Most (but not necessarily all) collectors on this site will tell you that there's no "right" or "wrong" way to collect ancient coins. This is the best advice you can listen to as you're learning about ancients. As he implies above, DougSmit's personal preference is to collect a very broad range of coins for the educational value they provide, and his collection has literally thousands of coins that illustrate and elucidate differences among these coins. Unless you have an essentially unlimited budget, this preference will result in a collection that has more affordable coins rather than museum-quality display pieces. If you spend time (a LOT of time) reviewing threads on this site, you'll see collection preferences including: - Roman Republican-era denarii - Judaean coins - Late Roman bronzes (LRBs) - Flavian coins - 12 Caesars collections - Mythical animals (man-faced bulls, Chimaera, Pegasus, Griffin, winged boars) - Greek vs. Roman - Historically significant coins The list is endless. And usually, these threads/posts are accompanied by the collector's reasons for his/her collecting focus and why a particular coin appeals to them. This is where you'll learn even more about what coins may appeal to you, too. Some collections are extraordinarily high-end (http://www.colosseocollection.com/home), in addition to being significant in many other ways. What's great about this site is that no CoinTalk collector is collecting primarily or even secondarily to make a profit from his/her collection. While it's likely that many of the collectors here will realize long-term appreciation in some of their coins, that's incidental and irrelevant to their own preferences and the reasons they collect. So you'll learn even from those posts illustrating coins that may be currently out of your reach financially. You'll learn why many (but not all) collectors here recommend buying the best coin you can afford (that appeals to you and fits your collecting focus), rather than just a hole-filler about which you may have some reservations and regrets at a later date. All of this learning will take time and effort, but this site will give you the broadest range of opinions and preferences, as well as illustrations of coins that were purchased and the thinking behind those purchases. Be sure to start threads and ask questions about any topic that interests you.
Welcome, @Pavlos! You've picked up a wonderful assortment of coins. Looking forward to more of your CoinTalk contributions .
There are other matters relating to coin condition that I consider important beyond absolute grade. One is eye appeal. Some coins have no wear and are still ugly due to some other factor. Centering and completeness of design come to mind but there are others. Another is style. Some dies of the same coin are simply better than others when it comes to artistic execution. Some were engraved by the shop master; some by the guy who should have found employment elsewhere. Do you care? Some of us do more than others. Another is whether the coin, however beautiful it may be, shows the significant parts of the detail that make that coin a representative of its type. This might be a coin missing a single letter of its legend that makes it impossible to tell from another variety. I prefer a legionary denarius of Mark Antony that is worn to fine but has a clear strike of the legion number to a mint state coin just enough off center or on a small flan so you can not tell if it is a Legion XIV or XIX. In this, I would be in the minority. Such factors are why we all have different paths as we wander through our hobby.
Thank you so much for the replies and input. I kind of a bit regret getting the Alexander drachm I have now, I was thinking that if I had spend around 20-30 dollars more (I paid around 30 dollars for the one I have now) I would have a much nicer one (less scratchy and more detailed), but on one side I just started but on the other side the "buying the best coin you can afford" sentence is haunting my mind My drachm is by the way Price 1919 (http://numismatics.org/pella/id/price.1919), mint in Magnesia (Ionia) between 325-323 BC, which makes it a lifetime issue. Lifetime issues are more valuable I think?
I doubt you'll regret it very much -- it was inexpensive and it got you started into collecting ancients, which pretty much makes it worth the price alone.
Chris just confirmed he sold the coins, as Pavlos said. his description for the Alexander III drachma 3,98 gram 15mm- lifetime 325 BC , mint Magnesia Meander description Syrian Antioch bronze: 5,56 gram 19mm - Antiochus VIII Epiphanes 121-96 BC
The second Alexander the great drachm I got, I think a nice addition to my new coin collection, so far the finest and most expensive coin I got. Should be a Price 1823, so posthumous, under Antigonus I. I paid a 100 dollar for it, no idea if that is cheap, the right price or too much? I hope someone can tell me that so I know for the future how much I would go for such a coin until I am paying way too much.
that's a way kool one Pavos, and not a bad price ..i've got some i'm thinkin' now are not just ATGlll coins now also, but not sure who they'd be under.
I think both your coins are posthumous because zeus got his legs crossed but I can't really recognize any monogram. The bronze coin, like mine has a thunderbolt on the back, it is some monogram for a mint as well, but more I don't know.
