Ebay item #372199689536

I can understand where you are coming from. But it just seeems so many people have their faces buried in their phones. Used to be I could go to a barber shop and expect to have a casual conversation with my barber. I walked into the shop today. There were about 10-12 barbers, and those that were not with a customer (most) were all sitting in their chairs with a phone in their face. No one looked up until I said hello, and then one reluctantly put his phone down before beckoning me to sit. On top of that, he talked on his phone nearly the entire time he was cutting my hair. Sorry for the rant.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Absolutely agree. Ten 1600+-year-old coins for $25? Of course that's a good deal! You'd be hard-pressed to find 10 Indian head pennies for that price. I mean, those coins were held and traded by people wearing tunics and speaking Latin.

Sure, if you stick with this hobby you'll eventually gravitate to coins in better condition, but this batch is an excellent way to get started.

Now, your first step is learning all you can about the coins. Who or what is depicted on the obverse and reverse? Which is the obverse or reverse? When, where and how were they minted? Congratulations on your first purchase, and welcome to the hobby.

 

Sure you know. When I was at that stage in learning this hobby I fantasized that cleaning a coin was akin to the excavation that an archaeologist does with a trowel. I'm uncovering something unknown from the ancient past. I'm recovering "history" for my generation. The significance of what I do is limited chiefly by my own imagination, never mind the question of utility. Eventually it begins to dawn that the allure of archaeology is in the fantasy it allows, but the value of archaeology is wrapped up in its science; a disciplined effort that is not for everyone. Learning the science brings with it an appreciation that goes well beyond the fantasy, but tends to make the process of excavation/cleaning something far less romantic. For most of us, once the leap is made, the genie won't go back in the bottle.

My intuition, such as it is, tells me it was ever thus.

 

Attributing coins, for a noob, is a complete and total BLAST! It also sped up my learning curve by years, not months. Now granted, I'm a dope, so that means I am still years behind the average collector.

 

I highly doubt that, but that's how I feel most of the time.

 

Wait a minute. You think everyone else is smarter than you, too? I thought I was the only one who believed that!

 

It is topic specific of course. There are some people I believe just crawled out from under a rock, and to those I may be somewhat smarter. When it comes to Ancient coins, I usually feel I'm in the lower quadrant.

 

I must be smarter than I thought because I know that I know nothing compared to what there is to know.

 

Kind of ironic that the only thing the three of us get right is that we're a bubble off plum.

On a coin related note, I won an auction yesterday for a bucket list coin, and also the my most expensive coin, by far. Due to my pessimistic viewpoint, I can only assume it will never make it to me.

 

But should the Universe's clockwork falter and let it through, please post photos!

 

Wait until it happens to you and see how you feel. I lost three in 2016 but none in 2017.

Those with a bubble off plumb rule the world where the rest have no water in the tube.

 

It hasn’t happened with an ancient yet, but has with modern coins. It’s the worst c
oin hobby related feeling I’ve ever experienced.

@-jeffB I will be sure to post it. But, expensive to me isn’t all that pricey.

 

Subjective! Expensive is different for us all, i.e., compare @AncientJoe's collection to mine.