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 Replies: 19 / Views: 6,473 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
So I am in the process of deliberation regarding whether or not it would be wise of me to order some cleaned ancients from Dirty Old Coins or from other such well-known online dealers. Everyone has said thus far that they are a trustworthy group- and I would certainly like to believe this! So in order to provide myself with further encouragement I am curious as to what experiences you guys have had. And since this is a COIN forum rather than a Dealer discussion forum, please do tell me about any awesome bulk lot finds which you would like to share.
(P.S. Mods: I hope that I am not breaking any rules by asking such a question. I am here to hear good stores, not drag anyone through the mud.) Edited by Archraz
09/18/2011 11:55 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
First, I have never purchased anything from Dirty Old Coins, but they are regarded highly in the ancient coin community. However, I do not have firsthand knowledge. Second, I always say it is best to buy from well known dealers with a guarantee of genuineness of their wares. The dealers on Vcoins all subscribe to this guarantee. A good place to get quality coins is Forum coins. I have purchased some high dollar pieces from them and have been very pleased with the product and the transaction. I do not ignore ebay, but buyer beware. There are a lot of unscrupulous people who would sell their grandmother if they thought they could get away with it. All that being said, there are some good dealers on ebay and I always look for the money back guarantee and sales of a large number with good feedback. If you are looking to purchase a bulk lot of uncleaned coins, Purse of the Legionary on ebay has always provided me with a good product. I have a collection of over 400 Roman Imperials. I have found about 5% of those are fake. In most of the cases I used Paypal and had absolutely no problem getting my money back. I don't know if I've answered any of your questions. I love this hobby. It provides me with hours of entertainment of which I'd rather do than watch some mindless program on television. Good luck. Regards, JW |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2269 Posts |
I too have never purchased anything from Dirty Old Coins, but they have a good reputation. ebay is a bit risky since there are a tremendous amount of fake ancient coins listed. I have purchased many coins from Forum Ancient Coins. I never had any trouble and I have purchased a few high priced coins from them. Ancients are a great hobby to get into. I never get tired of researching the history behind each coin. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3499 Posts |
Well, I have placed an order and have received a confirmation email of shipment. So I'll let you guys know what I get.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
Looking forward to your report.
JW
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
So I received my order today (only 4 days after placing it!). And I am fairly pleased. I ordered 4 cleaned Roman bronzes from the Balkans, and while they are not too bad, I am a smidge disappointed that all 4 appear to be Constantine and have similar reverses- but I see that there are slight variations in the obverse and reverse of all 4. So here is one of them: Would this in fact be Constantine I and from the Siscia mint?   |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
Hello Archraz,
This coin is in fact from Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia) and is of Constantines son Constantius II.
The mintmark is either 'BSIRM' or 'BSIRM.' - I cant see if the '.' is there so no sure which one it is.
'SIRM' obviously stands for Sirmium and the 'B' indicates Officinae Beta or 'workshop No 2'. The '.' would just be another way of differentiating between issues of the coin.
Obv: DN CONSTAN-TIVS PF AVG - Pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed, facing right, from front.
Rev: FEL TEMP-REPARATIO - Bare-headed reaching horseman being speared by either the Emperor or a soldier.
It was minted, I think around 350 - I'm sure someone will be able to narrow this dawn a bit with a bit of research.
The RIC reference is (depending on the '.') Sirmium 48/52/69.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
This particular coin is in pretty good shape. A little time soaking in olive oil could make a big difference.
JW
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
I'm not sure how much you know about Roman coins so this may or may not be of interest to you
DN CONSTANTIVS PF AVG
Dominus Noster CONSTANTIVS Pius Felix AVG
'Our Lord Constantius II the virtuous and happy Emperor'
FEL TEMP REPARATIO
'Restoration of Happy Times'
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
I can't read the legends well enough , but they are all Constantine Era coins. The first is from Siscia and the second I believe is from Serdica or Nicomedia (I can't quite make it out). The third I can't make out the mintmark.
I don't know if you care to share how much spent on these coins, but a fair price for them would not exceed $5-7 per coin. I buy totally uncleaned coins for approximately $2-2.50 each. About 30-40% of them will not be attributable, or if they are, they will not be worth what I spent on them.
JW
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
jwharper- Thanks for the input! yes, they are a bit rougher (especially the last one) than the previous Constantine II coin. But the lack of clarity has also much to do with my 9 year old scanner (Which still scans coins better than my new scanner for some reason). I actually paid about $5 a piece for these, so I think that I did ok.
I can read all 3 obverse legends,and they have the name "constantius," but which Constantine in particular, I am not certain. Should I presume that it is Constantine II since they are similar in terms of their reverses? Was the "Bare-headed reaching horseman being speared by either the Emperor or a soldier" common on the coins of Constantine II?
I believe that the Mint mark on the first of the 3 has SISN, but that the die had the N overlap with an A from the other lettering which was closer to the standing figure with the spear. On the second it almost looks like "AHHO" for the mint mark. And the third unfortunately most of the mint mark is off the flan, so I am not really able to tell what it is.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
CONSTANTINVS P F AVG = Constantine I CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C = Constantine II CONSTANTIVS NOB C = Constantius II FL IVL CONSTANS NOB C = Constans CRISPVS NOB C The reverse is a very common reverse of a roman legionary spearing a fallen enemy horseman. SIS = Siscia with an additional marking for the workshop SM? could mean its from Serdica or Nicomedia. The following link might assist you in identifying your coins: http://www.romancoin.info/I hope this helps. JW |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
Thanks for the help everyone! Also, Here is one of the uncleaned coins which I got in the lot. Might you be able to ID the obverse from this scan? The reverse has a lot of dirt still stuck on there. SO it will be going in olive oil soon. Any help would be appreciated!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
Hi everyone, I am sorry so say, but I am still a bit confused regarding the first coin that I posted (the readable one). Bobbyhelmet claimed that it was Constantine II and had the legend CONSTANTINVS P F AVG, yet jwharper claimed that CONSTANTINVS P F AVG = Constantine I. So I am a bit confused.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
It can be confusing with Constantine I naming most of his children after himself (kinda like George Foreman). Take a look at the link I provided earlier and I will provide it again. This page will try to make it easier to ID coins from each of these rulers. JW http://www.romancoin.info/ |
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Replies: 19 / Views: 6,473 |
Posted 09/19/2011 01:46 am
