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A new Emperor for my collection!
MKUltra24
Posts: 652 ✭✭✭✭
Hey everyone just wanted to share my newest pickup for my collection of Roman Emperor denarii.
This Domitian is the oldest Emperor I have, replacing the old oldest Trajan.
Yeah it has some scratches and the obverse was over cleaned but I’m still totally happy with it 
Domitian, as Augustus (AD 81-96). AR denarius (18mm, 3.31 gm, 5h). NGC AU 5/5 - 2/5. Rome, AD 88. IMP CAES DOMIT AVG-GERM P M TR P VII, laureate head of Domitian right / IMP XIIII COS XIIII CENS P P P, Minerva standing facing, head left, thunderbolt in right hand, spear in left, shield behind her leaning against her legs. RIC II.1 580.
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Well done!
Thanks! Next up: Augustus, Tiberius and Nerva ^_^
Once I get Nerva I’ll have all 5 “Good Emperors”.
As Niccolo Machiavelli once wrote:
“Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus, and Marcus (Aurelius) had no need of praetorian cohorts, or of countless legions to guard them, but were defended by their own good lives, the good-will of their subjects, and the attachment of the senate.”
Although sometimes Titus is included.
Very nice centering, strike and planchet. Too bad it was cleaned. Still, a nice coin to have.
A nice Nerva will be a challenge. He wasn't emperor for long. Tiberius is not rare but is very popular.
Really nice coin. I'm not sure it deserves to be in a holder saying the surface is '2'.
It's a bit shiny but every ancient coin has been cleaned, since they come out of the ground. These weren't hoarded as much as later coins, so they've often been through a lot.
99% of ancients are cleaned. Why? Because they came out of the ground in most cases.
It’s not the same as with modern coins like a Morgan Dollar where cleaning dramatically decreases the value of the coin.
When people buy ancients they expect them to come cleaned. This one was just a little over enthusiastically cleaned.
I actually asked Barry Murphy (one of NGC’s ancient coin experts) about the 2/5 surface grade on the CT forums because I felt a 3 was more accurate and I was very stubbornly thinking a 2 was undergraded.
Here is what he replied:
He is an an NGC expert and I am far from an expert but I understand what he is saying and where he is coming from and now I do think a 2/5 surface was the correct grade for the surface since it was an AU grade. If it was an XF it would’ve gotten a 3 surface grade for sure.
Well, I'm sure it makes sense to them. I would've thought the point of having 3 grades is that they're independent of each other, otherwise you might as well just have one grade. Why would a coin with exactly the same scratches and cleaning as another score worse just because it was less worn? There's not much room below a 2, and many coins much more damaged.
Well for comparison here is another coin of the exact same type and 5/5 2/5 grade as mine. Except this one is labeled “scratches”.
Barry said mine wasn’t labeled with “scratches” because they were obvious and that they only put “scratches” if the scratches could be missed by someone at arm’s length.
It’s ok though because I still really like my coin even with the scratches. The strike is good and well centered and the words are all there on the flan.
Hopefully that 2/5 grade kept the price down and allowed me to get it for cheaper.
No matter what the grade says no one will ever convince me that my coin is a bad coin or a junk coin.
Actually believe it or not a Nerva denarius tends to sell for much cheaper than a Tiberius denarius of the same grade.
Like an AU Nerva 4/5 strike 4/5 surface is cheaper than an AU Tiberius 4/5 strike & surface.
I have bids on a Nerva & a Tiberius on this week’s Heritage Auctions ancients auction.
I love that HA has ancients up for auction every single week and I see a lot more Nerva’s than Tiberius’ denarii.
However it’s important to note that I’m speaking only of the denarius of each. I have no idea if other coins of Nerva are indeed more expensive. Maybe a Nerva sestertius does cost more than a Tiberius.
Or are you speaking solely of actual rarity and not price?
I collected Roman Coins quite seriously back in the 1980's and had most of the emperor's denarius coins. My experience may not reflect the current market. Tiberius is very popular because of his connection to passages from the Bible even though none of them say the coins actually pictured Tiberius. Condition wise, my Nerva was nicer than my Tiberius. Unfortunately, I sold the collection long ago. I wish I still had it.
It’s funny you mention that because I am actually collecting the denarius of every Emperor I can right now. But I also have a side focus on Ancient Greek coins too.
I majored in Classical History so I’m fascinated by holding that history in my hand.
Also I am just going by Heritage prices.
A CH XF Tiberius 4/5 strike 4/5 surface recently sold for $840
But this CH XF Nerva 4/5 strike 4/5 surface sold for $480
Maybe you are thinking of higher grades?
As for the Tribute Penny I read an article a while back and it said:
“However, it has been suggested by some scholars that denarii were not in common circulation in Judaea during Jesus' lifetime and that the coin was more probably an Antiochan tetradrachm bearing the head of Tiberius, with Augustus on the reverse.”
That would be interesting to know for sure what coin it was. I bet if scholars were able to prove exactly what type of coin it was the price would skyrocket for those coins immediately.