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 Replies: 11 / Views: 4,000 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4883 Posts |
Probably almost everybody is aware of this coin seen on the program Pawn Stars during season #8, and I'm sure it was discussed here at the time, but I found some still photos that give a better look at it (but not the reverse, darn it).   Supposedly this particular specimen's rarity stems from its being COS IIII, which ostensibly means it was struck during just the last few weeks of Caligula's reign. The appraisal by Rick's coin expert was for $10K. Questions - 1) Does anybody know what the reverse is on this? 2) Was it later certified? 3) Has it since been sold or auctioned off, and for how much? 4) Was the type previously catalogued? Colligo ergo sum
Edited by Lucky Cuss
04/14/2016 08:13 am
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1269 Posts |
I believe it has the Agrippina Senior reverse. Though mine is not cos IIII. I do have a Caligula denarius with an Agrippina reverse. It is nowhere near as nice as the pawn stars coins but it is still a Caligula denarius.  Edited by orfew
04/13/2016 11:55 pm
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Moderator
 United States
34427 Posts |
I haven't heard anything about what happened to this coin.  "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
United States
949 Posts |
I'm guessing that Rick appreciated the coin, from a distance but did not buy it.
Not a wide enough market for him.
Did anyone see the episode? Am I right?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
616 Posts |
He bought it and paid $8500 for it. I'm surprised how close to retail he paid. My guess is that Rick liked the coin and had no intention of immediately flipping it. Here's the scene uploaded to YouTube by the History Channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEOtjnP2hlQOh, and "sinister looking" or not it's a beautiful piece. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3443 Posts |
For a coin such as this what is retail ?
Not a lot of sales to check for comparison really !
I have always been a bit suspicious of this program although I can't say I don't enjoy it.
Who finds a first edition of Darwins Origin of Species in the attic and takes it to pawn shop to unload ? (Made up example)
But this one has a great portrait doesn't it ?
Most portraits of Caligula show a rather benign looking (if not outright pleasant) looking Caligula.
Most people seem to forget that the reign can easily be divided in half. Of the first half almost nothing is known with great certainty. Many scholars believe Caligula may have been a (for the times) normal sort of depraved Roman and was very popular with the people.
Showering amusements on them helped !
The second half followed an illness which very nearly killed him. When he recovered it is assumed he was completely insane. Something happened. Perhaps he had been poisoned ?
The portrait on this denarius seems to show a fierce looking man with more than a little deranged look about the eyes. It sort of reminds me of the musician Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd) whose appearance made a frightening change in the year between '67-68.
He had lost his marbles and he looked it !
Thus inspiring such timeless Floyd 'hits' such as "Brain Damage" and "Dark Side of the Moon" !!!
I can imagine such a late specimen with a psychotic looking Caligula selling for a high premium.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
616 Posts |
That eye. What a masterful piece of work.
Edited by jskirwin
04/14/2016 8:11 pm
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Valued Member
Canada
266 Posts |
Edited by arnoldoe
04/15/2016 12:43 pm
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Valued Member
United States
356 Posts |
Can someone shed some light on this for me? So this Pawn Shop coin was first sold in 2006 via CNG for $2600, then a few years later some new ignorant possessor of this coin wanders onto a quasi-reality show with no clue of value and sells it to the host for $8500. That seems very unusual and staged.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4883 Posts |
Quote:
That seems very unusual and staged. Staged? Everything in Las Vagas is real, I tell you! Real!  Colligo ergo sum
Edited by Lucky Cuss
04/15/2016 3:43 pm
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Valued Member
United States
58 Posts |
Of course everything in Vegas is real...look at all them Elvises....
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Valued Member
United States
58 Posts |
Oops, hit "send" before I was done. This is a very interesting site. I was not a fan of early history, but the background on these ancient coins and the replies are very informative and piques interest in looking up more history on some of these characters. I chuckle when I try to imagine the nuns responses if a paper had been submitted on the TRUE nature of some of the Roman emperors.
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Replies: 11 / Views: 4,000 |
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Posted 04/14/2016 06:15 am
