How to tell the value oaf ancient coins

[Robert1963]

I have 2 ancient coins in one certified NGC as AU and another coin NGC certified no extra info. I paid 165.00 the this AU ancient coin here. I can't tell what its value would be. I don't have a picture of the other one but it is basically the same. Can anyone help?

 

[physics-fan3.14]

Really, the only way to know the value of a coin is to find past sales in auctions. Compare your coin to the condition of those coins, and note the price they sold for. 

[Robert1963]

1 hour ago, physics-fan3.14 said:

Really, the only way to know the value of a coin is to find past sales in auctions. Compare your coin to the condition of those coins, and note the price they sold for. 

I would do that but I've tried and I can't find a way to enter a search for ancient coins.

[Conder101]

An ebay sold items search would seem to indicate you overpaid.  There were three AU's that sold in the $70 to $80 range and a MS that sold for $105.  However none of them are the same variety as the one you have.  That is the problem with trying do do a search for ancients.  If you don't have the exact variety to search for, results may be meaningless.  And there are thousands of varieties with few of them accurately identified.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=probus+aurelianianus&LH_Auction=1&_from=R40&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=11116&LH_Sold=1&_sadis=15&_salic=1&_sop=13&_dmd=1&_ipg=200&LH_Complete=1

[Robert1963]

On 12/2/2017 at 6:15 AM, Conder101 said:

An ebay sold items search would seem to indicate you overpaid.  There were three AU's that sold in the $70 to $80 range and a MS that sold for $105.  However none of them are the same variety as the one you have.  That is the problem with trying do do a search for ancients.  If you don't have the exact variety to search for, results may be meaningless.  And there are thousands of varieties with few of them accurately identified.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=probus+aurelianianus&LH_Auction=1&_from=R40&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=11116&LH_Sold=1&_sadis=15&_salic=1&_sop=13&_dmd=1&_ipg=200&LH_Complete=1

Thank you. With a little bit of writing you managed to say a lot of things I need to know. I appreciate that.

[JKK]

On 12/1/2017 at 4:43 PM, Robert1963 said:

I have 2 ancient coins in one certified NGC as AU and another coin NGC certified no extra info. I paid 165.00 the this AU ancient coin here. I can't tell what its value would be. I don't have a picture of the other one but it is basically the same. Can anyone help?

 

Cautiously, it looks to me like RIC 481, Cohen 126. Compare to this pic: RIC 481, rather feeble strike on the exergue.

Another comparison from Wildwinds: RIC 481.1, a more worn version with the silver wash mostly gone

I do not find it in Sear. In Aorta, I'd call it a Probus 550): helmeted, radiate, cuirassed bust L, spear over shoulder and shield, VIRTVS PROBI AVG; Concordia standing L holding standard in each hand, CONCORD MILIT, E/PXXI/* (left field, exergue, right field). Ticinium mint, 279-281 CE.

I would search for RIC 481 Probus coins in comparable condition, and see what they actually hammered for, and especially see how much they resemble your own coin. No two coins are alike, of course, but the farther back we go in time, the more accentuated is this reality.

[Robert1963]

Thank you very much it sounds like you know a good deal about ancient coins. It's nice to know that I can come to this forum and find people who know what they're talking about.

[JKK]

4 minutes ago, Robert1963 said:

Thank you very much it sounds like you know a good deal about ancient coins. It's nice to know that I can come to this forum and find people who know what they're talking about.

I'm more of an ancients novice with rather good reference tools. Probus is a little bit hard because there are so, so many coin varieties of him. It's like the guy spent most of his time coming up with new combinations of a rather large catalogue of devices. But in brief, once one determines the denomination (easier than generally thought), most Roman imperial coins have five key characteristics. BORTE: bust (or other obverse imagery), obverse legend, reverse legend, type (reverse imagery), and exergue (including fields). Once you nail down a single one of those items dead to rights, the field of possibilities will narrow. In this case, I used Aorta to see what the options were, helping me get the legends and seeing how common that exergue was (rather very). It also gave me the type. The bust was rather unique as well. It was a nice sharp coin thus not as challenging as many.

If I were trying to sell it, I'd definitely look it up as RIC 481 and see what people have actually coughed up for it in that condition. It's rather nice--if I wanted more coins of Probus, I might make you an offer. I have a Diocletian follis with full silvering and the appeal is there even if we know the content is minimal.

[Robert1963]

I did a quick search for Probus RIC 481 and got 1 match they want $27.00 ($8.00 shipping) but the coin was raw and not in very good condition. I'll do more searches with different criteria and see if I can find more. Thanks for the info.

[JKK]

1 hour ago, Robert1963 said:

I did a quick search for Probus RIC 481 and got 1 match they want $27.00 ($8.00 shipping) but the coin was raw and not in very good condition. I'll do more searches with different criteria and see if I can find more. Thanks for the info.

Every time you find one, do yourself a favor and give it a close look so you can see how that issue varied in quality of strike. That will give you some idea of the breadth of what is available. Neither of those two from WW are anything to write home about in my opinion, and if that trend continues--if yours proves nicer than whatever else is selling--that could be good for you.