienced collectors will really value your worn-flat rarities provided you've selected ones with reasonable surfaces and strikes
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2019
  14. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Since this thread was revived, I'll admit one more fact. Unlike Andrew, I have no lower limit when we are talking about a coin in my specialty that does not appear in a half dozen major published collections and that I do not recall seeing in the CT postings by a couple of you that I know has a better collection of that sub-specialty. I quite honestly have no idea if there have been any new types of Republican denarii discovered in the last few years but I do know that Martin and I have a good number of types not in the standard references and recent sales. Some of them are VF; some are not. All are as permanent in my home as I am at least as long I don't find an upgrade or come to my senses. Both are long shots. I never was VF+ anyway.
     
  15. Orange Julius

    Orange Julius Well-Known Member

    I've always wanted one of these... for $9.00 this one will work for now!

    Claudius II - Rare Funeral Pyre Type
    ClaudiusIIRIC256.JPG
    RIC 256v Cyzicus

    This type is pretty rare. You can find them but nice examples are either extremely lucky finds or relatively expensive. This coin is ugly but good enough for me.
     
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  16. Pellinore

    Pellinore Well-Known Member

    That's a mighty interesting (Claudio) Gothick moon rocket you have on that reverse.
     
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  17. ancient times

    ancient times Legatus Legionis

    I like all coins no mater of the grade, its just history
     
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  18. Finn235

    Finn235 Well-Known Member

    I try to maintain some semblance of standards for coins that are available and affordable in high grade, but I'll settle for less to save a few hundred bucks.

    Always thrilled to show off this JC that seemingly circulated until the time of Nero
    Julius caesar lifetime denarius macer sear 1414.jpg

    Equally thrilled to salvage this Quinctilius Varus from a bottom feeder's lot
    20190807_Quinctilius-varus-phoenicia-berytus.jpg

    Plotina is impossible to get in Imperial in any grade below $500...
    Plotina ae gordos julia zeus seated.jpg

    Clodous Albinus as Augustus is a tough grab; I like this one for the irony that it seems to have circulated for decades after his rebellion did
    Clodius albinus augustus genio lugdunum.jpg

    This Manlia Scantilla is one I haven't shared yet - 1/2 the coin for 1/10 the price!
    Manila Scantilla AR denarius juno.jpg

    Likewise, this denarius of her daughter Didia Clara was quite affordable
    Didia Clara denarius Hilar Tempor.jpg
     
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  19. ruud1301

    ruud1301 Well-Known Member

    Screenshot_2019-11-01-19-18-23-1.png Screenshot_2019-11-01-19-18-32-1.png
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2019
  20. ruud1301

    ruud1301 Well-Known Member

    This..is my poor Caligula sestertius..three sisters.RIC 33...in this condition..still a great coin..a very well.known coin on this forum..couldn't.resist buying it..not perfect..but still the real deal.pay'd.60 euro for this historic coin.
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2019
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  21. Orfew

    Orfew Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

    I saw that after it had sold. I wondered who was lucky enough to grab that one. Sure, the condition is not great but the coin is so iconic that I would rather have one than not have one.
     
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