Roman Coin question

So I bought this off EBay, for $5.95 + $3.95 shipping. I can seem to find this exact obverse online. Some close, but none exact.

I have been a silver, gold and US historical coin collector, but on a whim got this on EBay.
I saw some other threads that the slab is probably worth more than the coin, but thought I’d join so I could see what you find folks have to say.

I believe it’s a Herclean, Roma VRBS commemorative...

Thanks!!!

 

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You got a good deal even though the coin looks slightly over-cleaned. I would guess the coin to be worth $15-$20. Yours was struck at Heraclea.
This one I paid $14

CONSTANTINOPOLIS COMMEMMORATIVE
AE3
OBVERSE: VRBS ROMA, bust of Roma left wearing imperial mantle and plumed helmet
REVERSE: She-wolf standing left, suckling twins, two stars above; TRS star in ex.
Struck at Trier, 332-33 AD
2.6g, 17mm
RIC VII 547

 

Oh oh here's mine:


Time of Constantine, 330-333 AD
AE, follis, 17mm, 2.2g; 6h; Trier, AD 333-334
Obv.: VRBS ROMA; helmeted bust of Roma wearing imperial mantle left
Rev.: She-wolf standing left, with Romulus and Remus suckling beneath, two stars above, wreath between
In Ex.: TRS

 

Very cool. I had bought these slabbed on EBay, then did the research, and some forums said they were worth .50 - $1.00....and didn’t need to be slabbed. That the slabbing was to upcharge people who weren’t aware....

I literally wanted a piece of history, and was thinking of buying more.

I had bought 2, the second one isn’t so good, but they are selling 10 of these for $28.95 with free shipping.... what am I missing? That would be $2.80 per piece....

I was thinking of buying more to give out as gifts, and so I could tell people I gave them the oldest man made thing they’ll probably ever own....

Pictures are of the second one. Harder to make out.... any idea on it??

 

These slabs are worthless unless that is how you prefer to store your coins. They add no value IMHO. If you are buying these for the history (which is great BTW), take them out of these plastic tombs and hold history in your hand. You can't hurt the coin by holding it. They were most likely buried for most of the past 1700 plus years for pete's sake. When I hold one of these ancient coins, my imagination runs wild. I would also say that you can do better with $30. Buy coins that interest you with good rather than a bunch of slabbed poor condition coins. There are many here who will be glad to give you a hand in selecting something. I think you may have caught the Ancients bug. It's nearly like taking drugs. Man, what a rush!!!!

 

What you're missing is that most of the coins in INB slabs are coins most collectors would not want. You can buy 10 crummy ones for $28 or you could buy a much nicer one for $15-$20 just as easily and most collectors would choose the latter option. Most of these Late Roman Bronzes are extremely common and there are hundreds of examples on the market at any given time so there's really no reason to buy the $2.80 example unless that's all you can afford.

 

I really appreciate it. I’d like to buy a few more then, but I do get worried about EBay. Any pointers for buying something in the $10-$20 range online? Does not have to be EBay....

It is a rush. I started metal detecting several years ago (I’m 39 now) just to find old coins....

I have including something from the 1860s Ottoman Empire.... right here in the Chicago suburbs!!!

 

I agree with the above statements about getting some far better for your money.

I would not have bought your original coin at any price. Sorry.

Do a little research away from eBay and for just a few dollars more you'll get a much nicer coin. Forget the slabs!

 

Any pointers on a site that’s reputable or how not to buy a fake? I’m assuming the cheaper coins probably aren’t fakes as it wouldn’t be worthwhile to spend money on a forgery that’s going to sell for $20 or something....

 

Hi Rusty,
For coins such as the Urbs Roma you bought, you’re probably still relatively safe on eBay; just look for better quality examples. If you get the ancients bug, you will probably want to acquaint yourself with www.vcoins.com. This is an online Marketplace of several dealers. They subscribe to a code of ethics, and while this code is not foolproof, it generally means that you can buy with confidence until you become more experienced and knowledgeable about ancient coins. You can sort coins from low price to high and select budget examples that appeal to you until you have a more discerning sense of what you like to collect.

 

The reason you have trouble finding an exact match is that ancient coin dies were hand cut and not machine duplicated by hubbing. As a result an issue requiring 10,000 dies to produce would produce 10,000 minor variations as seen by 'modern' standards but all be the same type as seen to those who know ancients. Some collectors specialize in certain issues and look for certain specific dies or just ones executed more artistically but for general purposes, these small differences are not cataloged.

 

I really appreciate the opinions and responses!

While I somewhat overpaid for these two coins, I did gain an increased awareness, knowledge and understanding of the ancient coins.

My oldest coin is a US penny from 1820, passed down from my grandpa, amongst others, but I always have wanted something older.

I’m going to do some due diligence and buy a coin I know exactly what I’m getting.

I’ll be poking around the forum in the coming days and I’ll post my ottoman coin I dug up metal detecting in a new thread....

 

If you want to learn more about ancient coins, you might begin here:

http://augustuscoins.com/ed/

and there are many places to buy besides eBay, listed here:

http://augustuscoins.com/ed/dealers.html

Here is a recent CoinTalk thread for beginners:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/for-beginners-who-ask-what-should-i-collect.308319/

 

This recent thread may give you some idea of the sort of ancients $20 or less might buy you :
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/what-your-budget-buys-bargain-bin-edition.302206/

Here's an index of similar thread covering a range of different budget ranges:
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/what-your-budget-buys-index-thread.303991/

 

My take: I doubt that you could find a single VRBS ROMA coin in as good of condition as yours for $.50-$1.00. That's a bit of an exaggeration. You might find one or two as nice as that if you bought, say, a lot of 50 ancient coins for $50, but you'd also get a bunch of unidentifiable junk in that lot, too.

I agree that the plastic container from INB is worthless, but your coin is easily worth the $3 that you paid for it, so don't feel that you were taken; you got a good deal. When people say the container is worth more than the coin they are usually talking about companies like NGC that certify the coin and evaluate the condition in addition to locking it up in a plastic tomb. Most ancient collectors loathe these tombs. I don't particularly like them myself--I'd much rather hold the coin in my hand--but whatever floats your boat . . .

You asked about your second coin. Here is a nicer example of the type--I'm pretty certain it's from the same mint:
http://feltemp.com/72_Lug_79v.html

Welcome to ancients! May you get utterly and happily addicted like the rest of us here.

 

Exactly. The addiction is easy. The cure? I haven't found one yet (not that I'm looking).

 

Here's one, came from an uncleaned hoard, about $1.50 per coin. I daresay it is worth probably $1-2 tops. I personally don't like slabs. Ancients need to be held and deserve some TLC. Plus, you are holding history literally in your hands!

 

Interesting. I did take it out of the slab, luckily it just popped together and came apart pretty easily, but yes, much cooler to hold it and imagine how many humans have held this before I did.....

I really appreciate you all taking time to answer my questions and offer advice!!!

 

I have a question about this. As someone who own silver from the 1800’s, how can this look so nice and be over 2,000 years old? Does this seem legit to anyone?

 

The coins don't wear once put in the ground and metal is fairly stable in the right conditions so there's no reason that an old coin must look horrible. A coin placed in a sealed hoard buried shortly after minting can look similar to the day it was minted if properly cleaned right and if the soil conditions are right (i.e. not too acidic and little exposure to modern fertilizers and other chemicals). This coin looks probably authentic to me and there are plenty of coins 2000 years old or more that are similar or better condition as this one. Take a look at some of the other threads on the ancients forum, members post beautiful coins every single day.