CPK Posted August 7 · Supporter Share Posted August 7 A few months ago, there was an auction which featured a number of coins I was highly interested in. Many of the coins were rare types that seldom come to market. The pre bidding was low, and I anticipated at least a few wins. Think again. I found myself consistently being outbid on all of my major targets. In irritation, as one does sometimes, I turned to some lesser coins and slapped on a few bids. This sestertius was one of those coins. I ended up winning it, and a couple others, but still felt disgruntled by the whole thing. So you might say I didn't start out well with this coin! However, as the annoyance wore off, I felt better, and now I am glad I bought the coin. Early Roman Imperial sestertii are special: the flans tend to be slightly wider, and the production quality was top-notch. The portrait on this coin is in good style, the obverse legend is full if a bit worn, and the reverse is an interesting and scarcer type, depicting the triumphal arch erected in honor of Claudius' father Nero Claudius Drusus, surmounted by an equestrian statue of the same. Now, the coin also came with a pedigree to Numismatik Lanz circa 2006...and from what I have read of Lanz during that time, tooling was a common practice. Looking on ACSearch brought up a lot of rather obvious examples. This coin doesn't appear to be tooled to my eyes, but I would welcome your honest opinions on this matter. And also, please feel free to post your own coins of Claudius, his father, or anything else that might be relevant! CLAUDIUS, AD 41-54 AE Sestertius (35.14mm, 28.25g, 6h) Struck AD 42. Rome mint Obverse: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP P P, laureate head of Claudius right Reverse: NERO CLAVDIVS DRVSVS GERMAN IMP, triumphal arch of elaborate form, with four Ionic columns and pediment, surmounted by equestrian statue of Nero Claudius Drusus galloping right, thrusting spear downwards between two trophies; S C across fields References: RIC I 114, RCV 1852 "This ornate structure probably represents the Arcus Drusi, erected over the Via Appia, just north of its junction with the Via Latina, to commemorate the military exploits in Germany of Claudius' father, Nero Claudius Drusus (died 9 BC)." -David R. Sear, Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol. I (p. 366) 12 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kali Posted August 7 · Member Share Posted August 7 Look fine to me, great addition! Claudius (41 - 54 A.D.) AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm O: TI CLAVD CAES · AVG, bare head left. R: COM ASI across field, distyle temple of Roma and Augustus, enclosing standing facing figures of Claudius, holding scepter, being crowned by Fortuna, holding cornucopia; ROM ET AVG on entablature. Ephesus mint. Struck AD 41-42 10.08g 28mm RIC I 120 (Pergamum); RPC I 2221; RSC 3; BMCRE 228; BN 304-6 Nero (54 - 68 A.D.) Seleucis & Pieria, Antioch AR Tetradrachm O: NERO CLAVD DIVI CLAVD F CAESAR AVG GER, laureate head of Nero right; star behind. R: [DIVOS] CLAVD AVG GERMANIC PATER AVG, laureate head of Claudius right. Syrian Mint - 63-68 AD 14.11g 26mm Prieur 48; RPC I 4123; BMC 172; Sydenham 65 (Caesarea); RSC 2; McAlee 270. Claudius (41 - 54 A.D.) Egypt, Alexandria Billon Tetradrachm O: TI KLA[UDI KAIS SEBA GERMANI AUTOKR], laureate head of Claudius right; LB to right. R: ANTWNIA SEBASTH, draped bust of Antonia right, wearing hair in long plait. Dated RY 2 (41/2 AD) 23mm 11.62g Dattari 114; Milne 61-64; Emmett 73. 10 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romismatist Posted August 7 · Member Share Posted August 7 Looks fine to me as well. Congratulations on the acquisition! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CassiusMarcus Posted August 7 · Member Share Posted August 7 In my humble opinion, Claudius has some of the nicest portraits of the Julio-Claudians, specifically when it comes to sestertii.. Here is mine and hoping to upgrade to something spectacular in the future! 9 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted August 7 · Supporter Author Share Posted August 7 26 minutes ago, CassiusMarcus said: In my humble opinion, Claudius has some of the nicest portraits of the Julio-Claudians, specifically when it comes to sestertii.. Here is mine and hoping to upgrade to something spectacular in the future! Upgrade? That's a mighty tall order for a coin like that! 🤩 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octavius Posted August 7 · Supporter Share Posted August 7 As far as I can tell from the photo , your coin looks just fine. I don't see evidence of tooling. here are some Claudius bronzes ... sestertius , dupondius, and two asses... 