Nerosmyfavorite68 Posted July 24 · Member Share Posted July 24 I was aimlessly searching for coins when I came across new listings of Antioch tetradrachms. Some of the lower priced ones had really low weights. I made an enquiry and was told the coins were sea finds, and that various amounts of base metals had been leached out. If I wanted to stay in the sub-$300 price point, my choices were this Galba or a very corroded (and super-duper lightweight) Otho. This was only $20 more than the Otho and I think I made the right choice. It has much less wear than the full weight ones and I'm okay with sacrificing two grams to get a pretty decent coin for $200-something less. The piece is VF by wear, has a nice portrait, and is better than the two decrepit Sestertii I have. GALBA AR silver tetradrachm. Antioch, 68-69 AD. AUTOKRATwR GALBAC KAICAR CEBACTOC, bare head right. Reverse - ETOUC B, Eagle standing facing on opposed laurel branches, head left, wreath in beak, palm in left field. Prieur 100; RPC 4198. 28mm, 10.0g. Do you have any sea find coins? 10 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMonkeySwag96 Posted July 24 · Member Share Posted July 24 (edited) Nice pickup. This same Galba tetradrachm and the Otho tet were on my wishlist Edited July 24 by MrMonkeySwag96 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerosmyfavorite68 Posted July 25 · Member Author Share Posted July 25 The ship evidently foundered during Vespasian's time or perhaps early in Domitian's. The slab/tooling thread brought up an interesting point about modern-day collectors being less willing to accept high degrees of smoothing. I'm largely in that camp yet I am willing to put up with certain types and levels of environmental damage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted July 26 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted July 26 I have an Alexandria tet of Galba which is very underweight by about 4-5 grams. Not sure how that happened but it might also be a water find. If not, heavily corroded and crystallized. The bottom line is that I am not sure. Galba, A.D. 68-69 Grade: VF+ light grey toning Catalog: Köln 233-4; Dattari (Savio) 310; K&G 17.14; Material: Billon Weight: 7.18 g Diameter: 24.00 mm Obverse: ΣEΡOΥI ΓAΛBA AΥTOK KAIΣ ΣEBA, Laureate head right; L B (date) before Reverse: EΛEΥ-ϑEΡI, Eleutheria standing left, resting elbow on column, holding wreath and scepter; to left, simpulum 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerosmyfavorite68 Posted July 26 · Member Author Share Posted July 26 It fared a lot better than my Tiberius. It's not too bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerosmyfavorite68 Posted August 1 · Member Author Share Posted August 1 On 7/23/2024 at 11:09 PM, MrMonkeySwag96 said: Nice pickup. This same Galba tetradrachm and the Otho tet were on my wishlist I went for a better one so the road's all open to you if you want it the inexpensive one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-monolith- Posted August 6 · Member Share Posted August 6 (edited) Most of the coins that suffer from porosity are typically silver. It's caused when the base metal is "leeched" out thus leaving a rough surface and a lighter coin. This occurs most often to coins that were buried but can also be caused by long exposure to salt water. It's difficult to tell which method caused the porosity unless there are traces of dirt (buried) or "barnacles" (salt water). I believe these Gordian III sestertii were recovered from the ocean due to the deposits on top of the coins patina: These BI Antoninianus have had the base metal leeched from them therefore leaving behind a rough porous surface. Edited August 6 by -monolith- 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.