When there are so little of these, why do most of them not go for much money? I see some from 200 A.D, and they only go for about 5 bucks. Why?
Some sell for so low because they are as common as the dirt that they are found buried in! There is also, for which I am thankful, not that large a market or interest in ancients. In the U.S., the Celator, the journal of ancient and medieval coinage, only has about 2,000 subscribers. Ancients are also not easy to collect because there is a bit of a learning curve. Not all ancients sell cheaply, though. In the modern coin market a common cent might sell for a cheap price. The ancients that sell for little are the equivalent of the common modern coins, with high mintages, that are worth little or nothing. Ancient coin prices run the gamut from cheap to "yikes, my wife is going to kill me"! The old saying is often true, though-- you get what you pay for. If you pay a couple bucks for an ancient coin, the chances are that it is only worth a couple bucks-- or less.
I found this one in the attic, what is the value of it? I cannot find it on google. Do you know about the Maximianus AE 1/4 Follis?
Your coin is not worth much at all...maybe a few bucks on a good day. This coin has a lot of corrosion, in fact, it seems to be mainly patina. There are places where the patina has chipped also. The reverse is GENIO POPVLI ROMANI, which is also a very common type. The exergue, the area on the reverse at the bottom, is hard to make out, if it is legible at all. It may be easier to tell in hand, but from the picture I can't tell what city issued this coin, which is another big problem. If you want to see what coins like this might sell for, search E-bay and check Wildwinds...and remember that good condition and rarity are important factors, and your coin has neither. http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/
Is it at least worth 5 bucks? See, this is what I am not getting. This coin is almost 2000 years old, and the price of a hot dog! Why?
Let me ask you a hypothetical question...how much do you think an average Lincoln penny will be worth in 1700 hundred years?
If they stop making them in that design.... $10 at the least. Here is the thing, there are trillions of pennies minted.... how many roman/ancient are there? Now do you see my point?
Ancient coins were minted in the millions, and many still exist. As I said earlier, many are quite plentiful. In my collection, I have over one hundred examples of just one type of coin. The VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP coinage from Siscia was minted for two years from five officinae, with a mintage that must have been in the millions.
I noticed the same thing.... then started adding ancients to my collection. If I've got $50 to spend I'd rather have a nice old roman coin that is nearly 2000 years old than something that is 200 years old at the most. The nicer ancients do get very expensive. But IMO they are a bargain when compared with US Coins. BTW- Very cool coin! Andy
