Ask Me No Questions And I Will Tell You No Lies

In another thread I mentioned a coin I bought around twelve years back. I have posted this coin before and pointed out one of the curious things about it. Although at the time I was so very dazzled by the purchase that I hardly noticed really. The fact that it is a Balkan issue which is rather obvious from the 'dimple' on both sides. The seller was (and probably still is ..... Bulgarian). He or she was selling huge quantities of excellent grade material on ebay way back when.
Most of my coins I really have little memory of what I actually paid. The price was of less import than the coin.

I can never really forget winning this one. I was new to ebay and usually looked at things and entered a price early which I felt I would be 'thrilled' paying. On this one I bid something like $68.68 (I tend toward unusual numbers). With seconds to go a 'sniper' bid $68.50 ....... Boy he must have been P O'd ! So I won it for $68.68 and danced a little jig. Not only that but shipping was FREE !

Deals like this were 'Fast and FVRIVS' back then.

We often ask about what coins might tell us if they could speak. What tale of AD65 might be told by my sestertius. Someone buying a goat ? Maybe a large hunk of feta cheese ? Maybe tears shed by someone loosing their sestertius to a pickpocket ?

Possibly the bigger story is of more modern 'manufacture'. Pick axes working in the dark of night. Trucks and earth moving equipment reshaping the earth. Maybe large men in sunglasses making someone an 'offer' for something. And complimenting them on "What a 'fine' looking family" they have.

If I showed you some of the remaining pieces I still have (many I sold when I started selling after my back went out on me) you would say very nice. But I used this one because it is rather obvious at $68.68 that something probably is not quite really right. We want our beautiful coins but everything has a price. If I offered this Nero to anyone here for double what I paid they would be foolish not to eagerly snap it up.

But what tales could these (Balkan) 'treasures' tell us ?
I really don't wish to know ....... but that doesn't make it right.

NERO Sestertius
26.38 grams 34mm