The adopted son and intended heir of the emperor Hadrian, Aelius never attained the throne, as he died shortly before Hadrian. Aelius' son, Lucius Verus, however, later became co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius.
<< <i>Aelius Sestertius, Spes reverse, RIC II 1055
Aelius Sestertius, 137 AD, Rome. Obv: L AELIUS CAESAR, bare head right. Rev: TR POT COS II / S - C, Spes walking left, holding flower and raising skirt. 31-32 mm, 22.75 g RIC II, 1055
Good fine/fine. Inexpensive yet beautiful portrait Sestertius of this short-living caesar. >>
I was considering some medium to low-grade bronze As coins of Aelius, which were about all I could afford. When I saw this big, fat sestertius and realized I had a chance to get an even bigger coin with the same detail (which I could actually afford), I knew I had to have it.
Purchased from Rutten & Wieland in Switzerland, the same source from which I found my last surprisingly-affordable rare sestertius: the Galba, above. The Galba, at 35-36 mm, is the largest coin in my collection; a massive, chunky thing. I'll be pleased to feel the weight of this Aelius in hand- no doubt it is a big "fattie", as well. As with my previous purchases two days earlier from Incitatus, I caught a "10% off" sale on this one, which makes it all the nicer.
<< <i>"Cross" AE4 of Theodosius II (402-450 AD), Roman Empire
DN THEODOSIVS PF AVG, diademed bust right / CONCORDIA AVG, Cross within wreath. 11mm, 1.0 grams. >>
The seller called it "rare", but what eBay seller doesn't abuse the word a time or two? I doubt this type is particularly rare, but who cares. It fills an empty slot in the set. I bought this one off eBay, meaning this is only the second coin I've picked up there for this collection. Ebay is probably fine for inexpensive pieces like this, anyway. (Not to mention the seller is also a VCoins dealer, and VCoins is where I buy most of my Roman coins. Ironically, the only other one I've bought on eBay was a rare piece, the Pupienus above, but since it's a published plate coin, I wasn't worried about its authenticity.)
To be honest, I was perfectly content with the first one, for the time being, but since I was offered the second one, and it appeared to have nicer luster and just a tiny bit sharper detail, I bought it. Counting the proceeds of the quick sale of my first one, the whole upgrade cost me thirteen dollars. Worth it, I think.
What an incredible collection. Thank you for sharing. Ancient Rome is one of the areas I wish to expand into in the near future-by the end of 2008 for sure.
<< <i>Any NEWPS lately? I like following your collection's growth. You have a very nice set growing! >>
Thanks. As a matter o' fact, I added five yesterday, 7/23, which were my first purchases in more than four months.
I didn't have a whole lot of money to spend, since I have to keep some savings for a trip to NC next month, but I managed to fill four holes and upgrade one, which I consider to be be pretty good these days (the hill gets steeper and steeper to climb, y'know...)
First, my favorite of the bunch.
#079-Florian (276 AD), AE antoninianus. R4.
A rather short-lived emperor. Not a fantastic example, perhaps, but pretty decent, I think. At 90 bucks, it was the most expensive of yesterday's purchases. From Nemesis Ancients & Antiquities, through VCoins.com.
<< <i>Florian Antoninianus - Clementia
OBVERSE: Radiate bust right
REVERSE: Clementia standing left leaning on column.
A common emperor, but I was happy to find a fully silvered piece for only 22 bucks. This was a whim- I responded to an email and checked out bargainbinancients.com, whose coins are all $30 or less. They have a nice selection and some surprisingly appealing coins in that price range, so if this deal goes well, I will be recommending them. (PS- after some email correspondence, I think I am gonna really like these people).
Obviously I didn't expect to fill any holes in my set with less than thirty bucks, but a cheap upgrade is always fun, and I'm quite happy to have gotten the fully silvered coin below for not a whole lot more than what its non-silvered and slightly pitted predecessor cost me!
<< <i>Probus : Fully silvered antoninianus $22.00 A nice fully silvered coin with the CLEMENTIA TEMP reverse. A particularly nice obverse. >>
This is the one it is replacing:
#098-Fausta, wife of Constantine the Great (307-337 AD), AE3. R3.
Also bought from Nemesis, with whom I've done business a few times, and recommend.
