A Second Chance at Love

[David Atherton]

Three years ago the following Vespasian provincial bronze from Cyprus was offered by Forvm Ancient Coins ... I narrowly missed out and deeply regretted it. Luckily, CNG recently offered the same piece and I was able to obtain it at a slight discount! What I love about this coin is the architectural reverse and the possible Rome mint connection (see below). A very satisfying end to a nearly three year chase!

 

Vespasian
Æ27, 13.02g
Koinon of Cyprus, 75-76 AD
Obv: ΟΥΕϹΠΑϹΙΑΝΟϹ ϹΕΒΑϹΤΟϹ; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r.
Rev: ΚΟΙΝΟΝ ΚΥΠΡΙΩΝ ΕΤΟΥϹ Η; Temple of Aphrodite at Paphos, in which canonical xoanon; paved semicircular walled courtyard; garland between two antae; star on either side of xoanon; candelabrum on each side of building
RPC 1821 (16 spec.).
Ex CNG E561, 1 May 2024, lot 463. Ex Forvm Ancient Coins. Ex Errett Bishop Collection.

A smattering of bronze coins were struck by the 'Koinon of Cyprus' during Vespasian's reign dated regnal year 8 (75/76 AD), all are fairly rare today. Style-wise (along with the six o'clock die axis) they resemble products of the Rome mint and were likely struck there or at one of its eastern branches. The reverse depicts the Temple of Aphrodite in Paphos, the primary cult centre for the goddess. The conical stone which served as the sanctuary's cult idol is clearly depicted within the structure.

In hand.

 

Do you have a second chance coin? Please share it!

Thank you for looking!

 

Edited June 12 by David Atherton

[ominus1]

...that's great David....i do have one, but its up for bid right now (and i'm winning at the moment) but  i'd better wait until i'm sure i own it before posting...6_6...congrats to you for yours Sir...:)

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Congrats David. Perseverance pays off.

[Ten-Speed]

Am still waiting for a second chance coin. Are parts of this temple still standing? The description of the reverse is sending me to the dictionary, and that is a good thing. Great coin.

[AncientJoe]

Upon reading your post, I thought, "this seems to happen to me a lot" so I ran a quick query against my collection: 26% of all of my coins came as part of a second chance, either seeing it at a show, in a subsequent auction, or being offered it privately, and has been the case for four coins I've purchased this year. That's shocking to me but certainly fits with my impression that I some how have managed to find many of the pieces I wanted but failed to acquire first time around.

It's important to be patient, play the long game, and be ready to pounce if the opportunity comes up again.

One example which came to mind was this Julia Domna aureus. It has an excellent pedigree - originally found in Karnak in 1901 - and the reverse is remarkable. I under bid it in January 2021 and by August, the collector, who had been buying a massive amount of aurei over the prior couple years, became frustrated and decided to dump all of his coins in one auction.

I ended up buying it for a 40% discount from its sale price <8 months earlier:

Julia Domna (AD 193-217). AV aureus (20mm, 7.41 gm, 1h). NGC AU 5/5 - 4/5. Rome, AD 215. IVLIA PIA-FELIX AVG, draped bust of Julia Domna right, seen from front, hair waved in ridges and bound at back of head in small chignon / VES-TA, front view of round Temple of Vesta, surmounted by standing statue and seated statue in center; Julia Domna and Vestal Virgin, both veiled and draped, standing vis-à-vis to left and right, dropping incense from boxes over a lighted altar in foreground, two more veiled and draped Vestal Virgins flanking, looking inward, accompanied by Caracalla and Geta as children. RIC IV.I (Caracalla) 392c. Calicó 2650 (this coin).

Ex Heritage Auctions, Auction 3089 NYINC (21 January 2021), lot 31065; Harlan Berk, private sale with old dealer tag; Ex. NAC 23, lot 1605; M&M Basel Sale (December 1948), lot 630; Ars Classica XVIII (1938), lot 330; Ex. Biaggi 1160 - Privately purchased by Biaggi from Ratto in 1958; Ex. Mazzini; J. Hirsch 30, lot 1079; Karnak Hoard, Egypt 1901

[AncientJoe]

One other occurrence that sticks in my mind was from this tetradrachm. I had some big bids later in the auction and, at the wise advice of @Phil Davis, decided to bid on the much harder to find coins which came up later rather than waste budget on a more common coin, even if it's in nice condition.

