A denarius of Galba, with Hispania reverse has been on my wishlist for quite some time. They are not particulary rare, but they don't appear in auction all time the time as well... The recent Künker auction gave me the opportunity to add this great specimen to my collection: It also happens to be a rare variant, which is a nice bonus. And it is - as far as I know - the coin in my collection with the 'oldest' provenance. Another reason that his coin is special, is that it is coin no. 100 in my collection! In comparison to some of the large or huge collections of members of this board, it is a very small collection. Nevertheless, I was very happy and I had tried to throw a small party to celebrate. But besides a sneer by my wife about why I keep spending real money on useless money, nobody really cared Please share a very special coin in your collection!
Very nice coin. I would show my ancient coin but I can only hope to post one soon. Oh, how old does it have to be ?
Great addition, Limes. I wouldn't mine a Spanish mint Galba in the future. It took a long time to get a non-Rome mint, Vespasian. And it's special to boot because of the die guideline on the reverse. Something I wanted for a long time too. Vespasian (69 - 79 A.D.) AR Denarius O: IMP CAES VESP AVG P M COS IIII, Laureate head right. R: CONCORDIA AVGVSTI, Concordia seated left on throne, holding cornucopia and patera. Antioch Mint, AD 72-73 3.28g 17mm RIC² 1554 ( R2 ) , RSC 74 , 1927
I wanted a Western Galba but wish I had held out for one with better metal/surfaces. While the mint may be less common, more people in the market for just one Galba prefer a nicer, Rome mint coin. I'll never recover what I paid for this 'pretty' nose. Narbo mint / VICTORIA PR
Congrats, @Limes ... that is a great find, and a super coin. I like to collect the Quinarius denomination. I stumbled on this one, and grabbed it. These are more difficult to find. GALBA QUINARIUS RI GALBA AR Quinarius Lugdunum mint laureate r Victory globe stdng left 15mm 1.5g SCARCE Ex: @Brian Bucklan
I can contribute to this thread with a Galba from Tarraco. Olé ! Galba As 68-69 AD 26mm 9.10g Tarraco Spain SER GALBA INC AVGVSTVS / LIBERTAS PVBLICA S-C RIC 100
fine coin of old Galba and congrats on your 100th coin! (and tell the wife you'll always have money this way)..i'm your basic one denarius of Galba kinda guy..and feel fortunate to have it..and i've often pondered how many coins i have, but never really counted
Congratulations! I admit that I often feel the same way about my collection compared to the huge collections of so many others here. According to the list I keep, I have only 192 ancient coins at present -- 14 ancient Greek coins, 36 Roman Republican coins, 13 Roman Provincial coins (in which I include those issued under the Republic, as well as those issued under the Empire), and 129 Roman Imperial coins -- including one that's usually classified as both Provincial and Imperial (my COL NEM dupondius from Nemausus). I simply began to collect ancients actively too recently, only three years ago -- at a time when I had only about 10 ancient coins -- ever to have a large collection. (Although I do think that mine consists primarily of nice to very nice coins.) Also, I've been divorced for the last 15 years, so I don't have to account to anyone for what I spend my money on!
Do the math. 192 coins in 3 years is 64 coins per year. In 30 years you will have over 2000 coins and be thought of as one of those 'huge collections' by people then who have just started. Just today I happened to find a binder with paper envelopes for my first 224 coins. That was when I moved the coins into trays back in the 1980's. I moved back to paper a couple years ago but did not know where those envelopes were so I had to buy new paper. In 30 years you will be looking for a good way to store your 2000 coins if all goes well and you stay with the hobby. Best wishes for the long term. BTW, I have 40 fewer coins than I did a year ago so you are catching up fast.
I probably have more coins than Donna, but the problem is the vast majority are rather low quality. Starting off as poor kid with no job, I had to make do. However, I'm starting a new, high paying job on Monday. I expect to slash my collection in half, and double the quality of the remaining coins. Quality > Quantity, always.
Thanks for all the replies, and coins shared/shown! The quinarius is a lovely one, @Alegandron, I don't have that denomination. I have no idea how old, I guess hotwheelsearls estimate is fine? What coin do you have? Be sure to post it Ha ha, will try that one, although since definately the smarter one of us, she'll probably make a good point concerning collage fee and that the denarius will not work ;-) It's very interesting to see the difference in portrait between Rome mint and the provincial series, as Sear calls it. A Taracco mint is still on my wishlist. Two interesting types are still on my wishlist, the type with Galba on horseback on obverse and the bust of Hispania on reverese, and a portrait type with the destinctive 'dot', or globe, below the neck of Galba. I need to further study these types however, before I'm able to make a decision. It's interesting to also note, that my wishlist keeps expending. When I'm able to cross of one type, other types appear that appeal to me. I can imagine reaching 1000+ coins in the future. I have many years of collecting ahead of me. Congratulations on your new position! And there's no rule on how to collect, either quantity or quality. I truly hope you will find enjoyment in upgrading your collection!
Congrats on acquisition #100, @Limes! Very nice portrait of Galba on that one. Here's a Narbo (?). GALBA AR Denarius. 3.08g, 17.9mm. Uncertain mint in Gaul (Narbo?), circa April-late autumn AD 68. RIC 120 (R2); RSC 38. O: SER GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG P M TR P, laureate head right. R: CONCORDIA PROVINCIARVM, Concordia, draped, standing left holding cornucopiae and branch. Ex Gorny & Mosch 134 (11 October 2004), lot 2623
Nice coins and explanations. I'm learning a lot about ancient coins and their history thanks to all of you.
