Shop around and see what lures you in. I bought my first ancient at a local coin shop - it had a wonderful portrait of Probus on it and I thought it looked awesome. At only $20 I could not refuse. Later, I serendipitously found $50 coins of Nero and a Republican. Due to the wide variety and variances, I just sort of let ancients "happen." The same principle seems to apply to love as to ancients: you will find it when you're least looking for it.
Unfortunately, you may end-up being a tad disappointed with your early coin purchases ... "I Love Constantine Coins" may change into "Wow, coins with lions are my favourites" ... I'm just sayin' (again, I'm just sayin') ... Looking-back, I seldom dislike the coins that I manned-up on ... I paid the cash because I loved 'em (that never gets old)
So far I've found that I do love the Constantines....and the lions..and the boars, and the ....... That's the problem. Maybe I do need a sip or two while looking.
Yah, I'll give you a hint ... a) are you the dude that loves Roman history and the rulers b) are you the dude that loves Greek mythological stuff ... again, I am eager to hear about your first-blood (no judging, whatsoever)
I don't know abour @Nyatii, but I'm the dude that loves a big hunk of red meat! Oh, wait a minute. We're talkin' coins. I'll take Greek or Roman through the 2d Century AD. Not much on LRBs (but I do love red meat).
I love both Roman History and Greek Mythology....And Red Meat! Not to spoil the suspense, but I have a couple of coins coming.... I'll give the details when they get here. Hint...They are mostly round.
Wow, I can't wait => I hope that you love your picks Hey, the awesome thing about ancients coins is => that they all fricken rock!!
OK…Here is my pick for my 1st Ancient Coin…Ta Da! Well…Let me start over…Here is my pick for my 1st Ancient Coin, and two others…..Ta Da! First, an explanation. I was offered to pick my first coin from Victor Clark’s store. It was an extremely hard pick. I went with the advice from many of you to pick something that looked good to me, and peaked my interests. I did. And, to give my venture into the Ancient’s world a great start, he included 2 more coins. A big “Thank You” Victor. I picked the VRBS Roma, Circa 340 AD, with She Wolf and Romulus & Remus as my 1st Ancient Coin. The other 2 that Victor sent are Constantine I and Licinius I. I think they are great! What do you think? I couldn’t get the lighting right, so the color isn’t as rich as it looks in real life. And, to make it official, I did buy a coin…well, coins…… I couldn’t help myself, I needed several. They are all too interesting. I have another admission. I sorta didn’t stick to my $20 limit. I will post these when I get them if anyone is interested.
There is a word for what you are experiencing: Normal. Congratulations on the new coins. Of them, I like the wolf best but I have always had a thing for Alexandria mint. If you stay strong in the addiction, you will have periods where you buy too many and periods where nothing comes your way for a while. You will buy coins you love and suffer a few 'What was I thinking?' moments. It all averages out in the end.
I do not know where you are located but suggest you investigate the possibility of coin shows in your area where you might see coins in person whether or not you buy any. Next weekend is a big show in Baltimore which I regret having to skip this time but I have another, smaller one in Richmond in May. Some places have nothing worthwhile but here the shows are great. There is nothing quite like seeing thousands of coins you can't afford and a handful you can but probably shouldn't?).
In my zeal last night to post the pics of my coins, I forgot to thank everyone for the help and insight they have given me, so "Thank you One and All" It so happens we have a coin show here in town in a couple of weeks. I don't know how good or bad they are here, but I will be there. The timing is good and bad. It comes just as I enter the world of Ancients, but it also comes just as I find myself saying, "I want that one, I want that one, and this one....." I have a feeling, unless I'm careful, I will be hitting Walmart for Old Roy dog food for future meals.