My bargain basement purchase

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by AussieCollector, Sep 8, 2018.

  1. AussieCollector

    AussieCollector Moderator Moderator

    It's been a long while since I have purchased a coin, as I am saving for a milled pre 1800 8 Escudos (which will be by a large margin the most expensive coin I have ever bought).

    However, I just couldn't let this one go by - $29 USD.

    Obv: Antoninus I. Pius
    Rev: Vesta
    138 to 161 AD
    Denarius, 3.27g

    [​IMG]


    I thought the obverse was fairly decent (which is what I am collecting it for anyway - as part of the 'Good 5 Emperors'), despite the worn reverse.
     
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  3. gsimonel

    gsimonel Well-Known Member

    As one who started collecting as a graduate student with 3 children, I remember when $29 was a splurge. Nice coin.
     
  4. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    That's a lovely coin! It's well-centered and pleasingly toned. It is fully attributable, too. The coin demonstrates that the economy under the "five good emperors" was quite good and commerce was vigorous. Coins circulated for decades. Worn coins of this period are a visible reminder of this. Now, look at the situation a hundred years later -- when was the last time you saw a denarius of Gordian III with this sort of circulation wear?
     
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  5. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

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  6. kevin McGonigal

    kevin McGonigal Well-Known Member

    I would guess that particular coin circulated into, even through the reign of Commodus. After that its higher silver content would have made it a target for the hoarders and the melters.
     
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  7. Gavin Richardson

    Gavin Richardson Well-Known Member

    That's a nice portrait for an ancient coin the price of a good meal.
     
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  8. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

    One of my first AR coins was a sub 30 buck A Pius denarius I picked up at a coin show.

    Pius.jpg
    Antoninus Pius, AR Denarius, 138 - 161 AD
    O:ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XVIII, laureate head right R: COS IIII, Vesta standing left, holding patera & palladium; altar at feet left. 19 mm, 3.1 g.
     
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  9. AussieCollector

    AussieCollector Moderator Moderator

    Indeed, it's a funny situation when $29 is a splurge :)


    Thank you for your kind words about this old worn coin ;) But yes, I agree - the upside of a worn coin is that it saw the ancient world, and wasn't just buried somewhere and found in a hoard. To be honest, history is a significant driving factor for any coin I purchase.

    That's a fantastic coin! And Vesta has far more detail than mine.
     
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  10. ominus1

    ominus1 Well-Known Member

    that's a fine a pius denarius. i still don't have one of him after 14 years but i'm still lQQkin'..:)
     
  11. Eduard

    Eduard Supporter**


    It is an attractive denarius, and at a very good price.

    I would love to see your 8 Escudos when you get it:).
    Are you looking for any particular mint, or a peninsular (Spanish) mint?
     
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  12. AussieCollector

    AussieCollector Moderator Moderator

    Thank you kind sir :)

    In terms of the Escudos and what I was looking for, my parameters were very broad. Essentially it had to be minted in the New World, and it had to be pre 1800s. That's it!

    And here it is:
    https://www.cointalk.com/threads/my-newest-edition-8-escudos-1790-da.324335/
     
  13. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    That coin has a lot of eye-appeal. It's well-centered and nicely toned, too.
     
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