What's your favorite purchase in 2010?

mrearlygold · January 1, 2011 5:31AM

Here's mine

Zohar · January 1, 2011 6:50AM

I would say these 2:

theboz11 · January 1, 2011 7:48AM

ECU d'Ore 1422

OBVERSE: Two shields side by side, bearing the arms of France (left) and England (right). Behind the shields the Virgin Mary on the left, a nimbus around her head and her left hand pointing to a scroll, and the Angel Gabriel on the right, his wings arching above his head, his left hand pointing to the scroll, between them the word “AVE” written upwards on a scroll, surmounted by five sun’s rays. Legend: ♛hEHRICVS: DEI:GRA:FRACORV:Z:AGLIE:REX [Henry by the grace of God, King of France and England] ~ REVERSE: In the middle of the field is a cross calvary. Below is the letter, “h”. To the left is a fleur de lis and to the right a leopard. The whole is within a circle of ten arches with fleur de lis at the angles. Legend: ♛XPC✩VINCIT✩XPC✩REGHAT✩ XPC✩IMPERAT [Christ Overcomes, Christ Reigns, Christ Orders]. The obverse & reverse legends are punctuated by two superimposed beaded rings.
Mint: Paris
Mintage: Unknown
References: Fr. 18 & 301 / Elias 264 /Dy.443 A / C.909
Specifications: Diameter – 26.0mm
Weight – 3.480 g. @ 1.000 gold = .112 oz AGW
PCGS MS-64

harasha · January 1, 2011 8:21AM

From last year's NYINC.

OchoReales · January 1, 2011 8:36AM

Here are my top picks!

1630 8 Reales ROYAL Potosi, Bolivia (1st year of all dated South American Royals, 4 known) NGC AU55

1779 8 Escudos Potosi, Bolivia (probably, finest known for type) NGC63

1944 Palestine Mandate 20 MILS (purchased raw in a set) GEMMY KEY coin!

My 1941 20 MILS Palestine Mandate PCGS 62 (not imaged yet!) Tied for second finest known.

WillieBoyd2 · January 1, 2011 9:24AM

My first Roman gold Aureus:

"Rome rules the world"

Antoninus Pius Aureus - Standing with globe
Laureate head right
ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P IMP II
Antoninus wearing toga, standing left, holding globe in right hand
TR POT XIX COS IIII
"Rome rules the world"
Catalog: RIC 256a (laureate head, 256b is bare head)
Diameter: 19.5mm
Weight: 7.26gm
Struck Rome AD 155-156

Silvereagle82 · January 1, 2011 12:04PM

Really great coins guys ... hopefully 2011 will be so generous to each of you again !!

Gary ... that 8 escudos really blows me away !!

Here's two that I consider my favorite "pair" both in AU-58 grades.

France - Ecu d’or au Dauphine (1515-1547) King Francis I

France - Ecu d’or au Porcepic (1498-1515) King Louis XII

wybrit · January 1, 2011 12:38PM

If I had to pick one, this would be it:

ex-Mac, ex-Colin Cooke

HTubbs · January 1, 2011 12:49PM

This was probably the coolest in my book, a Charles II Pattern ½ Penny:

lordmarcovan · January 1, 2011 1:57PM

I'm blown away by all of the preceding coins, but am particularly jealous of WillieBoyd2, for scoring an aureus. I have always wanted one but never had the dough.

My favorite purchase of 2010 is my Otho denarius, which I sold in 2008 after hard times forced me to break up my Roman collection.

I'm happy to have it back.

While modest in grade and price next to a lot of y'all's coins, it's the only coin I own right now with a value above 500 bucks.

I suppose it is a legitimately "rare" coin, since Otho only ruled for what, 99 days or so.

BillyKingsley · January 1, 2011 3:31PM

Here's mine....1765 Hamburg 4 shillings, my biggest purchase of 2010, of only a handfull!

The last one that I got on the year, literally arriving on December 31st...was my first ever Byzantine coin, which was a goal for me. Once I get it scanned in, I'll post it. (Justinian 40 nummi). Those two are tied on coins I bought,

RobP · January 1, 2011 8:59PM

Mine is this P6 pattern halfpenny bought in the St.James's sale last May and serves as my example of a coin struck in the name of Elizabeth I. 6 known to Peck, 2 of which have been in museums since the early 1800s. At 17.16grains, it is almost certainly the piece formerly in the Earl of Pembroke's collection (d.1733) as the catalogue for the sale (Sotheby 1848) gives the weight as 17 and 2/10ths grains and Peck gives an average weight for the 6 of 16 grains. I particularly like monograms for the depiction of names, and this one of ELIZABETH R is quite pleasing.