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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 2599498, member: 19463&quot;]Having coins evaluated for strike and surface is an extra cost service.&nbsp; Many without it are bulk submissions of common coins simply not worth the price of a full service slab.&nbsp; Ancient dies were not cloned from hubs like modern ones so each was its own work of art.&nbsp; Some are better than others.&nbsp; The Fine Style notation is a very rudimentary attempt to recognize this and say the coin is better than some in that respect. </p><p><br /></p><p>There is a price guide of sorts for Roman Imperial coins I can recommend but few will agree.&nbsp;&nbsp; Before he started slabbing for NGC, David Vagi wrote a book <b>Coinage and History of the Roman Empire</b> (2 volumes).&nbsp; Any prices given are out of date now but it is good for relative prices (Nero sells for more than Vespasian but less than Otho).&nbsp; He gave general prices for common types and then listed special ones separately.&nbsp; The book is far, far from complete but complete would be twenty feet thick and cost $10,000 (conservative estimates).&nbsp; Also, the book does nothing for Greek or Roman Republican (read the title - it covers coins of the Empire).&nbsp; He have prices in three grades but now he slabs coins in 200 grades (Poor through Mint State times five level of strike times five levels of surface but most of us think these numbers are inadequate to cover the task).&nbsp; If you allow two levels &#039;Fine Style&#039; or not&nbsp; (what about sort-of fine and really great style?) and other factors that will take a while to understand, you soon realize why many of us prefer not to grade coins beyond &quot;I like it&quot; and &quot;I&#039;ll pass&quot;.&nbsp; If there were a complete price guide to ancient coins, I fear it would require as much expertise to use it as to write it. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=david+vagi" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=david+vagi" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&amp;field-keywords=david+vagi</a></p><p>Currently the Amazon listing offers used copies of the two volumes separately as well as together as issued.&nbsp; If you are buying these, be sure you know what you are buying.&nbsp; The History volume is a good book but will do nothing for your price guide desires.&nbsp; It will, however add greatly to your understanding of the coins and the civilization that made them.&nbsp; Don&#039;t pay $300.&nbsp; It is a good book but not That good. Amazon can get hilarious when pricing out of print books. Others sell them as well.</p><p><a href="https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/charles_davis/44/product/vagi_coinage_and_history_of_the_roman_empire/107059/Default.aspx" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/charles_davis/44/product/vagi_coinage_and_history_of_the_roman_empire/107059/Default.aspx" rel="nofollow">https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/charles_davis/44/product/vagi_coinage_and_history_of_the_roman_empire/107059/Default.aspx</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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