JKK

Because they watched YourPube videos and read books that talked about making retirement money out of your pocket, and did not have the critical thinking skills to ask if that were true, why did not everyone else do it? They then saw a book called Strike It Rich with Pocket Change, and while they didn't actually read it (not their style), that confirmed for them that this was possible. Then they looked at BedwEtsy and saw ordinary-looking coins for sale for thousands and more. (They did not ask who was imbecilic enough to pay that much. It was advertised, therefore it was worth that much, end of thought process.) All of this was enough evidence to get them checking their change. Since they were predisposed to think this was a get-rich-quick method, pareidolia took over. Rather than say: "This has got to be bull hockey, otherwise none of these coin board dudes would even be here; they'd all be retired in the Caymans or someplace." They said: "Ah, I am so much smarter than these numb testes with their methodical grading and their stupid seated Liberty whatevers and their ancient stuff. I can and will find my retirement so that I don't have to struggle to pay rent any more and can quit my job watching the self-checkout. I'm sure they will hurry to confirm my newfound FY money." If they read even a small percentage of the threads on here, or could think critically, they would not do this. They would say: "To me, this looks like it would be very rare. I've got to be missing something because otherwise someone would already have snagged it. Please help me understand why it's not." They'd get all sorts of sincere and helpful input, and even our crabbiest regulars (and we have some who seem perpetually constipated) would soften enough to educate them without judgment. But that's not what was wanted. What was wanted was to confirm a fantasy. They're the same people who get a FR on FacePlant from a hot-looking exotic female (at least, their profile pic says so) that expresses interest in them, and they get sucked in and taken. And instead of thinking "Why am I dumber than a bag of wet nickels?" they lament: "How could people be so cruel?" They don't want the truth, which is that they did the romantic equivalent of buying the parking lot penny off BedwEtsy. It's even worse than using the local casino as your retirement plan. In that, at least you only lose 5-10% of your money.

What looks like a wicked scratch right on back of where the obverse hit occurred is not likely to be a coincidence. It is post-mint damage, not an error, and the coin is damaged after heavy wear.

No.

The issue there is that for the least expensive/learning items--late Imperial bronzes from AE2-AE4--certified examples that are no more expensive than the $8-15 for which one can normally buy them would be quite elusive. You'd probably end up coughing up $40-50 for a coin that couldn't be worth $40 no matter what shape it was in. For that cost, the OP could obtain several pieces and start the attribution learning curve. Which would be needed in any case, because when you look at a slabbed ancient, you often don't have a catalog number or any full description of the text. What good is it to pay that much for what isn't even a complete attribution? So if the OP were to go that route, it probably means spending triple and obtaining in return only a pretty piece of plastic plus at least the emperor, a grade, and rough era--information that's just the beginning of proper attribution, and would be available from reputable sellers anyway. I can't see that as worth $40 extra. The emperor is easy enough to discern from a halfway readable obverse legend. The era, obviously, is tethered to the emperor (who might in fact be an empress). The best hope would be that someone screwed up and sent it in, or spent too much for the slab, and has decided to bite the heavy loss bullet and sell it for what it's really worth rather than what they paid. That's a lot of dumbth to hope for. If the OP were into aurei, or something else commonly faked, that'd be different. Even for spendy silver, particularly of rare emperors, it would make sense to go the slab route. But the biggest takeaway there is to buy from reputable sellers, of which I can recommend several with whom I do not hesitate to spend money. And I have never yet spent my own money on a slabbed ancient. I probably never will.

