Post Your Ancient Coins!!!

btw how old are they?

 

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After that coin, I would say Indo-greek would be the second most common ancient square coin one would run across. Its definitely an "indian" thing, (meaning modern day India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc.)

 

It is always amazing how the prices go on these. This is an nice strike with next to no wear but picky collectors would hit it hard for the top of the owl's head touching the top of the flan and the rather small amount of crest showing on the helmet. A slightly more spread out flan would double the price of the coin. I once had a friend who specialized in owls and had more than a hundred tetradrachms from archaic to 4th century (he was not a fan of new style). His wife made fun of him because not one of those coins had the nose of Athena touching or clipped by the flan. We would accept a coin far off center losing the back of the head before he would sacrifice a millimeter of nose. If you want to see the whole design, it generally takes at least four coins and all have to be off center to the point they are objectionable. Usually you get more design on late archaic coins before they started making the head so huge it could not fit. You might enjoy seeing a couple coins from acsearch that show the effect on price with being exceptional in some way. The first was struck so hard that it spread the flan showing a lot of design but those edge cracks cut the value in half at least.
http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=395088

This one is archaic style and not all that pretty but shows as much design as any one coin ever does probably explaining the $400000 price realized on only a $35000 estimate. Obviously two rich guys had a fight over this one.
http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=540222

Ordinary owls are common as dirt. Perfect ones are one in a million items. Where we draw the lines of value between $100 and $100000 is very much a matter of who is buying and how much it means to them. I bought the one below despite its wear and test cuts because it is the best centered owl I have ever seen at a price I would consider paying. The three cuts reduced the price by at least 75%. I suspect 95% of collectors would pay several times as much for your coin compared to mine because wear and cuts are more important to more people buy imaging what a coin with your grade and surfaces but my centering would bring. $5k?

 

Castor and Pollux/ Eagle on Dolphin. Istros circa 400BC

 

here's a couple of ancients... chinese ones, but still both minted b.c.

 

Still cant find any like/interest in those things.

 

each to their own... i collect for historical value, no matter where it comes from. b.c. is b.c. to me, whether greek, roman, chinese, or other. 2000 years old, no matter the continent, is 2000 years old.

 

just for you mat... some romans...

 

and for those who want "other" hammered...

 

Alexander the Great. Circa 330 BC

 

There we go! Always wanted to own a British Hammered coin.
I'm particularly fond of the third one down as far as the designs go on your examples.

 

Oh I do too but I also like the art that coins have and for me, cash coins are lacking that. I had a few from dollar bins I bought from as a kid but they were ALWAYS the coin I disliked the least and even as I have aged I cant get into them.

But hey less competition when it comes to bidding

Nice romans and I still want more hammered middle age coins also.

 

Some more English Hammered coins

Not sure if these are "ancient" enough for this thread, but I hope you like!

Cnut Penny minted by Aelfstan in Winchester 1016 to 1035
William I (The Conqueror) Penny Bonnet type 1066 to 1087
Stephen Penny Watford type from the Prestwich hoard 1135 to 1154
Henry VI Groat minted in Calais (then under English rule) 1422 to 1461

 

Nice, love the Cnut & Henry VI!

 

Yes - they are very lovely, but as anyone who collects early English coins knows, the William I and Stephen, even in that condition, are much more difficult to get!

Paddy

 

Oh I figured they were the better ones. Thats how it usually goes sometimes, even with ancients.

Still they're more enjoyable then many moderns :hail:.

 

Here are some roman bronzes, asse and dupondii.
The first one is a dupondius of Pertinax. Not in great shape but a very scarce coin. Pertinax Sestertii and denarii are far more common than his minor bronzes.
The second is an as of Titus with Judaea Capta mourning. A popular reverse. This coin was minted in Lyon. I very much like the portrait.
The last is an As, also of titus, with the Victoria Navalis reverse. It is one of my better bronzes and in nice condition.

 

The Titus

 

Persephone/Biga from Syracuse (Sicily) circa 288 BC -

 

As Ripley shows a coin from Syracuse, it reminds me of this one :


Syracuse Agathokles 317-289 BC
SYPAKOSYWN. Head of Kore left
Bull butting left, two dolphins and linked VA in field
6.0 gr, 20 mm
Ref : Sear #1195 var

Q