I have been collecting (on and off) since my childhood - my mother had a collection of Indian Head pennies and a bag of misc coins she had picked up from countries she had lived in or visited that caught my imagination. Most of my collection is from the last 20 years. My primary collection consists of Roman Republican & Imperatorial denarii. My favorites from this collection end up on my Gallery (https://www.sullacoins.com/roman-republic) and Notes Pages along with sub-collections of coins from other time periods. In recent years, the coins that I am looking for, or willing to afford, in the RR collection are few and far between. My first ancient coin, a gift from a generous shop owner in Italy who was on my walk home from elementary school of a coin "not good enough to sell" - the wonder in hand of a coin that was almost 1800 years old fueled my interest in history: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/postumus-romano-gallic-emperor A coin of Roman Republican general, consul and dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla's Uncle Publius (or possibly grandfather): https://www.sullacoins.com/post/sulla-s-uncle-or-grandfather I was led East by stories that intersect with the Roman Republic, coins shared by members of this forum and having traveled to Japan, China, India, and north Africa in the last 10-15 years, I have had a growing interest in Asian & Islamic coins that open a window into rulers, peoples and history that were (and are) much less known to me. A denarius friendly issue from Traos under Roman control? https://www.sullacoins.com/post/artemis-abydos A descendant (great-grand son) of Mark Antony: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/crocodiles-and-romans Aelius Gallus visits North North Africa: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/coins-of-arbia-felix-himyarite-kingdom-starter-kit Satavahanas (India) contemporary with the time of the Roman Republic (this coin overstruck sometime after 71 AD https://www.sullacoins.com/post/ancient-india-coin-gallery and even more remote from the Romans in time, a 13th/14th Century Common Era (CE), a tri-lingual coin (Mongolian (Uighur script), Chinese (Phags-Pa script), and Arabic (Kufic script)) an AR 2 Dirham coin of Ilkhanid ruler, Mahmud Ghazan (CE 1295-1304) :https://www.sullacoins.com/post/a-bride-from-kublai-khan I've added a poll to this post to see which of the above coins CT members will find more interesting. When did you start collecting? and What do you collect? share anything that you find interesting or entertaining.
I actually like the Valerian because although it's a fairly humble example, it has tremendous personal significance to you and probably remains a cornerstone of your collection. As a kid, I was more interested in dinosaurs than human civilization but that changed when I was around 12 and visited the Saturday flea market in Portobello Road in the UK. There was a stand selling all types of Roman coins and I picked up my first ancient coin, an encrusted Valens Ae3 for a quid. After painstakingly chipping off all the dirt with a toothpick (a la @galba68), it revealed a well-preserved and unusually realistic portrait of the emperor on an apple-green flan. I was hooked.
I started when I was 5 years old. I just hit double digits when silver started to disappear from change. Until a few years ago all I collected was US coins. Now I still do as that’s my main interest but ancients have worked there way into my collection. Paper money started about 15 years ago. I’ve always loved rocks and fossils. I started collecting antiques in my late teens. Still do all of them that I’ve mention.
I started collecting when my momma handed me a Franklin half to by my lunch with at school. I never saw a coin like that and so large in my little hand. I went hungry that day..... Been a collector of US coins since the 1960's. My foray into ancients began when I went to a coin show some years back and was floored by a Follis that I bumped into and had to have.... That and the lewd photos that you guys post here...
I am a little younger than you Randy. I never had a silver half dollar given to me, and silver was extremely rare in change when I was in elementary school (1970's), but my mom had an old worn out WL half in a little plastic bank of hers. I learned to break into that bank when I was 4 and did so regularly to look at what I considered the prettiest coin in the world. That was it, and have been collecting coins ever since. US coins until I was around 35 and then mainly ancients. When my mother passed all I wanted from her house was that old plastic bank.
Cool post! The first coin I actually "saved" from circulation was circa 1957, an Indian Head cent. Then, in rather quick succession (once I started my Newsday paper route), a Mercury, Buffalo, Franklin, Morgan,...you get the idea. I now have quite a few coins! As for ancients, while I routinely peruse & enjoy the Ancients threads here, my "collection" is extremely modest (like, 4 coins; 2 of which because of @lordmarcovan contests), having acquired my first around 2018. But thanks to all the posters here, I get to appreciate many fine specimens, & I appreciate it!
I started collecting on Thanksgiving day of 1976, so this month is my 48th anniversary in the hobby. As to the particulars of that, my first coin, what I collect, and a great deal more (perhaps more than you’d be interested to know about me), I will refer you to the December, 2023 interview I did on NumisForums. @Sulla80 - I chose your first coin as most interesting, simply because of how it got you started. I also found the Traos interesting and eye appealing. I had not heard of a coining entity called Traos- only Troas.