Small steps are wise; then try and start with one era or two. Cheapest are bronzes from 192-410 CE; figure to spend $8-15 depending on condition. Try and look them up on Wildwinds. If you are confused, post them here and ask for help. Adhere to the posting guidelines: weight and diameter, sharp cropped photos of both sides, properly rotated. A word on posting pictures and supporting info: Some people here are nice about omitting or skipping some of those details; I am cruel about it, and will simply ignore the post even if I could still answer the question. To me, it's basic respect to present the coin such that it makes helping you as easy as possible; do so, and I'll spend a lot of time giving you hints so you can run back to WW and see what you learn. (Look at this forum any day for a bunch of examples of how to do it wrong. I find it incredible that someone would waltz in, want help, but refuse to participate in the help. It's like the Prince's car's stuck and two people show up to assist but need help pushing, and the Prince refuses because the Prince is entitled to the help of lower minions. Truth told, I block them, to remind myself never to bother helping them. Don't be like them. I can deal with lack of knowledge, but willful/lazy disrespect is another story. We can tell when people are at least trying.) When you get sick to death of Constantine and Constantius, you'll know you've done a pretty deep dive on that era. The knowledge will somewhat transfer to silver and billon coinage as well, such as Diocletian's silver-washed folles.

In case you want to know what the real payoff is, I'll tell you. It's when someone shows you a badly worn ancient coin where you can barely read the exergue and about half the obverse legend, plus two letters of a reverse legend, and within ten minutes you tell someone exactly what the coin said before that detail was lost. With confidence. They might ask you: "What the f-bomb did you do? Summon a demon?" And you'll just smile.

I get it about the appeal. I have a museum in my house; it's the size of a typical 3-ring notebook, because that's what it is. It contains coins up to twenty-five centuries old. However, given how many people show up here waving parking lot coins they think represent their early retirement, it's necessary to make clear that the money angle is rarely feasible. Glad we got that out of the way. As for Romans, "anything before 476" is still a very broad era. I would further divide it: Republic (280-27 BCE) Suetonian (27 BCE-96 CE) Pax Romana (96-192 CE) Barracks Era (192-284 CE) Fourth Century (284-410 CE) Western Downfall (410-476 CE) Provincial (roughly the Western Imperial times; this is where the Greek alphabet comes into play, so start studying) Obviously, the names do not directly correspond to actual eras. They represent eras of numismatic styles. The knowledge applicable to a given coin somewhat transfers to others of that era. Put another way, if you're a stud with Republic denarii, that doesn't mean jack for Barracks Era billon antoniniani. (Get ready to learn a whole new vocabulary. Billon means debased silver; essentially copper with a sprinkling of silver in some form. It's what emperors did when they had spent the treasury broke.) For the budget collector (and of great use even for people willing to spend a bunch of money for out-of-print references) one begins with Wildwinds. If you really get into it, and are ready to start spending money, begin with Rasiel Suárez's Aorta. Try and snag one for two figures. This is the most concentrated Roman imperial reference available. Have magnification. If you really really love this, or if it's actually less expensive (like right this moment), splurge instead for ERIC II. Unless you're a weightlifter, make sure you own a hand truck to move it around. Also by Ras, this is like Aorta but with color images, more comprehensive listings (a feat, considering Aorta's sheer density of information), easier reading (can get away with lighter mag), and continues until 1453 CE (Aorta stops the Eastern emperors just before Arcadius). If you love this stuff, you'll end up wanting the Sear references: volumes I-V plus Greek Imperial. Another useful item is the two-volume Coinage & History of the Roman Empire. When you recover from the heart attack you get looking at the price, start looking for a cheaper version. I'd say if you see the pair for <$100, consider pulling the trigger. The way we typically attribute ancients is by catalog numbers as well as descriptions. I've never seen anyone but me use Aorta catalog numbers, but they exist; same for ERIC II, which is like Aorta after a Hulklike transformation. Sear (S-nnn), Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC x, nnn), Sear Greek Imperial (SGI-nnn), and others exist. You won't have to dig through Wildwinds for long to see such attribution references. Once you get into this, you'll start to see that there about about five things to be found on a Roman coin of a given size/material/weight/denomination: obverse device, obverse legend, reverse device, reverse legend, and exergue/fields. The exergue is the bottom reverse, typically the home of mint marks, but fields also matter. For example, a ghamma or thelta (you call them gamma and delta, but that's how they are pronounced in demotic Greek) oficina (sub-mint) mark in the field relates more to the exergue than to the reverse device or legend. Learn to look for and quantify those five things, and in combination with denomination, you have an attribution. All that either gets you excited/motivated and you blew out of here early to go look at Wildwinds, or it scares f-bomb out of you and you no longer want to do this. There isn't usually middle ground. If the former, keep asking. If the latter, I get it. There's a reason antiquarians aren't as common as roll hunters and Morgan junkies.