<< <i>Fausta Ae3, first wife of Constantine
Obverse: FLAV MAX FAVSTA AVG. Draped bust right.
Reverse: SALVS REIPVBLICAE. Fausta standing head left holding two children (Constantine II and Constantius II.
18 mm - 2.8 grams >>
#113-Procopius (365-366 AD, usurper), AE3. R4.
A somewhat scarcer usurper. His coins are usually pretty crude and ugly. I reckon this one is a tiny bit above average (for a Procopius, anyway). It just made it into my "acceptable" range because of its mostly-readable name and relatively clear portrait. There was one I liked better, but it was $100-ish, and this one cost me only $57. Also from Nemesis.
<< <i>Procopius Æ, 365 - 366 AD
OBVERSE: DN PROCOPIUS PF AVG Pearl-diademed bust right
REVERSE: REPARATIO FEL TEMP Procopius standing left, holding labarum; christogram in right field
18mm - 2.6 grams >>
#121-Eudoxia, AE3. Wife of the eastern emperor Arcadius (383-407 AD). R3.
One of the last "cheap" holes in my set- it's all uphill from here. This one cost me 34 bucks, less a 16% sale discount (which I forgot to enter upon checkout-hope he lets me take it- that'll cover shipping plus a few cents, anyway). Like many bronzes from the last century of the Empire, these tend to be small and rather crude, but this particular example has readable legends, a decent portrait, and better than average centering. The selling point for me was the desert patina, though, which is always a plus in my estimation. From David Connors Ancient Coins & Artifacts, through VCoins.com. David Connors seems to be one of the leaders in inexpensive late Roman bronze, and has a nice selection for the budget-minded collector.
You might want to add more detail on your listing of coins by adding the date you acquired each coin and whom you acquired it from / or what auction if applcable).
example Zeno should indicate the Eliasberg auction date and the lot number so that you keep the all important provenance info.
You have the room on your initial posting to add that information.
Seriously, I think it enhances not only the value of a set but also preserves history and makes the collecting so much more enjoyable for not only the current but also past and future owners to see that they have somehow been made immortal.
I guess in some ways you're the father of my set, but really more like an uncle. I suppose credit for fatherhood is mostly due to Michael S. ("Aethelred"), whose ancient coins and knowledge about them inspired me years before I actually took the plunge. The seeds of my interest in ancient coins were sown more than a decade ago, but they took a long time to germinate because I had a lot of learning to do first. (Of course, I still have a lot of learning to do- but that process is what it's all about, right?)
I have kept provenance and price information on just about every coin, and now I'm trying to backtrack and fill in some of the blanks on the attributions, which will be a learning process. In my first year as a collector of these, I've mostly been focused on acquiring as many coins as possible and learning the chronological order and brief biographical high points of each emperor. Most of my time has been spent reading about the emperors and their historical contexts, and brushing up on some of the vocabulary.
I have yet to really get down to the numismatic nuts and bolts of attributing the coins by catalog number or grading them. Mostly I have relied on my dealers for that, so far. I'm about ready to take that next step.
It's a shame that classical history and Greek and Latin fell by the wayside in our schools for the most part. I never was exposed to any of that in school, aside from the briefest mention in one high school World History class. Now I've picked up a smattering of Latin and my knowledge of Classical history has grown considerably, thanks to this project. So as ever, it's part hobby and part education. That makes the money quite well spent, I think. I certainly wouldn't have learned all this by collecting Franklin halves or Roosevelt dimes. (Not that there is anything wrong with such collecting pursuits- they can be fun- but they don't hold a candle to stuff like this when it comes to providing an education.) The money I have been spending on this set can be considered tuition of sorts. (Nearly $7K over the past year and a half, I discovered to my astonishment when I compiled a spreadsheet this morning! On my salary, that is no small investment.)
I never finished college, so in many ways this is "tuition" of sorts. And instead of debt in the form of a student loan, I have something tangible to show for my tuition money.
By the way, you will find it amazing and sad that the future buyer will sometimes care more about who previously owned your coin than about who the Emperor was.
Lot of nice coins. Great set! I collect Roman coins the same way you do. That's a nice way to get into the fascinating history of the empire. When I "finish" (if there is such a concept in numismatics) the emperors, preferably with spouse/family members, I'm going to go back to the republic. I also find it interesting to follow the development/decline of a denomination - the 3rd century is very interesting with respect to this.
