Nice historical piece http://www.coinweek.com/ancient-coins/one-of-the-joys-of-ancient-coin-collecting/
Just in case someone reading this does not know: Wayne Sayles (author of the above link) is author of the most common set of books on ancient coins that is not a catalog. His book set shows coins and provides information about why someone might care about those coins. IMHO, way too many collectors spend too much effort trying to find the catalog number, catalog value and rarity rating for their coins without showing the slightest interest in the coins themselves or the people who made them, spent them and died with them over the last couple millennia. Wayne's books do as much as any author's to answer the question of just why we collect these things. If you only collect for the cash appreciation, you miss the good stuff.
Bravo :hail: Without knowing the history and the personalities behind the coin, one is just collecting chunks of lifeless metal. Knowing something about the personalities and history of the coin, however, the coin represents a living and breathing piece of history. (Not my coins) By knowing even a small amount of history behind the coins, one gets a sense of the lives and passions these coins represent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gacl8v0etCI&feature=related guy
Indeed, I didnt know there was so many emperors after vespasian, its crazy how much I have learned of roman history just by getting pieces that looked interesting. Its made collecting much more enjoyable. Ive read about a dozen books in the over 3 years of collecting. Cant say the same with U.S. You can only learn about washington, lincoln & the wild west so much, lol.
But the point is that having a tangible item from a certain period spurs research and learning of the period. It doesn't have to be a coin, but they are my favorite. I bought an oil lamp once from the time of King David and learned a lot more about that timeframe than I once thought I would. I have done the same learning about ancient mesopotamia after buying a cunieform tablet a few years ago. To some people, (me), I just naturally have more of a fire in my belly about learning history if I have something from the timeframe in your possession.
Not only does it motivate me to learn about who ever after I get a coin, but it can be more exciting.
i know this may derail the thread, but... i want to know that catalog number of every single coin in my collection, whether roman, edwardian, chinese, american... every coin. is this a bad thing? rarity, value... don't really care. but catalog number IS important to me, as to help me keep track of what i have. example - is the coin i want to purchse an upgrade or is it new to my collection? catalog number tells me the answer.
I collect ancients because they are a form of ancient art that people used in everyday life. Ive always been interested in history and to tell the truth numbers aren't as important to me as they are to other people so I tend to buy coins by looks instead of the RIC numbers. I do end up attributing my coins in the end but that's just for fun and cataloging to track my collection.
The evolution of civilization is itself an interesting thing to perceive through the arts and coins particularly. When you realize that that food security itself was not available to much of Western Civilization, forget the rest of the world, until the late 19th century, it puts another view on world history.
On Saturday I bought this coin for a mere £9, a bargain in view of its condition. These small coins were the small change of the early 4th Century, and are often found in substantial hoards. This specimen is an AE3 of Constantine I, minted in Siscia in the period 321-4 AD when Constantine I and Licinius I were joint rulers. For those keen to know, it is from the first officiana of Siscia (mint mark ASIS(sunrise)).
