Republican denarius

[SRukke]

This looks bad to me. The seller calls it a sestertius and has the weight at 1.14g. I tried to find Freeman and Sear March 1995 but couldn't.

Is there any way to see what he's referring to?

Sellers desc:

Struck from 211BC. Rome or Southern Italy
AR (Silver) Sestertius. 1.14g.  12mm.
Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, mark of value IIS.
Reverse: The Dioscuri galloping right; in exergue, ROMA in linear frame.
Crawford 44/7 and pl. 9, 12. Sydenham 142.  RARE aXF.

Ex Freeman & Sear March 1995, Lot 297.

[Akropolis]

It is not a "denarius" as you state in your subject line. It is, in fact, a SILVER SESTERTIUS!
See Seaby RSC Vol. I, page 3 "Early Republic," number 4. Seaby, however, dates it to 187-175 B.C. Perhaps more recent scholarship moves the date back to "from 211 B.C."
I see nothing wrong with it....from the photo.
PeteB

[SRukke]

It is not a "denarius" as you state in your subject line. It is, in fact, a SILVER SESTERTIUS!
See Seaby RSC Vol. I, page 3 "Early Republic," number 4. Seaby, however, dates it to 187-175 B.C. Perhaps more recent scholarship moves the date back to "from 211 B.C."
I see nothing wrong with it....from the photo.
PeteB

Learn something new in this hobby every day. Thanks for the info.

[dougsmit]

I do happen to have that catalog (F&S #1 - the first of their mail bid sales).  The coin is illustrated in the plates and is certainly the same item.  They list it as 1.13g which is within an expected difference in scales.  It realized $152 = a 10% buyers fee.   I agree with Pete that there is nothing here that looks fishy.

I will point out that F&S graded the coin as VF and called it 'Scarce'.  Now it is aXF and Rare.  Some of us who have collected a while will get a chuckle out of this and go so far as to predict that this coin will reach 'Mint State' and  'Unique' in another 17 years.  Any way you label it, I'd call it a very nice coin.

[Andrew McCabe]

I will point out that F&S graded the coin as VF and called it 'Scarce'.  Now it is aXF and Rare.  Some of us who have collected a while will get a chuckle out of this and go so far as to predict that this coin will reach 'Mint State' and  'Unique' in another 17 years.  

I know you are only reporting what others have written, but indeed it is common type. There are a dozen on the market at any one time.

Still
- it is nice
- it is not common to find it in such nice condition
- the prior sales price was pretty reasonable
- it's pretty

Not rare, hardly even scarce, but still nice.