My First Ancient

Alegandron's and Mikey's coins make a point worth noting. The number of wolves after you is far beyond the common Constantinian type that started this thread. Beyond that, most designs we see on ancients seem hard to collect without linking to another, similar issue from another time and place. This is where we get the 'addictive' reputation and the completely normal situation of buying many more coins than struck us as reasonable when we first stuck a toe in the water to see if we wanted to dive in.

The Dark Side comment is not a joke. Its a fact.

I'll add three larger Provincial variations. There are more.

Macrinus AE29 Laodicea


Severus Alexander AE33 Antioch


Maximinus I AE31 Ninica Claudiopolis

 

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Ditto. It helps being a history nut. The history behind the coins just tops the cake, you just have to be willing to do the research.
Knowing the history will also help steer you in the direction you want to go with your collection. The knowledge before and during the search for specific coins helps in many ways. Take the time & you'll enjoy your collection & sharing it that much more.

 

Well I couldn't wait I guess so here's my second ancient. It was inexpensive and doesn't appear in the pictures to be as nice but I couldn't help myself I had to buy it. I'm just hoping it's not exactly like the first.

 

No they are different. Look at you reverse legend

 

The second one is Thessalonica mint. Now you're well on your way to collecting a mint set of VRBS ROMA folles. Well done! (Did someone say addicting? lol)

 

Well great! I haven't even finished my BU/Proof Roosevelt Dime set now I'm putting together a mint set from nearly 1800 years ago. I must say this isn't as boring LOL. I started buying CWT's because I figured once you had one MS66 buffalo nickel you had em all. I still love my Nickels and Dimes and all the cents but they do start looking alike when you're showing them to the kids.

 

I agree on CWT's... those are fun. I sold off my CWT collection years ago, but still have my very first coin which is a CWT.

 

One of the fascinating aspects of ancient coins is the fact that all the dies were hand-carved. So there was an official style, but individual engravers interpreted that style in their own unique ways. In addition to that, styles could be very different from one mint to another. Here is an image of two VRBS ROMA types, one from Siscia, the other from Trier. The differences are quite dramatic!

 

I have around 500 plus modern & world coin seems all they're doing now is taking up space. But I don't want to rid myself of them either. I think it was May this year I changed directions to ancients. You're right they are much more fun. I have around 6 or 7 recent buys I want to share on a new post when I get some down time. 1 was the elephant serratus I shared a few days ago with TIF's elephant. Another is a commemorative Constantinople Constantine era recently picked from AJ.

 

I also love CWT's and HTT's. Here are three tokens that I had earlier in the year...

 

Yeah, since I sold off maybe around 500 CWTs and HTTs in late 80's, maybe some folks here have them. John probly got mine...

 

Tokens form the bulk of my collection though they're not as interesting to the casual exo-numismatic collector. I will spare this thread any of my tokens.

 

MKENT very nice first purchase. I'm bidding on my first puchase now. Can't wait to hold my first ancient!

 

I'll never forget my first ancient. I walked into a coin shop in Coral Gables, Florida, where I have been shopping on and off for a decade and a half, and they had this puppy in a tray. When I saw it, I wanted it so bad even though I knew little about these coins. It also helped that they offered me a decent discount.

I never get tired of looking at it. Once you go for a big, thick, and heavy Greek Tet, you never leave the dark side.

 

Its on my to get list, on the collum of wait & get a real good one not settle for a mediocre or ugly one.
Your is nice Sallent.
My first was a widows mite I still have it after a couple of years. Its my only graded ancient. In a Never Guaranteed Coins slab.

 

Your token on the bottom reminds me of one of mine. Not sure it qualifies as a token though.