What is the most you've ever spent on an ancient coin?

Interesting question.

My top 5 most expensive coins so far:
- Uranius Antoninus provincial from Emesa
- Alexander the Great AV stater
- Gordian II denarius
- Gordian I sestertius
- Manlia Scantilla Sestertius

As I complete my one-per-ruler Roman series, and replace my commoner rules with better examples, I envisage most of my future purchases will be above $1000 and infrequent.

 

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Since you only asked about ancient, my answer is two steps below what it would have been with medieval and the top 3 would be held by three gold coins from Dombes : boring....

My top three ancient expense is as follows :





Q

 

My most expansive coin was my siliqua from Jovinus : 920€ some years ago.

 

Mine is my Syracuse dekadrachm which was just in 4 figures (at least in £)



Sicily, Syracuse AR Dekadrachm. Time of Dionysios I, circa 405-370 BC. Unsigned dies in the style of Euainetos.

Charioteer driving galloping quadriga to left, holding kentron in right hand, reins in left; above, Nike flies to right, a wreath in her outstretched arms to crown the charioteer; in the exergue, a panoply of arms is set on two steps: a cuirass, two greaves, and a Phrygian helmet

Head of the nymph Arethusa to left, wearing a reed wreath, triple-pendant earring, and a pearl necklace; [ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ] behind, pellet below chin, star of four points behind neck, and four dolphins around.

Gallatin XXII-JVIIA; Dewing 923.HGC 2 1299

40.90g, 34mm, 11h.

 

...but at least one other person thought that the coin was worth that much, minus the auction increment.

 

If it is a bubble it will burst sooner or later. Somehow I don't believe that sometime in the future, after the bubble has burst, we can once again buy ancient coins at 2000 or 2010 prices. I think for the market as a whole prices will stay where they are. Price increases will no doubt slow down and some individual coins may see prices drop as has always been the case.

 

It’s hard to say what will happen. There are new entrants in the market. There are cashed up COVID-era investors who will buy anything in a slab as long as it has a great mark out of 70. So everyone is slabbing their EF+ Gordian III ants and selling in Heritage auctions for $1000. That won’t last once the market is flooded. But there seem to be a lot of new entrants who have a clue, who are inflating the top end of the market. I’ve heard there’s a lot chinese interest now. Based on nothing but my observations and hunches, I think the higher end stuff will at least hold its price, and the lower end stuff will go back to prices commensurate with what they’re really worth.

 

I think what could really upset the market are demographic changes. For example, the baby boomers retiring or dying, could release a lot of coins to the market, including high value coins.

 

Beautiful! I was wondering if anyone here had one of those.

 

There could be a case made that the most important bidder in an auction is the one that came in third. The winner may no longer want that type since he has one. The second place bidder may still be willing to bid that amount again but the price he will pay is not determined by him but by his competition. Auctions rely on there being several people interested in a coin and willing to pay more than the start price. A bidder who buys nothing but is first underbidder on many lots is more valuable to an auction than someone who bids on and wins just one lot. I always liked the Frank Robinson practice showing not only the price realized but the amount of the winning bid that would have had to be exceeded to win the coin. Otherwise, you never know if a $1 higher bid (or whatever the allowable increment was) would have done any good.

Speaking as one of the oldest Baby Boomers (1946), I am well aware of the fact that the main contribution I have left to make to society is to kick the bucket. My father was early returning from the War in Europe (do the math) and the high school class the year after mine was considerably larger than mine. Each of us will have a different story and decide when or if we stop buying or start selling the coins we have had for 60 years. Sure there are many collectors left from the generation before us but the question remains as to who will buy all those coins stashed away by Boomers like me. Will it be my grandson? Unlikely. Will it be yours? Who was it here whose daughter was shocked that dear old dad paid good money for money you can't spend? Current prices are supported increasingly by a generation of people with disposable income and nothing better to do with it. Will the Millennials (1) have all that money when they retire and (2) want to spend it on 'money you can not spend'? I don't care. I'll be dead. You?

