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Newp: Syracuse litra
lordmarcovan
Posts: 43,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
I paid too much, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
SICILY, Syracuse. Second Democracy. 466-405 BC. AR Litra (12mm, 0.62 g, 10h). Struck circa 460-450 BC. Head of Arethousa right, wearing pearl tainia / Octopus. Boehringer Series XIIIa, 415–422 var. (unlisted dies); HGC 2, 1375. Old cabinet tone. VF.
Ex Stack’s (5 August 2020), lot 22017, hammer $440; Spink 325 (21 June 2016), lot 84.
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Comments
If you must pay too much, at least make it a coin that is worth it like that one.
LOVE that design. Magnificent.
Kismet! Weirdly enough I was thinking about this type earlier today and how I’d like to own one of these little ancients with the cool cephalopod on it. Congrats!
Radiant Collection: Numismatics and Exonumia of the Atomic Age.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase/3232
Wow, very impressive. Such a small coin and the artistry superb. Excellent purchase and obviously very well done.
Well, just Love coins, period.
Got pix from NGC. No grade yet- that'll be a while.
Very nice.
Such a good strike — can’t imagine better centering on that octopus!
Very nice!
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
That's a cool coin.
DPOTD-3
'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'
CU #3245 B.N.A. #428
Don
Final results from NGC are now in. Considering the strong money I paid for this coin, I’m rather disappointed in the outcome. Still happy with the photos, though, and I’m happy to see they put it into a prongless Air View holder. The prongs on a standard NGC slab would have swallowed this little coin.
I reckon it’s a keeper. I’m so underwater on the purchase that I’d never be able to sell it without taking a really big hit anyway. Besides, it’s a nice coin.
https://www.ngccoin.com/certlookup/6828625-001/NGCAncients/
lordmarcovan, the edge bend must be minor as I don't anything than a well preserved early silver coin. It certainly deserves its "5" on strike.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163
Thanks. Yeah, the edge bend is certainly minor. I’m just kind of sad that NGC thought it serious enough to mention on the label, and also redundantly made a note about the edge in the main description line as well as in the small italicized text. I don’t really fault them for noting the issue, though it seems like they posted two red flags on an issue that barely deserved mention at all.
I’m twitchy about “problem” notations on my slab labels. In the more modern (post-ancient) stuff, I’ll drop a coin from my collection if it fails to straight-grade. I’m more forgiving on Ancients and will accept some problem notations in the smaller italicized text on an NGC label, if the coin is nice enough otherwise. I think this one is.
lordmarcovan, we are both twitchy about "problem" notations on NGC slab labels. I am relatively new to purchasing ancient coins. I won't ever consider adding a "details" coin to my main interest, a Liberty $2.50 1840 to 1907 set. It is difficult for me to not equate NGC notations assigned to ancient coins with cleaning, environmental damage, etc. "details" notations applied to US coins.
On January 14th I was bidding on one coin in Heritage's Byzantine Ancients Coins Showcase Auction #61357. I would estimate that 60-70% of all the coins in that auction had one or more of the following notations on their holders:
Graffiti, graffito, edge scuff, clipped, wavy flan, scratches, edge bend, double struck, edge mark, die shift, brushed, bent, wrinkled, straightened, flattened, flan flaw, edge crimps and slightly bent.
Despite the notations I thought the prices realized overall, inclusive of the coins with notations, were strong. Rarity, design and historical significance seemingly trumped NGC notations.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163
@OnlyGoldIsMoney - indeed, I think ancients deserve a bit more leniency when it comes to those little italicized notes about minor imperfections, especially considering all that happened to them in their journeys down through the millennia to reach us in the present day.
I reckon maybe it’s just not quite the same as what might’ve happened to, say for instance, a Liberty quarter-eagle that was minted with more modern technology less than two centuries ago.
I’ve become pretty picky as a collector in recent years, but have also learned that there’s such a thing as being TOO picky. It’s a balancing act.