One of my New York friends is an up-and-coming finance + tech writer named Byrne Hobart. If you like Michael Lewis or Bloomberg's Matt Levine, you'll enjoy Byrne's work. I wanted to see what his brain came up with upon seeing ancient coins for the first time, so I invited him to NYINC over the weekend. Have a look at his writeup: https://medium.com/@byrnehobart/coins-as-tangible-history-b54394720219 And some eye candy for you... my best acquisition from the show: Kings of Bithynia, Nikomedes III Euergetes, 127-94 BCE. AR tetradrachm (35mm, 16.8g). Dated 127/6 BCE. Diademed head of Nikomedes III right / Zeus Stephanophoros standing left, at inner left an eagle standing on thunderbolt above monogram (AB) above AOP (date). Enjoyed meeting quite a few of you at the show! See you next year (and hopefully sooner)!
A beautiful coin, and I liked the lively article of Byrne Hobart, although it's more about the meaning of coins in general, not about our hobby (or science, or mania).
Agreed on all points. Well-written and thoughtful article, and I too enjoyed it. The hobby topic wasn't much included in exchange for the history of coins and economy that made them and class system and circumstances that used them. But the latter captures in words many of the reasons I find ancient coins interesting and collectable. Thank you for sharing your friends work and experience, @Archilochus!
Thanks for the link. I enjoy thoughtful papers such as this one. It is interesting and thought provoking. Also, that coin is great.