MrZun Posted July 15 · Member Share Posted July 15 So, as you can see i got my sestertius. I think It might have had some smoothing in the past. As you can see It. In the obverse you can see some smooth surface surrounded by a more rough one, while the reverse is almost completely rough. I tried telling the dealer about it but he in his experience in the field told me he swears It does not have this. Still, i dont know. Are these rough areas just encrustrations or dirt or is It the true Surface of the coin? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrZun Posted July 15 · Member Author Share Posted July 15 (edited) I Also Wonder If the patina on this coin is that Orange-black (its almost Black, the image makes the colour Orange more brighter, you can see It in the video below) or is It those Green rough spots above some parts of the coin? VID_20240712_195451854.mp4 Edited July 15 by MrZun 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted July 15 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted July 15 This coin looks fine to me. It's just a case of somewhat minimal wear on the obverse and perhaps a partially worn reverse die. Otherwise a fabulous coin. 1 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Kowsky Posted July 15 · Member Share Posted July 15 MrZun, Your sestertius looks good to my eye 🧐, with no smoothing or tooling. You can always get another opinion from NGC if you're willing to spend the money 😉. Pictured below is a sestertius from my collection for comparison. Maximinus I (Thrax), AD 235-238. AE Sestertius: 19.12 gm, 30.5 mm, 12 h. RIC IV 81. Ex Richard McAlee Collection; Ex CNG Group 87, lot 1048, May 18, 2011. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrZun Posted July 15 · Member Author Share Posted July 15 1 hour ago, Ancient Coin Hunter said: This coin looks fine to me. It's just a case of somewhat minimal wear on the obverse and perhaps a partially worn reverse die. Otherwise a fabulous coin. Yeah, this coin Also has a pedigree of a auctions from 1948. And It also says in the description from the auctions house that It was struck from worn dies. What does that means? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted July 15 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted July 15 The reverse die on the left side has some brockage from repetitive use. Obviously dies could not last forever with hammer blow after hammer blow on the blank planchet. The combination of a new die for the obverse giving a stunning appearance and a broken, worn die for the reverse accounts for the disparity between the two sides of the coin. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romismatist Posted July 15 · Member Share Posted July 15 The coin looks good to me with no evidence of smoothing. Great acquisition! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sand Posted July 16 · Member Share Posted July 16 15 hours ago, MrZun said: Yeah, this coin Also has a pedigree of a auctions from 1948. And It also says in the description from the auctions house that It was struck from worn dies. What does that means? For ancient coins, the 2 dies (obverse die and reverse die) were used over and over, to create many coins. As a die was used, the die would eventually start to show signs of wear. Parts of the die may crack or break. Or, it seems to me, parts of the die would start to lose some of their detail. The die wear, was caused by repeated smashing of the die against the metal flans/planchets. If 1 of the 2 dies became too worn (this was a subjective judgment of the person striking the coin), then that die would be replaced with a new die. Therefore, even if an ancient coin has no circulation wear at all, 1 or both sides of the coin may look less detailed (it seems to me) than other coins of the same type, or have raised areas where cracks or breaks on the die had happened. 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qcumbor Posted July 16 · Supporter Share Posted July 16 (edited) This is indeed a great coin, and I have no suspicion about it either Q Edited July 16 by Qcumbor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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