Domitian Medallion - agony of the day

[Optimus]

I can obtain this very interesting Domitian provincial coin (or medallion??):
THRACE. Philippopolis. AE 34 mm Provincial Medallion (26.5 gms)
Domitian (81-96). RPC-351. Laureate head of Domitian right./Tyche standing before Hebrus reclining right. The first imperial issue for this city and the largest denomination.
My agony is caused by the following:
- I have no other Provincials in my collection. This one is going to stick out like a sore thumb 
- It has no patina. True, the surfaces are not corroded, if this is a consolation...
- It is not exactly cheap....it will not cost me the proverbial pound of flesh but is not very far from that either...
On the positive side:
-Portrait is quite nice and the compositions are well centered
- Coin is not exactly common (even if not insanely rare)
- Flan is nice and big
So, what should the verdict be - should I add it to my collection or should it go to somebody else's coin paradise? All comments and ideas are welcome...

[cliff_marsland]

I'd say - go for it.  I'm biased towards large coins, though. 

Sometimes I'll buy something out of my field of interest because it's rare. 

My recent agony of the day was whether to buy a Domitian Alexandrian Drachm or a Claudius Sestertius.  The Claudius Sestertius,which had been around for a long time, sold a couple of days before my buy, so the question was settled for me.

[areich]

I think this is one of those very common cases where the seller uses the word medallion to inflate the price.

[wandigeaux (1940 - 2010)]

"True. the surfaces are not corroded, if this is a consolation..."  It should be a great consolation!  I think this is a very attractive specimen (a little better than mine), whether patina  be present, or no. If you have no provincials, shame on you  ; if you get this one, you will have more!  And it is big!  Cheers, George S.

[Optimus]

Actually it was Moushmov who classified this as a medalion, I think.

[David Atherton]

I like it: excellent portrait, interesting reverse, a large flan...what more could you ask for?

[areich]

None of the other sellers on acsearch repeated that though. I think it's a dirty trick to call anything larger than 33mm or so a medallion.  I'm not saying it's not a nice coin but it's not a medallion and shouldn't be priced like one. Then again, I have no idea what you mean by 'not exactly cheap'.

[Optimus]

Means six hundred sweet greenbacks...

[wandigeaux (1940 - 2010)]

About four years ago, I paid less than a third of that for my (very slightly inferior) example, but this one IS big, and I have seen several at about $600!  George S.

[Noah]

You will ger varying oppinions all the way to the bank.  If you like it and can afford it, then get it!  If you have any doubts, then get another coin you know you really want.  If it were me, I would get it if I could afford it; beauty is in the eye (and wallet) of the beholder...

Best, Noah

[gallienus1]

As a general rule I try to get the best examples that I can reasonably afford. This has over the years meant missing out on many little things and some big things. Consider what you may miss out on... a fine dinner, new TV, new computer, new watch, new car... all these things you can do without for a while longer, and then get them because they will always be available. But will you always have the chance to own a very nice AE 34 Domitian provincial?

Best regards,
Steve

[bpmurphy]

I wouldn't call it a Medallion. It's the same size as a sestertius. To me a medallion needs to be 38mm or larger.

Barry Murphy

[Automan]

I would leave it for someone else. In my eyes, it's not a particularly attractive coin and $600 should buy you something significantly nicer.

Auto

[Optimus]

Thanks for your opinions,guys. I finally decided to skip on this one. Indeed, the cash can be invested even better. It can actually buy a dozen bottles of premium malt whisky... 

[Enodia]

Thanks for your opinions,guys. I finally decided to skip on this one. Indeed, the cash can be invested even better. It can actually buy a dozen bottles of premium malt whisky... 

ummmm... 14 year old Oban!

~ Peter