Three years later at the NYINC show, I made my usual bee-line to the NAC booth and spotted the coin I skipped available for purchase! It took me exactly 12 nanoseconds to say yes. The right coins find their way home:

Rhegium, Tetradrachm circa 300-280, AR 17.29 g. PHΓINOΣ Laureate head of Apollo l., long hair falling in curls over neck. Rev. Lion's head facing. SNG ANS 676. Historia Numorum Italy 2501 (these dies). SNG Lloyd 700 (these dies). AMB 229 (these dies). Herzfelder 115bis. Historia Numorum Italy 2501. Ex NAC 82, lot 33; Ex NAC sale 8, 1995, 115

Edited June 12 by AncientJoe

[kirispupis]

Here are two coins I missed out on but later grabbed. For the first, I didn't bid because the coin had gone a bit high and I had other targets, but I later regretted it. A few months later, the exact coin showed up at a seller for the same price it had received so I promptly grabbed it.

On the second, I was outbid at a Numisfitz auction. The coin showed up at Roma roughly 8 months later, and stated it was acquired from Numisfitz. I'm still not sure what exactly happened, but I wound up purchasing it for considerably less than my original bid.

Mysia. Teuthrania. Prokles, Satrap of Teuthrania and Halisarna
Circa 400 BCE
Ae 10.57mm 0.86g
Obverse: Teuthrania. Prokles, Satrap of Teuthrania and Halisarna
Reverse: Head of Prokles right.
SNG Copenhagen 549; Traité II 42
Ex Savoca

 

Argolis, Troizen
Circa 330-300 BCE
Æ 1.37g, 13mm, 12h
Head of Athena to left, wearing taenia /
Ornate trident head; dolphin upwards to left, TPO downwards to right
BCD Peloponnesos 1338 and 1339.2; Traité III, 703; HGC 5, 804

[Deinomenid]

This is a coin I'd missed twice  in 3 years, but with gently falling prices I was able to buy  it very recently. Aside from the subject, I'm  intrigued by the clear letter P at around 10 o'clock well outside the incuse square. This one was  tinged with some sadness though as it was from the Wild Rose collection.

KINGS of MACEDON. Archelaos. 413-400/399 BC. AR Stater (25mm, 10.54 g, 1h). Aigai mint. Head of Apollo right, with short hair, wearing tainia / Horse advancing right, trailing rein, in linear square within shallow incuse square.

 

 

1 hour ago, Ten-Speed said:

Are parts of this temple still standing?

Yes, but  really only the base. It's a bit confusing when there as the archeological park isn't where some of the main "expected" sites are as the city was moved by Nicocles.  Old Paphos is ruddy long walk from Paphos and  it was  even more confusing as  I met  100's of British Army soldiers on my forced hike (we have a big base not very far from there.)

There's an amazing cult stone of Aphrodite there.

[Phil Davis]

2 hours ago, AncientJoe said:

One other occurrence that sticks in my mind was from this tetradrachm. I had some big bids later in the auction and, at the wise advice of @Phil Davis, decided to bid on the much harder to find coins which came up later rather than waste budget on a more common coin, even if it's in nice condition.

Three years later at the NYINC show, I made my usual bee-line to the NAC booth and spotted the coin I skipped available for purchase! It took me exactly 12 nanoseconds to say yes. The right coins find their way home:

Rhegium, Tetradrachm circa 300-280, AR 17.29 g. PHΓINOΣ Laureate head of Apollo l., long hair falling in curls over neck. Rev. Lion's head facing. SNG ANS 676. Historia Numorum Italy 2501 (these dies). SNG Lloyd 700 (these dies). AMB 229 (these dies). Herzfelder 115bis. Historia Numorum Italy 2501. Ex NAC 82, lot 33; Ex NAC sale 8, 1995, 115

Thanks for the shout-out Joe. I remember that episode very clearly; it's perfect that the Rhegium also found its way to you in the fullness of time. Sometimes we can indeed have our cake and eat it too.

