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Brass Sestertius of Philip I

This handsome bust of Philip the Arab graces the obverse of a sestertius sold off as a duplicate from the Boston Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art collection of ancient coins. The piece was not terribly expensive, costing less than sixty dollars. The obverse bust is exceptionally nice, though the reverse is somewhat ragged and corroded.

Many collectors like to add coins to their collection because they have a certain provenance, meaning that they were once owned by a famous person or institution. For some, it is a matter of feeling secure that the coin they own is more likely to be genuine, having been owned by an advanced collector or accomplished scholar. Alas, even the experts are fooled by well executed fakes sometimes. Other collectors just feel that knowing who has owned a coin previously or where it was found add the romance of a story to the little piece of metal in their collection.

Many of the coins sold off from this collection are covered with a distinctive powdery, light green patina over all or part of the coin's surface. Such Patination, especially if many coins are found together with similar patinas, may indicate that the coins were lost or hidden in the same original hoard. Click here to view another coin with similar patina also from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.


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