 

Doug, if you had a dollar for every self-depreciating remark you have left on cointalk, you wouldn’t have to worry about coin prices. <3

I used to believe that coin collectors were a dying breed, but I have changed opinion. TV series and movies about important historical figures and periods are getting a lot of attention. This is good for collecting, I think. We see new members on cointalk every week, and several new ancient coin collectors. There are more ancient coin collectors than 50 years ago, and far far more than 100 years ago, so what should stop this trend?
I have long observed that the baby boomer generation lives under the belief that there will be nothing left but ruin and barbarism after they are gone, but I’m more optimistic. I believe todays high schoolers will be a great generation. The future is bright, even for coin collecting. That’s what I believe at least. The young generations now spend less money on alcohol and drugs than we did, they have grown up with a giant surplus of cheap goods from Asia, and have learned early that goods in large quantities don’t provide happiness. (Contrary to the baby boomers, who never could get their hands on enough, whatever it was.) The young generations of industrial countries don’t know what they want for Christmas or for their birthday, because they never lacked anything. They are seeking something special, in forms of experiences, but also in phenomena like NFTs or special designs. They only need to experience holding a connection to history in their hands, and we’ll have new collectors from all over the world. That’s my 2 cents.

If you are truly worried that no one will find joy in the coins from your collection, an alternative could be to put them in an amphora and bury it? I imagine the headlines 200 years from now: «Severan coin hoard discovered in Virginia. How far did the Romans actually travel?»

 

I may be odd in that I never think about the price of anything but the value. I have a rather decent budget for coins and can afford the more expensive lots in the auction but at this point in my collecting timeline I'm more interested in spending $4000-$5000 at an auction to purchase 50-100 high grade coins to fill gaps in my collection rather than one or two high-end rare coins. One day I will be there, when all my gaps are filled. I typically spend around $150 or less per coin but will often spend $2000-$3000 per auction. Here are a few of my more expensive purchases:


Cappadocia, Caesarea - Gordian III

Cappadocia, Caesarea - Gordian III

Caria, Stratonikeia

Euboea, Histiaia

Mesopotamia, Nisibis - Philip I

Moesia Inferior, Odessos - Marcus Aurelius

Phrygia, Dokimeion - Tranquillina

Pontos, Amisos (Time of Aemilian)

 

Interesting thread bump. My collection and my interests have developed in the last year or two.

I guess I need to update my vote...this coin now tops my collection as far as expense (and satisfaction too!) I still haven't cracked $1k yet but this one came close.



Yet it's funny how this coin, which cost less than 1/20th the price, also gives me great satisfaction as a collector:



The historical aspect, good purchase price, and the fact that it's a very rare variant contribute to the satisfaction. I wasn't able to find any exact duplicates of this type online, and over on Numis Forums Richard Bourne (author and expert on the coinage of Carausius) had this to say:

While I do greatly enjoy my more expensive coins, I'm also glad that the cheap ones bring satisfaction too.

(Here's the thread, by the way, where I talked about this Carausius coin - both on CoinTalk and Numis Forums - for those who might be interested)

 

I've dealt a bit with Steve. He always has a good selection of coins and is very responsive to inquiries. The last piece I bought from him was a Tyrian shekel, worn but dateable to 46/47 A.D. I carry it as a good luck piece. He's one of my favorite sellers on vcoins.com.

 

$450 (in 2014, so not accounting for inflation) for the Heraclius solidus that I have in my thumbnail. This was a very special purchase that I wouldn't normally make because I was given a generous paycheck after doing a favor for a family friend (helping to edit one of her books) and there was a whole stash of Byzantine gold coins on Forum Ancient Coins at the time that I couldn't resist so I just went for it, thinking I wouldn't get this opportunity again any time soon. Usually I don't spend more than $100 per coin, though sometimes I've spent more than that for certain pieces that draw my eye. Depending on how much more money I make in the future, I could make some more higher-end purchases (maybe even another gold coin). In the meantime, I mostly focus on more affordable silver and bronze coins that still have some good visual appeal.

 

My average over past 20 years (1000Av coins) $4000.00 Canadian. Cheapest coin $400.00/ most $$$$ $25K.
This year was my best ever! Added 112 AV coins to my collection. Next year/ I will spend way less/ to buy a frame off restored 1958 Corvette

 

Why buy just the frame? Buy the entire car.

 

Most I've ever spent on a coin was $2050 for my Julius Caesar Denarius:


Aside from that, I've only spent over $1000 on 5 other coins:

Cleopatra


Pompey


Oliver Cromwell Medal (Not ancient, but in my collection)


Otho


Pescennius Niger


I have a total of 164 coins, and the average spent per coin is $263. Here's a breakdown:

 

Good for you!
I really love the Titus reverse!
John