Why arent Nero coins more valuable?>

Yes, your coin is pre-reform. Your coin also has a lovely younger portrait. However, I could find no evidence that the reform went beyond denarii to include other metals. Kevin Butcher mentions that Nero had plenty of Gold aurei and these were used to back up the silver coins and were not debased.

 

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Thanks for that info.

Hmm, I think Nero doesn't look young on my coin. He doesn't look old-old, but he doesn't have that hair-combed-forward thin adolescent look of some of his earliest coins.

I edited my previous post while you were composing this reply (something I need to stop doing! ). The edit doesn't change the gist of my comment though.

Because of this thread I did a little searching for info on Nero's monetary reform and came across Sydenham's article (The Coinage of Nero: An Introductory Study, 1916)but it's going to take some slogging to get through it. Some of the terminology is outdated and confusing.

 

Provincial Nero

NERO AE
OBVERSE: NERWN KLAYDIOS KAISAR GER, draped bust right
REVERSE: QYAT-EIRH/NW-N, labrys (double axe)
Struck at Thyateira, Lydia, 55AD
2.97g, 17mm
RPC 2381; SNG von Aulock 3216; BMC 58; SNG Copenhagen 595;
SNG Munich 612; Weber 6931; Mionnet VII 596; Lindgren I 834

 

nice bipennis

 

While I believe it is true that Gresham's law applies here and so the higher valuable denarii would be hoarded, I think it is also possible that the higher value coins were melted down to mint the lower value coins. After all if an emperor could get 1.2 post-reform denarii for every pre-reform example, it would be a very quick way to replenish the coffers. I believe the melting down of the pre-reform denarii is what makes then so scarce.

As for condition, I have not looked at the issue this way at all. Thanks for steering me in an interesting direction. I believe it would be difficult to compare the 2 groups as the sample sizes vary very widely. There may be a relationship between condition and whether a coin is pre or post reform, but my budget would get in the way of following this hunch because of the expense of the pre-reform denarii.That is, I tend to buy the pre-reform coins with issues because I can afford them. Keep in mind that there are some types I have seen come to auction a few times a year and there are others I have never seen in in auction in the last 3 years.

 

i guess Nero's are my favorite, but could learn a bit more about them..(and do form you peeps) my 1st & last of his

 

Interesting point!

 

While looking through online resources about Nero when I posted my 12 Caesars: Nero thread, I found this information about his coinage:

The financial crises he faced forced him to lower the precious metal content in aurei and denarii, the weight of the aureus dropping by about 2% and the weight of the denarius dropping by about 7%. He reintroduces AES coinage, struck at both Rome and Lugdunum, which hadn’t been issued in almost two decades. Provincial tetradrachms in Egypt and Syria were recalled, melted, and replaced with new coins that dropped the silver content from about 23% to 15%. Some historians believe that this latter reduction in silver freed enough of the metal to fund the rebuilding of Rome. (Cited from: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/12-caesars-nero.302519/#post-2845875)

 

Thanks @IdesOfMarch01 I did not realize that the aurei were also debased.

In "Debasement and the decline of Rome" Kevin Butcher writes about the gold coins:

"Up to the reign of nero the denarius had maintained its Republican weight and fineness and had full intrinsic value, but, thanks to the presence of a gold coinage also of full intrinsic value, this system was becoming unsustainable. nero therefore debased the denarius and reduced its weight, creating a kind of token silver coin backed up by a plentiful supply of full-bodied gold coins. roman currency was thus operating with gold as the standard of value."

 

is this one with Aggripina worth much?Not silver

 

Wow. That is a surprising low number! It would be interesting to know what comparable numbers would be for CoinTalk. Domitian number one?

 

Here' a fun Nero... It's an ancient Gallic (I believe) imitation of the common Victory and shield coins.


It would have the legend:

IMP NERO CAESAR AVG P MAX T P P

(I think It's there but written backwards and by someone copying but maybe not literate... you can see the ...ESAR AVG P MA...)

 

Ratty provincials and asses of Nero are affordable, but a worn, chipped denarius of Nero--even post-reform--will easily fetch as much as an XF Trajan or Hadrian. Nero sestertii are among the most sought after of all Roman coins, and their price reflects that.

I consider myself lucky for finding this Nero denarius on ebay, and haggling the seller down to $155 for it


The price was about 50% more than this Maximinus I, for example:


While they don't bring the insane prices of, say, Caligula, his coins are far from cheap!

 

I've always found the reverse on this coin to be one of the most attractive on any 12 Caesars sestertius, even more so than Nero's Temple sestertius reverse.

Compare this one to the example for $229 that I posted earlier; you got quite a bargain!

And finally, for unusual and distinctive reverses on a Nero denarius, this one really stands out.

Interesting coins, all...

 

I think tetradrachms are the best bang for the $ if one needs a Nero.


