QUESTION: Marty, I heard that JP Morgan had an enormous historic coin assortment of Greek and Roman cash. Have any of his cash ever come up on the market?
DX
ANSWER: Oh sure. Not usually. Here’s a gold aureus of Antoninus Pius (138-161AD). You possibly can usually purchase one for round $4,000. This one was simply up at public sale. I bid $10,000 for a comparatively widespread coin and didn’t get it. This coin offered for $14,000 – a $10,000 premium as a result of it belonged to JP Morgan. It was offered at Classical Numismatic Group. You will see that that some cash owned by well-known individuals will fetch a premium due to who owns what.
Based on the Roman historian Suetonius, the primary Roman Emperor Augustus (27BC-14AD) gave “cash of each machine, together with outdated items of the kings and international cash” as Saturnalia items.
You’ll usually see historic Roman cash set in historic jewellery. Accumulating historic cash has been the pastime of kings, popes, bankers, and even celebrities similar to Johnny Money. Roman Emperors would give out medallions they’d struck in gold, silver, and bronze as particular items.
I purchased cash from the Nelson Bunker Hunt (1926 – 2014) public sale at Sotheby’s. That was a unbelievable assortment, and for any of his cash, you possibly can add 20%+ for his title.
There was the well-known Boscoreale hoard, which was buried by the eruption of Pompei in 79AD. This hoard of gold cash was not found till 1895. Baron Edmond de Rothschild bought it.
Many well-known individuals have owned historic cash. The one that as soon as owned it is going to clearly add to its worth.
