New Collector, conflicted!

I have only been collecting ancients for a year or so, have managed to win a couple coins at auction.....There's no real rhyme or reason as to what I buy.....I go through the auction catalog, or at the coin show, and look for coins that I like, simple as that! There are sometimes coins I see that basically hit me as "I gotta have that!".

I also enjoy taking pictures of my acquisitions, as I feel its a challenge to photograph a coin and portray it in its "in-hand" colour. And herein lies my dilemma...
Encapsulated Coins are quite hard to photograph, and you also have the standoffs in the case to deal with....they mess up my floating coin effect (although I understand many of you hate the prettied up coin pictures). BUT, as a newbie, I find encapsulation to be nice in that I know WHAT the coin is, as well as having something in the future that has less "its a fake!" opinions.

My kids think all my ancients are fake and cant understand how something that old can still look that good (Millennials, all.....sorry Millennials reading this!)....

Anyhow, I am curious of the thoughts of the denizens of this deep and dark coin realm!

 

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Break ‘em out!

With experience, you’ll know what they are without the information on the slab and you can always photograph the slab and information for reference. Ancient coins are sooo much more fun if you can handle them.

*edit... I’d only keep them encapsulated if you intend to sell them again soon. If not, it’s hammer time.

 

Send them to page two of this site for beginners:
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/numis/
It helps explain why there are so many ancient coins in nice condition.

 

Please free those coins from their slabs! They need to breathe, and photographing them is much easier when you do this.

 

I make a word document with the basic info about the coin and my photos. I give each coin a number and print the word document and put it in a folder with the coins. The coins are in 2X2 flips with the number and other descriptions.

Number 10
Constantius II, AE3, 326-328, Thessalonica, Officina 2
FL IVL CONSTANTIVS NOB C
Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right
PROVIDEN_TIAE CAESS
Campgate with six rows, two turrets, no doors, star above, top and
bottom row empty blocks
SMTSB in exergue
19mm x 20mm, 3.96g
RIC VII, 158
Grade: EF, nearly fully silvered surfaces

 

...some say bust'em out...i say i paid good money for the privilege....you can photograph them if i can......(or crack'em out and maybe @TIF will make you a hammer shirt like she did for @Alegandron )

 

I have been collector for over 60 years, but I have only been collecting ancient Roman Imperial coins for about three. Before that, I collected U.S. coins extensively and have a lot of experience with British coins, hammered and milled.

I don't trust myself entirely, but I try to avoid certified coins when I can. I deal with dealers who belong to the international organizations. I know that I am probably paying more, but at least I am not ending up with copies and counterfeits.

Collect what you like, but eventually you do need to come up with a strategy. I have developed a want list of Roman emperors up to Constantine the Great. I have tried get a thumbnail history of each one of them into my old head with a notebook that I update constantly. That’s what I did with my British collection.

I understand that seem shallow to a lot of advanced ancient collectors, but the subject is so huge that you can’t do everything. For example, I used to collect U.S. half cents by die variety.

I ran into an impenetrable wall with collection. I knew the collectors who had the coins I needed, and they were not going to sell any time soon. The message was clear. I needed to go into another direction, and I moved into areas that were possible and not totally frustrating.

I have rambled here, but a collection can be anything you want to make it. You do need to have some goals, but they don’t have be other people’s goals.

 

Each coin that you acquire has a story to tell. Slabs have minimal information, and as you observe they make decent photos a challenge.

The vast majority of the coin in my collection are not slabbed. Most of what I have in slabbed coins came to me that way. Some I have liberated.

I try to take a custodial approach to the coins in my collection. After all, these coins will be passed on to future collectors, so documentation is important, as well as proper storage and handling.

Many coins need a label or two to provide meaningful information, especially if they come from an important collection, or they have unique or interesting characteristics.

With time you will become familiar with the collecting field, and whether you collect for type or a specific period, city, ruler or empire, you will find that coins serve as a portal to understanding history and the people in whose names these coins were produced.

eBay is a good source for ancients, but if you are not familiar with genuine versus fake coins, of which there are many on that web site, it is probably best to start out buying from sellers on MA Shops or Vcoins, or from one of the main auction houses. You might pay more, and bargains might be few and far between (but diffidently possible), but at least your purchases will be backed up the experience that these sources provide, along with iron-clad guarantees.

Once you have a few favorite dealers, check out eBay. They often sell there as well.

Personally I do not buy on eBay as much as in the past, due to sales tax on international and domestic purchases. I have found myself increasingly turning to MA Shops, Vcoins and a couple of auction houses.

 

I don't really care how people prefer to keep their coins. I have them in flips, holders and trays. I would say just let people have them slabbed or free, whatever makes them happy.

The most interesting thing would be to throw all the coins you own into a jar and see if you can identify all of them.

I would never do it intentionally with high graded coins but I have dropped a tray once and had to pick them up from the floor. Identification was not hard though as I knew my coins well.

 

I have collected primarily US for 72 years. I have always collected as found in circulation and eye appeal. Zero frustration because I waited to find one or trade with a friend. Then my sets became so full and to the point where there would be no more in circulation. Only one coin has a slab. Never could find a 16D dime and had to buy one to complete my 20th Century set.

