New to CoinTalk but long time collector.

I received my first ancient coin as a gift from an Aunt along with a bunch of other coins she had saved. This was sometime in the mid 70s when I was a kid. I did not know what it was for years or whether it was real or not. I suspected it was a Roman coin but had never seen or heard of such a thing before. When I got to college, I went to their excellent numismatic section and discovered it was a Theodosius I bronze coin. Having a real ancient coin plus all the excellent books and auction catalogs in the library really fired my interest in ancient coins, Greece and Rome. It was much harder back in those days to find information, communicate with dealers, and acquire books. Over the years I have kept at it in fits and spurts but rate learning about and owning ancient coins as one of the most satisfying pastimes I have pursued. Here is the humble coin that started my interest:

 

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I am getting the hang of this forum, I meant to say post the coins and stories that got you started in collecting ancients!

John

 

Welcome to the forum. Below is my Theo.


Theodosius I (379 - 395 A.D.)
Bronze AE2
O: D N THEODOSIVS P F AVG, rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
R: GLORIA ROMANORVM, Theodosius standing left, head right, standard in right, globe in left, ANTA in ex.
Antioch
4.67g
20.6mm
RIC IX 68b

 

I haven't gotten into the ancient coins...yet.

 

Welcome! I'm a US collector and you may not see much of me, but this is a great place!

 

Welcome friend. Here are three better coins of Theodosius II from my collection...

 

Welcome to a great forum.

My Theodosius I example.

 

Hi, and welcome to our zoo. Stick around, but don't feed the animals .

My Theo AE2...

 

Welcome Theodosius and ShawnB. Like you, I find the pursuit of Ancient coins to be both satisfying and therapeutic. With all the stresses of life going on around my life, this is a hobby I find relaxing and fun. Stick around, learn some things, and see some marvelous coins along the way.

 

Welcome. I hope you will share some o your more recent ancients.

 

welcome!

here's my first ancient, an arcadius...from way back in 2011. inspired by a museum visit, a novel, and fumbling around on ebay (really not the best idea if new to ancients).

 

Welcome Theodosius ... wow, that was nice of your Aunt to get you started on your ancient journey (this place is awesome, make yourself at home)

 

Welcome.
It is amazing. I find it hard to understand that NONE of my family know what I see in coins, so I come here. A place where 'tragics' can call 'home'.
I can see why you chose the 'Avatar' that you did. Good one.

I have a couple of Theodosius I coins. (There were two.)

 

AND:

 

Welcome, @Theodosius!

My rapid journey from US coins to ancients is detailed here .

 

Here is a coin of Theodosius II, grandson of Theodosius I.


Theodosius II AR Siliqua
Struck 438-450 CE.
1.66 Grams

So now we have a @Valentinian, @Magnus Maximus and now a @Theodosius! Now all we need is a @Gratian!

Cheers!

 

So, what's the cost of entry into the ancient coins segment? (Yes, I understand the complexity of that question. What's the low end?)

 

$5 for a crappy but identifiable LRB, $20-50 for a decent but medium grade Ancient, and of course thousands for the highest grade Ancients. You will need to be more specific to get a good answer. What era are you most interested? I know we all want the highest grade coins we can afford, but for me, medium grades are what my budget can handle.

 

That answer was actually perfect. I didn't know if the entry point was $5 or $100. Thanks!

 

LRB is Late Roman Bronze which is a subset of ancients that many collectors consider beneath their notice and others consider a wonderful specialty. The coins exist by the millions so you can get common ones that are fully identifiable for, as Bing says, for $5 but pretty may cost $10 and prettier yet $20-50. It would be possible to form a collection of 100 coins not spending over $10 a coin but you would never sell them for what you paid (our local sale activities here on CT suggests that most people don't want $10 coins even if they are half decent). I do not recommend buying 100 $10 coins unless you think of that $1000 in the same way you think of 100 visits to an ice cream parlor (but the coins won't make you fat). A few won't kill you and might be what you want to make the decision if you want to move on to the $20 ones or the $20,000 ones. We have members here into both and will be happy to offer our opinions when asked.

The best place to buy cheap coins is from another collector who lives near you. Most of us have surplus beginner coins (not the rarities everyone wants but the ones everyone has) and would be happy to sell/trade to someone when we did not have to pay PayPal, eBay and postage fees that take all the fun out of mail order for $10 items. If you live near a town with an active coin club, there might be someone there who you might like to meet.