What Your Budget Buys - $75 Edition

Artuqids of Mardin. AE dirham. Nasir al-Din Artuq Arslan (1201-1239 AD). Album 1830.7, Spengler/Sayles 43. $80 at the Baltimore coin show last November.

Numidia. AE 25. Micipsa (148-118 BC). SNG Cop 508. $85 from Ancient Imports last fall.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Some really great additions, guys!

Unsurprisingly, we've seen more Roman than anything else so far. Here are a couple of Greeks that fall into this price bracket.

IONIA, Klazomenai
AR Diobol. 1.35g, 10.5mm. IONIA Klazomenai, circa 499 - 494 BC. SNG Kayhan 334–5; SNG von Aulock 1983. O: Forepart of winged boar right. R: Quadripartite incuse square.


SICILY, Kamarina
AR Litra. 0.66g, 11.2mm. SICILY, Kamarina, circa 461-440/35 BC. SNG Oxford 1689; Westermark & Jenkins 13. O: Nike flying right; to lower right, swan standing right; all within olive wreath. R: K[AMA]RI, Athena standing left, wearing aegis and holding spear in right hand; to right, shield.

 

$65-$85

I am like @TIF, I really do not focus well on Costs for my items in my database. They are on the Saflips, but I have not settled on a comprehensive database yet. Yeah, I have talked about it for years... but, this is a true hobby for me, not a business venture...

Regardless, like @Mikey Zee , I find that this is not really a normal sweet spot price range for me. It was tough to find some coins in this price range.


RI Commodus 177-192 CE AR Denarius 17.7mm 2.42g Apollo Plectrum Lyre RIC 218 RSC 25 BMCRE 292 Rare Type (Roman Ruler filler)

From @seth77

RI Florianus Jul-Aug 276 CE AE23 Concord-Milit AE Antoninianus 4.2g, IMP C M AN FLORIANVS P AVG radiate RIC 57 (Roman Ruler filler)


RI Verina w Leo I AE2 20mm 457-475 Victory inscribing CHI RHO - RIC X 656 R3 RARE (Roman Ruler filler) @Valentinian helped me with this rare beauty!


PONTOS Amisos 85-65 BCE Æ24 12.2g Mithradates VI as Perseus r Phrygian helmet Pegasos grazing l Malloy 33b HGC 7 239 From @John Anthony


CHINA, HAN, ZHAO, LIANG, ZHOU, & YAN states,
ZHOU Dynasty, 1122-255 BC,
small square foot spade, 350-250 BC,
AN YANG / 3 lines rev., bronze,
31x52mm, 7.45g,
H3.184, S13+
From Bob Reis

 

That was an incredible steal at any time! Congrats!

I would be willing to give you double your money ANYTIME for that nice coin! (I may even go triple...)

 

This Gordian III was a pretty good buy at $65 delivered. The seller wanted a bit more and there were questions based off the photos. Also was a CT member.
I thought for the price was a hell of a deal.

I'll add more buys later, been putting off yard work that needs done.

 

I LOVE the posts guys!!!

Since I always hate to disappoint @dougsmit , Ill post this dupondius that is certainly worth less than what I paid

Livia AE Dupondius, Under Tiberius, Head of Justitia / Large SC----$81.00




And one more from FAC:

Domitia, AE 20 mm. of Cadi, Phrygia. 4,58 g. Wife of Domitianus DOMITIA CEBACTH, draped bust right. KADOHNWN, cult image of Artemis Ephesia facing. RPC 1361 BMC 23. $85.00

 

Ok, all these Gordies are tempting me to post mine. Problem is that I paid so little for them that they fall even below the $65 a coin bracket, but oh well.....

At $50 a coin:

 

I got this one for about 80.00.



Egypt, Alexandria. Dattari. Gallienus, 253-268 Tetradrachm circa 267-268 (year 15), billon
(23mm., 9.51g.)
Obv: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r.
Rev. Eagle standing l., holding wreath in beak; behind, palm. Geissen 2944. Dattari-Savio Pl. 273, 10547. Extremely Fine. From the Dattari collection.
Naville Numismatics 29 February 26 2017 Lot # 438

This one cost about 75.00


Q. Pompeius Rufus, 54 v.Chr.,
AR Denar.
Obv: Curule chair between arrow and laurel branch.
Rev: .Curule chair between lituus and wreath.
Alb.1364, Craw.434/2
Emporium Hamburg Numismatics E-auction 532 Lot 50 August 18, 2017

 

$75..., this was $77 shipped from CNG. It seems no one wants a chipped coin. I don't mind them, Sear list this one as extremely rare instead of giving a price. A unbroken one in the same condition sold for $2500 from them. I wouldn't expect to find a deal like this again though.


