Relative rarity of DAFNE types.

[seth]

As I reached the limit of my coin budget for now, I found myself hunting for bargains. And because the DAFNE type is what attracted me first to lrbs and because I never got around to buy a nice diadem head (E2) DAFNE, I thought I should look for one, convinced of the fact that I should have a lot of examples to choose from.
After almost an hour of browsing different sites + ebay, i think that this type of bust is the rarest of the whole DAFNE issue. The frequency i have for this type compared to the other 2 regular ones (excluding the unepigraphic) is a very intriguing 1 E2 to 2 E4 (upwards gaze) to 6 E8 (regular rosette draped cuirassed).
Has anyone else noticed that, was this similar to your experience as collectors?
E2
E4
E8

nb - Coins pictured are random acsearch results.

[Victor]

Yes, the E2 Dafne types are the most uncommon. I currently have one in my shop with another to load (officina B, pictured below), compared to 3 eyes to heavens and 4 E8 busts. In the years I have collected the Dafne issue, I have had only 6 examples of the E2 compared to circa 15 of the E4 and around 25 of the E8 type.

Below is a chart on rarity from my Dafne page

[seth]

Thanks for the link, you have a very informative and easy to use website. your numbers are very close to the ones i came up with. I also noticed that, while E2 is significantly rarer, it's the E4 that usually commands a premium price-wise. This is one clear case where rarity doesn't necessarily correlate with a higher  price.

[Genio popvli romani]

Here are the datas based on the 72 samples available in the nummus-database. http://www.nummus-bible-database.com/rechercher-une-monnaie.htm?page=1&personnages=&ateliers=&collections=&vendeurs=&motscles=&numric=&numnbd=&legendes=13&nombreResultats=50&btRechercher=Rechercher

E2 = 4 (5.56%)
E4/E5 = 13 (18.06%)
E8 = 55 (76.38%)

The other very interesting feature is that 16.67% of the 72 coins in the database are from Victor's collection. 

[seth]

Any thoughts on why (although clearly rarer) E2 dafne's go for less than E4's?
Is it just the popularity factor (E4 being more desirable because of the christian implications)?

[Victor]

Any thoughts on why (although clearly rarer) E2 dafne's go for less than E4's?

If I have one of each type in similar condition, I will always price the E2 bust higher...but not by much. The E2 bust, at a higher price, generally only appeals to the specialists. I suspect that most collectors that only want an example of the Dafne type will opt for a cheaper E8 bust type (which they can get in much better condition) or spend a little more for the eyes to heaven type (which appeals to a broad range of collectors) rather than spend a bit more for the E2.