Ten Favorite 2018 Additions : the $1 - $100 List

If I said it out loud I wouldn’t be able to remain in self-denial. Errr, what’s everyone looking at... I’m not addicted to buying coins at all!

 

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I'll play. I already posted my top ten so I will not repeat any of them here. Some of these made this list because they were the only coin I got this year in that price bracket; others had competition. All have been shown on CT previously so I won't repeat all the detatils.

Category : $1 - $10

This $5 Gallienus came from the same dealer that providedthe Carinus legionary. He did not usually deal in cheap coins and was not impressed by these so was selling them cheaply.


Category : $11 - $20

Many people love Alexandrian coins but the smaller AE like this Domitian diobol don't attract the crowds that we see for the trtradrachms and large drachms.


Category : $21 - $30

We all have our own reasons for buying any specific coin. I was drawn to this AE20 of Elaiussa mostly by the centering of the reverse that allowed the long ethnic and crosswise magistrate name to fit on the flan. How this is special is more clear if you compare this coin to others of the type online.


Category : $31 - $40

Early in the year I bought several Sasanian drachms of Peroz. Each had different mint marks on the reverse right. This is WH. I thought I might get interested in collecting Sasanian as a specialty but I guess I was wrong. After that first group, I did not hunt for more. I do believe that the coins of Peroz are a peak of Sasanians. Later coins became much thinner and tend to have larger flat areas like this one has on the left side attendant. Peroz silver is fun to hold.


Category : $41 - $50

I have loved the coinage of Sicily and am always drawn to the ones with sea creatures. This AE14 of Syracuse is not the finest and has tiny dolphins but it fits well into my collection. The green patina looks better when the small coin is viewed from a respectful distance. The great enlargement makes it look rough in the photo.



Category : $51 - $60

Of this group of second level coins, I believe this as of Trajan came as close to breaking into the top group as any. The reverse viewed at a distance in poor light made me think it was Trajan's column but a second look showed the club of Hercules standing upright with a lion skin piled below. I was not previously aware of the type (but I am not a Trajan specialist). It is not a rare coin but not one that you see everyday. I am happy to have it.



Category : $61 - $70

I do suspect that this AE27 of Rhodes shows the radiate head of Helios and the rose that gave its name to the city. I'm sure that it would have made the top ten but it was overshadowed (bullied???) by the larger and better struck coin from the city I showed in the ten. Those who want good examples of these coins will look for boldly struck coins. Wear is less of a factor than good strikes and pleasant surfaces.



Category : $71 - $80

I have few and know little about the coins of the Bosporus kingdom like this AE27, 48 nummi of king Rhoemetalkes. The style of these coins is quite different from the standard Greek and Roman. Many of these coins have been tooled (something they do in the regions where they are found?) so I am drawn to coins which look less poorly done if not untouched. This one is a bit unusual having a reverse type of scattered items: shield, horsehead, helmet, ax, sword and spear. I am not sure why these items were included or how they are related. The reverse has the numeral MH=48 for the denomination.



Category : $81 - $90

I mentioned in my top ten that I also bought fractions of the Lycian silver now so strongly represented in the market. There I showed the full size stater. It happens that this 1/3 stater fit pricewise in this position in this thread so I'll show the standard lion scalp and triskles type. This one has reverse legend. in Lycian letters, naming the Dynast Perikle. Many of these coins are poorly struck and poorly centered. This one is not so bad.




Category : $91 - $100

I can hear many of you saying, "You paid what? $95??? Why????" I bought several small silver fractions from the dealer who had them. I like little coins. I did not get a great deal on these coins but I was able to go through the group before they had been picked over by others. You have to buy things when they are available. I probably got a few things I will enjoy long term but, right now, I wonder what I see in things almost too small to see. Everyone ha the larger versions of this coin. Not everyone has seen a 5mm, 0.16g tetartemorion. The large ones have an A on the left of the anchor. With a little imagination, the A can be seen here, too.



What I learned from this exercise is no great surprise. Coins come in all price levels. It is not always the case that the coins we like the best are the most expensive. I wonder how this thought will affect my coin buying in 2019. Will I require expensive coins to be 'Top Ten' candidates or will I admit that there are things that just do not come with a low price tag so it is just something to be expected. We always pay too much for some things and too little for others. Deciding which coin fall into which category is not the easy task unless we sell and see which ones were more costly than others. My preferred attitude is just to take them all as a group and say, "Yes, I did get $xxxx worth of enjoyment or of collecting this year and hope to do as well in the next."