Posted 02/21/2019 3:20 pm
I have been chasing down Flavian rarities for several months at least. Whether not the rarity attracts interest from collectors depends very much on the coin and its features. Picking up rare Domitian Minerva denarii based on slight differences in imperial titles does not seem to drive the price higher. However, if it a very unusual Minerva type this does attract some interest from collectors. For example a German or Germanicus obverse. Keep in mind that identifying these rare type calls for some research on the part of the collector. Several of my Domitian rarities were in fact misattributed.
In my view there is a lot of competition for rarer non Minerva types. There seems to be spirited bidding when they appear but perhaps this is just the opinion of someone who is interested in them.
For Vespasian I have 13 Denarii and have noticed that the rare types do attract interest from people. I would also say that this is especially true for the Eastern mints. Coins of Ephesus always seem to sell well and attract buyer interest. One reason they do so is because the portraits on these denarii seem much more artistic than their Roman counterparts. Though some Ephesian denarii are accessible there are many that are quite rare.
To be honest I think that for many collectors who are not Flavian specialists, the small differences really do not matter very much. If you just want a coin of Vespasian then perhaps rarity is not an important issue. If however, one has an interest in the series of denarii then these small differences or rare types can be very motivating.
In my view there is a lot of competition for rarer non Minerva types. There seems to be spirited bidding when they appear but perhaps this is just the opinion of someone who is interested in them.
For Vespasian I have 13 Denarii and have noticed that the rare types do attract interest from people. I would also say that this is especially true for the Eastern mints. Coins of Ephesus always seem to sell well and attract buyer interest. One reason they do so is because the portraits on these denarii seem much more artistic than their Roman counterparts. Though some Ephesian denarii are accessible there are many that are quite rare.
To be honest I think that for many collectors who are not Flavian specialists, the small differences really do not matter very much. If you just want a coin of Vespasian then perhaps rarity is not an important issue. If however, one has an interest in the series of denarii then these small differences or rare types can be very motivating.