I started in ancients about 2 years ago. I avoid frustration by only collecting coins that I have cleaned. Get uncleaned lots, clean what I can, identify what I can (with considerable help from friends on CT), put them in 2X2's with description, and move on. I have a complete set of what I have cleaned. And, zero frustration.

 

Personally, slabs do nothing for me, so I break them out. HOWEVER, I do enjoy the fact that expert eyes have assessed those coins, and by their opinion, authenticated them. Removing them from the slab puts them into my hand as intended for ALL coins to be held and transacted by Humans.

I wrote about my collecting habits before...

I focus on the Roman Republic, and those Entities that interacted with them. I also collect coins that represent critical junctures or people whom affected change in Human History. Most of my collection is BCE.

The Roman Republic Entities include the Republic, Early Republic, Carthage Empire, Makedon, Etruria, Italia, Sicily (Rome's first Province, and start of their Empire), et al. I also enjoy Egyptian Royal Scarabs, which represent milestones within their History.

I do have a ragtag / "dog's breakfast" collection of the Roman Rulers. Somehow, they accreted to my collection as gifts to me, sidebar purchases, etc. Over time, somehow I managed to accumulate 151 different Roman Rulers (from Augustus through the End of the Western Empire). However, this is not a focus of mine.

Presently, major life changes has slowed my collecting efforts. We hope to move through them, but the Ancient's Collecting is still a roaring fire in my mind.

MOST importantly...

HAVE FUN !!!

Roman Republic

RR Anon Ca 240 BCE AR Heavy Quinarius Drachm 16mm 3.0g Rome Helmet Hd Mars r - Horse’s hd sickle Cr 25-2 Syd 25 RSC 34a R


Carthage

Carthage - Sicily AR Litra 4th C BCE 9.5mm 0.65g Palm Tree Horse Head SNG Cop 74 EE Clain-Safanelli R


Italia

Larinum Frentani 210-175 BCE AE Quincunx 22mm 9.8g Mars or Athena corinthian helmet- Galloping Horseman spear sheild tbolt 5 pellets NH Italy 625 BMC 2
SCARCE


Makedon

Makedon Alexander I 498-454 BCE AR Obol 10mm 0.75g Horse - Quadripartite incuse sq SNG ANS 32 R


Etruria

Etruria Populonia AR 5 Asses 3rd C BCE 2.0g Young Hd L V behind HN 173 Vecchi Rasna III 52 Vecchi Etruscan 91.6 ex NAC 29 No 9 R


Sicily

Sicily Kalakte AE unit 2nd C BCE Head Athena in Helmet - Owl rev R


SCARAB

Egypt Scarab RAMESSES II cartouche 19th Dyn 1292-1189 BCE winged uraeus cobra 4.1g 19mm Gustave Mustaki coll acquired fr Egypt in 1948


Yeah, and a "dog's breakfast" of those Roman Empire lunatics:

RI Verina w Leo I AE2 20mm 457-475 Victory inscribing CHI RHO - RIC X 656 R3

 

I've been collecting sporadically since the age of 6, when I got my first antoninianus of Victorinus (my uncle let me owe him for it), but the latest phase, going back to the '90's, has focussed on earlier medieval (through the 13th century, more or less).
Since then, I've been trying to store them this way. All very low tech, and time intensive ...I'm still Way behind getting caught up with everything. But along the lines of 'Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It,' I put the coin in an acid-free paper envelope (mostly 2" x 2", but the latest batch is more like 3 1/2" x 2 1/4"), with enough written on that to identify it. Then I put Everything I know about the coin, with full legends, translations, all known references, etc., on a 3" x 5" index card. That, and any old tickets, etc. then go in a small letter envelope (3 5/8" x 6 1/2"). With enough written on that, starting with the geography, issuing authority, and chronology, so that the net result can easily be arranged in some kind of box. For those, you need something along the lines of a shoe box --good luck finding anything marginally better, but in my collection, one is in active service.
The serious caveat here is that, after the initial, little envelope, exactly none of this is acid-free, or remotely 'archival' in any other capacity.
Anyway, my two cents, for what they're worth.

 

...show'em your shirt....

 

But, I am just getting into the shower... I be NEKKID !

 

Oh, ok...


My “Crack-em Out” Shirt.
By The @TIF Collection

 

..ah, that's muy dude~!

 

Lots of good advice here. Being a collector of both modern and ancient coins before slabs invaded the collector market, I have completely stayed away from slabbed coins. Not that I have never owned slabs, but they've always stayed in the back of my safe deposit box. Even very high grade coins become boring in slabs compared to actually holding them by the edges over a soft surface and viewing them without a plastic layer. I suggest you photo the slab to get the record of the authenticity and grade, break it out to enjoy.

Agreed. Start out by acquiring interesting coins but find the passion that most appeals to you and follow it. Spend more for those special examples in your specialty area that no one else fully appreciates. You can't be an expert on everything, Being an expert in a few areas can be a lot of work, but is quite stimulating.

 

After you break a coin out, you can keep the label for your records...I have several from NGC

 

And there is a look up database to look up the NGC number to verify the coin in future.

 

yes...that is why you keep the label.