Okay. Roman coins span eight hundred years or thereabouts and that's not counting the extra thousand years of Byzantines speaking Greek and calling themselves Roman. What timeframe do you want to collect, and what types? Do you know much about Roman history and numismatics? Do you have any of the accepted references, and if not, would you like suggestions? How's your familiarity with the Greek alphabet? Other alphabets you read? Are you interested in any other ancients that aren't Roman? Have you yet bought any, and if so, would you like to learn good methods of attribution? Do you accept that you aren't going to get rich at this? (Most of the US collecting newbies do not, until they get the Ice Bath of Reality. I'd expect better from even a budding antiquarian.) The good news for you is that antiquarians have a way of being the most pleasant numismatists and historians you're likely to meet. Those of us who have been at it a while take pride in that. Ask away. That'll do for now as food for thought.

It's certainly plated. As for the rest of what you say here, it doesn't even demonstrate notable critical thinking efforts. I can think of no reason anyone would bother to lead you in the right direction after that.

I apologize. I didn't realize you were special needs.

If you threaten to kick the seller in the head, you might get a better price. Might be worth a try.

If you know the grading standards for 69 and 70, then why are you asking anyone else for their opinion? Send it in so that it can get real quiet around here.

I think part of the problem is that you're believing the slab without question. I am not sure that is merited. I checked Aorta for draped, cuirassed bust right; that's obverse type 8) for SS's denarii. None are listed for him. Aorta isn't 100% comprehensive, just about 99.5%. All his denarii are laureate bust L (type 2; obviously not this coin) or laureate bust R, type 3) (the overwhelming majority, as in over 99%). Reverse type is 110), looks like Mars advancing right with spear and trophy. I have more faith in that ID. If it were my coin, first I'd blow up the actual coin images in addition to showing the slab. Then I'd get in WW and look for his AR denarii, show thumbnails, to find one that looked like a match. BORTE: bust, obverse legend, reverse legend, reverse type, and exergue. Five parameters to full attribution.

Well, when it comes back bagged, consider that your first tuition. As long as the otherwise wasted money buys you some knowledge, it wasn't a total loss.

