David Atherton Posted August 14 · Member Share Posted August 14 (edited) Unfortunately, this rare coin arrived broken clean in half. Admittedly, quinarii can be fragile pieces, but I believe some crystallisation has come into play. Domitian as Caesar [Vespasian] AR Quinarius, 1.22g (broken) Rome mint, 73 AD Obv: CAES AVG F DOMIT COS II; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r. Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTI; Victory adv. r., with wreath and palm RIC 560 (R2). BMC 120A. BNC 107. RSC 632. Acquired from GB Collection, June 2024. A decently rare quinarius from Domitian Caesar's first quinarius issue at Rome under Vespasian. As it arrived with the seller's ticket. I set the two pieces together in a stapled cardboard holder and then placed it inside a coin envelope. I don't believe gluing the two pieces together will remedy the problem to my satisfaction. At least for now they are firmly held together in place and the break is fairly invisible. Please share your broken coins. Thank you for looking! Edited August 14 by David Atherton 14 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulla80 Posted August 14 · Supporter Share Posted August 14 I've had this one for a while, purchased as a broken coin - funny how it has grown on me over the years - the crack doesn't really bother me. I've always liked the portrait. 15 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tejas Posted August 14 · Member Share Posted August 14 What a shame. I would probably glue it together and stabilize the rest as long as all the bits are still in place. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ominus1 Posted August 14 · Supporter Share Posted August 14 well, i doesn't lQQk broke with your packaging Dave...but anyone who has had it happen knows your pain. i had one break on me a few years back trying to take it out of cardboard holder for a pic right after it arrived...an early transitional Trajan denarius with his portrait favoring Nerva..the seller took it back but i never got over it ... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotwheelsearl Posted August 14 · Member Share Posted August 14 I have two broken coins: This republican with a break that perfectly lines up with the back of the obverse's head; And this Philip that was rescued from oblivion: 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Postvmvs Posted August 15 · Member Share Posted August 15 I have had one coin lose a chip in the post. The coin was sent in a plain envelope with no padding at all, so it could have been worse. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romismatist Posted August 15 · Member Share Posted August 15 This Domitius Domitianus broke in transit. I think it was packed too tightly in the cardboard holder and the coin was too big for the hole. I got a refund and returned it. I know this type is fairly rare, but I don't think I would have been happy with it broken. As @David Atherton said, gluing it wouldn't have made it "whole" for me. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMonkeySwag96 Posted August 15 · Member Share Posted August 15 (edited) 3 hours ago, Romismatist said: This Domitius Domitianus broke in transit. I think it was packed too tightly in the cardboard holder and the coin was too big for the hole. I got a refund and returned it. I know this type is fairly rare, but I don't think I would have been happy with it broken. As @David Atherton said, gluing it wouldn't have made it "whole" for me. I wonder how bronze coins can be “chipped” or broken. I know bronze coins don’t suffer from crystallization unlike silver coins. I believe bronze disease can cause bronze coins to break more easily. Edited August 15 by MrMonkeySwag96 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasiel Posted August 15 · Member Share Posted August 15 (edited) 57 minutes ago, MrMonkeySwag96 said: I know bronze coins don’t suffer from crystallization unlike silver coins. Au contraire! Metals are crystalline by nature. It's just that not all crystals are brittle. In the case of an alloy like bronze what happens is that crystals of copper and tin begin forming as the metal hardens from its molten state. These crystals, however, don't get a chance to grow very large because impurities interfere with their growth (their atomic lattice structure). While in circulation they hold up just fine, much like any modern coin, because all the jumble of crystals are interlocked. However, once deposited in the ground various minerals and acids begin interacting with the coin causing corrosion. The damage can happen at the surface or it can proceed with internal veining eventually turning the poor thing into Swiss cheese. Ultimately, this is what causes the coin to become brittle enough that it can shatter like in these examples. Rasiel Edited August 15 by rasiel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edessa Posted August 15 · Supporter Share Posted August 15 Sicily, Zankle - Messana. Circa 520-493 BC. AR Litra (0.44g, 10mm). Obv: Dolphin left within sickle-shaped harbor, DAN beneath. Rev: Shell w/in patterned quadripartite incuse square. Pre-Samian issue from Zankle. Ref: SNG ANS 4, 305; SNG Munich 626; HGC 768. Fine, heavily crystalized with a bit chipped off of edge. Ex Jean Elsen Auction 90 (9 Dec 2006), Lot 70 (prior to chip) 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Atherton Posted August 15 · Member Author Share Posted August 15 Well, I finally got around to doing a repair on the piece. Not perfect, but I can live with it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted August 15 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted August 15 15 hours ago, Romismatist said: This Domitius Domitianus broke in transit. I think it was packed too tightly in the cardboard holder and the coin was too big for the hole. I got a refund and returned it. I know this type is fairly rare, but I don't think I would have been happy with it broken. As @David Atherton said, gluing it wouldn't have made it "whole" for me. I'm glad you returned it. Those types (and the tetradrachms and octodrachms) are quite rare. I've been looking for one for awhile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romismatist Posted August 15 · Member Share Posted August 15 4 hours ago, Ancient Coin Hunter said: I'm glad you returned it. Those types (and the tetradrachms and octodrachms) are quite rare. I've been looking for one for awhile Yup, it's the only one I've seen so far, but I wasn't really looking for it. It was an opportunistic purchase... costed something like $75 in a group lot. It was genuine, so it was disappointing to find it broken along the profile of the bust. Maybe I should have glued it and kept it, but it just didn't sit well with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GERMANICVS Posted August 16 · Member Share Posted August 16 Quote "Broken But Not Brokenhearted". I dont"t know, I was pretty heartbroken when this happened..... 3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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