2nd Edition Of Harlan Berk’s 100 Greatest Ancient Coins

Read this on Asylum & know many here have the first edition, now there will be a second addition of Berk’s 100 Greatest Ancient Coins book.

https://coinweek.com/coins/supplies...tion-harlan-berks-100-greatest-ancient-coins/

 

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Seems like a great book, thanks for posting it Mat

 

For a dozen additional pages, I don't know if owners of the original edition will want this but I do recommend it, sight unseen, to anyone who does not have the old book. I really loved reading my copy. The Coin Week ad, however, included a line that left me wondering:
Berk has pointed out that a good number of the 100 Greatest are readily collectible for $100 or less. Others are valued in the thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of dollars.

I am not sure any of the coins listed fall under $100 and question whether a 'good number' are found under $1000. The book is a dream book boardering on reality only for a few among us. It is filled with great information but is a bit weak on the Greatest in bargain basement coins.

I was so impressed by the first edition that I posted my favorites (of which a good number were under $100) and discovered I had something in common with Mr. Berk. Neither of us was able to limit ourself to 100 coin but showd several pages with backups or supporting examples of similar coins to the prime, numbered coin. It really, really is hard to limit oneself. Like they say in the potato chip ad: "You can't eat just one (hundred)!"
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/favs.html

 

Something I have learned early on in life: The rich have little understanding of money, its buying power, value or really much else about it. To a wealthy person $100 is about the same as $100,000. They simply dont know the difference. I cant blame them as it works both ways. There are many collectors who see a coin and think they can have it for $2 despite an average selling price of $100. They just dont know.

 

Back in 1919, there where two classes of people. The upperclass elite, and the working classes. The latter just had enough money to eek out a bare standard of living. The elite owned the businesses, factories, and reaped huge rewards from their underpaid employees. These people lived in posh houses, had motorcars, boats, went on holidays, had hobbies like coin collecting. Jump forward to 2019, now everyone has the means to own beautifull homes, have 2 cars or more, boats, snowmobiles, go on holidays, have hobbies like coin collecting, I am proof of that as I cut peoples lawns and make a darn good living at it. But, the elite still exist and they have huge mansions, yachts, Ferraris, and can afford the 100K ++++ coins.
John

 

They must pay a lot for lawn services in your neighborhood. The man who cuts my lawn gets $50 a visit and takes about 3 hours to do it including all the trimming, blowing leaves etc. Allowing for the fact that he makes nothing when it rains and when the grass does not grow (aka winter), I am rather sure he does not buy gold coins. In 1919, my grandfather had a car, 9 children and a small farm.

You live in a different world.

 

Here, where I live, there are a lot of lawn service outfits. The successfull ones do very well. Average rate is based on $100 /hr. However, I hire no employees (most are useless, always on their phones) etc. I drive a plain jane Chev. Silverado, have topnotch equipment, but I maintain 150 properties, each contract per season averages 2K =300K with 50K expenses. That is going full bore from April/ November (8 months)= making a good living. But, I am willing to work hard and thus have 800 or so AV coins and growing. When a competitor with six helpers is doing a property next to mine, I get mine done in the same time by myself, and a far better quality job.

 

When this edition actually ships, it will be interesting to see if Berk can substantiate his claim by including coins that are available in identifiable condition for the aforementioned prices.

Personally, I'll be surprised if Berk's wrong about this. With the easy availability of multi-source pricing on ancient coins, plus Berk's customary thoroughness, I can't imagine he'd make a claim that he can't prove.

On a different topic:

Can you cite any reliable statistics to back up this assertion? I'd love to review those sources.

To quote John McEnroe, "You can't be serious!" I don't know anyone who would willingly pay this rate for simple lawn mowing.

 

Sorry, I meant lawn and garden services
That includes cutting the lawn, trimming, blowing clean debris, weeding, maintaining flowerbeds, cutting back periennials in Fall, leaf pickup, Spring/ Fall cleanup. Trimming hedges, shrubs. Lawn chemicals/ ie: weed control/ cinchbug/ grub killer. All ot the above are included in the contract. When one adds up hours spent over 8 months, its about 120/hr. Again, it all depends on work ethic. I have priced hedges, where the previous firm charged $400/ took 6 hours. I charged same price was done in 2 hrs. I never go by hourly rate/ always by job. Chemical treatments for lawns go for 80 per/ takes 5 min./ $5 in chemical= large profit margin. Going back to 1919. In the USA few collectors could afford those gorgeous 1915 $1/ 2.50 Dollar commeratives, while only wealthy collectors could buy a $50 example.
John

 

Some photos of my work.

 

If this is true you should keep it to yourself. Very few people in this hemisphere make that much money, let alone doing it by landscaping. If this is accurate Canada will need a bigger wall than the US!

 

Canada, if you heard allows anyone from the USA to cross the border, our PM (Trudeau) calls these bordercrossers, "iregulers" or as he says they cross irreguliarily. Plus walls do not work, look at China, did not stop Genghiz Khan and his Mongol armies, from conquering China.
But to be serious, not many of my competitors are willing to work 95+ hrs a week in May/ June/ July/ August I definately will NEVER do snow again, after the Winter we had. Insread, I will play in the Winter on my sled (Arctic Cat snowmobile) and have fun with my fav. pastime.....coins.
John
PS: Canada $ is worth .74.75US

 

Built in the late 3rd Century BC. The Mongol invasion occurred in the early/mid 13th Century AD. That’s 1400 years. Look me in the eye and say that it was a completely ineffective venture

 

True enough, but it also proves you can get around a wall. Genghiz Khan united the warring Mongol tribes and the rest is history. Walled fortresses, castles of course were a different story, but even these fell if the attackers starved the inhabitants into submission. One event in 1410 where the Teutonic Knights held out in Malbrok Castle, vs the Polish/ Lithuanian armies and their cannon, after the Battle of Tannenburg This proved well built walls can win out.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that the Great Wall was built over a period of 2,000 years. Also, the Chinese largely kept the Xiongnu and Mongol invaders at bay by paying them off.

 

It wasn’t a continuous 2000-year project. It was occasionally restored or rebuilt. The current iteration is from the Ming Dynasty.

That definitely was a major factor.

 

John, Congrats on your success, the quality of your work doesn't look the least bit over-priced . You're also correct "Some people live in a different world." Some people think they can get quality lawn servicing from the 16 year old kid for $10 a shot. It looks like all that hard labor has kept you in great physical shape too .

 

One of the coins in the book is the Athenian tetradrachm. These can be purchased for under $100. Maybe not from Berk. Here is a toned example https://coins.ha.com/itm/greek/anci...f-chipped-scratches-test-cut/a/231835-65030.s sold at auction from reputable dealer with buyers fee $61.

 

That thing is toast.

 

If you had two like that you could nail them to the heels of your shoes for tap dancing.