Beginner Sets: Share your Ideas

AWESOME TIF!!!!! My youngest was a PIG LOVER when she was a child, and consequently, now as a mother of two: when I give her a pig gift, it brings back very fond memories of her childhood! Love your set! Git-me-one, git-me-one, git-me-one, git-me-one, git-me-one (I have 6 daughters, so I've heard THAT line a million times...)

 

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There are many other types too!! another Gold Byzantine



Then they made some other coins like these. Ar Bulgaria 1331 to 1371 AD.

Ar Grosso 1253 to 1268 AD

Don't forget the "Tribute penny" Tiberius Ar Denarius 14- 37 AD.
Can't find my picture now so i'll have to give you my fourree a ancient fake. maybe someone will post a real one.

 

@shernan30: Welcome to the itch, that JUST can't be scratched!!!

I, too, am a NEW collector of Ancients. However, I have had a few pieces for several several years. I am an ancient history buff, and I love the Roman Republican period. I also enjoy silver. AND, to boot, I am a fan of Alexander III. So, today, I am still building a database, and am on the prowl for my passions.

At the same time, I am constantly diverted by really cool ancients for several other eras just because I love its HISTORY. I can associate with it as a place-marker for that period of history, that great leader, that special transition time, that city or state that change a small portion of history, etc. etc. I enjoy the whats and whys of history, and the coins are reminders that I can TOUCH that history. Personally, I LOVE gently worn coins, because I KNOW that they were used in transactions...that folks 2000-2500 years ago TOUCHED that transaction, and I am participating in it by being a steward of that coin today. To me it is a huge responsibility that I take seriously.

Personally, I focus on the Roman Republicans, and realize that the general quality and sometimes, rarity, pushes my purchases from $100 to $200. I have made several $300-$500 purchases which is my present top-out area.

I have seriously eyed $1,000-$2,000 but my MIND is very pragmatic which states: "Will you get a return on your investment?" However, the conflict is that my HEART says: "I would never SELL it!!!"

I believe I have around 200 pcs. by now, and I am still very very much a child in the Ancient world.

 

Alegandron how do you have any money left after having 6 daughters.

 

Another set is "Coins with Crosses". A good page on them is below:
http://augustusmath.hypermart.net/crosses.html

Fun thing about ancients, so many choices, hard to nail down just 1 set to focus on.

 

LOL, true, Bubba...True... Nope, not inherited a cent, nothing given to me. I grew up very poor. All that I have is what I built in my life. I buy where my passions are now, cuz for several years (and still a lot now), supported many. My wife is very understanding, and, she too, grew up on the poorer side of the tracks.

 

@Ancientnoob that's a great looking Sassanian era set

@Eng I have been eyeing some of the coins depicting Jesus. The gold coins are awesome..

@TIF that's a unique set and pretty awesome.

@Alegandron I have a passion for history and is my driving force for getting into coin collecting. The ancient group of coins is so overwhelming to say the least.

Has anyone built a story with your coins? I recently purchased a Aurelian for a CT member (still in transit). While reading about his story on Wikipedia (yes, that's not the best source, but works for an overview) I got the idea to tell his story in coins. Zenobia and her son Vaballathus who he defeated to take control of the Palmyrene Empire. Tetricus who was the last leader of the Gallic Empire after he surrendered to Aurelian.

I've counted about 14 coins not including the Aurelian coin I recently purchased.

I like hearing the stories and seeing the collections.

 

There are a bunch of the CT ANCIENTS (LOL) that have told wonderful stories, based on fact, excellent research, etc. that have revealed an incredible amount of information revolving around their featured / last purchased coin. I read them all the time.

Personally, I just posted my first Ptolemy I Soter TET that is based from my memory of the General. 'Twasn't great, but it was my reasons (from my historical memory) that I sought and purchased the coin.

 

Have a look at other collections in posts on this site and others. Please collect what you like. As others have said this is your hobby and your collection should reflect what you enjoy and are interested in. Most people on this board have many more coins than I will ever have. I have a total of 11 ancient coins. Yes, my focus is the 12 Caesars and 6 of those 11 are 12 Caesars coins, but I also buy coins that I am interested in that fall outside of that group.

Just because this works for me does not mean it will work for you. Consider all the advice you have been getting and then do whatever you want to do in terms of collecting. There is room in this hobby for many different interests and motivations.

I bought my first ancient coin, an Otho denarius, at a coin show this past April. I had done quite a bit of reading on ancient coins and for some reason this ruler interested me. A ruler who commits suicide during a civil war in order to spare the population from further hardship-that was interesting to me.

I did not have any intent of doing a 12 Caesars set at the time. It was after the first purchase and much additional reading that I came to believe that a 12 Caesars set would be interesting. After all this group includes some of the most interesting rulers in history. Names like Julius Caesar, Augustus, Caligula, and Nero. These Caesars ruled during interesting times; Augustus around the birth of Christ, Tiberius when Christ was crucified etc.

Take the time to explore. Rather than finding a focus you might just find that a focus will find you. Be open to the possibilities and enjoy yourself.

 

...and there is no way for me to play it off... good catch... at least the date is right.

 

You could always collect medieval coins..
Here are some of the Chola and the sequential coinage of Sri Lanka that followed suit.

 

If you are looking for inspiration, you have to look at AncientJoe's site
http://www.colosseocollection.com/home

 

Go buy only denarius (silver) you can buy them all from 20 euro's

And welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

As you can see from all the suggestions, there are too many choices. That is why my 'set' contains coins that 'speak' to me. I see no reason to start sets that will never be completed and most ancient sets are pretty open ended. In the time since I have been collecting the Eastern denarii of Septimius Severus, there have been more new variations discovered than appear in the standard catalog (RIC) for this specialty. Below is a group shot of my favorite 99 1/2 coins. If you visit the page it came from you can click on a coin and go to an explanation of why that coin made that list. Since I posted that page, I have made a couple changes to the coins covered but there is no reason to set a stopping point to a collection of coins that speak to you.

http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/favs.html

I do not expect you to like all of these coins. You might not even like the few of them with Christian connections. You might not like the similar number of them that fall in your price range. That is OK because that photo shows a tiny fraction of one percent of the choices available to you and many of those choices are available in your range. Buy a set coin coins that you like.

 

Is that the complete set yet? I knew there weren't many issues.

 

I've always wanted to collect all of Gallienus' Zoo Coins ...

Check-out the link (below)

https://plus.google.com/photos/108993965860565189688/albums/5406663115186745665



Those aren't my coins (I merely found the link on-line) ... ummm, does anybody know how many different Zoo types were minted? (and does anybody have a better link than the one I found?)

This is my only Gallienus Zoo coin so far (apparently it's a panther)

 

There a few more that are available, some are uber rare, as far as this style goes. There are more Chola coins that are rare from the Sangam era, as well as an assortment of Mauryan punch marks and some medieval fractional golds. I am waiting on a rare Vijakrambahu I gold piece. So not complete but getting there. It is possible, so possible I might attempt it.

 

Since everyone is showing off their collections and non-collections, here is my Marcus Anthony collection in one image:

 

Those are yummy... Nice one Der Bingle!!! I only have 3 of them (one good, 2 others pretty worn...) NICE!!!

 

Some nice looking coins everyone. This has been of great benefit today. Can't wait to see what comes up this evening.

@dougsmit I will be reading about your coins over the next few days.