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Author Topic: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?  (Read 25681 times)

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mikepellerin

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What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« on: July 09, 2006, 12:43:08 am »
A "Holy Grail" coin could best be described as a coin that you have been seeking, but for the most part has been out of reach. It doesn't have to ba an overly expensive coin, just one that for one reason or another, has eluded you.

In my case, as an Elagabalus collector, I finally got my grail:

"Elagabalus, 218-222 A.D. AR Denarius (18-20mm). 2. 5 grams.

OBVERSE: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG; Laureate bust right, draped.

REVERSE: SACER D DEI SOLIS ELAGAB; Elagabalus standing right, holding club and patera over lit altar, star in right field."


Yeah, it's not an expensive coin, nor is it rare. But it doesn't appear often. It is my 1st "horned bust" example, and now I'm going after "radiate' bust types.

So, tell us here what your "grail" is.

 :<a href='../numiswiki/view.asp?key=wreath' target='_blank'>wreath</a>3dot: Mike  :<a href='../numiswiki/view.asp?key=wreath' target='_blank'>wreath</a>3dot:

Offline Tiathena

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2006, 03:05:05 am »
 
        Ave Mike!
 
   Congrats on having found and acquired your ‘grail’ coin!  (Until the next one … )   ;)
 
  I’ve had several and have acquired several …
  One of those yet remaining which still eludes me is a good, well-struck Phillip II Tet. in EF+ to XF  ~  like this one...
 
       
 
 It is unfortunately an expensive coin, but also rather tough to find without a test cut or some other ‘flaw.’
 
   Happy hunting for your ‘Radiate Imperials!’
 
   Best,
   Tia
 
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Offline areich

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2006, 03:19:00 am »
Tia,
I always thought EF and XF were just two different abbreviations for 'extremely fine'?

Andreas
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Offline Tiathena

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2006, 03:30:06 am »
   
          Dear Andreas …
 
  Are you objecting to my overkill?   
 
  I believe you’re correct about that…  But I have often taken / interpreted EF as ‘Extremely Fine’ and XF as ‘Extra Fine’ (slightly ‘finer’ than EF).
 
   At bottom, I don’t believe there is any meaningful difference (if there is any at-all).
 
   Best,
   Tia

ADMIN NOTE: EF and EX both abbreviate Extremely Fine. There is no difference.
   
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Offline areich

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2006, 04:02:06 am »
I'm happy that my Provincials usually don't come in EF.
I once thought about collecting folles, but since I have one that I consider perfect, I decided to stop there.



I don't really have a holy grail, maybe one of those nice big Ptolemaic bronzes.

Andreas Reich

Offline Pscipio

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2006, 04:14:58 am »
I guess there are many holy grails out there for me, but many of them are priceless anyway (Laelianus Aureus, for example). Here's one that may be affordable however, one day:

Carthaginian Tetradrachm, uncertain mint in Sicily circa 320, AR 16.36 g.
Obv: barley wreathed head of Tanit (Kore-Persephone) l., wearing earring and necklace; around, three dolphins.
Rev: head of horse l.; behind, palm tree with clusters of dates; below truncation of the neck, mm in Punic characters.
Weber 1774 (these dies). Jenkins Punic Sicily III 215.

Lars
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Offline Buzzygirl

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2006, 10:45:17 am »
I'll echo a previous post in that most of the "Grail" coins I want are priced up into the stratosphere. I'm primarily a Roman collector, and the very rare emperors (ex.: Saturninus) would be nigh-impossible to obtain even if I did have an endless supply of money.

Other coins I would absolutely love to own (again, if I had an endless supply of money) are any of the Sicilian/Greek dekadrachms of Kimon and Euianetos.

Offline Robert_Brenchley

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2006, 01:49:41 pm »
One coin I'd give a great deal for, but would almost certainly never have the chance to acquire even if I was a multi-zillionaire, is a unique (unfortunately) YEHUD drachm, minted in Judea, probably in the Persian period. The reverse is a bearded deity seated on a winged chariot, who is probably YHVH himself, the god of Israel. Imagine having an authentic ancient image of God!
Robert Brenchley

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Offline David Atherton

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #8 on: July 25, 2006, 01:22:24 pm »
My 'Holy grail' coin(s) right now would have to be either of the following denariiVesp RIC 23 Titus and Domitian galloping right, Vesp RIC 25 Titus and Domitian seated. Both are dynastic issues that would be welcomed additions to my collection.


Offline kauaiboy

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #9 on: July 25, 2006, 04:56:13 pm »
This Medallion of Gordian III would be one of my "Holy Grail" coins for sure.  Minted in 240 AD, This extremely rare Medallion depicts the colosseum with some action in it this time.  A bull is charging a mounted elephant.
Outside, the usual Meta Sudans (why did Mussolini have to destroy it?) and the Colossus. On the right, the portico.
Whats funny is that an example of this medallion will be up for auction in January at the New York Sale.  However the dealer is a shady character so I will have no part of any of his auctions.


Robert

Offline Pscipio

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #10 on: July 25, 2006, 05:02:41 pm »
That coin you show does look horribly repatinated and tooled to me.