Yeah, it's a nice coin (and not for sale, sorry) I'm amused by the Paci Avg reverse. Well, at least he could hope.... His coins, though pretty rare, are not among the most expensive, I think. I paid 200$ for this one, which still is a lot of money of course. I believe it's possible to wait around for bargains when it comes to these obscure emperors. My best purchases of ancients have been coins from the era between Maximinus and Diocletian.
Pleased to meetcha, a.l. Of course I've seen you around a little bit, but it looks as though you joined up just as I was fading away on my three-month sabbatical. 'Twas the Roman set that brought me back around. For a while there, I got into a funk and just stepped completely away from numismatics and the Internet. I do that- it's cyclical with me. Now I'm feeling enthusiastic again. Thanks for the compliment- that helps.
After some thought, I have made the difficult decision and have decided to sell this collection, if anyone is interested. Until I get a proper sale thread going, consider this thread a preview of the sale. The gold Zeno solidus will not be included in the sale, but everything else will be sold.
Lord M, if interested, I would be willing to acquire one Lord M Pedigreed Roman in trade for the two you won from me on ebay, you chose on what one would be appropriate ( I really know very little about them, which is why I sold mine off for now.) Just PM me if interested. Very nice collection by the way!
RG- I just now realized I had won two from you! Sorry for not paying up, yet. I only returned from vacation last night, and hadn't checked email or eBay yet.
IF you want to trade one for your two, we can choose one of a value similar to the pair I owe you money for, but otherwise I will just pay you for those two. Thanks for the reminder to check eBay- I didn't realize I'd won those auctions!
Actually, I made two upgrades this weekend and also added a low-grade hole-filler of Livia, so this list and the associated pictures will need some updating before I put up the sale. Even though I am keeping the gold coin, the set has actually improved a little bit in the last week, and those improvements are not yet shown, as of this post!
Hey, Rick- I can sympathize with the lack-of-funds thing.
It's not necessarily a sad event that I am selling this set. I had my fun with them, and will still enjoy them while I own them. I learned a lot collecting them, and had a LOT of fun with them. The knowledge and experience gained stays with me.
If I break up the set, which seems likely as I don't foresee too many eager buyers in the $7K range for a single lot, I am likely to continue owning some of these for a while, so you may yet have a chance at some of them, if you are interested later on.
I might put the whole thing up on eBay after I have updated it with the new additions (and removed the Zeno solidus, which I am keeping). I would start it at or around my cost, so it would have a high starting bid. Then if it sold, great, but if not, fine- I would then break it up.
I'm not gonna "dump" these or rush to sell any of them. This is not a distress sale. (At least not for the next month or two, while I am still getting paid my severance pay from the old job).
PS- re. your sig line pic... you suck for digging a Bust dime. I haven't, yet.
(I have found a holey 1829 half dime, though- my one and only Bust coin found while detecting.)
Ya gots to do what ya gots to do. I like your positive attitude about the whole thing. Personally, I've subsequently sold most of the coins I ever posted here as newps (with some core exceptions). For me, the majority of the pleasure is in the thrill of the chase, or should I say, the find. It's the obtaining, or the anticipation and revelation of the newly-acquired piece, not necessarily the owning of said piece. I guess that's why, after a period of time, I don't mind letting go of most pieces (ideally at a profit ). The lustre really does wear off.
Exactly. The luster doesn't necessarily wear off for me, but collecting is more about the pursuit, and once ownership is gained, I don't mind selling the coins after a while.
There is nothing that says a dealer can't still enjoy his coins just like a collector does. He just has to be a tiny bit more detached, and usually holds them for a somewhat shorter period, that's all.
I love buyin' stuff, enjoy holding it for a while, and then I love selling it just as much.
Yup, nothing like the rush of setting an object, running your target down and closing for the kill... (my my such aggressive language).
A good friend of mine tells a story about a mutual dealer friend (very nice guy) who always wanted a piece of Swedish plate money. This was a long term interest and while he didn't follow auctions/mail sales, he did set up at some regional shows with his partner and would make his interest known to dealers of world coins. Finally, he nailed a piece at a show and then proceeded to proudly show it to everyone that stopped by his table. My friend dropped by his table on the closing day and found that the dealer had already sold the thing to someone else, probably making a modest profit. When asked why, the dealer just shrugged and said he just always wanted to own one....now he had. So there was no real reason to hold onto it any longer.
