A Couple Of Coins That Perhaps Only I Could Love....

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Author	Replies: 8 / Views: 1,256
maridvnvm Pillar of the Community United Kingdom 2100 Posts	Posted 10/05/2012 4:41 pm Here are a couple of coins that arrived yesterday that the vast majority of collectors would pass by even if they were in a junk box and yet I was quite happy to add them to my collection. Both coins come from the same dealer and were purchased together and I paid the princely sum of a total of $35 for the two coins. Both are silver denarii of Septimius Severus from the eastern mint attributed to Laodicea-ad-Mare by RIC though this is purely guesswork. There aren't many of us who collect these coins or have much interest in them. Their style isn't the most artistic or appealing. Coin 1:- The first coin comes from the earlier issue from the mint identified by the dating IMP II on the obverse. As sometimes happens in this issue this coin as the II under the bust rather than at the traditional point at the end of the obverse legend. This reverse type with Liberalitas seated is not documented in any of the major references for this issue and thus my interest in this coin. Obv:- L SEPT SEV PE-RT AVG IMP - II, laureate head right Rev:- LIB-ER AVG, Liberalitas seated left, holding abacus in right hand, cornucopiae in left. Minted in Laodicea-ad-Mare. A.D. 194 Reference:- BMCRE -. RIC IV -. RSC -. Coin 2:- The second coin comes from the following issue dated IMP VIII. This coin also has a split to the end of the obverse legend with the last I being under the bust. This type of legend break has caused all sorts of mis-readings to occur and be documented in the standard references and despite what these references say the current thinking is that there are only IMP II and IMP VIII issues in this "old-style" and any coins read IMP VI, IMP VII etc. are incorrectly attributed. This coin has the enigmatic depiction of Fortuna with a cornucopia in each hand. This series contains a large variety of aspects of Fortuna. The only examples that could be cited in the standard references are to be found in the RD hoard and RIC gives the type a scarcity rating of R2 which is unusual for this issue. I do not think it is quite that scarce however as this is not my only example of the type. Obv:- L SEPT SEV PE-RT AVG IMP VII - I, laureate head right Rev:- FORT R-EDVC, Fortuna standing left holding cornucopiae in both hands. Minted in Laodicea-ad-Mare. A.D. 195 - 196 Reference:â€" BMC p. 112 *. RIC 477a (R2). RSC 167a. All references citing R D p. 105 with only 2 examples in RD. So we have a pair of coins that not many other people here would spare a second look for but are of sufficient interest to make my day when they arrived safely. Martin Report this Post to the Staff

einhard Valued Member Ireland 86 Posts	Posted 10/05/2012 4:50 pm I quite like them. So you're not the only one with odd tastes! Why do you think people might pass them over? Especially for that price!! Report this Post to the Staff
Dionysos Valued Member Canada 472 Posts	Posted 10/05/2012 6:42 pm This is not my cup of tea but given the rarity (and being aware of your fondness for the Severans), I can imagine what they must mean to you Report this Post to the Staff
maridvnvm Pillar of the Community United Kingdom 2100 Posts	Posted 10/05/2012 7:35 pm I honestly don't care if anyone else likes them. I know that they are not most people's cup of tea and am content with that. It won't stop me sharing them. My Severan collection is much more academic than aesthetic. I collect Greek coins in as good a condition as I am able to afford for their artistry and I collect these scarcer, odd, unusual looking pieces in whatever condition I can find in an attempt to build a collection that might increase our understanding of these Eastern coins. I looks for die links between issues etc. etc. I did start to document them on a website but the project was never completed. I need to pick up the shreds of the work I have already done and polish it over. I have many collections and I collect them for different reasons. I am pretty glad that not too many people specialise on these issues otherwise I would be driven away from them due to price. I can rarely buy myself a Probus coin from Lugdunum (I know Dog cannot see the appeal of these...) for my collection nowadays as there is enough competition that means that the interesting pieces go well beyond my means. The same thing is happening with some of the scarcer Severan Emesa issues. I used to be able to pick up a rare variety for <$50 and nowadays they can achieve $500+ on ebay. Martin Report this Post to the Staff
dougsmit Pillar of the Community United States 1549 Posts	Posted 10/05/2012 7:46 pm I have a hundred Severan coins no one in their right mind would buy... and two or three you might like to have. That is the nature of the hobby. Report this Post to the Staff
stevex6 Pillar of the Community 3352 Posts	Posted 10/05/2012 7:50 pm maridvnvm => I totally admit that I wouldn't even give the time of day to those coins ... however, I know that I do sweat that sort of stuff in "my other life" => my Dominion of Canada 25 cent piece collection ... so I know where you're comin' from ... => but yah => I love the fact that this ancient-side of my collection is 100% driven by "wow => I love that coin!!" ... it keeps it fun, do you know wahat I mean, Bob?!! However, comma => I'd be a butt-head not to note that => "well done" => it is awesome when you score a coin ... there is no better feeling than "ticking that box"! => so, well done dawg => well done!! Edited by stevex6 10/05/2012 7:53 pm Report this Post to the Staff
bobbyhelmet Pillar of the Community United Kingdom 2838 Posts	Posted 10/05/2012 8:17 pm I think too much emphasis is placed on quality, I want a coin that has circulated and has been through many Roman hands. That is what excites me, it matters not how often somebody else tells me what I 'should' be interested in because it is simply rare, high quality or important. The more I talk to ancient collectors the more I feel all are driven by slightly different things, sometimes they dont even understand themselves why they are hooked. My interest is not in the coins per se but the people who had them made and the people who had them in their pockets. Long may these neche areas (I have a couple too) exist for people to get their kicks without breaking the bank, enjoy yours coins maridvnvm, they look great to me Report this Post to the Staff
echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 10/05/2012 9:04 pm Having known the rarity of these two coins I too would have jumped on them. I think you did very well with what you paid. Congrats on a nice find. Report this Post to the Staff
dougsmit Pillar of the Community United States 1549 Posts	Posted 10/05/2012 9:12 pm I guess I am to a degree a condition snob. While half of my collection is rather low grade, I'm not particularly happy about that fact. About half of the coins I own have been purchased since I started my web page in 1997. An unreasonable number of those coins were bought with at least one eye on using them to illustrate a point. Nicer coins do a better job for that purpose. I have relatively little use for coins that are questionably identifiable. I rarely buy a late Roman coin missing its mintmark but have many lacking twice as many unimportant letters. Here is an example of a coin I bought because of its fault: This rather clearly reads IMP VI at the end of the obverse legend so it appears to be an example of what Martin pointed out as not existing. Of the non-existent legends he mentioned, IMP VI is the rarest. This is a pretty nice looking coin. A well used or corroded example could be dismissed as an error in reading but here we have pretty good proof. Right? Not so fast. I bought this coin because it so clearly reads IMP VI AND because I already owned the coin below which used the same obverse die. This other coin clearly shows II just beyond the point of the bust so this coin is IMP VIII not IMP VI (which I agree does not exist even though I own one ). The point here is that coins need to have a certain degree of quality to be acceptable in a study of their kind. When all we have are poor coins we have to be very careful what we assume. I hate to see beginners convinced they have a rare variation when what they have is a coin hard to read. I suspect the scholars of the last two centuries who listed IMP VI coins saw specimens no better than my coin and assumed that they had seen what there was to see. I love these two coins as a pair for what they tell me about IMP dating not because they are pretty. Coins are evidence, not proof. Poor coins are more easily deceptive but these show that we need to be careful whenever we read a coin and think we are breaking new ground. Report this Post to the Staff
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