Would like to add an ancient coin

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by usc96, Aug 1, 2011.

  1. usc96

    usc96 Junior Member

    I know nothing about ancient coins, but have my local coin show next weekend, and would like to add an ancient Greek or Roman coin to my collection.What is a good starter coin? Would consider gold or silver. Preferably the size of a nickel or larger. Should be one that can be found in excellent condition. I like a bust, maybe with a helmet (Athena?), and an animal on the reverse (owl or horse). Pricewise, I would go up to $300 for silver, and maybe 1.5x melt for gold.Should I look for certified? What coin(s) fit my description?Thanks.
     
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  3. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Any ancient gold for 1.5x melt would be really ugly, probably holed and questionably fake. For $300 you could get a fair condition Athenian owl tetradrachm but nice ones are more. The other popular choice is a coin of Alexander the great but they will also not be perfect looking at that price. There are thousands of ancients under $300 but few of them are larger than a nickel, silver and cheap. The easy answer there would be an antoninianus of a Roman emperor you have never heard of (Gordian III, Philip I) which could be as little as $20 but things that hit all the popular categories you mention tend to sell for more.

    http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/voc.html

    My series above shows a lot of coins I like but some are over $300 (mostly the larger silver ones). You might benefit from scanning the examples, On the fourth page of the series there is a very nice gold coin that belonged to a friend about 20 years ago when it was worth $5000. At 7g and smaller diameter than a nickel it fails your guidelines but I'd love to have it.
     
  4. usc96

    usc96 Junior Member

    Thanks. I'll start researching ones in silver that strike my eye, then go from there. Fortunately I have a good network with my local coin club (we are hosting next week's show), so if I see an ancient coin I am interested in, I can ask for the expert in my club and double check to make sure I'm not making a mistake. Thanks again.
     
  5. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    For silver ancients, like Doug said Gordian III makes nice, large, bright silver coins in high grade for not a lot of money. Another option would be an early Sassanian. In higher grade I do not think you can find higher level of artistry, and they are larger than a quarter, though thin. Shapur the great has great artistry on his coins, and date around 250 AD.
     
  6. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Certainly I agree that Shapur I would be a nice coin but my reading of the OP question made me doubt my suggestion of Gordian III as too obscure for someone who mentioned an attraction to the Athenian owls. Shapur is still ancient but not what I think of when I consider a representative 'ancient coin'.
    121355084.jpg

    The more I think of it the more I believe the hang up here is the size/metal. Before 214 AD when Caracalla issued the first double denarius/antoninianus coins Rome did not have large gold or silver. Denarii tend to be cent size. There are many large Greek silver but the choices in the under $300 range are not all that great. If I were to suggest a single ancient coin in the $300 or under bracket, it would be a denarius of someone you had heard of (Mark Antony, Caesar Augustus, Vespasian, Trajan?) or, is size is more important, perhaps a bronze of Trajan whose mid grade sestertii can sell for that price. In Greek, I might suggest looking for a worn Athens 'New Style' Tetradrachm which could come in under $300 and not be too bad looking. They are half dollar size and good silver.
    g01330bb0079.jpg
    ...or maybe a worn tetradrachm of one of the Seleucids (this is Antiochus I). Neither of thes coins should go for as much as $300 so you should expect a nicer one, I'd think.
    g02250bb0013.jpg

    The best answer, however, was the idea of seeing what strike the eye and filtering that choice through an 'expert' you trust to spot fakes.
     
  7. Gao

    Gao Member

    Another possibility is a 1st century AD Alexandrian tetradrachm. The silver content was a bit low (I think like 25% most of the time), but they're a bit wider and much thicker than nickles, and you should easily be able to get a good one of Nero in your price range, and most other emperors shouldn't be that hard to get, either.

    Then there's the tetradrachms of Antioch from the same period, which are about the same size, but with better silver content. Those usually have an eagle on the back, so while it's not an owl, it's somewhat close to what you want.
     
  8. usc96

    usc96 Junior Member

    Thanks. I like the look of that second one.
     
  9. scottishmoney

    scottishmoney Buh bye

    Even for under $25-30 you can find a nice Ionia silver coin from ca. 400 BC with the lion on the front and the star on the reverse. They are pretty common coins, but nice for the price and the design.

    [​IMG]
     
  10. scottishmoney

    scottishmoney Buh bye

    Still in Ionia, but this time Ephesos, you can find decent Ephesian bee coins from the mid 200 BC era for under $30 or so:

    [​IMG]
     
  11. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    ...but both the last two are dime or smaller. There are probably 100,000 neat ancients in 20mm and under that sell for under $300.
     
  12. Honolulu Dick

    Honolulu Dick Junior Member

    OK, usc96, the weekend for your local coin show is now history.

    Did you find a suitable "ancient" to start your Greek/Roman collection?

    How did you do?

    Are you pleased with yourself?

    Let us know, OK?
     
  13. Andy

    Andy Coin Collector

    Is there a particular on line dealer that anyone would recommend.
     
  14. Gao

    Gao Member

    Anyone at VCoins would be fine, and Forvm Ancint Coins and Bargain Bin Ancients are pretty nice as well. I recommend checking out VCoins first, as you can easily search and compare between dozens of dealers, so you can usually find things a bit cheaper than at a place like Forvm.
     
  15. Honolulu Dick

    Honolulu Dick Junior Member

    Gao's recommendations are absolutely correct. These/those sites are researched for availability and for a price range before I make a decision to buy. Also, LittletonCoin.com is included in the research. I know their prices float to a higher range, but that's useful info also. Littleton's prices provide a "red-line" zone for my purchasing decisions. When given the chance [ only occasionally], I buy at a fast-idle RPM.

    When it comes to coins of the Bible or of the Biblical [Common] Era [also ancients], I always visit biblicalmites.com. The owner is a Chaplain in a CA State Max-Security Prison, so dealing in coins is his profitable [intended] hobby. Therefore, his prices are quite reasonable and he will bend-over backwards to please his customers. My dealings with him have all been happy events.
     
  16. Andy

    Andy Coin Collector

    Thanks, I am starting to think about holiday presents and I do not want to buy a fake or get overpriced and get one coin when if spend wisely could have brought more for the kids.
     
  17. moneyer12

    moneyer12 i just love UK coins.......

    no one in their right mind would even consider melting any ancient coin........2000 years of history destroyed for profit.


    try to find some reasonable celtic coins instead of roman or greek they are far more interesting.
     
  18. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    I would also recommend, (HIGHLY), CNG out of Lancaster PA. They are the largest ancient firm in the US. Also, David Hendin literally "wrote the book" for biblical coins, and is probably the world's foremost authority on them. He sells on Ebay as Amphoracoins.
     
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