There is one. It's called the world coin can, and while it's highly unlikely to yield up your retirement, you can find some cool stuff and learn a lot. Where it is: at your local dealer. Most dealers have such a can. They might sell its contents for 3 to 6 for a dollar. (3 is usually excessive in price given that I believe most of them pay a nickel each for these.) At coin shows, many dealers have a world coin can. Funny how there is always some fat introverted old guy combing through it, taking his sweet time. What does he know that others don't? How it is: The can is constantly changing. Many dealers replenish their inventory through collections sold to them by walk-ins, anything from Bampaw's Collections to really special stuff to more modern mint sets than the mind can comprehend. Most such replenishments involve some misc world coins, anywhere from one digit to three. The dealer knows what they are looking at, but they also do not have time to look up every world coin. They'll go through, pick out a few pieces they know are worth more (usually silver, or in truly rarely beautiful shape), and offer a pittance around 5c for the rest. Those end up in the world coin can and they are only lightly picked over until someone, perhaps you, shows up to do it right. Why you'd care: because you can get 1800s coins, and sometimes older, without breaking a sweat. German Imperial stuff is very common, as is Filipino early 1900s. Most of it is very modern, stuff that came home from foreign trips or recent wars. But now and then there'll be something that slipped past the dealer, like the 2 real late 1700s Spanish piece I found one time. Rough shape, yeah, but bottom line is it's a Spanish Imperial piece. Also, since few dealers have any idea how to read older cashes, Chinese cash coinage is a very fertile area. (It's a lot more fertile than later Imperial silver, which seems to emanate from Phonystan.) Yeah, you'd have to learn to puzzle out some new alphabets and scripts; it's not that hard unless you cherish ignorance. No, you still are not going to get rich. Yes, you can provide yourself with stuff to keep you busy for hours. No, you don't have to buy Krause, though their numeric systems and national devices are quite helpful; Numista and the NGC World Coin Price Guide can help you a lot. Yes, you can find gems, or at least something cool, most times you search it provided you don't do it every day (who does that anyway?). If you have a great relationship with your dealer, ask that they call you whenever there's a major influx into the can. Also, if you have completely picked over the can out front, ask if there's a larger bucket from which it's stocked. It might be a five-gallon bucket they can barely drag out front. You want to make that dealer your best ally? At some point, you'll find a silver coin they missed; rather than just shrug and pay the 20c or whatever and say 'yay me,' show it to the dealer and ask if they want to sell it separately due to the value. About 95% of them will smile, say nah, it's yours for the standard price, and think more highly of you. There. To this there is a point. To painfully photographing damaged parking lot coins and imaginary doubled dies that are nearly always mechanical doubling, there is little.

That makes sense because the date's font size is more consistent with Capped bust dimes than with the larger denomination. I would grade if FA-2, myself, but either way the wear is too heavy for it to have much value.

I can tell you why people get testy. It is the sheer level of fantasy and the patience worn away from giving people bad news, time after time, and getting varying responses from acquiescence to questioning to pushback to illiterate insults. Do this long enough, and jading will tend to set in. Try seeing it as we do. Everyone has this idea that they will find Big Deals in rolls, or change, or something else obtained at face value. Varieties, errors, some special unique coin--they post daily here with parking lot coins, replated steelies, and shoddy counterfeits that they are certain are Very Special (and presumably valuable and interesting). Okay, that's where they begin. We begin from the reasonable standpoint that, if such things were really that easy to find, and that valuable, they would stop being either because everyone would have found nearly all of them by now. Even a casual read of the Newbie forum supports this, as people seek validation of their supposed errors and Really Special variations, and we wearily tell them no. And yet, in spite of all common sense and even a smidge of critical thinking, the next person comes along and wants to be treated as though we have never been asked these questions before. The answer is yes, one can have the truth if one is willing to accept it, but no, one is not entitled to be cuddled while we break the bad news. And I'm on the gentle end of that spectrum here. We've got people so crabby and narcissistic that they are not only completely insensitive, but they brag about that as a character strength. We've also got some saints who can do a little cuddling and encouraging, and I leave that to them. In my case I reserve it for people who show special promise, which is rare; the rest of the time I just don't keep engaging. Nothing educates us in life like learning to rotate the chessboard and see it through someone else's eyes.

Not concerned about it. I knew his type would go there. Impotent threats are the only escalation available to someone who can't use reason and can't communicate. It works in their high school bullying habits and they expect it to work here, which it will not.

We can't tell you that it's a replica of no value until you post pictures.

Heh. As if I have any idea, or give a rip, what race you might be. Internet macho types are hilarious, especially when they grasp at straws.

No real need. You do it to yourself. But in case you want it spelled out, I definitely do not respect you.

Shouldn't have swallowed it. That might explain some things.

I think it's hilarious you got so punked. Definitely send them all in to NGC. They love to slab plated quarters. Get some!

Are you shooting for the Foo of the Week award? You're mounting a strong campaign. He's been collecting for at least twenty years. He was probably collecting when you were loading up your diapers.

The error is called pariedolia. It's very common on modern coins, but carries no premium.