Finding a focus

Carthago nails my collecting focus. I am a firm believer in Republic, I am impassioned against Monarchy or the central abuse of power. However, I dabble in their bronzes, and enjoy pre-denarii coinage, although, I too, love SILVER. . Further, due to my love of history, military history, and my career is in commerce, I prefer worn, rubbed, circulated coinage. I prefer that I am TOUCHING the coin with the ancients.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I'm just a one-per-ruler guy. This includes empresses and family members. Obviously I'll never get a Saturninus, so when I run out of portraits I can afford/obtain, I'll find a new focus that interests me.
Possibilities include alexandrian drachma of Hadrian, the English portrait series or maybe one-per-city Greek series. Coins of Axum are also of interest, and not widely collected.

 

Like many others here I basically began with only focusing on acquiring the best-looking coins for my buck, with not too much regards on a specific dynasty, era, etc. aside from wanting to keep things "Roman". As I gathered more coins I also gathered even more of an urge to learn more about Roman history. From there my attention gravitated towards the later Roman Empire, its decline and "fall", and its immediate successor states. This in turn had a great influence on what I wanted to focus on with regards to my collection. I still collect from other parts of Roman history, and have expanded to European medieval and early Islamic, but my primary focus is Roman/Germanic 4th-6th centuries AD. Its not the most popular era to collect from, but I was never a part of the "cool" crowd anyways.

Collect what interests you, and you can never go wrong.

 

Now famous/influential people would be interesting. Be warned, though, that many collect these simply because they were famous, raising prices. However, the great thing is you can find some very influential/powerful people cheap simply because they aren't so famous today. Everyone has heard of Caligula, but Elagabalus was a much worst emperor. How about Shapur the Great, Darius, Mithradates the Great, Mithradates of Pontos, the list goes on and on of very powerful and influential people who are not widely known in the popular press. Us history geeks know the names though. Either or both would work. I do both, having a mini-collection of Cleo VII, but collect many other lesser known great people as well.

 

Thanks @medoraman
Those are some great names to collect. I appreciate your taking the time to offer these suggestions.

 

I maintain that it is unwise to seek a focus. Buy coins that you like and look at what you have to see that they have in common. That is your focus. A focus will find you with greater accuracy than a focus you preselected. Of course, there are many who change coins every time they change their focus. Lets say you decide on 'large Greek silver'. Will you be selling that Caligula to fund that Owl?

I do not collect willy-nilly. I collect coins I like at prices I can afford. I posted my favorites a while back (really need to cut a few of these and add a few new winners). If you look at the group, you should be able identify at least three foci which have found me at one time or another over the last 50 years. If not, you will see willy-nilly.
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/favs.html

I do admit, however, being a sucker for completing a set when I discover I am close. Last month I bought my 13th different mint from the hut series of Constantius II and Constans. I 'need' a fourree of Galba and Caligula to have that set in fourree (I have other coins of both but no fourrees). Most 'sets' of ancients are not as cleanly defined as the 12 Caesars. Many specialties include coins you never knew existed until you got one. Those could be my ultimate favorites: Coins no one knew existed before I got one.

 

Thanks Doug. As one example of what you are talking about I was wandering around the coin offerings of Forvm and discovered a character named Vindex. I did some reading and he was an interesting player in the civil war. The more I read, the more interesting coins I find.

 

As I mentioned in my first post here, I collect RR denarii and fractions by Crawford variety. That means I need to find, not just the main types in condition that will satisfy me, but all the a, b, c varieties as well. So I'm tightly focused, but with more than enough to keep me busy for one collecting lifetime. Here are two examples. The first is Crawford 487/2a (x Niggler.) The second is Crawford 487/2b, differing by the addition of S-F at either side of the temple. I still need the scarcest variety, Crawford 487/2c, in which the position of the letters is reversed: F-S.

Phil Davis

 

A question for 12 Caesar fans: I know there is a preference for portrait coins but most of the 12 issued some coins without their portraits. Is a portrait free set possible if we include provincials? You ask, "Why?" Why not?

 

I asked this question the last time we had an extended 12-Caesars discussion, but haven't had the time to research it since. It certainly sounds possible on the face of it, and less expensive to boot. Somebody needs to try.

 

The problem with Vindex is so many of his coins copy Augustus issues and are separated by style. I would love to own one. Clodius Macer is another civil war leader but he put his name on coins and could have qualified as a Caesar had Suetonius been more liberal with the term. I have no problems with being interested in the first century AD rulers or the Roman Republic. My issue is with the idea that Nerva and the rest are beneath the dignity of a high minded collector.

The easiest Trivia question I'll ever ask: Which of the 12 was never titled Caesar on coins and had serious reservations about the title Augustus that led to most of his coins also lacking that name?

 

I don't think it is possible (Is there an Otho?).

 

Not that I know of. The brief run of Antiochian issues all have his bust.

 

Well, you could try for a reverse brockage, but you'd need a die match to a normal Otho to prove it was his coin.

 

Lol. This was supposed to make a 12-Caesars set easier.

 

A fellow collectors otho he got cheap no less.

 

Great coin but that's really the strangest background I've ever seen. Why would you use a background that actually covers up parts of the coin?

 

There was some without it but can't find the threads, it's from the pcgs boards. Could be the image links died.

 

I managed to acquire a Vindex denarius recently and indeed, they aren't cheap, but drippin with history. I'll post it in a few days

 

Thanks AJ I will look forward to it.