I Have Seen The Light ! Lucernae Rocks !

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 13 / Views: 2,277
FVRIVS RVFVS Pillar of the Community United States 3439 Posts	Posted 04/27/2015 9:37 pm To be honest I wasn't even looking for the switch ........... My 'amigo' Antonio has always had some very interesting semi cleaned bronze coins but I must confess that my attempts at improving them have been mixed at best. But this one looked different. Not only that but it had that special something which can make a coin simply irresistible ! I have seen this variety of provincial As of Tiberius before but they almost always have had some problems ...... like extensive tooling ! I am not talking about a few scrape marks here and there but some coins have been literally carved into by fools with tools ! I hate coins that have been "machined" Well this one certainly did not look like anyone had done very much besides brush half the crusty stuff off before sale. But it looked like it had some great upside potential. I made a lowball offer on the coin and held my breath ! In the morning the good Senor had made a minor adjustment to my figure and the deal was done ! The coin arrived Saturday afternoon. Along with yet another As of Caligula ....... I had been so pleased that Antonio had (essentially) accepted my offer I had thrown in some bids on a few of his auctions to help keep all you guys honest ! Much to my surprise I ended up winning one ! Well you never can have too many Caligulas around the house ...... dontchya know So anyway Tiberius went straight into the 'Baths of FVRIVS'. Half an hour in acetone then right into the DW. Periodic massage with a brass brush and a final rub down with some medicinal oils. The old boy revived in two days ...... and quite nicely I must say. A veritable resurrection ! Tiberius Ae As ZEUGITANA Utica AD 27-8 Obv. Bare head of Tiberius left TI CEASAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST IMP VIII Rv. veiled figure of Livia seated right holding sceptre and patera C VIB MARSO PR COS DR CAE Q PR T G RVFVS F C D-D/P-P across fields 30mm 13.33 grams RPC I 733 The small spot of damaged patina (VIB on reverse) is visible in the sellers photo. Much to my relief ! But the patination is jet black, glossy and thick. If I had not cleaned it up myself I would think it to be painted on enamel. I left just a dash of "schmutz" on the coin to keep that venerable antique feel about it. This one makes up for some of the others which never quite lived up to promise. But the best part is that impressive reverse legend C(aivs) VIBIO MARSO PR(o)COS DR(vsvs)CAE(sar)Q(uaestore)P(rovinciae) T(itvs)C(aelivs)RVFVS F(ieri)C(vravit) D(ecvriones)P(oserunt) Gaius Vibius Marsus is mentioned by Tacitus and apparently was an 'agent' of Tiberius who summoned Gnaeus Piso back to Rome to stand trial in the delicate matter concerning the death of Germanicus. Tacitus had expected he would be rewarded with the administration of Syria. It is believed he got Africa instead. Drusus Caesar is the son of Germanicus and elder brother of the future emperor Caligula. After the 'fall' of his mother Agrippina, Tiberius had him sent to a dungeon where he later starved to death. And RVFVS ? Well I suspect he was an all around terrific kind of guy who lived a long and peaceful existence ! Thank you again Antonio .... You made my day ! Edited by FVRIVS RVFVS 04/28/2015 8:08 pm Report this Post to the Staff

echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 04/27/2015 9:59 pm Beautiful coin. I've not bought any coins from him. I avoid buying outside the US for fear of never seeing the coin. Report this Post to the Staff
chrsmat71 Pillar of the Community United States 4964 Posts	Posted 04/27/2015 10:05 pm a beatiful coin FR, and a nice cleaning job. I've purchased a few coins from him and have always been happy, I almost always check out his stock when I'm on the prowl. Report this Post to the Staff
Augustus Maximus Pillar of the Community Italy 1790 Posts	Posted 04/27/2015 10:05 pm Wow! Congrats FR. Report this Post to the Staff
orfew Pillar of the Community Canada 1269 Posts	Posted 04/27/2015 10:05 pm Great coin. Thanks for the photos and the extensive description. Report this Post to the Staff
FVRIVS RVFVS Pillar of the Community United States 3439 Posts	Posted 04/27/2015 11:07 pm I started bottom feeding on Antonio's auctions 5 years ago. I won few ..... not too many but enough to keep my attention. As the dollar weakened I found myself priced out ! Of late I renewed my attentions with the euro sinking to almost 1 to 1 with the dollar I found the prices to be within reach. Just one problem though is that for my tastes I find the things I like at fixed price. But with a best offer option available I began looking at coins I normally would pass on. The final push came when I had a dispute with ebay over the question of some money. After my credit card company decided that I was getting 'hosed' they refunded my $298. Not wanting to have those ebay snakes reach into my Paypal account I decided the best way to disappear the funds was to buy something nice. After all they couldn't take money back if Antonio already pocketed it ! So I quickly went through his listings and found 6 things I liked and made offers on 3. I thought he might go for 1 or maybe 2 but he accepted all 3. I was actually slightly perplexed as I had been ogling a Caligula Spanish Provincial As with Caesonia on the reverse. But I was poor again ! Until now that is. Happy ending ! I actually went looking for the Caligula (sold) when I found this Tiberius. But it didn't come cheap ! Over two and under three. One shouldn't steal from people you 'know'. But I am happy ...... I finally found my avatar ! Report this Post to the Staff
GERMANICVS Pillar of the Community Germany 1849 Posts	Posted 04/28/2015 05:14 am That is a nice Tiberius, congratulations. Nice cleaning job too, although I must say an original sand patina has its appeal too. (In fact, I have read that some sellers in Spain specialize in 'gluing-on' sand to ancient coins to replicate original sand patina). I have been watching this seller for a long time now, but have not bought anything so far. He does seem to have some nice ancients on a regular basis. Report this Post to the Staff
pishpash Pillar of the Community United Kingdom 3626 Posts	Posted 04/29/2015 04:24 am Fabulous coin FR I am not surprised your pleased, and a great cleaning job. Report this Post to the Staff
Dutchgulden Pillar of the Community Netherlands 1204 Posts	Posted 05/01/2015 07:53 am Great coin and a great cleaning job (as well as your explanation ;-)) Edited by Dutchgulden 05/01/2015 07:55 am Report this Post to the Staff
Ancientnoob Pillar of the Community United States 5155 Posts	Posted 05/01/2015 1:14 pm Fabulous restoration. You can pass up on something like that. Lucerne is the man for sure he took my offer for my VRBS ROMA RBQ Rome mint. Report this Post to the Staff
Topcat7 Pillar of the Community 1121 Posts	Posted 05/09/2015 10:10 pm Edited by Topcat7 05/09/2015 10:15 pm Report this Post to the Staff
FVRIVS RVFVS Pillar of the Community United States 3439 Posts	Posted 05/09/2015 10:15 pm You find many of his coins listed twice. Once in dollars and once in euros. I have even come across some listings in Pounds sterling. When the euro was dropping I noticed he stopped listing in euros and concentrated on dollars. Antonio appears to be paying attention to current events. Report this Post to the Staff
Whizb4ng Pillar of the Community Canada 579 Posts	Posted 05/10/2015 7:19 pm It amazes me the amount of detail that appeared once the sand was gone. That sand patina may look terribly pretty but it may be hiding something prettier! Great coin Report this Post to the Staff
FVRIVS RVFVS Pillar of the Community United States 3439 Posts	Posted 05/10/2015 7:46 pm I have purchased others in which the "sand" hid rough fields and removing most of it did little to enhance the eye appeal. But they were mostly inexpensive asses of Claudius Titus etc. This one made me nervous (a bit pricey) but I had a hunch. I took the chance and came up with an ace this time. I could see some scrapes but thankfully they mostly disappeared with the sand. The 'boyish' stray hairs atop Tiberius' head as well as the facial features are excellent improvements. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 13 / Views: 2,277

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: World Coins and Currency Forums Forum: Ancient, Greek, Roman, and Medieval Coins

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.3 seconds to rattle this change.