Good Deals: Did I pay a fair price?

[Sulla80]

It is a fun game to play: "Did I pay a fair price".  I have no regrets with this coin, a tetradrachm of Claudius II from Alexandria Egypt, during his second year of reign: AD 269/270.  Of course I have the illusion that all of the coins in my collection were purchased well below market value.  Shown with four other examples of the coin sold in 2024 & 2023 (all eagle head turned left, Dattari 5415)...

 

of course I could always be more selective in the coins I choose to compare with (four coins sold in 2024 and 2023. all eagle head turned left Dattari 5415😞

 

I suppose that if I find one coin that went for a higher price than mine - recently *30-Jul-2024 (top left coin) - I can claim I purchased well below market value 🙂 although I keep thinking that the auction defines market value.  The range of prices nicely illustrating how there is a coin for every price range in ancient collecting.

One side note: this coin described as ex John Aiello collection.  "John Aiello is the author of the book World Paper Money: Collectors Guide and Catalogue. John has been a patron and fellow of the American Numismatic Society since 1961 and is a longtime member of the American Numismatic Association.  John’s personal collection of Roman Egyptian coins assembled over many years is well known and noted in many numismatic books and articles." Educational Coin Company

I have yet not found a match to published coins from the Aiello collection for this coin.  It is not a match for the coin found here: Auction sale XIV, mail bid only : John Aiello Collection of Roman Egyptian coins, also: antiquities, Roman coins, medieval coins. [07/02/1979]

Share your coins that were “good deals"!

Edited September 28 by Sulla80

[Orange Julius]

That’s a nice coin with a really great portrait style for the age. Although imperial coinage was suffering at the time, coins from Alexandria were still of nice quality and style in Claudius’ reign up through even Tacitus and into Probus, with a smattering of nice Carus/Numerian/Carinus coins.

As for the price, it appears you did well against established action results but if you swim in the swamps, sometimes you can find some great deals as targets of opportunity. For eagles, I don’t have a year 2 but I do have a year 1 and a few year 3 comparables that I’ve admittedly gotten at prices well below what they’re worth, but it’s taken me years of hunting through garbage to find them.

$26

$15

$15.51

$12.50

[ambr0zie]

7 hours ago, Sulla80 said:

Of course I have the illusion that all of the coins in my collection were purchased well below market value

Don't we all... although I sometimes do this. But I have an advantage (from the wallet point of view). I accept and cherish coins that are not in the best state, with 3 conditions 1. they can be fully attributed, without doubt 2. the type is interesting for me and 3. the price is good. 

Just 2 examples, a Trajan column denarius won for 26 euros plus fees. Of course, this coin is not rare and the condition is nothing to brag about, but the type is very popular and usually brings serious prices (and I am not even talking about well preserved specimens). I bought this in an auction where there was another Column I had on my watch list, I had no chance with it so I was not happy. But after about 10 lots, I noticed this one (I missed it when I checked the auction multiple times before it). 26 euros + fees is a price for a Trajan "dull" denarius in my opinion. Perhaps not too many collectors are interested about the significance of the Column, but I certainly am. 

 

Another example - the very sought after Brutus denarius with lictors. I noticed this modest example, but my estimate was 150 euros + fees. I decided to participate but my max bid would have been 100 euros + fees. I was very surrpised when I won it with 80. The coin has its flaws and, probably, some collectors were worried about the low weight (very low for a RR, 2,74 g) but this is not a fourree or a core of a fourree or whatever and I think it is genuine. The color is lighter in hand - normal silver. 

 

[Sulla80]

6 hours ago, Orange Julius said:

For eagles, I don’t have a year 2 but I do have a year 1 and a few year 3 comparables that I’ve admittedly gotten at prices well below what they’re worth, but it’s taken me years of hunting through garbage to find them.

Those are surprising prices @Orange Julius, and all in good condition - I would choose the three lower priced ones over the most expensive.  They further the thesis that a given ancient coin can be found at a wide range of prices - there is opportunity for "sweat equity" in trawling the swamp.

36 minutes ago, ambr0zie said:

But I have an advantage (from the wallet point of view). I accept and cherish coins that are not in the best state, with 3 conditions 1. they can be fully attributed, without doubt 2. the type is interesting for me and 3. the price is good.

Nice examples @ambrozie - there is certainly a lot of opportunity for interesting coins if you are not looking for rare perfection.  Prices for a given coin type can be found at a wide range varying with condition.  No shortage of history to explore with a coin (in any condition) depicting Trajan's Column, commemorating his Dacian campaigns (101–102 and 105–106), built in AD 113 and depicted on his coinage AD 113-114 or one issued by Brutus at the end of the Roman Republic.

[-monolith-]

 

Knowing what makes a coin unique or special when no one else seems to know allows you to make some great purchases. I have quite a few "good deals":

 

Aeolis, Kyme = 16 Euro

Comparison Prices:

Extremely Rare Bithynia, Cius (only 2 known) = 16 GBP:

Extremely Rare Ionia, Ephesos - Salonina (only 4 known) = 9 Euro:

Extremely Rare Lydia, Tralles - Gordian III (only 5 known) = 8 GBP:

And Perhaps the Best Deal of the Year:

Extremely Rare Macedon, Philippi (as Thasian Epeiros, Krenides) Overstrike (only 4 known) = 8 Euro

Comparison Prices:

Edited September 28 by -monolith-

[seth77]

If you pay a few euros for an ancient coin and that coin is attributable, that is enough to have a 'fair' price already, whatever the coin, from a rare provincial to an ordinary FTR.

[Sulla80]

 

This graph is interesting for some insight into coin prices over the last 20 years - all plotted prices (94 coins - all prices converted to USD, no attempt to separate by condition) are for coins of this type:

This coin is the $85 point on the far right of the graph.

 

[ominus1]

On 9/28/2024 at 5:10 AM, Sulla80 said:

Those are surprising prices @Orange Julius, and all in good condition - I would choose the three lower priced ones over the most expensive.  They further the thesis that a given ancient coin can be found at a wide range of prices - there is opportunity for "sweat equity" in trawling the swamp.

Nice examples @ambrozie - there is certainly a lot of opportunity for interesting coins if you are not looking for rare perfection.  Prices for a given coin type can be found at a wide range varying with condition.  No shortage of history to explore with a coin (in any condition) depicting Trajan's Column, commemorating his Dacian campaigns (101–102 and 105–106), built in AD 113 and depicted on his coinage AD 113-114 or one issued by Brutus at the end of the Roman Republic.

.i think this is our scale for sure...:D

[seth77]

4 hours ago, Sulla80 said:

 

This graph is interesting for some insight into coin prices over the last 20 years - all plotted prices (94 coins - all prices converted to USD, no attempt to separate by condition) are for coins of this type:

This coin is the $85 point on the far right of the graph.

 

A lot of instances of prices dropping under 50$ and very few going over 150$ in the last few 3 years. This is rather interesting for the discussion of prices going overboard after the pandemic. 

[Sulla80]

24 minutes ago, seth77 said:

A lot of instances of prices dropping under 50$ and very few going over 150$ in the last few 3 years. This is rather interesting for the discussion of prices going overboard after the pandemic. 

both could be true - more low quality coins on the market and higher prices for comparable coins.  More research needed.