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Author Topic: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius  (Read 7168 times)

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Offline LordBest

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LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« on: October 21, 2006, 10:07:33 am »
I had to invent a new catagory for this coin. This is my first "Oh my god, what have I done?" Coin of the Day, reflecting the feeling you get shortly after purchasing it. A kind of sick, creeping feeling which starts in the pit of your stomach, slowy rises to your head and turns your brain to mush. :( After which you turn into a sort of gibbering wreck.


Nero. AE Sestertius. BMCRE 155; Cohen 94, RIC I 176 var (obv legend), MacDowall 74 (Obv Die A104, plII) VF, broad flan, 30.955g, 38.6mm, 180o, Rome mint, 64 A.D.; obverse NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P IMP P P, laureate head right, wearing aegis; reverse DECVRSIO in ex, no SC, Nero on horseback prancing r., wears cuirass, short tunic, and billowing cloak, spear in r.; to r., soldier moving r. carrying vexillum; to l. in shallow relief, soldier running r.; dark patina, brick-red areas, some pits on obverse, light smoothing, perfectly centered on an extraordinary broad flan, well-struck, from superb-style dies; rare.

This sestertius was an early emission from the Rome Mint, which resumed striking bronze after about 10 years of inactivity. The talented engraver, perhaps with extra time for this initial project, produced one of the best dies in the entire imperial bronze series. The special style, complemented by superior execution, has similarities to later medallions.

The fine expressive portrait has higher relief than the more common Lugdunum issues. The reverse uses the roundness of the flan and three geometric planes of relief to both present the scene in a format that draws the eye to the emperor and show movement that is lacking on almost all other Roman coins. The rare use of geometric planes was repeated on ADLOCVTIO sestertii of Galba five years later, perhaps the work of the same artist. Rome sestertii after 70 A.D. are of far less impressive style.

The lack of SC leaves the reverse fields uncluttered. SC stood for Senatus Consultum, "By Decree of the Senate" and signified the role of the Senate in the minting of brass and bronze coinage. Many sestertii of Caligula and some brass and bronze of Nero lack SC. Subsequent issues include SC again, until inflation produced the demise of the sestertius under Gallienus, c. 265 AD

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Offline Potator II

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2006, 10:49:31 am »
Hi LB,

I have very often that feeling of OMGWHID after purchasing a coin. Sometimes it increases when you get it in the mail and feel disapointed as you see a difference between what you saw on pic and what you get in hand. But after a while, when the coin has found its place in your collection and your heart, you KNOW you were right ; well...it's better like that than to regret.

BTW, your DECURSIO is great, YHDVWMF (you've done very well my friend)

Regards
Potator

Offline LordBest

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2006, 10:57:19 am »
Thanks. :) I love Rome mint Nero coinage, particularly the sestertii. I was thrilled to see Forvm put one up for sale, the style is gorgeous and the reverse is fantastic.
Are there any explanations for why Rome mint stopped striking bronzes between 54-63AD?
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Offline Jerome Holderman

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2006, 11:28:38 am »
Beautiful Coin!

Fantastic quality and execution!

Thanks for the new category, I'm sure I will use it often. I have made way to many of those purchases  ;D

Offline Roma_Orbis

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2006, 12:25:28 pm »
I had to invent a new catagory for this coin. This is my first "Oh my god, what have I done?" Coin of the Day, reflecting the feeling you get shortly after purchasing it. A kind of sick, creeping feeling which starts in the pit of your stomach, slowy rises to your head and turns your brain to mush. :( After which you turn into a sort of gibbering wreck.

What made you have this reaction? the several corroded areas on the coin?

Jérôme

Offline LordBest

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #5 on: October 21, 2006, 12:34:40 pm »
More the price, I dont mind the corrosion, its not that severe and its not that ugly or distracting. Its also the largest Nero sestertius I've encountered. ;)
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Offline DruMAX

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2006, 12:35:02 pm »
bronze disease maybe? a few pot holes but on the whole a very attractive coin with a supurb portrait.

Offline LordBest

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2006, 12:48:29 pm »
Yeah, its not perfect, in some ways spending the money on several thousand uncleaned Constantinian bronzes would have made more sense, but I've made my choice now and I stand by it. ;)
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Offline Roma_Orbis

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2006, 01:01:40 pm »
it's a Nero bronze without SC, quite rare, with an interesting rev. scene! As for the price, well it's a different story, such as 'is a coin worth what I've paid?'. One can also check some realized prices in coinarchives http://www.coinarchives.com/a/results.php?results=100&search=nero+and+decvrs+and+sester  (there is even your coin!). But in the end, it is often a personal thing.

Jérôme

Offline LordBest

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2006, 01:10:01 pm »
To be honest if I hadnt seen the somewhat nicer picture of the Nero on coinarchives I wouldnt have bought it, no offense to Joe's photography. ;) I certainly wasnt a bargain, but it wasnt overpriced either. In fact given how hard it is to find Rome mint DECVRSIO sestertii it may have been quite a good buy. To get a gVF- EF example would have cost atleast twice what I paid and I'm not ready to spend that much on a single coin yet.
And I really, really, really love the portrait.
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Offline Roma_Orbis

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2006, 01:13:27 pm »
To get a gVF- EF example would have cost atleast twice what I paid and I'm not ready to spend that much on a single coin yet.

a gVF-EF of this type without SC? probably more than 3 times what you paid!!