Here are two genuine Gordian III. medallions with the Colosseum reverse:
http://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotviewer.php?LotID=150410&AucID=179&Lot=654
http://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotviewer.php?LotID=68657&AucID=73&Lot=1016

Lars
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Offline *Alex

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #11 on: July 26, 2006, 03:11:07 pm »
This would be my "Holy Grail" coin, but I could never afford it. Happily though it belongs to one of our FORVM members so I can view it whenever I want.

Alex.

Offline Rupert

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #12 on: August 01, 2006, 01:48:12 pm »
That's a marvellous coin, of course. Only on a specimen in such condition can you really appreciate that this is a last triumph of ancient Roman portrait art! Therefore, which I wouldn't concede to most coins, this coin certainly deserves a huge premium in price over an "ordinary" specimen for its grade (I know it was expensive).

Rupert
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Offline Jerome Holderman

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #13 on: August 01, 2006, 11:52:27 pm »
So Many to choose from...... I guess this one would fit the bill.  :o ::)

Seleukos I. Nikator,  AR Tetradrachm, 306-280 BC


Here would be another:
Galba Sestertius:

peterpil19

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #14 on: August 02, 2006, 09:20:03 am »
Probably not expensive enough to qualify as a "holy grail" coin, the Circus Maximus reverse type for Trajan has always been at the back of my mind. The sad fact that so little of the Circus Maximus remains in Rome makes this coin even more appealing to me.

Offline Rupert

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #15 on: August 02, 2006, 10:33:04 am »
These are all great coins! Peter, I think the Circus Maximus sestertius qualifies well for most of us as "Holy Grail" since few of us will be able to afford a several thousand dollar (or Euro) coin more often than a few times in a lifetime.

Jerome, can you imagine why the silver coin says Seleukou Elsileos instead of Basileos? You'd expect that such high-class die cutters should be more literate than to write E :Greek_Lambda:  instead of BA?

Rupert
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Offline LordBest

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #16 on: August 02, 2006, 10:43:31 am »
Constantine XI. (1448-1453 AD). Silver stavraton (half-hyperperon) (6.46 gm). . Facing bust of Christ, wearing nimbus cruciger and holding Gospels, within two circles of dots, between which eight evenly spaced globules / KWN[CT]AN[TIN]OC ÄECÐOTHC O ÐAËEO[ËOÃ] in outer ring, ÈV XAPITH BACIËVC POMEON in inner ring, facing bust of Constantine XI. S. Bendall, "The coinage of Constantine XI," Revue Numismatique 1991, pl. XVI, no. 100 (this coin). Flatly struck in various places. Still extremely fine to point of wear. From the Paul L. Richter MD Collection.
Ex Harlan J. Berk, Buy or Bid Sale 80, 1994, lot 708

A coin minted in the last days of the greatest and most powerful state the world has ever seen.
                                                       LordBest. 8)

Offline Rupert

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #17 on: August 02, 2006, 10:57:08 am »
Wow man - what an impressive document of decline! From Stone Age to High Culture and back! But can this really be the highest goal for a collector?

My Holy Grail would be the tetradrachm with facing Arethusa from Syracuse, engraved by Kimon. Since I found no really good picture at the moment that would be able to convey its full beauty, here's my second choice: another Syracuse tet, by Eukleidas this time. Sold by Leu, Zürich, for 245,000 Swiss Franks.

Rupert
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Offline wie-wolf

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #18 on: March 02, 2009, 04:12:56 pm »
very simple: this signed kimon coin from syracuse, wish I could hold it in my hands for some minutes....

Offline areich

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #19 on: March 02, 2009, 04:17:44 pm »
While I don't have a single dream coin and wouldn't want to own such an expensive coin, I can understand why
it is your 'holy grail'. Looking at it hurts a little, it is so beautiful.

Andreas
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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #20 on: March 02, 2009, 04:37:29 pm »
And that is a true Hirmer picture.

Lars
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Offline Rupert

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #21 on: March 02, 2009, 04:48:41 pm »
Hey wie-wolf,

that coin's mine already!!! ;D

Rupert
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Offline SVLLAIMP

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #22 on: March 02, 2009, 05:53:06 pm »
Mine would be the L. Cornelius Sulla denarius with a bust of Venus and two cornucopiae.  That and any of Trajans architectural coins.

Offline wie-wolf

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #23 on: March 03, 2009, 05:31:23 am »
kimons arethusa coin:
I just noticed, that this coin type was at triton XI last year with a result of 575 000 USD!
[DEAD LINK REMOVED BY ADMIN]
by the way:
Max Hirmer: Die schönsten Griechenmünzen Siziliens. Insel-Bücherei Nr. 559, 1940.
incredible beautyful pictures , but with an incredible rassistic-nazistic essay by Max Hirmer!

Offline Jay GT4

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Re: What is your "Holy Grail" coin?
« Reply #24 on: March 03, 2009, 06:40:16 pm »
My most sought after is what should be a common Mark Antony Legionary denarius but is probably one of the rarest denarii, I believe there are only a few in existence ...LEG PRI the 1st!  I am resigned to the fact that I will never find one.  Even if I find one I'll never be able to afford it!  :'(

 

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