Which Geta denarius would you keep?

lordmarcovan · May 20, 2007 11:54AM

Actually, this is a pretty moot question, because I think I have made up my mind, but they are both very nice.

I paid $40 for one and I paid $79 for the other. Can you guess which was which, and which YOU would keep? The one I chose is not only a tiny bit nicer but has provenance (pedigree information).

By the way, I did the black-background pic with my scanner, using the advice I got from John Knudsen (johnsim03), and some tweaks of my own. Not too bad for a scanner pic, if I do say so myself. Better than my usual, anyway. I learned how to do a black background without using any photo editing. Like many scanner pics, it does tend to wash out the luster or make bright surfaces a bit flatter. The pic is grainy, but I am pleased with it as it is an improvement from my usual, I suppose.

Blackhawk · May 20, 2007 1:17PM

Were I to Geta denarius, I'd choose the second.

Blackhawk · May 20, 2007 1:23PM

When I read how much you paid for them, I almost had a Caesar.

Blackhawk · May 20, 2007 1:28PM

I'm sorry, I'll stop now...I'm probably striking a Nerva with some of you ancient collectors.

hookedoncoins · May 20, 2007 1:34PM

I would also choose the second coin since it has more detail. They are both very nice coins.

Aethelred · May 20, 2007 1:42PM

I like #1 better.

koincollect · May 20, 2007 1:45PM

I seem to like the first and would not care about the provenance.

Swampboy · May 20, 2007 1:46PM

I like the first one. What do the differences signify?

I really like this ancient silver.

Here's my Geta for another look.

lordmarcovan · May 20, 2007 3:26PM

Bill's quite the punster tonight!

Maybe I should've done this in a poll.

The first coin is a little more "natural" looking.

The second has a bit better detail but is bright and shiny, perhaps a little too shiny. It is lovely, though. The "shine" (I'm reluctant to say "luster") doesn't come out in the picture much.

The second is the one with a pedigree. Not necessarily a famous pedigree or anything, but a thirty-year-old one. I just think it is rather neat to know something about the past owners of a coin; it tells a bit of the story, since they can't talk. I guess I just gave away which one I chose, but I am still not totally decided yet, hence this discussion.

I would say the picture (dealer's photo) of the first coin is fairly accurate, while the picture (my scan) of the second one is accurate only in regard to the details and such- the coin has more "shine" to it in hand, as mentioned. Which is both good and not so good, perhaps.

Now, guess which was the $40 coin and which the $79 coin.

WillieBoyd2 · May 21, 2007 3:54AM

Geta was the star of the Roman version of "Leave it to Beaver".

rhound1977 · May 21, 2007 4:06AM

#2, I use black felt on my scanner for a background but about the only thing I scan is paper money.

johnsim03 · May 21, 2007 10:52AM

I would keep the second one, as the rotation angle appears to be close to
0 degrees, and the portrait is excellent. I suspect that it is better in hand than in the image,
though the image is not bad at all !! Before I made the final decision, though, I would
check out the pellet on the reverse of the first coin, to see if it has any significance other
than being an adjustment mark... I suspect that number 1 is the $79 coin.

They are both nice coins.

Tough decision.

John

lordmarcovan · May 21, 2007 2:51PM

You are correct. #1 was the $79 coin.

<< <i>I would keep the second one, as the rotation angle appears to be close to 0 degrees, and the portrait is excellent. >>

The portrait is indeed excellent, and a tiny bit sharper than the first coin, but the rotation angle isn't necessarily zero degrees- that just happens to be the way I laid the coin on the scanner. I will have to examine that when I get home.

Thanks.

johnsim03 · May 21, 2007 4:10PM

<< <i>You are correct. #1 was the $79 coin.

<< <i>I would keep the second one, as the rotation angle appears to be close to 0 degrees, and the portrait is excellent. >>

The portrait is indeed excellent, and a tiny bit sharper than the first coin, but the rotation angle isn't necessarily zero degrees- that just happens to be the way I laid the coin on the scanner. I will have to examine that when I get home.

Thanks. >>

I was going by the flan crack on the obverse and reverse, regarding the rotation angle. If it is the same crack on obverse and
reverse that appears in the image, it should be very close to straight up, right?

The alignment gets confusing sometimes...

John

lordmarcovan · May 21, 2007 4:20PM

Yes, I suppose you're right. The flan crack should tell the tale.

Automan · May 21, 2007 11:36PM

If the tone of the second one is natural, I would keep that one. Slightly better detail and more mature portrait. In particular, it shows more of the side burns.

If it's really, really shiny and at the same time somewhat grainy, I'd probably go for the first one, though.

Automan

dcamp78 · May 22, 2007 7:39AM

I like the second one better. It looks to be centered better on the reverse.

lordmarcovan · May 22, 2007 2:10PM

<< <i>If the tone of the second one is natural, I would keep that one. Slightly better detail and more mature portrait. In particular, it shows more of the side burns.

If it's really, really shiny and at the same time somewhat grainy, I'd probably go for the first one, though. >>

The tone on the second coin is less natural. It is indeed really, really shiny. But not grainy- that is more an artifact of my photography.

The first coin is more natural but the "flash" of the second one is appealing, if not totally natural. And the second one has superior detail.

Here is another picture of the second one.

Automan · May 22, 2007 6:03PM

In the end, it's about which is more appealing to you. I tend to like toned silver, but shiny silver is nicer the better the grade.

Automan

lordmarcovan · May 22, 2007 6:27PM

Think I'll go with the shiny silver one #2, though the slightly more natural one is nice, too. As to the shiny silver one, I have a number of others from the the same collection, with the same look, and they are all really sharp, high-grade coins.

If anybody is interested in the first coin above at my cost, PM me. Otherwise, I might sell it to my uncle at a modest profit. He's more a hoarder than a collector, but mentioned he might be interested in a nice piece of ancient silver.

Which Geta denarius would you keep?

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