Jérôme

Offline slokind

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2006, 02:58:49 pm »
The pit in front of Nero's face doesn't bother me at all.  Putty with some 'shoe polish' over it would bother me.  Whatever the cause of the pit, i.e., whichever kind of corrosion, as it is left clean you can watch it and, becoming used to it, like it as well as any scar that a friend may bear.
Pat L.

Offline Rupert

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2006, 05:34:00 pm »
RIC 174-177 are all coins with S-C. Medallic sestertius is certainly the right name for this one - at 38 mm and over 30 g it's a real whopper!

Congratulations from

Envious Rupert
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Offline Robert_Brenchley

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #13 on: October 21, 2006, 06:28:05 pm »
Whatever the flaws, it's a totally gorgeous coin. And it is almose 2000 years old, after all, so you can't grumble at the odd scar. It's in far better condition that any of us will be at that age!
Robert Brenchley

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Offline David Atherton

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #14 on: October 21, 2006, 08:21:42 pm »
My jaw dropped when the pic loaded of your coin LB. That pit wouldn't bother me at all. The striking beauty of the coin overwhelms any minor flaws.

I recently bought a rare denarius that had a scar on the cheek of the portrait and I totally agree with Pat's comment, '... becoming used to it, like it as well as any scar that a friend may bear.'

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #15 on: October 21, 2006, 09:07:29 pm »
Simply an amazing coin.  The pits don't detract from the beauty of the coin at all (and how does Pat come up with these great analogies?? ;)).

Andrew

Offline Noah

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #16 on: October 21, 2006, 09:22:08 pm »
OMGINHO...(O My God I'll Never Have One)!!  It is a spectacular coin.  I will never be able to get one of this quality! :'(  Congrats on the acquisition.  Truly, the minor flaws merely add character to this beauty.  Beauty AND Perfection are in the eye of the beholder.

Best, Noah

Offline the_Apostate

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #17 on: October 22, 2006, 06:06:58 am »
I had to invent a new catagory for this coin. This is my first "Oh my god, what have I done?" Coin of the Day, reflecting the feeling you get shortly after purchasing it. A kind of sick, creeping feeling which starts in the pit of your stomach, slowy rises to your head and turns your brain to mush. :( After which you turn into a sort of gibbering wreck.

Aaah, money that's just figures on your bank account but a Nero sestertius is a thing of beauty and that is in the words of the poet a joy forever.

I guess that's really what Nero looked like. Pompous, arrogant, trying to look like a hero but obviously full of immorality and thoughts about what's going to be served for dinner rather than philosophizing. The pure anti-stoic to be held in the palm of your hand.

Lovely coin!

Wouldn't like to be one of your creditors though -  ;)

Offline Rupert

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #18 on: October 22, 2006, 07:07:03 am »
See it in a practical way. I looked this coin up on Coinarchives yesterday and saw that it was in an auction for $1,000 and wasn't sold, which I think is very strange, because that's cheap IMO. So I just have a guess that you got it at about this price. Now, if it had no corrosion on the obv., it would be a $5,000 coin, and you and I would really have to rob a bank to buy it - which is no good idea either, since about 97% of bank robbers get caught. So I guess you can really live with this.
Below is my Nero sestertius which I bought about ten years ago. If this one had no corrosion, I could never have afforded it either.

Best regards,

Rupert
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Offline LordBest

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #19 on: October 22, 2006, 07:30:18 am »
Exactly Rupert. :) That is one fine looking sestertius you have, beautiful portrait and the reverse is stunning, in my opinion. Such a beautiful Roma, very elegant.
Thanks for the kind words about the sestertius everyone. :) Actually I tried a radical new approach and saved the money before I bought the coin, so no one is going to hunt me down like a dog and break my legs. ;)
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Offline Robert_Brenchley

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #20 on: October 22, 2006, 12:23:01 pm »
Income twenty shillings, expenditure nineteen shillings and sixpence; result, a Nero sesterius and no debts. In short, happiness!
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Offline Roma_Orbis

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #21 on: October 22, 2006, 12:29:42 pm »
Below is my Nero sestertius which I bought about ten years ago. If this one had no corrosion, I could never have afforded it either.

Rupert,

This Roma reverse is incredible style; we can even see the decoration on the shoes/boots (?) of Roma  :o
Despite all the horrors said on Nero, one should acknowledge that he hired maybe the most talented artists to strike coins of all the imperial period.

Jérôme

Offline DruMAX

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #22 on: October 22, 2006, 01:07:12 pm »
Rupert that coin is a true work of art both portrait and reverse. I am seldom blown away by reverses but that one is exceptional.

Offline Rupert

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #23 on: October 22, 2006, 01:26:13 pm »
Yes, that's a coin that I'm still very happy with. Here's some detail of it in original 5 megapixel size.

Best regards,

Rupert
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Offline Roma_Orbis

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Re: LBs OMGWHIDCotD Nero Sestertius
« Reply #24 on: October 22, 2006, 01:35:11 pm »
Yes, that's a coin that I'm still very happy with. Here's some detail of it in original 5 megapixel size.

Mmmh if you are disturbed by this horrible corrosion, I am ready to buy it  ;D

Jérôme

 

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