Collectors are indeed certifiable.
Always interested in St Louis MO & IL metro area and Evansville IN national bank notes and Vatican/papal states coins and medals!
Comments
#022: Aelius. R6.
Caesar ca. 136-138 AD.
The adopted son and intended heir of the emperor Hadrian, Aelius never attained the throne, as he died shortly before Hadrian. Aelius' son, Lucius Verus, however, later became co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius.
<< <i>Aelius Sestertius, Spes reverse, RIC II 1055
Aelius Sestertius, 137 AD, Rome.
Obv: L AELIUS CAESAR, bare head right.
Rev: TR POT COS II / S - C, Spes walking left, holding flower and raising skirt.
31-32 mm, 22.75 g
RIC II, 1055
Good fine/fine. Inexpensive yet beautiful portrait Sestertius of this short-living caesar. >>
I was considering some medium to low-grade bronze As coins of Aelius, which were about all I could afford. When I saw this big, fat sestertius and realized I had a chance to get an even bigger coin with the same detail (which I could actually afford), I knew I had to have it.
Purchased from Rutten & Wieland in Switzerland, the same source from which I found my last surprisingly-affordable rare sestertius: the Galba, above. The Galba, at 35-36 mm, is the largest coin in my collection; a massive, chunky thing. I'll be pleased to feel the weight of this Aelius in hand- no doubt it is a big "fattie", as well. As with my previous purchases two days earlier from Incitatus, I caught a "10% off" sale on this one, which makes it all the nicer.
#124: Theodosius II. R3.
Long-reigning Eastern emperor circa 402-450 AD.
<< <i>"Cross" AE4 of Theodosius II (402-450 AD), Roman Empire
DN THEODOSIVS PF AVG, diademed bust right / CONCORDIA AVG, Cross within wreath. 11mm, 1.0 grams. >>
The seller called it "rare", but what eBay seller doesn't abuse the word a time or two? I doubt this type is particularly rare, but who cares. It fills an empty slot in the set. I bought this one off eBay, meaning this is only the second coin I've picked up there for this collection. Ebay is probably fine for inexpensive pieces like this, anyway. (Not to mention the seller is also a VCoins dealer, and VCoins is where I buy most of my Roman coins. Ironically, the only other one I've bought on eBay was a rare piece, the Pupienus above, but since it's a published plate coin, I wasn't worried about its authenticity.)
#52: Philip I ("Philip the Arab").
Sometimes, without you actively seeking a particular coin, it finds you.
I upgraded from this one:
To this one:
To be honest, I was perfectly content with the first one, for the time being, but since I was offered the second one, and it appeared to have nicer luster and just a tiny bit sharper detail, I bought it. Counting the proceeds of the quick sale of my first one, the whole upgrade cost me thirteen dollars. Worth it, I think.
I like following your collection's growth. Yioua have a very nice set growing!
<< <i>Any NEWPS lately?
I like following your collection's growth. You have a very nice set growing! >>
Thanks. As a matter o' fact, I added five yesterday, 7/23, which were my first purchases in more than four months.
I didn't have a whole lot of money to spend, since I have to keep some savings for a trip to NC next month, but I managed to fill four holes and upgrade one, which I consider to be be pretty good these days (the hill gets steeper and steeper to climb, y'know...)
First, my favorite of the bunch.
#079-Florian (276 AD), AE antoninianus. R4.
A rather short-lived emperor. Not a fantastic example, perhaps, but pretty decent, I think. At 90 bucks, it was the most expensive of yesterday's purchases. From Nemesis Ancients & Antiquities, through VCoins.com.
<< <i>Florian Antoninianus - Clementia
OBVERSE: Radiate bust right
REVERSE: Clementia standing left leaning on column.
22mm - 3.7 grams >>
Next, the upgrade.
#080-Probus (276-282 AD), AE silvered antoninianus. R2.
