Gordian III. Rome mint. 11th emission, AD 243. Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Apollo seated left, resting elbow on lyre set on throne, holding branch. RIC IV 90
Honestly man it took me about 5 months before I was able to identify all the main emperors with a great amount of coins but there is still a few that I even have to go back and look up, mainly LRB's. It just takes time.
Yeah, but Gordian III is probably the most common roman silver you will ever come across. I left about 8 of these in Harlan Berk's pick box at $18 a piece since I am sick of them. They were about this condition. I bought all of the really nice XF/gVF ones though. Its a common coin, but popular with non-ancient collectors due to it being a Roman emperor, silver, frequntly found in high grade, and inexpensive. If a non-ancient collector tells me they have a Roman silver coin, this coin is what I expect to see. Usually I am not disappointed. Seriously though, its a nice enough coin, but its really easy to get a much nicer one still inexpensively. If you own it, its cool, but if looking to buy try to get a nice VF. Btw the denomination is antoninuous, (double denarius). You can tell by the crown of rays he is wearing.
I don't own this one but found it interesting. Hence my reason for the inquiry. Once I saw that Littleton also sells these, I sort of figured they were relatively common.
I would say for $40, (but I am cheap), you could find a REALLY nice one of these for sale. Maybe I am wrong nowadays, since they are all going up, but they used to be $20 for a nice gVF/XF one. Still a cool coin, are fairly large for a silver.
They are about $40-$65 for a decent one of his. Like you Chris I am beyond sick of him. Every time I see a hoard being reported on and a photo is displayed, its usually him or GALLIENUS. But GALLIENUS is my favorite emperor, lol but still. rev, do me a favor and dont buy any ancients from Littleton, they are overpriced just like their u.s. coins. This one is a bit expensive but its in top shape, its a little scarcer reverse & its one of the best dealers around. **** email him and he may knock it down $7, he's always doing it for me. Free shipping too. http://bargainbinancients.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2526
Oh, believe me, I don't buy anything from Littleton. I was just doing a quick search on google and their site popped up with these. The one in your link is most certainly much nicer looking and actually cheaper than the one I posted above.
Well if you ever want an ancient just to have let me or others here know, we can help you get one at a good price. I bought one on here..little did I know it would change my collecting direction, lol.
Wow, just looked at Littleton, they price these coins probably 2x what they are worth. I've seen these on ebay in decent condition for $25-$30, some for less than $20. I do like the coin though and even though it might be a "newbie" ancient, I think I might pick one up for my first ancient coin.
I was skimming through their site too...way too overpriced. Most ancients is 3x-5x what they are worth, maybe even more.
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/feac53gor.html There was a time that most posts about Gordian III were how to confuse him with the rare coins of Gordian I and II but now there is more interest in the boy himself just because his coins are not expensive. There are enough that you can be really picky about quality. The Bargain Bin example is high grade and a better reverse type with GERM (coins mentioning a place always seem more popular). On the other hand there are a lot of very ordinary Gordian III coins that should not bring more than $20 in ordinary shape or $40 in higher grade. Condition is everything to most collectors but I have been known to buy coins for strange reasons. For example I bought the one below because it is higher than average weight, Antioch mint and (especially) has great sideburns. Still, Gordian is a pretty inconsequential ruler in the grand scheme of things and I might prefer buying a 'first silver' of Philip I who was a 'real' ruler, harsh looking and has many more interesting reverses for not much higher prices than Gordian. Of course most of us eventually will want a dozen or two of each but that is a matter of the addictive nature of the hobby. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/philip.html