[Phil Davis]

I suppose I have a few dozen second chance wins, so instead I'll show something I've been the underbidder on at least twice. Someday the tide will turn! It had better, because otherwise this type will never be in my collection. I can't settle for anything else, knowing this coin exists...

[ominus1]

6 hours ago, AncientJoe said:

Upon reading your post, I thought, "this seems to happen to me a lot" so I ran a quick query against my collection: 26% of all of my coins came as part of a second chance, either seeing it at a show, in a subsequent auction, or being offered it privately, and has been the case for four coins I've purchased this year. That's shocking to me but certainly fits with my impression that I some how have managed to find many of the pieces I wanted but failed to acquire first time around.

It's important to be patient, play the long game, and be ready to pounce if the opportunity comes up again.

One example which came to mind was this Julia Domna aureus. It has an excellent pedigree - originally found in Karnak in 1901 - and the reverse is remarkable. I under bid it in January 2021 and by August, the collector, who had been buying a massive amount of aurei over the prior couple years, became frustrated and decided to dump all of his coins in one auction.

I ended up buying it for a 40% discount from its sale price <8 months earlier:

Julia Domna (AD 193-217). AV aureus (20mm, 7.41 gm, 1h). NGC AU 5/5 - 4/5. Rome, AD 215. IVLIA PIA-FELIX AVG, draped bust of Julia Domna right, seen from front, hair waved in ridges and bound at back of head in small chignon / VES-TA, front view of round Temple of Vesta, surmounted by standing statue and seated statue in center; Julia Domna and Vestal Virgin, both veiled and draped, standing vis-à-vis to left and right, dropping incense from boxes over a lighted altar in foreground, two more veiled and draped Vestal Virgins flanking, looking inward, accompanied by Caracalla and Geta as children. RIC IV.I (Caracalla) 392c. Calicó 2650 (this coin).

Ex Heritage Auctions, Auction 3089 NYINC (21 January 2021), lot 31065; Harlan Berk, private sale with old dealer tag; Ex. NAC 23, lot 1605; M&M Basel Sale (December 1948), lot 630; Ars Classica XVIII (1938), lot 330; Ex. Biaggi 1160 - Privately purchased by Biaggi from Ratto in 1958; Ex. Mazzini; J. Hirsch 30, lot 1079; Karnak Hoard, Egypt 1901

  0 wow!...love indeed!... i have a worn As(1st chance) of that run that i'm proud of so i can imagine...^^  very nice!!

Edited June 12 by ominus1

[Valentinian]

We have threads bemoaning how prices have gone up. That may be the case for many coins, but it is not always the case, as posts from @AncientJoe and others prove. 

11 hours ago, AncientJoe said:

It's important to be patient, play the long game, and be ready to pounce if the opportunity comes up again.

If you want a specific type in high grade in the next week or month, you will probably pay a premium over its best possible price. However, if you take his advice you may be pleasantly surprised by the good deals you can get. 

[AncientJoe]

16 hours ago, Valentinian said:

We have threads bemoaning how prices have gone up. That may be the case for many coins, but it is not always the case, as posts from @AncientJoe and others prove. 

If you want a specific type in high grade in the next week or month, you will probably pay a premium over its best possible price. However, if you take his advice you may be pleasantly surprised by the good deals you can get. 

Absolutely. Another related point is that it's the second underbidder that sets the longer term value of a coin: the winning bidder likely won't want an example the next time the same type comes up so the price they paid is irrelevant - it "should" sell to you for one bid over the second underbidder's max. Granted, other bidders may have not had a chance to place a bid due to staying out of a frenzy but it's still a worthwhile concept to keep in mind, especially if it's just you vs the winner in a bidding war.