Pawn Stars - Julius Caesar Portrait Denarius

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Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 3,603
Lucky Cuss Pillar of the Community United States 4883 Posts	Posted 05/11/2016 11:05 pm Thsi was featured on tonight's episode. Thay never actually identified it as a denarius, but that's what it appeared to be. Frustratingly, the reverse was never shown. In any case, a fairly well worn specimen in a flip with an informational insert typical of the sort that an ancient coin dealer would provide. Then a kind of a bizarre dance commenced over this. The "seller" wanted $4,400. Rick called in his expert, who appraised it at $1,500 retail. Rick subsequently offered $1,000 and no deal was made. The "seller" expressed (mock?) outrage that Rick wasn't appreciating the coin's historical significance. The whole segment seemed rather something of a farce to me.... Colligo ergo sum Edited by Lucky Cuss 05/12/2016 12:24 pm Report this Post to the Staff

Sap Moderator Australia 16852 Posts	Posted 05/12/2016 06:06 am The "bizarre dance" and "farce" are pretty typical of this show. For example, you'll notice none of the experts brought onto the show ever say, "Ooh, let me go check my catalogues and do some internet research and get back to you with an answer"... like a real expert would most likely say if such a question were popped to them. The "experts" are scripted; they've already seen the coin, done their research on it and derived their value estimate long before they walk on-set for the cameras. I think anyone going onto that show as a "seller" knows that they're really doing it just for the chance to go on TV, not to actually optimize their cash. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
Spence Moderator United States 34428 Posts	Posted 05/12/2016 06:16 am Still, it is nice to have numismatics get a little love, along with the muzzle-loading gun enthusiasts, classic automobile collectors, and peddllars of exotic geegaws. "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 Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16852 Posts	Posted 05/12/2016 09:31 am True. The problem is, as the show (and the store) has gotten more and more popular, you've got to bring along something truly weird, wonderful and amazing to shock and awe the audience and get your five minutes of fame. And coins have a hard time competing with the guns'n'ammo gear for TV ratings, especially since they inevitably have to test-fire the old weaponry "to make sure it works". A coin of Julius Caesar? Sure, that's cool, everybody's heard of Julius Caesar, put it on. A coin of Byzantine emperor Basil II, or the Celtic Durotriges tribe, or the Kushan Empire, or the Umayyad Caliphate? Yawn city. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
Lucky Cuss Pillar of the Community United States 4883 Posts	Posted 05/12/2016 12:59 pm Sap, your points are well taken. I certainly harbor no illusion that virtually all of what gets on this "reality" program isn't in fact to some degree staged and/or scripted, and then heavily edited to boot. As I commented in another thread relating to Pawn Stars, very little of the Las Vegas scene in general ought to be taken as reflecting "reality".... My feeling is that the "seller" bought this pretty recently from an ancient coin dealer with an eye to turning a quick profit, and if he couldn't do so at Rick's expense, why what great free validation and advertising he scored anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned up for sale shortly with the provenance "as seen on Pawn Stars". Colligo ergo sum Report this Post to the Staff
Athalbert Pillar of the Community Spain 629 Posts	Posted 05/12/2016 4:29 pm Imagine the ruins of "Las Vegas" in 2.000 years... I can imagine an archeologist wondering how would be the "way of life" of their ancestors seeing those ruins... Report this Post to the Staff
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