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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Marsyas Mike, post: 3134828, member: 85693&quot;]Interesting thread - it made me think about my own collecting decisions.&nbsp; My interpretation of &quot;budget&quot; is something I can afford that is also appealing - this can be a pretty subjective concept. </p><p><br /></p><p>Any ancient coin purchase is a kind of process for me.&nbsp; Below is a recent example of a &quot;budget denarius&quot; (by my definition) of Faustina I - it was $12.50 on eBay (seller&#039;s photos below).&nbsp; My rationales for buying it are as follows (though I am not sure how &quot;rational&quot; I am!):</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Condition:</b>&nbsp; Despite the wear, I liked the overall &quot;look&quot; of it - smooth (not crystalized or porous) surfaces, pleasant tone.&nbsp; Furthermore, it is well-centered, and most of the legend is intact.&nbsp; The flan crack did not bother me much.&nbsp; The metal appears to be pretty good for the era (c. 60-80% silver or so).&nbsp; Weight is quite acceptable given the wear (3.14 grams). </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Type:</b>&nbsp; The &quot;veiled&quot; busts of Faustina are somewhat harder to find than the non-veiled.&nbsp; Since I did not have any veiled examples, this would be new for me.&nbsp; I am not really a fill-the-hole collector, but I do keep an eye out for new-to-me things.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aesthetics:</b>&nbsp; The portrait is a nice one, I thought; Faustina&#039;s denarii can vary wildly in workmanship and this one pleased me.&nbsp; Also, I liked the peacock throne reverse - a bit different than the usual goddess-standing-around types (I think Doug calls them that - very apt).</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Personal Preferences in Regards to Flaws:</b>&nbsp; As several others have already suggested, every collector of ancients is faced much of the time with deciding which kind of flaws they &quot;prefer.&quot;&nbsp; In my case, I am not bothered much by off-center strikes or flan cracks.&nbsp; Also, I am tolerant of quite a bit of wear, especially if it is &quot;even&quot; wear; also, toning can offset the wear to some extent (see my avatar).&nbsp; Holes and mount-marks do not bother me much either.&nbsp; To be sure, I&#039;d rather not have these, but they will not quash the deal for me if the price is right - these are personal quirks which I cannot defend.&nbsp; On the other hand, I do not like porous or crystalized surfaces - for the most part this ruins it for me and I tend to avoid such coins.&nbsp; These preferences developed over time, and perhaps they will change. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Price:</b>&nbsp; I love bargains, perhaps too much so.&nbsp; But, for instance, any denarius under $20 definitely has my interest.&nbsp; Also, although I do not collect for investment, I like to think I can at least recover my purchase price somewhere down the line.&nbsp; In the case of my humble Faustina, I figure I could get $15.00 for it.&nbsp; Another way to justify such a purchase (which I learned from members here) is the &quot;lunch&quot; concept - I got an ancient work of art in silver for the price of a McDonald&#039;s lunch.&nbsp; And I saved on calories!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]800327[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]800328[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Faustina I the Elder </b></p><p><b>Wife of Antoninus Pius</b></p><p><b>(141-161 A.D.) </b></p><p><b>Rome Mint - Denarius</b></p><p>DIVA FAVSTINA, veiled, draped bust right / AETERNITAS, draped throne against which rests scepter; in front a peacock standing right.</p><p>RIC 353b; BMC 387.</p><p>(3.14 grams / 18 mm)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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