Tif Contest #3: Guess The Hammer, Ancient Edition

TIF Contest #3: Guess the Hammer, Ancient Edition

Greetings, CCF gang! You may recall that I started my coin journey last year when sorting through my grandfather's massive accumulation of old US coins. Well, I still haven't finished. Meanwhile, I've become completely sidetracked by ancients. Wheeee! I am obsessed. I'm accumulating them at a dangerous rate.

Anyway, it's time for a contest!

Here's how it will work:

• Two rounds


• Six specified coins from a single upcoming auction in each round


• Guess the hammer price for each coin, in USD, not including buyer's fee


• Post your virtual bid sheet to this thread before the deadline for each round


• You can edit or resubmit your virtual bid sheets if desired, up to the deadline for each round


• Three winners (three prizes): one per round and one for the combined rounds


• Winner is the person who most accurately guesses the hammer price for all of the coins in that round, averaged. This will be expressed as a percent variation from the hammer price, not a dollar amount. An example of the calculation will be posted later today


• Round 1 closes for entries at 7 a.m. EST (New York time) on Wednesday 9/18/13


• Round 2 closes for entries at 8 a.m. EST on Wednesday, 9/25/13


• You are eligible to enter if you have at least 25 posts on CCF. "Supporter" status is encouraged but not required. In the event of a tie, though, if one person is a CCF supporter and the other person is not, the win will go to the CCF supporter. To become a CCF supporter, click the DONATE button on navigation list to the left side of this screen.


• PRIZES! To be determined; will post them later this weekend. One prize will probably be a Kings of Macedon bronze, one might be a Ptolemy bronze (sorry, not a 40+mm one...), might have a gift certificate to a CCFer's webstore.


• Caveat: if there are fewer than 10 contestants the contest will be cancelled. Don't be afraid to take a guess! Don't be afraid to post your guesses early-- you can edit or change them until the posted deadlines. If you don't want to post your guesses early, please at least post your intent to enter.

In the event of a tie not resolved by the method mentioned above... I'm not sure what I'll do. I'll think about it. Maybe a playoff, maybe some other solution.

To make it easier for me to tally things up, please submit your bid sheets in the following format (you can copy and paste this, just fill in the dollar amounts of your guesses). You can edit or re-submit your bid sheets until the closing time for each round.

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Round #1, CNG print auction 94, Wednesday, 9/18/13. Submit your virtual bids for this round before 7 a.m. EST on 9/18/13.

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Round 1 Bid Sheet

Lot 1 $____
Lot 349: $____
Lot 395: $____
Lot 633: $____
Lot 775 $____
Lot 1138 $____

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Round #2, Heritage's World and Ancient Coin Signature Auction, Long Beach, 9/25/13. Submit your virtual bids before 8 a.m. EST on 9/25/13.

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Round 2 Bid Sheet

Lot 23031 $____
Lot 23068 $____
Lot 23173 $____
Lot 23180 $____
Lot 23187 $____
Lot 23335 $____

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Links, pics, and attributions for Round 1 coins follow. Round 2 coin pics will be posted later today, separately-- this post is getting too long!. Click on the hyperlinked lot number to go to the website and see the latest bids.

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Lot 1

CNG 94, Lot: 1. Estimate $2000.
IBERIA, Punic Iberia. Circa 237-209 BC. AR Shekel (20mm, 7.21 g, 12h). Male head left / Horse standing right; palm tree in background. MHC 131- - "65 (unlisted dies); ACIP 603. VF, toned, a few marks. Rare.

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Lot 349

CNG 94, Lot: 349. Estimate $1500.
ATTICA, Athens. Circa 454-404 BC. AR Tetradrachm (23mm, 17.17 g, 10h). Helmeted head of Athena right / Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent behind; all within incuse square. Kroll 8; SNG Copenhagen 31. Near EF, toned, light scuff on obverse. Well centered on a broad flan, showing nearly full crest.

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Lot 395

CNG 94, Lot: 395. Estimate $50000.
CIMMERIAN BOSPOROS, Pantikapaion. Circa 325-310 BC. AV Stater (21mm, 9.09 g, 12h). Head of Pan left, wearing ivy wreath / Griffin, holding spear in its mouth, standing left, head facing, forepaw raised, on grain ear; Π-A-N around. MacDonald 63; Anokhin 1027; HGC 7, 21; SNG BM Black Sea 867. EF, underlying luster, insignificant hairline edge split.

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Lot 633

CNG 94, Lot: 633. Estimate $1500.
KINGS of LYDIA. temp. Alyattes - - " Kroisos. Circa 610-546 BC. EL Trite - - " Third Stater (12mm, 4.77 g). Sardes mint. Head of roaring lion right, sun with multiple rays on forehead / Two incuse square punches. Weidauer group XVI, 86-9; Traité I 44; SNG Kayhan 1013; Rosen 655-6; Elektron I 70. Good VF. Well centered and sharply struck.

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Lot 775

CNG 94, Lot: 775. Estimate $2000.
PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy I Soter. As satrap, 323-305 BC. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 16.01 g, 12h). Attic standard. In the name of Alexander III of Macedon. Alexandreia mint. Struck circa 316-312/0 BC. Diademed head of the deified Alexander right, wearing elephant skin headdress; tiny - "O to right of elephant ear / Athena Alkidemos advancing right; monogram to inner left; to right, EY and eagle standing right on thunderbolt. Svoronos 44, pl. II, 23 (same dies); Zervos Issue 20A (dies 300/b); SNG Copenhagen - - "; Noeske - - ". Good VF, tiny die flaw on eye, light scuff on cheek, areas of slight roughness. Extremely rare issue with letters on obverse.

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Lot 1138

CNG 94, Lot: 1138. Estimate $500.
Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. AR Cistophorus (26mm, 11.70 g, 12h). Pergamum mint. Struck 27-26 BC. Bare head right / Six stalks of grain tied in a bundle. RIC I 494; Sutherland Group IVγ, - - " (O95/R- - " [unlisted rev. die]); RPC I 2212; RSC 32a. VF, toned, die shift on obverse.