What can you tell me about this ancient?

newbiecollector

What would you think the value of this example would be?
Only description other than the photo is : Roma: Divus Antoninus Pius (Den Hellige Antoninus Pius).

lordmarcovan

I'll let others comment on the value, but that is a nice "wedding cake" (altar) reverse (edit- whoops, I mean funeral pyre, not altar).

Wouldn't be surprised if that piece had a value and/or pricetag in the low three figures, but then again, I don't really know.

"Divus" = god.

They've made him a god, there. The altar and the "CONSECRATIO" on the reverse also indicate this is a posthumous issue, honoring him after his death.

Maybe the altar is a funeral pyre. I'll have to check Wildwinds. (Edit- yep. Funeral pyre.)

newbiecollector

Glad you piped in Rob.........It is on that local auction site I use. The title/name reminded of one we just sold on there.

The opening asking is about 160 bucks.........no bids for a week

lordmarcovan

Here we go. I was wrong about the "wedding cake" being an altar. It is indeed a funeral pyre, surmounted by a quadriga (a quadriga being a chariot drawn by four horses). It is a facing quadriga, meaning the horses and chariot are facing us, so it's kind of difficult to visualize for what it is.

It is this type or one very similar to it.

If you click some of the "text" links on that page, it will give you the text from old auctions that should give a vague idea of the coin's value, particularly if the text accompanies one of the coins that is in similar grade to this one.

Maybe "low three figures" might have been an optimistic assessment of the coin's value, but then again, maybe not. One link I randomly clicked had a coin (not quite as nice) that which had sold for 40-something... eight years ago.

I wouldn't be surprised if that were about a $100 coin, to give a very rough, semi-educated guess on it. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. But the more experienced folk here are the ones to ask on that score.

lordmarcovan

<< <i>The opening asking is about 160 bucks.........no bids for a week >>

That's probably not totally unrealistic, but maybe a tad on the high side.

newbiecollector

<< <i>

<< <i>The opening asking is about 160 bucks.........no bids for a week >>

That's probably not totally unrealistic, but maybe a tad on the high side. >>


High is very normal for this site Rob. I do not think he will get a bid but he has a large, bt our standards BM shop here. So he may get some advertising.

lordmarcovan

It's a nice coin. I wouldn't have it priced at a "giveaway" price, myself.

CIVITAS

I've found those to be pretty slow sellers, but Rob hit the nail on the head. In that grade, those usually bring about $150.00. Nice EF coins bring $300.00.

lordmarcovan

Ah, excellent. Now there's the opinion that counts. Precisely who I hoped would chime in.

Josh, would you say that posthumous "Divus/Diva" coins are slightly less popular, or not? In my emperor collection, I looked for lifetime "as Augustus" issues, but ended up with plenty of "as Caesar" and "Divus/Diva" coins, as it happened.

newbiecollector

Thanks Josh and Rob...........

He would probably be VERY happy with 150. I really think he lists a lot of coins on this auction, and I mean a lot, to get attention to his shop.

CIVITAS

<< <i>
Josh, would you say that posthumous "Divus/Diva" coins are slightly less popular, or not? In my emperor collection, I looked for lifetime "as Augustus" issues, but ended up with plenty of "as Caesar" and "Divus/Diva" coins, as it happened. >>



Rob, I think you're probably right to some extent. The purists tend to look for the lifetime issues with the emperor's portrait. So this one kind of gets caught in between. Ant. Pius collectors would want the lifetime A. Pius issues, and M. Aurelius collectors wouldn't want this one since it doesn't have his portrait on it, even though it was struck during his reign. I think the real problem here is that normal lifetime issue denarii of Ant. Pius are incredibly common, whereas this Divus issue is a bit scarcer. So, someone looking for just a single portrait example would pop for the lifetime issue in a simliar grade for about $75.00 instead of this issue at $150.00. Lower grade regular issues are even more affordable. So even an eventual specialist in the series could spend a long time picking up $35-$50 coins before having to lay out the cash for this type. Hence, they tend to sit for a while.