The ancient world
doubledragon
Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭
I know some of you guys collect coins and are knowledgeable about coins, and I like to poke around the coin forum from time to time, but I have always been curious, what is the holy grail of coin collecting? What is the one coin that is considered the absolute holy grail? Is it the 1933 Double Eagle?
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This is wild.
I love a good treasure hunt, this is one of my all time favorite treasures of the world, The Rosetta Stone, it was the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Another of my favorites is the mask of Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun.
Tutankhamun's death mask was discovered in 1923 by archaeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnavon when they finally were able to locate Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt after years of searching. Howard Carter was completely obsessed with finding the tomb and was on his last legs financially when they hit paydirt.
King Tut's tomb was loaded with treasures, items placed in his tomb by the ancient Egyptian's and the items were placed there because the ancient Egyptian's believed that the king could take them with him to the afterlife.
The sarcophagus's in the tomb were astonishing.
Too many holy grails in the coin world. You’ll get lots of different answers on this one.
Looks like it's made of gold.
I wonder what's the meltdown value?
<<< the one coin that is considered the absolute holy grail? >>>
I've always considered it to be the 1804 silver dollar.
I saw the Tutankhamun mask when the collection was on display at a museum in Los Angeles around 1978. I was very excited about the opportunity to inspect it and really check it out! Huge disappointment! All the museum visitors were placed in a single file line with instructions to keep moving. No stopping. I did see it. Sort of.
You can't even get coin guys to agree most coins are round. There is a 400 post recent thread on luster that won't end. Getting them to agree on on a single issue as The Holy Grail is like debating best baseball player ever over here. Only nerdier. Much nerdier. You won't get a definitive answer.
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Best coin is the last one I purchased. Then the next, next Wash , rinse, repeat.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
I couldn't figure out what button to push...agree....like.....or lol. I go with all 3. Good post.
I remember going to Paris France in 1992 and visiting the Louvre museum, the place was huge and had all kinds of treasures there. Of course, the granddaddy of them all, the one that everyone wanted to see was Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting. I remember back in 1992 it was behind a thick case and they have since moved the painting to another part of the museum I do believe.
I was there in 1986.
It was a thrill to see in person, all this chit that you've seen in books and such over the years.
The Louvre was awesome, no question about it. I've been to a lot of museums, i happen to like museums, and to me the Louvre was the best.
Yes, it was quite an experience, they had so much stuff in there it was unbelievable. The Venus De Milo was also one of my favorites, the mystery if how it's arms originally looked was fascinating!
At the time i was there, they had the Venus De Milo outside, maybe around 50 yards from the building as visitors were walking in. Which struck me as odd that they would have such an iconic sculpture as this outdoors? I mean it was prone to the rain, etc.
Maybe they just did that on sunny days, and took it indoors during inclement weather and the winter...i do not know and did not ask. LOL
That is strange, rain would be a huge concern for me, I would never allow such a masterpiece to sit outside vulnerable like that. When I was there in 1992 it was back indoors when I viewed it.
I've always wanted to see the original statue of David, sculpted by the brilliant Michelangelo. The original is located in the Accedemia Gallery of Florence. The statue is huge at 17 feet tall, and it's fascinating to imagine Michelangelo working on it.
The two other coins that would give the recently auctioned 1933 DE a run for the money would be the 'J-1776 pattern' and a 1849 proof Double Eagle. Either of those coins would bring Mona Lisa money. $20-50 Million possible. Multiple bidders above the 1933 price probably.
The problem with the 1933 is that many are known but can't be legally sold so the one that sold brought that price because of a controlled market. Perfectly legal (not exactly but not subject to Secret Service siezure) to own another one out of country. Recently minted Gold was exchanged for old gold at the Mint cashiers window pre 1933 at face value. The govt said the 1933 double eagles were never 'monetized officially' so 33's are illegal to own and the gov started siezing known ones for the last 80 years.
Mona Lisa money is billions and the bidding may never end
The Koons 1986 Rabbit fetched 100 million. There are 3 of them. The artist is still living.
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Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
In 1911, in Peru, american explorer, Hiram Bingham, set out on an expedition in the jungles of Peru in search for a lost city, the terrain was brutal, thick jungles, rivers, and mountains, and on July 24, on an isolated mountain side, he discovered one of the most beautiful and famous archaeological discoveries in history, the lost city of Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca city that was a getaway for the ancient rulers of the Inca civilization. He had to climb up the mountain to get to it, and it's location is just insane and it's amazing that any civilization could build a city there. The city was overgrown by jungle and vines, and Hiram Bingham spent 1911-1915 excavating it so it's full beauty could be seen by the world. It was an amazing city that had it's own water systems. A few photos from the original expedition.
A few more photos from the discovery of Machu Picchu.
This is what Machu Picchu looks like today, on it's mountainside high up in Peru.
More photos of Machu Picchu.
This is what Machu Picchu looked like in 1911 when it was first discovered, it was completely covered in thick jungle compared to how it looks today.
I read on the news today that archeologists have just discovered the lost city of Detroit.
Excavation will begin on Tuesday.
That is fascinating, they've been looking for New York City for years, but no luck yet.
This is one of the most fascinating discoveries in history. In 1974 in China, the tomb of China's first emporer Qin Shi Huang was dicovered by some local farmers. It is a HUGE tomb that looked like a big grassy hill. As the years went by and they began to excavate the site, they were absolutely shocked at what they found inside. The tomb went underground into a huge area, and they discovered an army of 8,000 soldier statues, each statue was uniquely different as far as facial features are concerned. The 8,000 soldier statues were lined up in a military formation. The Ancient Chinese worshipped their emperor, and these statues were meant to symbolize his army, and they were put there to protect their emperor in the afterlife. The tomb reportedly had traps designed to keep intruders out. Here is what the site looks like today, a huge hill covered in grass and trees. This tomb has all kinds of underground chambers and hidden rooms, and is very complex.
Here is what Qin Shi Huang's tomb looked like thousands of years ago, when it was first built.
The 8,000 soldier statues discovered inside, Qin Shi Huang's army, all lined up in a military formation.
Also with the soldiers were statues of horses and weapons scattered everywhere.
Here is what the statue army looked like when the tomb was first built.
This is emperor Qin Shi Huang's burial chamber, his resting place is reportedly on top of a small river of mercury.
All of these treasures are making me think about my own stash of valuables. I have a small safe where I keep my most prized possessions, my Joe Louis cards, Terry Bradshaw nudes, jewelry, etc.
I've been to see the Terracotta Warriors several times. The size and scale is unworldly
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Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
That is awesome, I would love to visit the site someday, it's unbelievable what the ancient people were able to do.
The 8,000 soldier statues are displaying enthusiasm as if they were watching Jalen Hurts play QB.