Poseidonian Culture is possible to locate in Velian coinage, but very very pricey for anything decent -- and real. Don't forget, there are modern counterfeits and ancient counterfeits, and they are very very good. Finding a great coin at a reasonable price is not an easy task. Here are two coins, somewhat similar in culture, both Poseidonian, but one is double the price of the other. It's easy to see why; the topmost coin has a fabulous bull in just the right pose. The action is evident. The lower coin has a bull on it, too, but...well, it's not as sexy. In my opinion, the lower coin is the better value overall for a variety of reasons; the most vital reason is that the upper coin, although admittedly sexier with more eye-appeal, is not really the "best of the best". To achieve that, one would have to be willing to spend somewhere in excess of US $32,000.00 and even then, it's not the absolute best, just really really good...here's an example of a $32k coin from the region in question:

Lucania, Herakleia AR Stater

Lucania, Herakleia AR Stater. Circa 330 BC. Head of Athena facing right, wearing Attic helmet decorated with Scylla who is throwing a rock; ΕΥ in left field / ΗΡΑΚΛΗΙΩΝ, Herakles standing facing front, wrestling the Nemean lion; fluted jug beneath. [Club and ΑΠΟΛ to left]. SNG ANS 65; Cf. AMB 109. 7.76g, 21mm. Extremely Fine – an exceptional example of this type. $32,000.00

Now let's look at the two offerings below in comparison

Silver nomos

SNG ANS 892, gF, marks, lamination defects, Thurioi mint, weight 6.650g, maximum diameter 21.1mm, die axis 90o, c. 440 - 410 B.C.; obverse helmeted and laureate head of Athena right; reverse ΘΟΥΡΙΩΝΕ, bull butting right, fish left in ex. $500.00

Thourioi, Lucania, Italy, c. 445 - 425 B.C.

Silver triobol, SNG Cop 1472, SNG Oxford 1014, Head HN 1777, F, Thourioi mint, weight 1.085g, maximum diameter 11.9mm, die axis 270o, obverse head of Athena right in crested Athenian helmet; reverse ΘΟΥΡΙ, bull walking left with head lowered, tunny fish in exergue; $250.00

Of course the difference is obvious; one coin is twice the money. But in this case, it's also a matter of aesthetics. For the money, the bottom coin is the better choice if you're building a theme collection and you're not interested in "flipping" the coin today for a profit. But even if you are looking for resale value, the bottom coin is still the better choice; there are very few collectors out there willing to spend the extra bucks for the eye-appeal; you'll find more buyers at the lower price. On the other hand, the $32,000.00 coin always has buyers...but unless you attend the "right" cocktail parties, you'll never meet them or market a coin to them.

Scarcity means how rare a coin is. That is important. Eye-appeal and condition are very very important; they say "condition is everything", but in the case of ancient coins, it's desire that really counts.

Ultimately, it's all very damn subjective, and selecting an ancient coin is a matter of taste and instinct.

EJ Gold @ EJ Gold Collections