First non-GOLD ancient!

A problem that the gold collector might not be accustomed to facing is the fact that some issues of silver and bronze were not made as carefully as the gold and soft gold is more likely to strike well with full detail and smooth edges. I really would like to have the statistics on the matter but all I can do is guess. Lets guess that there are one million types of ancient coins. Of those, I'd guess that less than 10% even exist in EF+ (slab MS) grade and less than 1% in hardline FDC meaning a coin that could not be improved in any way imaginable. People like me who have no problem accepting coins for what they have to offer even if that means some faults (wear, strike, surface and plain old damage), then, have 100 times as many types of coins to consider owning and fully realize that they will never be able to own them all. Those for whom the best money can buy may not be good enough face a 'supply' problem that a multi billionaire can't defeat. Like I said, my numbers may not be accurate but I hope all the experienced crowd here will agree that you can only buy what exists.

 

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Some of the "Provincial" ones are really nice with eagle reverse. We got a little coin heaven here!

 

Doug is bang on, gold was always coveted, and the money used by the elite classes. This metal has a plus that it is soft and strikes will be more pristine/ then it also wears down with circulation. Hardest coins to find in higher quality are copper/bronze issues. These were heavily used, and the money was for the lower classes. Of course, for every AV coin minted, there were likely 100 AR/ 1000 AE. However, since gold was valuable, many hoards are still found in perfect condition today. The most amazing difference between the metals is this....gold after being buried in soil deposits/ submerged in fresh/saltwater/ exposed to the atomosphere....it stays as shiny as day it was minted. Silver oxidizes rapidly/ gets eaten by saltwater if from a shipwreck/ corroded if buried underground/ ditto for AE coins. To me, it seems almost impossible that coins struck 2000 or so years ago are still avaliable in FDC. I have coins in my pocket that were struck by the Canadian Mint this year, lots of wear already. I know this is for ancients...but I will post a 1751-So Fernando VI 8 Escudos....this was from Atocha wreck, submerged in saltwater for over 200 years....looks like new.

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