Let's see your "stupid" coins

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by kirispupis, Jun 10, 2021.

  1. kirispupis

    kirispupis Well-Known Member

    Recently, I became interested in purchasing a coin from Chandragupta Maurya, since I focus on that area in history. This, of course, brought me to learn about punch marked coins. IMHO they're fascinating and underappreciated. Since they're not overly expensive, I picked up a few.

    When I received the package, I opened the coins up with my wife looking over my shoulder. She's not crazy about how much some coins cost, but she appreciates how old they are and has commented on how beautiful many look. These, however, didn't make that grade.

    "Well those are stupid. I hope you didn't pay too much for them."

    So, without further ado, here are my "stupid" coins. I actually hope to buy more in the future, since they're not too expensive, but I may have to hide the package. :)

    The dating of these coins is controversial, but I'm referencing Gupta & Hardaker, who seem to be the most respected source. Below is my representative of Chandragupta Maurya, though it could equally be from his son Bindusara.

    331A7748-Edit.jpg 331A7750-Edit.jpg
    Date c. 4th-3rd century BCE
    Weight 3.15 gm.
    Dimensions 16 x 14 mm.
    Series Va
    Reference GH 479

    The next one I just thought was cool because of the three little people. It's supposedly from a bit after Asoka, though I've seen other sites attribute these coins to him.
    331A7751-Edit.jpg 331A7752-Edit.jpg
    Date c. 210-190 BCE
    Weight 3.43 gm.
    Dimensions 14 x 14 mm.
    Series VII
    Reference GH 586

    Finally, this one I thought was very interesting because it may align with the time and place of Buddha. It's from the time of Bimbisara and Ajatashatru. Buddha supposedly lived some time in Magadha, where this coin is from. Of course, since both the birth and death dates of Buddha and the period of this coin are debated, that's just a conjecture.
    331A7746.jpg 331A7747-Edit.jpg
    Date c. 6th-5th century BCE
    Weight 3.34 gm.
    Dimensions 23 - 27 mm.
    Series I
    Reference GH 128

    It would be great to see some of your "stupid" coins!
     
    Factor, Di Nomos, ancientone and 27 others like this.
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  3. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    Look fine to me but I don't know anything about them, interesting for sure. At least your wife looks at them, my wife could care less and will only look if I ask her to! :D
     
    galba68 and spirityoda like this.
  4. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Is there nobody here whose wife actually shares their interest in coins? There are women who collect coins, after all!
     
  5. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    My girlfriend humors me. I'll bring out my display or binder and she'll patiently point to coin after coin and listen to me drone on about them. She's very sweet.
     
    paschka, Di Nomos, Restitutor and 7 others like this.
  6. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    Here's my "stupid" coin. My mother is Chinese and operates under the assumption that everything from China is fake, and is right 99% of the time.

    When I showed her this really nice N Song 10 cash, she immediately chastised me for wasting my money on a Chinese coin, since they're pretty much all Chinese fakes. Although that is quite true, I'm pretty certain that the mineral deposits on this coin would be rather difficult to fake. But if the Chinese can make fake eggs, then this would be a walk in the park to fake malachite, azurite and cuprite deposits.
    Hui Zong Northern Song 10 Cash.JPG
     
  7. Tejas

    Tejas Well-Known Member

    Hahaha … sorry not my wife. She never had the slightest interest in coins. She always thought its a boring hobby for old men (even when I was still young). If you asked her, she couldn’t even tell you what kind of coins I collect. She says they all look the same. Unfortunately, my passion for coins and history also did not rub off on my kids.
     
  8. Pavlos

    Pavlos You pick out the big men. I'll make them brave!

    Interesting coins though! I know very little about these coins. The last one especially looks nice, are they really that old 6th-5th century? I thought coinage in that time was not so widespread yet.

    @DonnaML, my fiancee is only looking when I have big silver coins and says that they are beautiful. If they are small silver or bronze coins, even if the examples are let's say of very high grade for the issue, then I also hear the word "ugly" and "I am happy that it makes you happy". I guess only us collector's appreciate all the coins out there.
    Sometimes she does enjoy listening about the background of a coin, but for like a couple of minutes max.
     
  9. Gam3rBlake

    Gam3rBlake Well-Known Member

    Are those silver?
     
  10. ToughCOINS

    ToughCOINS Dealer Member Moderator


    Flowers . . . it's all about the flowers.
     
  11. CoinJockey73

    CoinJockey73 Well-Known Member

    No interest what so ever. She feigns interest.
     
