Hello, I have thought pretty long about getting my first "nice" ancient (that isn't a cheap $5.00 slug... heh) and I want to get a coin with the Emperor Claudius on it. He was the focus of my capstone paper in college and I got pretty familiar with him, Any good recommendations for an online dealer? I want to spend between $300-$500. Anybody ever use http://www.forumancientcoins.com? -Chris
Forum Ancient Coins is one of the most reputable to buy from. cngcoins.com & vcoins.com are good also. Are you more interested in the large bronzes or silver? Silver Claudius are pricey. Bronze are the cheapest & you can get real nice ones in your price range.
I'm going to go bronze I think. What is important to me is clarity and detail. He was an interesting guy (politically and, ahem, physically... read The Twelve Ceasars sometime if you haven't already) and it would be neat to have a good specimen from his era.
With Claudius, you could find a nice bronze for less the $300. I can only echo what Mat said about the shops accepts maybe add numismall.com (though I have not bought from them yet).
CNG is a reputable online dealer, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend their Coin Shop. However, be aware that CNG's e-auctions are by individual sellers, and my dealer has pointed out many Roman bronzes that have been tooled (re-engraved) in those auctions. Without the guidance of a knowledgeable dealer or collector, I would be very careful about purchasing bronzes from individual sellers.
Yes, most dealers at Vcoins or Numismall are good. CNG is the world's largest ancient dealer, and very reputable. Berk in downtown Chicago, Freeman and Sear, many many others. For a Claudius $300-500 is very strong for a bronze. You should expect a pretty spectacular piece for that. I would take your time since its a new market to you, shop around. Being in IL you could just wait until CICF next April and probably find 200 of them for sale in one location. For early Roman Imperial bronzes, he is probably the most common. If you see something online drop us a note and let us comment on it before you pull the trigger.
I think I disagree. $300-500 is a lot for a medium bronze of Claudius but a low end price for the large sestertius. We have to make these decisions. Would you prefer a half dollar size coin that is a real knockout or a lower grade but larger coin? If I were going to spend $500 on Claudius, I'd get a half decent 'sestertius' rather than a perfect 'as'. That is where you could use the services of a good dealer asking him to find you what you want. You will find guys like that at CICF. You will end up paying more than bargain rates but you will get the coin you want. A problem with Claudius is that his coins come in a variety of styles and workmanship levels. There are some beautiful portrait dies and some real amateur or barbarous ones. You need to find a dealer who prices accordingly. I recall seeing beautiful sestertii that went well into 5 digits and others that struggled to make three. Find the dealer you trust first.
I would agree Doug to a point. I guess I was assuming everyone knew a high end early sestertius is money regardless of ruler, its just a matter of high price or stratospheric price. For bronzes, a really important reason to know and trust your dealer is tooling and smoothing. These are important things to know, (smoothing can be overlooked if you like the coin, tooling is always anathema). A good dealer will keep you away from these damaged coins, and like Doug said help you decide on the style. While I have seen some bad style Claudius', I seem to see more classic, beautiful style of his coins around than later emperors.
This sestertius is poor style as well as low grade. I wish I had a handle on the mints used to produce Claudius bronzes so I could feel better about separating the 'regular' mints from the barbarous. Is the as below a branch mint or barbarous? I see more variety in Claudius than in other Julio Claudians. Most of the really high grade asses I see seem to be the more slender heads. I don't own a presentable one but this is one: http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=26648
Part of the reason that style varies so much for Claudius is that his bronzes were produced from a number of mints. In addition to Rome, there were likely official mints in Spain, Gaul, and the Balkans, in addition to the myriad imitations from Britain and Gaul. Besombse and Barrandon discussed the Spanish and Gallic issues fairly recently: http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/numi_0484-8942_2000_num_6_155_2281 CNG erroneously followed von Kaenel and attributed this obviously Balkan piece to Rome: http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=217082
Goldberg coin auctions has a Claudius as that is being offered in their September "Pre-Long Beach" auction: Here's the link to a more detailed description: http://images.goldbergauctions.com/php/lot_auc.php?site=1&sale=70&lot=3228 Their estimate is $300 - $500, not including buyer's fee. They're a very reputable dealer, although I sometimes think they slightly overestimate a coin's condition.
I don't like the surfaces on this coin. Perhaps slightly smoothed. At the very least, the edge is at high risk of developing bronze disease. Pass. EDIT: There are also active patches of corrosion on the cheek and chin of Claudius
Thanks for the info, guys. Based on what you're saying, I'm going to probably wait and go to CICF or else stop in to Harlan Berk's store (I pass it three times a week going to the courthouse) and speak to somebody in person. I don't have the proper knowledge to purchase a coin online. Although appearance is important, I don't want a re-tooled coin. Only 100% original. Thanks, and I'll post what I end up buying!
For Harlan's shop, you enter the ground floor shop but then tell them you wish to see ancients. They will direct you to the offices up above where the ancient coins and experts are. The ground floor shop is mainly supplies and US coins, with some world coins.