Alexius I/ Transitional
AR Histamenon Nomisma
1081 to 1082 AD
Obvs: ::KЄRO ΛΛЄϞIω IC XC, Christ bearded and nimbate wearing tunic and kolobion. Holds gospels in left hand
Revs: ·ΔIMITI ΔϵCΠTH, St. Demetrius standing 3/4 facing presenting labarum to Alexius which holds sword and grasps shaft of labarum.
27x29mm, 4.17g.
Thessalonica mint
Ref: Sear 1904, DOC 4.1
Note: Sear lists as "Extremely rare", chipped

 

Great deal. That's one way to get rare coins into one's collection. If one wants to do this hobby on a budget and doesn't mind having many coins at low prices, instead of a smaller and very expensive collection of high end stuff, there's a lot of bargains to be had with otherwise rare/expensive coins which others don't want because of test cuts, crystalization, wear, uneven toning or Patina, etc.

Hey, I just remembered, this one was $80 due to the test cut. Had that not been there, this would have been easily a $120 coin. The $40 savings was used towards another coin. No regrets getting it and saving myself some money.



As someone who has a some $500 to $1000 coins in his collection, frankly many of my favorite purchased have been the budget types. There is nothing wrong with many budget examples of great coins in one's collection. Many of them still have great detail on them, and are still wonderful examples worthy of appreciation and examination. This hobby doesn't have to break the bank.

Welcome to the "Ancient Coins Bottom Feeders' Club." Your membership card is in the mail.

 

Maybe @Deacon Ray could design a simple graphic of a Membership Card for the Ancient Coins Bottom Feeders Club? The logo could be the obverse or the reverse of a budget coin. Something $20 or less, like this...but doesn't have to be this one.



I certainly don't have the talent for that.

 

But usually when they are pretty "scruffy" or lower grade, they don't get as many replies as the higher condition ones do.

I see it often with Randy, some of Dougs, mine, Bings and some LRB collectors.

 

I know, over the last months I've bought lots of budget coins and I've noticed that too.

A coin like this one might get 10 or 15 likes and 6 or 7 replies.



But when I buy a $500 or $600 shinny coin like this one, I'll get 30+ likes and 20 to 30 replies.



But here is the thing, I don't buy coins for Likes or Replies, and I most certainly don't buy coins to get "reputation" or acknowledgement from other people online. If that was the case, I'd only have 30 or 35 coins in my collection, and all priced at $250+, instead of over 120 coins with an average individual price of around $60 to $80 a coin.

I could care less if some people don't like or reply because they can't be bothered looking at a nice budget coin. I got the coin for myself, not for them, and I still appreciate that there are a handful of people here who will bother to look at it and like it or comment (even if it's a humble budget example), and share their similar budget or high end samples with me. This is not a popularity contest for me, but rather a passion and commitment to enjoying and sharing ancient coins of all types and prices (even the crusty cheap budget one's) with others.

 

You guys say that like it's surprising, shameful, or wrong. What's the big deal? A higher condition, artistic, and/or rare coin is naturally going to attract more attention than a lower condition common coin of unremarkable artistry. Want more likes* and replies for such coins? Give some interesting history (Sallent-- you almost always do that. Some of your writeups are a hoot ).

*Number of "likes" is of course not the primary goal of collecting, or at least I hope no one here views it as such!

 

Oh-oh! I'm seeing a bottom feeding contest on the horizon You're right, @Sallent —a membership card will be needed. LOL! Yes, I'm one who needs some practice finding more budget ancients. (Bottom feeding skills are definitely required) I enjoy handing out ancient coins to total strangers and it can get expensive

 

Within the last year:

$65:
Denier of Louis I, the Pious (814-840), son of Charlemagne

$85:
Anonymous victoriatus, Crawford 44/1


$70:
Julia Domna denarius


Many years ago...
$70: Macrianus ant.

$68: Valens siliqua (Scarce type and mint, Arles)

(Those were the days...)

 

I got this one earlier this year at about 75 USD + shipping.. so a little under 80 overall..

 

Excellent thread idea. Fun, and informative for beginners, and veterans alike.

 

great coin for that price that pius denarius

A Antoninius pius for that good condition you have realy pay now more


wow

 

Well, people always love a coin with a juicy story about sex scandals, murder, etc., attached to them. For proof of that, you need not look further than this thread. When was the last time you saw a Sassanian coin receive so much discussion and so many likes?

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ka...ingdom-through-mandatory-wife-sharing.282453/