  12. gsimonel

    gsimonel Well-Known Member

    My wife isn't particularly interested in ancient coins, but she supports my hobby, and she occasionally admires some new purchases. Then one, here, caught her attention and earned her approval:
    Athens.jpg
     
  13. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    My wife had owned 5 or more beauty beauty salons for the last 50 years. She brought interesting coins home for me almost every day. She is not really interested in coins, only to the point that I am.
     
    7Calbrey, +VGO.DVCKS and DonnaML like this.
  14. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

    I've never heard my wife referring to a coin as stupid, at worst she would ignore it.

    She doesn't actually, but is my best supporter (well, probably only supporter too... :( ). When I'm browsing auctions and she finds something she likes for aesthetical reasons (she doesn't care much about rarity, preservation or, lucky me, price) she will gift me with the coin.

    Two purchases she made for me

    Athene-tetradb.jpg

    Shahis-Jitalb.jpg

    The other, and main thing, is she will be prone to encourage me when I hesitate because of the high expense the purchase would mean. "Is it a one in a lifetime or so ?" will she ask. If the answer is yes (I can't lie to such generosity), she will then say "go for it". As long as there is enough money for food, books and travels, everything is OK with her !

    I'm really blessed :)

    Q
     
  15. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    My wife's not a collector but will occasionally nod and comment when I show her a coin. This is the closest she has come to calling a coin "stupid." She described its reverse as "the victorious Venus brandishing vacuum and duster"! Now I cannot see a shield set on a helmet, but only a Hoover upright.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    My late mother usually enjoyed my coins whenever I showed them off to her and would tolerate my blabbing on X history of it, some of it she even retained. But none were called stupid. Ugly..yeah. But usually, it was a budget coin or just one ugly king or emperor on the obverse.

    mauryan1.jpeg
    India, Maurya, 4th-2nd century BCE
    AR Karshapana
    O: Five official punches.
    R: One official mark.
    3.3g
    18mm
    GH 549
     
  17. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    I have several and various “square” style coins that I really enjoy. I feel it is an effective means of manufacture.

    However, my wife tried to gain interest in Ancients, but really does not grasp History as well. She likes many of my coins, but she actually did say square coins are “stupid”.

    ASHOKA

    Mine has that "Hill Chicken" And I believe mine has TWO Hill Chickens....

    [​IMG]
    Here is the seller's description (got this some time ago)
    Obverse Five official punches.
    (See image below for the official marks)
    Reverse One small official mark
    Date c. 270-175 BCE
    Weight 3.14 gm.
    Dimensions 15 x 12 mm.
    Die axis n.a.
    Reference GH 570
    Comments
    According to Gupta and Hardaker, the Series VIb coins are issues of the Mauryan empire at its peak. They date these coins to c. 270-175 BCE, the time of Ashoka and his successors. Ashoka, of course, was the emperor who spread the word of the Buddha throughout his empire. The Series VIb coins have a small official punch on the reverse, which repeats one of the punches on the obverse. This coin has a peacock on a three-arched hill as its reverse mark
     
  18. kirispupis

    kirispupis Well-Known Member

    Yes.
     
  19. svessien

    svessien Senior Member

    My «silly money» collection consist of money that never actually was real money; tokens and patterns. It’s still a very nice side collection. Should have had an ancient department with tesserae and such though.
    Bayern 1913 2 Mark probe.jpg Bielefeld GM.jpg Essai 1949 New Caledonia.jpg
     
  20. Finn235

    Finn235 Well-Known Member

    My wife prefers to keep her head in the sand as far as my collection goes. The last coins she even feigned interest in was when I was building my Japanese type set. She patiently sat down and listened as I flipped through the pages and explained each denomination - and busted out laughing as I tried to explain the relationship between Bu and Shu
    ZomboDroid 01012020114940.jpg
    ZomboDroid 01012020114610.jpg

    Then of course the dreaded "How much did you spend on all this?"

    At least my coins have mostly gained in value, unlike my friends' gaming computers or my wife's collection of LulaRoe leggings...
     
  21. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    So far, the "nos" are unanimous in answer to my question. Not what I was hoping to hear, but I guess I'm not surprised. I do have to admit that my own ex had no interest in coins, so it works both ways. And my son doesn't really take any active interest in them either, despite being an art history PhD student. My antiquities, he's always liked, ever since his childhood. Probably because even the smallest ones are easier to see and appreciate without a magnifying glass. If ancient coins were all the size of dinner plates, everyone would like them!
     
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