6 1 7 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GERMANICVS Posted August 7 · Member Share Posted August 7 In my opinion, your Claudius sestertius is perfectly OK. The style is correct, and there are no obvious signs of tooling or smoothing. I have heard about the concerns wih a Lanz "pedigree", but in this case, you be rest assured, no issues. This is a very bad picture of a Claudius sestertius same type as yours. I bought it back around 2005 - I can"t believe I was at one time so naive as to think this example was Ok, not tooled or otherwise manipulated.....One learns. I was lucky to be able to return it, even if I was not made whole in this bad deal. 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerosmyfavorite68 Posted August 7 · Member Share Posted August 7 It's my favorite Claudius sestertius type. I have a more decrepit version, not really worth showing here. My only concern is with the bumps/bubbles in the fields but if no one has said anything about it, I guess everything is fine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted August 7 · Supporter Author Share Posted August 7 Thanks everyone for your thoughts! 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsyas Mike Posted August 7 · Member Share Posted August 7 I picked up a Claudius sestertius like the OP on eBay a few years back - it looked fishy to me, but for $25 it seemed worth it. My guess is that mine is some kind of "Paduan" copy, or a 19th-20th C. copy of a Paduan. Or something like that. The "Da Cavino" Paduans did look somewhat like it. It does have nice "ancient gunk" surfaces, but I just don't think mine is ancient. For one thing, it is too light. Anyway, here it is, until that ancient one comes along for $25 so I can upgrade 😄: Claudius Æ Sestertius/Medal Paduan copy after Da Cavino (50-54 A.D. type; 1500-1570 or later 19th C. restrike?) TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP P P, laureate head right / NERO CLAVDIVS DRVSVS GERMAN IMP, S C Arch of Drusus with statue. RIC 114 type (Paduan copy) (18.16 grams / 31 mm) eBay July 2019 $25.00 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasiel Posted August 8 · Member Share Posted August 8 2 hours ago, Marsyas Mike said: I picked up a Claudius sestertius like the OP on eBay a few years back - it looked fishy to me, but for $25 it seemed worth it. My guess is that mine is some kind of "Paduan" copy, or a 19th-20th C. copy of a Paduan. Or something like that. The "Da Cavino" Paduans did look somewhat like it. It does have nice "ancient gunk" surfaces, but I just don't think mine is ancient. For one thing, it is too light. Anyway, here it is, until that ancient one comes along for $25 so I can upgrade 😄: Claudius Æ Sestertius/Medal Paduan copy after Da Cavino (50-54 A.D. type; 1500-1570 or later 19th C. restrike?) TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP P P, laureate head right / NERO CLAVDIVS DRVSVS GERMAN IMP, S C Arch of Drusus with statue. RIC 114 type (Paduan copy) (18.16 grams / 31 mm) eBay July 2019 $25.00 This looks legit to me, not a Paduan. It's not in great shape but at $25 it's a no brainer. The term is often a catchall today for any large bronze fake but real Paduan/Cavino pieces don't generally come with environmental damage as they were never buried. They also tend to be much rounder, on full flans and with prominent denticles. CPK's coin also looks ok and not tooled. Those corrosion spots would be the first thing someone looking to tool would fix. Rasiel 4 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsyas Mike Posted August 8 · Member Share Posted August 8 51 minutes ago, rasiel said: This looks legit to me, not a Paduan. It's not in great shape but at $25 it's a no brainer. The term is often a catchall today for any large bronze fake but real Paduan/Cavino pieces don't generally come with environmental damage as they were never buried. They also tend to be much rounder, on full flans and with prominent denticles. CPK's coin also looks ok and not tooled. Those corrosion spots would be the first thing someone looking to tool would fix. Rasiel Thank you for the vote of confidence, @rasiel! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victrix Posted August 8 · Member Share Posted August 8 (edited) Lovely coin! This is mine and one of the coins I love the most in my collection. Edited August 8 by Victrix 7 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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