How rare are the Gordian I and Gordian II denarii?
BillJones
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These two coin represent a pair of Roman emperors who ruled for about 22 days in 238 AD when there were six emperors. The number days varies slightly depending upon the source.
How rare are their denarii? They seem to sell in a range from about $3,000 to $9,000 for coins in the VF to AU range. Heritage sold a Mint State piece for $9,900.
Since I have examples of both pieces I am interested to how many pieces there might be. The auction appearances suggest that it might be a few hundred for each emperor. If that's true, then these coins are scarce, but they are not great rarities. The rule of thumb is usually there are a great many more pieces extant in addition to what is on the market.
Here my Gordian I piece
And my Gordian II, which is nicer.
Comments
I wouldn't consider them rare at all. Scarce, agree, but not rare. If someone wants one bad enough, they can be found. Of course, you have to watch out for some good fakes.
Both of your coins are wonderful examples, congrats.
ERIC (Encyclopaedia of Roman Imperial Coins) has rarity tables by emperor. There's a relative list that tries to compare all emperors in one https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=eric - rarity tables
Gordian I and II are quite a way down at the rarer end of the scale, although it shows their silver coins are just as available as bronze. I think they're at the level where you can get them, but you will have to pay a lot for quality - yours must be at the better end.
Nice Gordiani you have there! Despite the brevity of their reign, they had the support of the Senate, and coins were likely struck in advance of their actual uprising against Maximinus I. This probably accounts for their availability compared to their very short reign.