What's your (realistic) ancient collecting holy grails?

Gordian III aurei are cheaper in MS/ this one from Triton III was $4000+ fee.

 

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Hopefully you'll get your money back. While it's not polite to speak ill of the dead, I'd have to say that that Julian II was kind-of beat up quite a bit. A much nicer one should be finadable with patience.

 

I should receive an update in regards to that on the 29th of February.

 

The case has been decided in my favour, eBay have decided to issue me a full refund.

 

My holy grail is Severan sestertii struck between the years 199 and 209. Ten years of diligent searching - the result: one Geta sestertius and one as, one Caracalla sestertius and one as, and one Septimius Severus sestertius. THAT IS IT.

The two as's do not count but they are too nice to get rid of, but I would trade both for a sestertius in a heartbeat,... As for offerings during this period, I remember them all - there was one Caracalla sestertius offered by an Italian dealer - I could not afford but I am not convinced that I should have mortgaged the house to buy it, another Geta sesterius from Heritage that went for over $1,000 even though quite worn, One that was offered on Ebay of all places, but too expensive, CNG had a Caracalla sestertius it mistakenly thought was tooled - went for $1,800 but I did not have it, and was resold later for more than twice that. I did buy a Geta sestertius with a Securitas reverse, but the portrait was absurdly tooled and was returned - which means a very rare coin was destroyed by stupidity and ignorance.

It gives me something to look for - I am also interested in Caracalla sestertii from his last year - there is one up for auction now but it is already over $1,000 - and I have to buy coins to sell and I just can't afford it.

I see the many doubles of sestertii from this era that are owned by the British Museum and want to say to them - how about getting out of the sandbox and letting the other kids play - in other words, how about selling the extras? But I know - dream on. Ok it is not a great metaphor but all I can think of now. Plus if they were sold off I no doubt could not afford it. Sigh...

 

My latest is an Mint State AV Solidus of Constantius Gallus

 

The Gupta Gold Dinar of Chandragupta II is my current realistic ancient collecting "holy grail".

 

Excellent! Try to look for a nicer Julian the Philosopher, aka the Apostate. Also a book suggestion which is really good.

 

I have not purchased for a long time and aim toward a specific solidus of Justinian with the mint of Ravenna:


(NOT MY COIN)

It’s so obviously that the style is not a Constantinople one. The design and the heavy annular border reveals it is a Ravenna one.

It will be without doubt the most expensive coin ever for me.

 

I have the Ravenna one

 

Of course. Who else?

Even if an extraterrestrial gold coin minted in an Alien empire existed, sooner or later it would end in your trays. ;-)

 

Not tray but Albums
1/ ancients-Fall of Constantinople 1453
2/ Oriental Cultures
3/ European 1000AD-end of Baroque era 1750AD
4/ European 1750-
Americas/ Colonial Empires including (British Australia) US/ Canada

 

Gore Vidal : he was in Federico Fellini's Roma :

 

I missed mine earlier today. Oh well, some other day!

Rasiel

 

Wow, 20,400 Euro for a follis? Seems like quite an early follis: must've been before they became the nummus? {sorry for the pun}.

It seems that the Europeans are not adopting the relabeling of follii to nummii? I'll have to look into this. I did bid on a very nice AE3 of Zenobia which ended up going for a similar price, perhaps 8 years ago.

I might mention that one of my two meager solidii is a mint state specimen of Valens: ex Leu. Not particularly rare of course.

What auction was this?

 

I don't call them nummi either. Nummi, plural of nummus, is just the Latin word for coin. It's not a denomination (though it has been standardized in the Byzantine era to the baseline lowest denomination module)

Gorny & Mosch Auction 302

Rasiel

 

Oh, heh, that's a different Valens. The coin I bid on is a usurper from 50 years prior to your Valens.

 

Opps, I forgot to look at the date part. Valens was emperor 364 - 378 AD, which is when he was killed in the battle of Hadrianopolis. Come to think of it the Zenobia was also a Usurper. I wounder if the same guy bought both of them?

 

Today as I speak a gorgeous sestertius of Septimius Severus from ca 201AD is being auctioned off by Bartlomi (sp?) it is just beyond what I can afford now - plus the coin is simply beautiful and will probably go for much more than the 1200 euros it was at last time I checked ….sigh.. it is one of the most beautiful portraits I have seen of Septimius on a sestertius.

 

I could not find a numismatic auction firm by that name on Google. Also as Europe is 5+ hrs ahead of us the sale is probably over. Too bad as someone here might've been able to buy it for you and offer a gradual repayment scheme.

There's minimal risk as many of us also really like nice 3rd century sestersii and they're often not horribly priced.