I've had this coin for a long time and each time I try to find out more about it I just can't seem to get anywhere. I can clearly read ANTON* on the observe, and clearly on the back there's an S(dot)C within a wreath with a C above and Delta below. Whenever I use this criteria in acsearch or in coin project it comes back with nothing even close. It's not big at 16mm, but it looks pretty sweet in hand. I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction to help me figure this one out, thanks in advance!
I've found these two sites to be very useful if you're trying to learn to identify coins. https://www.tesorillo.com/aes/home.htm and http://www.wildwinds.com/
It is difficult to search when the terms contain common attributes. Searching isn't impossible though. Plug "ANTON SC wreath" (or ANTΩN sc wreath) into ACsearch and you can scroll very quickly through the images. You'll soon see some with similar reverses. If you don't see an exact match, pick one that is close and note the issuing city or region. Add that as a search term to narrow things down again, or take that location information to another database such as Wildwinds. You'll find that this reverse motif (SC in wreath, with various other control marks and such) is very common for the issuing region. The obverse with its visible ANTΩN means the coin is likely to be Antoninus Pius (which it's not because the portraits were still rather distinctive for individual emperors in that earlier time, and the portrait on your coin is clearly not Antoninus Pius), Caracalla (most likely), or Elagabalus.
The "C" at the top actually has a hiding line in the middle making it an "Є" instead... Δ & Є are the common accompanying letters on the Antioch (in Syria, not Pisidia) coinage post Septimius Severus era. I agree with @TIF that it is either Caracalla or Elagabalus. The left facing bust and radiate are less common motifs. Edit: Again, agree with @TIF on using ACSearch and I think plugging in some of the basic info and distinguishing features (like for example, "Antioch Caracalla left radiate wreath") should get some hits that help (in a sea of others that don't). Sifting through is part of the fun!!
Omg, this helps a lot. I found Antioch, Syria as the main place where similar ones are made. Having a hard time narrowing it down further, but am still searching at the moment. This helps tremendously. I'll post it when I find it.
You guys are amazing. Thank you very much for helping me learn how to find these. I think I found it: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3052765
You can find your coin, then you can develop some provenance for it, as well as chase further research.
Yep, that's the one I saw too. Congrats! I noticed there are similar types with only the Δ at the bottom ... Cool stuff when the Antioch mints started operations back up after a hiatus during Septimius' reign (did you see the example with the backwards S? I find that one really cool!!! I suppose they hired someone inexperienced and probably illiterate?). And you've got a smaller than normal coin, a semis, which is not seen as often. Antioch SC wreath coinage is a collecting focus of mine, though I've paused on it for more recent interests.
I really like your collection Justin. Those Nero's are really neat. I never saw that one with the backward S before, but now I want it LOL
Good job! As you've probably noticed, seeing prices realized on ACsearch requires a paid subscription, probably not something you're inclined to do given your budget. Here's a workaround that works in many instances except for old/defunct auction houses or a few others who don't participate in auction aggregator websites or who don't maintain their own public database of prices realized: Take the auction company, auction number, and lot number and go to Sixbid.com; click on the Completed Auctions tab; use the drop-down menu to select the auction company, then go to the correct auction number, then enter the lot number. For instance, the entry you found yields this listing in Sixbid, revealing the hammer: https://www.sixbid.com/en/numismati...=large&auctionSessions=&sidebarIsSticky=false Starting price: 40 EUR Estimate: 50 EUR Result: 70 EUR Lot 766. SYRIA. Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch. Caracalla (198-217). Semis. Obv: AVT KA ANTΩNINOC. Radiate head left. Rev: Large S • C; Є above, Δ below; all within wreath. McAlee 705. Rare Condition: Good very fine. Weight: 3.23 g. Diameter: 15 mm. ... Don't forget that the price realized doesn't include buyer's premium. Your coin compares favorably to this example.
Hey, I was curious to what a buyer's premium is. I've actually never bought or sold anything in an auction house (only done one consignment on forvm, but it's still pending). Also, do you guys ever recommend consigning stuff to those types of places? @TIF - Thanks so much for this information. You're right, I haven't been able to afford to see the hammer price, so this is super relevant to me I saved SixBid as a bookmark to my account and I look forward to using it in the future. P.S. I'm definitely keeping this one in my collection. It's one of my nicer ones now I love the sandy patina on it. Again, thanks so much for your help. I really appreciate it.
The auction houses you see listed on Sixbid, Numisbids, etc are going to have hefty consignment fees, or hefting minimum fees, so consigning relatively low value coins is likely to be unsatisfying. You might be better off selling them yourself, or perhaps consigning them to a smaller operation with lower fees. There are some CT members who have fixed price stores (on Vcoins, for instance) or smaller auction houses (@Severus Alexander's Ancient & Medieval Coins Canada, for instance). CoinTalk has a section where you can sell coins. I don't know how active it is, but if your coins aren't getting the attention they need on eBay you could try selling some here. By the way, your coin appears to be a double die match to the Naumann coin you found in ACsearch. That's not terribly uncommon for provincial coins, and your coin seems to be less common that other similar issues for the region, making a die match more likely.
Oh wow, so for that auction that ended at 70 EUR, I assume the buyer has to pay an additional 12-20+% on top of what they bid? That sounds like a scam lol
That's how it's done. You have to take into account the fees, postage and currency exchange rates when bidding.
The buyer's premium varies from auction house to auction house, and sometimes varies depending on the auction within that company. BPs have been going up lately . The lowest I've seen lately is ~12-13% but 18-20+% is more typical, sometimes 23-24%. You can see the BP for a given auction by clicking the auction information link for any given coin's listing in Sixbid or Numisbids. For the coin you found from the 2016 Naumann auction, it looks like the BP was only 11.9%. Ahh, the good not-so-old days...
I prefer to buy coins from dealers at shows where I can see them in hand. My favorite show-only dealer recently died but I could count on him having a number of coins that did not sell in various auctions at a fraction of the price they did not bring at the sale. Some of these were listed on acsearch as having sold previously for a great deal more than I paid now. Here on Coin Talk we often post coins we bought from a Frank Robinson sale. Every list of Frank's includes a few coins graded better than a name sale but he is starting for a fraction of his start price. He only quotes realizations that are absurdly high and since we can't see the two coins together it is hard to say just how absurd they are. There is always the possibility that someone saw a rare and misidentified coin and bid heavily. Usually it just means that people get carried away at auctions. It is fine to get carried away as long as everyone realizes the whole story including buyer's fee and postage. I was relieved today to get a notice I had been outbid on all three coins I had bid on in a sale ending next week. I had bid what I consider too much considering the fluff to be added so I definitely will live without those coins. I do have to wonder if the person who outbid me realizes the 18% + postage or knows what 'smoothing' means. Will there be added taxes depending on where they live and where the coin is? No matter, I hope they will be happy with the coins. All I know is they will pay more than I would. When they are tired of them, I wonder what they will bring next time around. Just be sure you know what you will pay. People who win auctions are those who pay more than the competition. Is that you?
