What is most important for you when intending to buy an ancient coin? Intact face/figure or letters? I prefer intact face/figure. I just want to know how the others feel? If this question has been asked before, please show me the threads. Thanks.
I can only afford what others would consider junk. Still, I want the face or main design as full as possible. But I also want enough letters to clearly identify the issuer, whether it is the name of a city, mint, emperor, etc., for those coins where this is pertinent. For some, of course, the design is all the id that is given on a coin.
I collect Early Dated, pre 1501 A.D., coins. A nice clear date is a must for me. This coin is a perfect example. Nice clear date, the "5" in the date is known as a "lighting strike". The rest of the coin is weakly struck in areas. And yes, while most of you wouldn't place this piece into your collection,I considerd it a bargain. First appearance of this coin in over 50+ years. Only one other available to collectors, tied up in a centuries old collection and two others locked away in museums.
For me it depends as well. Typically medieval coin designs may not have busts of rulers or gods on them like Roman or Greek coins, so it's more about getting enough representative material remaining on the coin (like @tibor mentions, the date) so it's easily identifiable. Rarity sometimes trumps quality for me, but on the Roman and Greek side for coins that are more common, having good quality busts is often more important than the legends, as these coins are more easily identified by the busts and reverse designs. Sometimes legends are important, as @David Atherton can attest to, where a COS IV versus COSIII may make the difference between a common or a rare coin. But mostly, if a coin appeals to me, has some historical appeal or falls into my primary collecting areas and the price is right, I will pull the trigger.
Here's one I just picked up. It's a Tyrian Shekel. It's worn and pitted, but you can see the major details. The date is also visible, showing it was struck in 10/11 AD. I like the worn look and since it's in bad shape, I keep this one in a case in my pocket as a good luck piece. Shekel CY 136 10/11 AD by JGGonzalez posted May 17, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I want both, and I am willing to wait and pay them. Early on I considered purchasing a denarius of the emperor Vitellius (ruled for three months in 69 AD, one of the 12 caesars.) The piece had a wonderful portrait, but much of the lettering was missing. The price was something like $325. The dealer was offering the piece told me I should go for something better. I did. I acquired a perfectly centered piece with all of the lettering visible. It cost about six times as much, but in retrospect it was worth. For my collection, it was the only Vitellius coin would ever need.