A common emperor, but I was happy to find a fully silvered piece for only 22 bucks. This was a whim- I responded to an email and checked out bargainbinancients.com, whose coins are all $30 or less. They have a nice selection and some surprisingly appealing coins in that price range, so if this deal goes well, I will be recommending them. (PS- after some email correspondence, I think I am gonna really like these people).
Obviously I didn't expect to fill any holes in my set with less than thirty bucks, but a cheap upgrade is always fun, and I'm quite happy to have gotten the fully silvered coin below for not a whole lot more than what its non-silvered and slightly pitted predecessor cost me!
<< <i>Probus : Fully silvered antoninianus
$22.00
A nice fully silvered coin with the CLEMENTIA TEMP reverse. A particularly nice obverse. >>
This is the one it is replacing:
#098-Fausta, wife of Constantine the Great (307-337 AD), AE3. R3.
Also bought from Nemesis, with whom I've done business a few times, and recommend.
<< <i>Fausta Ae3, first wife of Constantine
Obverse: FLAV MAX FAVSTA AVG. Draped bust right.
Reverse: SALVS REIPVBLICAE. Fausta standing head left holding two children (Constantine II and Constantius II.
18 mm - 2.8 grams >>
#113-Procopius (365-366 AD, usurper), AE3. R4.
A somewhat scarcer usurper. His coins are usually pretty crude and ugly. I reckon this one is a tiny bit above average (for a Procopius, anyway). It just made it into my "acceptable" range because of its mostly-readable name and relatively clear portrait. There was one I liked better, but it was $100-ish, and this one cost me only $57. Also from Nemesis.
<< <i>Procopius Æ, 365 - 366 AD
OBVERSE: DN PROCOPIUS PF AVG Pearl-diademed bust right
REVERSE: REPARATIO FEL TEMP Procopius standing left, holding labarum; christogram in right field
18mm - 2.6 grams >>
#121-Eudoxia, AE3. Wife of the eastern emperor Arcadius (383-407 AD). R3.
One of the last "cheap" holes in my set- it's all uphill from here. This one cost me 34 bucks, less a 16% sale discount (which I forgot to enter upon checkout-hope he lets me take it- that'll cover shipping plus a few cents, anyway). Like many bronzes from the last century of the Empire, these tend to be small and rather crude, but this particular example has readable legends, a decent portrait, and better than average centering. The selling point for me was the desert patina, though, which is always a plus in my estimation. From David Connors Ancient Coins & Artifacts, through VCoins.com. David Connors seems to be one of the leaders in inexpensive late Roman bronze, and has a nice selection for the budget-minded collector.
<< <i>Eudoxia AE3 GLORIA ROMANORVM. Eudoxia enthroned facing, holds wreath >>
(He means Eudoxia right, with wreath above.)
<< <i>Eudoxia AE3 GLORIA ROMANORVM. Eudoxia enthroned facing, holds wreath.
S#4240. 18mm >>
You might want to add more detail on your listing of coins by adding the date you acquired each coin and whom you acquired it from / or what auction if applcable).
example Zeno should indicate the Eliasberg auction date and the lot number so that you keep the all important provenance info.
You have the room on your initial posting to add that information.
Of course, cost information can be kept private.
I also intend to post the attributions, but that'll take a bit of work for the pieces that are currently unattributed by Sear/RIC number, etc.
So I am the FATHER of your set?
Seriously, I think it enhances not only the value of a set but also preserves history and makes the collecting so much more enjoyable for not only the current but also past and future owners to see that they have somehow been made immortal.
I have kept provenance and price information on just about every coin, and now I'm trying to backtrack and fill in some of the blanks on the attributions, which will be a learning process. In my first year as a collector of these, I've mostly been focused on acquiring as many coins as possible and learning the chronological order and brief biographical high points of each emperor. Most of my time has been spent reading about the emperors and their historical contexts, and brushing up on some of the vocabulary.
I have yet to really get down to the numismatic nuts and bolts of attributing the coins by catalog number or grading them. Mostly I have relied on my dealers for that, so far. I'm about ready to take that next step.
