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<p>[QUOTE="Marsyas Mike, post: 7342454, member: 85693"]A very enjoyable thread. I'm very lucky - I purchased my first ancient from a brick n' mortar store in 1987 and he is still in business today. </p><p><br /></p><p>There have been changes - the "and Stamps" part of the company name has been dropped. They still deal in stamps, but it is a minuscule part of their business. For a while they were heavily into sports cards, when that particular bubble was expanding (I used to tease the owners about this). Now they sell a lot of jewelry - I suspect that is their biggest seller. But they still carry ancients, mostly really nice ones I cannot afford - they days of a bin of $25 sestertii are long over. </p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, here is my first purchase from them in 1987</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1281231[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Septimius Severus Denarius</b></p><p><b>(194-195 A.D.)</b></p><p><b>Rome Mint</b></p><p>L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP IIII, laureate head right / MARS PATER, Mars walking right, holding spear in right hand, trophy over left shoulder.</p><p>RIC 46; RSC 311; BMCRE 84.</p><p>(3.23 grams / 18 mm)</p><p><br /></p><p>And here is something I bought from them in March 2021, just a couple weeks ago, my first siglos: </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1281233[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Persian Empire, Lydia Siglos</b></p><p><b>Darius II - Artaxerxes II</b></p><p><b>n.d. (c. 420 - 375 B.C.)</b></p><p><b>Sardes Mint</b></p><p>Kneeling-running figure of the Great King right, dagger in right hand, bow in left hand, waist indicated / Oblong incuse. </p><p>Carradice Type IV (middle) B; SNG Kayhan 1033; SGCV II 4683</p><p>(5.54 grams / 12 mm)</p><p><br /></p><p>Every once in a while he prices something inexplicably (to me) cheap. Here is a fairly respectable late-reign denarius of Commodus they sold me for $18 in 2017. This sort of deal doesn't come along very often, however:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1281253[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Commodus Denarius</b></p><p><b>(191-192 A.D.)</b></p><p><b>Rome Mint</b></p><p>L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL, laureate head right / VOTA SOLV PRO SAL PR, Commodus standing left, sacrificing out of a patera over tripod altar, prostrate bull left</p><p>RIC 262; RSC 984; Sear 5725.</p><p>(2.60 grams / 17 mm)</p><p><br /></p><p>The original owners are heading towards retirement and the new owner is primarily a jewelry person, so I have a feeling I am approaching an end of an era with them. </p><p><br /></p><p>***</p><p><br /></p><p>Then there was the dealer in Columbus, Ohio I bought a few ancients from. Nice guy, but the first time I visited (c. 1987) he made a point of producing a very large automatic pistol (I think it was a .45) and laying it on his safe behind the counter when I approached. I was going through a punk rock-New Wave phase back then and looked a bit of a fright. We got along fine after I bought some stuff. I can't remember the name of the shop, so I have no idea whether or not he's still around. </p><p><br /></p><p>Here is an antoninianus of Elagabalus I bought from him in '87:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1281235[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Elagabalus Antoninianus</b></p><p><b>(218-222 A.D.)</b></p><p><b>Rome Mint</b></p><p>IMP ANTONINVS AVG, radiate draped and cuirassed bust right /PROVID DEORVM, Providentia standing left holding wand over globe and cornucopia, leaning on column with left elbow.</p><p>RIC 129; RSC 243; BMC 155.</p><p>(5.09 grams / 23 mm)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Marsyas Mike, post: 7342454, member: 85693"]A very enjoyable thread. I'm very lucky - I purchased my first ancient from a brick n' mortar store in 1987 and he is still in business today. There have been changes - the "and Stamps" part of the company name has been dropped. They still deal in stamps, but it is a minuscule part of their business. For a while they were heavily into sports cards, when that particular bubble was expanding (I used to tease the owners about this). Now they sell a lot of jewelry - I suspect that is their biggest seller. But they still carry ancients, mostly really nice ones I cannot afford - they days of a bin of $25 sestertii are long over. Anyway, here is my first purchase from them in 1987 [ATTACH=full]1281231[/ATTACH] [B]Septimius Severus Denarius (194-195 A.D.) Rome Mint[/B] L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP IIII, laureate head right / MARS PATER, Mars walking right, holding spear in right hand, trophy over left shoulder. RIC 46; RSC 311; BMCRE 84. (3.23 grams / 18 mm) And here is something I bought from them in March 2021, just a couple weeks ago, my first siglos: [ATTACH=full]1281233[/ATTACH] [B]Persian Empire, Lydia Siglos Darius II - Artaxerxes II n.d. (c. 420 - 375 B.C.) Sardes Mint[/B] Kneeling-running figure of the Great King right, dagger in right hand, bow in left hand, waist indicated / Oblong incuse. Carradice Type IV (middle) B; SNG Kayhan 1033; SGCV II 4683 (5.54 grams / 12 mm) Every once in a while he prices something inexplicably (to me) cheap. Here is a fairly respectable late-reign denarius of Commodus they sold me for $18 in 2017. This sort of deal doesn't come along very often, however: [ATTACH=full]1281253[/ATTACH] [B]Commodus Denarius (191-192 A.D.) Rome Mint[/B] L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL, laureate head right / VOTA SOLV PRO SAL PR, Commodus standing left, sacrificing out of a patera over tripod altar, prostrate bull left RIC 262; RSC 984; Sear 5725. (2.60 grams / 17 mm) The original owners are heading towards retirement and the new owner is primarily a jewelry person, so I have a feeling I am approaching an end of an era with them. *** Then there was the dealer in Columbus, Ohio I bought a few ancients from. Nice guy, but the first time I visited (c. 1987) he made a point of producing a very large automatic pistol (I think it was a .45) and laying it on his safe behind the counter when I approached. I was going through a punk rock-New Wave phase back then and looked a bit of a fright. We got along fine after I bought some stuff. I can't remember the name of the shop, so I have no idea whether or not he's still around. Here is an antoninianus of Elagabalus I bought from him in '87: [ATTACH=full]1281235[/ATTACH] [B]Elagabalus Antoninianus (218-222 A.D.) Rome Mint[/B] IMP ANTONINVS AVG, radiate draped and cuirassed bust right /PROVID DEORVM, Providentia standing left holding wand over globe and cornucopia, leaning on column with left elbow. RIC 129; RSC 243; BMC 155. (5.09 grams / 23 mm)[/QUOTE]
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