Nero (54 - 68 A.D.)
Seleucis & Pieria, Antioch
AR Tetradrachm 
O: NERO CLAVD DIVI CLAVD F CAESAR AVG GER, laureate head of Nero right; star behind.
R: [DIVOS] CLAVD AVG GERMANIC PATER AVG, laureate head of Claudius right.
Syrian Mint - 63-68 AD
14.11g
26mm
Prieur 48; RPC I 4123; BMC 172; Sydenham 65 (Caesarea); RSC 2; McAlee 270.


Nero (54 - 68 A.D.)
AR Tetradrachm
SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch
O: NEPΩNOΣ KAICAPOΣ ΣEBAΣTOY, Laureate bust right, wearing aegis.
R: Eagle standing left on thunderbolt, with wings spread; palm frond to left, H/IP (dates) to right.
Dated year 110 of the Caesarian era; RY 8 (AD 61/62).
27mm
13.4g
RPC I 4182; McAlee 258; Prieur 82.


Poppaea (63 - 65 A.D.)
Billon tetradrachm
O: NEPΩ KΛAY KAIΣ ΣEB ΓEP AY, radiate head right.
R.ΠOΠΠAIA ΣEBAΣTH, draped bust of Poppaea right, date LI right (year 10).
Alexandria mint 63 - 64 A.D.
12.5g
25mm
Milne 216, Curtis 132, RPC I 5275, Geissen 157

Ex HJB


Nero (54 - 68 A.D.)
Billon Tetradrachm
EGYPT, Alexandria
O: NERW KLAY KAIS SEB GER, radiate head right, aegis on chest.
R: AYTO-KRA, draped bust of Alexandria right, wearing elephant skin headdress; date LIB to right.
Alexandria, Egypt. Dated Year 12 (65 - 66 A.D.)
12g
25mm
RPC 5289; Milne 238; Dattari 204; Geissen 172; Sear 2004.

Drachm


Nero & Divo Claudius (54 - 69 A.D.)
AR Drachm
CAESAREA CAPPADOCIA
O: NERO CLAVD DIVI CLAVD F CAESAR AVG GERM, laureate head of Nero.
R: DIVOS CLAVD AVGVST GERMANIC PATER AVG, Claudius' laureate head right.
19mm
3.47g
RIC 621, RSC 3, RPC 3648

 

I agree Matt, the Alexandrian tets are a bargain

 

I was of the impression that they are rather over-valued relative to their prevalence. For starters, Roman coins in general seem to be the most collected category of ancients, and demand for some Romans significantly exceeds the organic demand of actual focused collectors. It isn't coin collectors that drive prices for junky Judean bronzes, Tribute Pennies or Tyrian Shekels well above what they should be relative to other similar coins, and the same is true for coins of famous/infamous Roman emperors that every student has learned about, which constitutes a very broad degree of exposure which inevitably leads to greater demand thanks to folk who may grow-up and decide they want a coin of Julius Caesar or Nero or Caligula because of the history, and lacking relevant numismatic experience they are often willing to spend what seems like a lot of money on the few ancient coins they will ever be interested in owning.

My experience showing ancient coins to the uninitiated is that many assume even common and humble LRBs are unattainable and "all in museums", so when they see that ancients are in fact attainable they assume the values are much higher than they actually are, because "wow it's incredible that it's so old and in such good condition!"

 

Good post. In addition to this, you always have to remember the times in which the coins were struck. Right after Nero you had the Civil Wars. Massive warfare is always an impetus for people to hide more money. I believe all of the reasons for current Nero prices have been touched on in this thread: high quantities available because of debasement and Civil Wars, yet higher than average demand from "ancient coin tourists (love that phrase)". Net net, you have cheapish 1st century emperor but not as cheap as it would be if his name weren't Nero.

 

Ah, Nero! He killed his half-brother and his mother. He killed his wife Poppaea and their child by kicking her in the stomach. He used to roam the streets of Rome incognito and stab and rape people for kicks. He reportedly dipped Christians in tar and lit them up like torches. Peter and Paul were killed during the Christian persecutions of his reign. Still, his coins are purty, right?

 

Beginner345, as Orfew pointed out pre-reform denarii are rare & pricey, however, Roman Provincial issues of Nero from Alexandria, Egypt & Antioch, Syria are plentiful & usually not expensive. There is a certain magic & awe with the coins of Nero because he was so corrupt & so much has been written about him. Mention the name Nero to people on the street & nearly everyone of the will recognize it. Mention the name Nerva to the same people & you'll get a stupid look. Earlier this year I decided to sell an unusually nice tetradrachm of Nero in a Heritage auction, see photos below. Before sending it to Heritage I had NGC slab it. In the Heritage catalog they put an estimate of $150.00 on it. It sold for $1,960.00.