It's a shame that classical history and Greek and Latin fell by the wayside in our schools for the most part. I never was exposed to any of that in school, aside from the briefest mention in one high school World History class. Now I've picked up a smattering of Latin and my knowledge of Classical history has grown considerably, thanks to this project. So as ever, it's part hobby and part education. That makes the money quite well spent, I think. I certainly wouldn't have learned all this by collecting Franklin halves or Roosevelt dimes. (Not that there is anything wrong with such collecting pursuits- they can be fun- but they don't hold a candle to stuff like this when it comes to providing an education.) The money I have been spending on this set can be considered tuition of sorts. (Nearly $7K over the past year and a half, I discovered to my astonishment when I compiled a spreadsheet this morning! On my salary, that is no small investment.)
I never finished college, so in many ways this is "tuition" of sorts. And instead of debt in the form of a student loan, I have something tangible to show for my tuition money.
LOL.
I like that too.
By the way, you will find it amazing and sad that the future buyer will sometimes care more about who previously owned your coin than about who the Emperor was.
I collect Roman coins the same way you do. That's a nice way to get into the fascinating history of the empire.
When I "finish" (if there is such a concept in numismatics) the emperors, preferably with spouse/family members,
I'm going to go back to the republic. I also find it interesting to follow the development/decline of a denomination -
the 3rd century is very interesting with respect to this.
Well, here's a little teaser:-)
Svein
(I probably couldn't afford it anyway.)
Nice! OK, you made me a little jealous.
I'm amused by the Paci Avg reverse. Well, at least he could hope....
His coins, though pretty rare, are not among the most expensive, I think.
I paid 200$ for this one, which still is a lot of money of course.
I believe it's possible to wait around for bargains when it comes to these obscure emperors.
My best purchases of ancients have been coins from the era between Maximinus and Diocletian.
Svein
Incredible!!!
IF you want to trade one for your two, we can choose one of a value similar to the pair I owe you money for, but otherwise I will just pay you for those two. Thanks for the reminder to check eBay- I didn't realize I'd won those auctions!
Actually, I made two upgrades this weekend and also added a low-grade hole-filler of Livia, so this list and the associated pictures will need some updating before I put up the sale. Even though I am keeping the gold coin, the set has actually improved a little bit in the last week, and those improvements are not yet shown, as of this post!
PM on the way.
<< <i>I have made the difficult decision and have decided to sell this collection >>
Say it ain't so!!!
And me without funds...
Best of luck,
Rick
1836 Capped Liberty
dime. My oldest US
detecting find so far.
I dig almost every
signal I get for the most
part. Go figure...
It's not necessarily a sad event that I am selling this set. I had my fun with them, and will still enjoy them while I own them. I learned a lot collecting them, and had a LOT of fun with them. The knowledge and experience gained stays with me.
If I break up the set, which seems likely as I don't foresee too many eager buyers in the $7K range for a single lot, I am likely to continue owning some of these for a while, so you may yet have a chance at some of them, if you are interested later on.
I might put the whole thing up on eBay after I have updated it with the new additions (and removed the Zeno solidus, which I am keeping). I would start it at or around my cost, so it would have a high starting bid. Then if it sold, great, but if not, fine- I would then break it up.
I'm not gonna "dump" these or rush to sell any of them. This is not a distress sale. (At least not for the next month or two, while I am still getting paid my severance pay from the old job).
PS- re. your sig line pic... you suck for digging a Bust dime. I haven't, yet.
(I have found a holey 1829 half dime, though- my one and only Bust coin found while detecting.)
WNC Coins, LLC
1987-C Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
wnccoins.com
That is IF I do not sell the set in its entirety, of course.
Good luck!
1/2 Cents
U.S. Revenue Stamps
There is nothing that says a dealer can't still enjoy his coins just like a collector does. He just has to be a tiny bit more detached, and usually holds them for a somewhat shorter period, that's all.
I love buyin' stuff, enjoy holding it for a while, and then I love selling it just as much.
A good friend of mine tells a story about a mutual dealer friend (very nice guy) who always wanted a piece of Swedish plate money. This was a long term interest and while he didn't follow auctions/mail sales, he did set up at some regional shows with his partner and would make his interest known to dealers of world coins. Finally, he nailed a piece at a show and then proceeded to proudly show it to everyone that stopped by his table. My friend dropped by his table on the closing day and found that the dealer had already sold the thing to someone else, probably making a modest profit. When asked why, the dealer just shrugged and said he just always wanted to own one....now he had. So there was no real reason to hold onto it any longer.
Collectors are indeed certifiable.