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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 2682153, member: 19463&quot;]We pay too much for a coin when we see the one we have to have knowing it is a matter of now or never. My most expensive coin came as a part of a group of 27 coins.&nbsp; There was THE coin I wanted, six other coins I am very happy to have in my collection and twenty that I don&#039;t mind at all but that I never would have bought as singles.&nbsp; In such a case, I don&#039;t even know how much to say I paid for the coin.&nbsp; I can not just divide the total bill by 27 and say I paid the same for each any more than I can say I paid the total for the seven I wanted and got the other 20 hangers on free.&nbsp; I envy those of you who want things that the big sales offer every few months so you can try again if you fail.&nbsp; I knew I had one shot so I paid too much.&nbsp; I&#039;ll not ever know how much too much since that would require selling it.&nbsp; That is not on my bucket list. </p><p><br /></p><p>You have seen it before since it just came two months ago.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]599804[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Severan coins of Alexandria are all scarce.&nbsp; Julia Domna is not as scarce as Geta but right up there.&nbsp; I already had an Alexandrian tetradrachm of hers but the reverse was what made this one push me over the edge.&nbsp; It shows her two sons Caracalla and Geta making friendly like their late father had told them but we know that was a show.&nbsp; The coin is dated LK or year 20 which places it no earlier than August 29, 211.&nbsp; Caracalla killed Geta on December 26 of that year.&nbsp; This coin is listed in the Emmett catalog but, researching the previous reports, each listing seems to refer to this specimen.&nbsp; One can never prove a coin is the only one in existence but I doubt anyone has a roll of them either.&nbsp; More significant is the fact that Caracalla and Geta did not seem to like appearing on coins together.&nbsp; That was too bad for them when their father was alive but even those coins are scarce.&nbsp; This is the only type I have seen showing both that dates after Septimius died earlier that year.&nbsp; When he saw it, I suspect Caracalla was not amused. Which of the figures is Caracalla and which is Geta?&nbsp; Which one has his hand on his sword? </p><p><br /></p><p>The obverse die appears to be the same one used for Julia&#039;s tetradrachms for the last few years at least as far back as LIH (year 18).&nbsp; One die was all that was needed to strike so few coins.&nbsp; It is distinctive by an odd spelling of her name &#039;IVLIAN&#039; with the N clear on this coin.&nbsp; Later LK coins used a new die with a portrait style more like the late Domna coins at Rome that used the IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG legend.&nbsp; I still need one of those. I hope when I find the coin I want, the catalogers don&#039;t lump it with two dozen other coins forcing me to decide if I want it bad enough to adopt the whole litter. Some will say I should sell off the coins that don&#039;t fit making this coin slightly less expensive but my experience with selling coins does not suggest I would get enough to make a difference.&nbsp; What keeps me from getting the next coin I want is less the money since my wants are cheaper than they are easier to find.&nbsp; I am as likely to find what I want in a junk box as in a slab. Perhaps the best answer is for me to develop a new interest in the coins that came with this one. </p><p><br /></p><p>So, how much did the coin cost?&nbsp; I had to spend $8+k to get it.&nbsp; The seven coins I &#039;sort of&#039; wanted take that down to ~$1100-1200 each.&nbsp; Equal shares of all 27 would be $300 or so but who among you wants the twenty at that price?&nbsp; It is a lot easier to figure what you paid when you buy coins singly but you have to do what you have to do.&nbsp; How long will it be until I have a chance to upgrade this coin?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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