My first ancient: Marcus Aurelius

Great first coin. I saw my first ancients when I was 11 at a coin store in Hawaii, I bought one of Constantius II and that was my first coin. I collected ancients for 7 years, selling my collection when I was 18. Then work, college and family kind of precluded collecting for the next 20 years until I got back into it in 2013 buying hoards of uncleaned ancients. Last April I started buying higher grade coins again, around the same time as I joined the forum, and have acquired about 50 coins since then. Good luck in the hobby and welcome!

 

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Nah, I loathe the US coin market as well.

 

Great first coin and a very warm welcome to the group! I look forward to seeing more of what you buy as you obviously have great taste.

Plus who doesn't love Marcus Aurelius! One of the most impressive pieces of Roman art I've ever seen is his equestrian statue in the Campigdoglio (the original is in the nearby museum) in Rome.

 

Thanks very much for your write-up, Papersplz, a personal story many of us can recognize. You will be setting out on a great journey full of wonders!

As for Marcus Aurelius, I just wrote about today's acquisition here, a very different coin.

-- Paul

 

Very nice write up and great first coin @papersplz ! I did same, Modern US for years, sold them as it was completely BORING for me. Love ancient History, and diving into Ancients have been totally fun!


RI MARCUS AURELIUS AR Den as Caesar TR POT VI COS II - Genius stg at altar hldg standard
Best,
Brian

 

Buying a coin that connects with you in some way is the best possible "first coin" purchase, IMHO. Not at all impulsive in my book, at least not in the negative sense. Well done and welcome to the joys of ancient coins!

 

Very few new collectors do so well with a first coin selection but now we are all anxious to hear what will be #2 and #3......

There is a tendency to rush. I suspect this coin will still be a part of your collection in many years. Those who rush are not always able to say that. Be sure to ask any questions you may have as they arise. Many of us here are happy to be of use.

 

Welcome to CT, wonderful, insightful write up!!

Just remember: (1) knowledge negates fear, (2) We've all made mistakes - don't fret when you do, (3) if you hesitate & then feel you missed out on a coin you really wanted - don't worry, there will always, always, always be another deal down the road which will salve your wounds!!!

And congrats on pulling the trigger on that beautiful ancient - I have not done so (yet).

 

Welcome...have fun.

 

Yes, I'm excited to see what you chose next! Or what chooses you!

That's a great MA coin!

 

Welcome. Among the books you should have, most definitely include 'The Art And Science of Grading Coins' by Jason Poe. If you haven't already read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it and learn a lot. Every collector should read this. If for nothing else, so they can be righteous when they grumble about the lousy grade PCGS threw down on their beautiful coin.

 

Great coin!

 

Welcome to the "dark side", @papersplz! That's a great first ancient coin, and we look forward to hearing more from you. Here's a sestertius of him as the Restorer of Italy:

 

Doug is right. Remember there’s no rush. You’ll just end up dumping some less than stellar coins on eBay like me. Take your time and enjoy the hunt.

 

I love my coins. That being said, there is something about the hunt that's enjoyable as well. There have been times when I finally find what I'm looking for; catalog, photograph and research; and then feel the let down because the hunt is over. Of course, that only lasts until the next hunt begins.

 

Thanks everyone for the very warm welcome. I was feeling nervous about posting, but now that I have I wish I hadn't waited so long.

Righteous grumbling sounds like something to aspire to. I will definitely add this to my list. I have a goal of holding my ratio of coin:book expenditures at about a 1:1 while I build up my library. It's early in the process but I'm already seeing how this leads to a virtuous cycle of rationalization along the lines of, "I need this book. Guess I have to buy another coin!" Eventually I will become space-limited in my ability to add to the library; the honest truth right now is that in my tiny California apartment my girlfriend seems more bothered by the accumulation of books over the last year than the coin expenditures.

 

Regarding "The Art and Science of Grading Coins", isn't that for modern coins? If you're moving away from moderns and into ancients, maybe a better book for a new ancient collector would be something covering the basics of ancient coins, like this popular book by Wayne Sales. Grading ancient coins is a much different beast, and not such an impactful parameter when assessing the desirability of a coin.

http://wgs.cc/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=74_75&product_id=136



(also in paperback)

 

Personally, I purchased a similar book a long time ago. It is worthless, in my opinion, regarding collecting ANCIENT COINS. I do not care nor am interested in my coins being slabbed (that is why I got OUT of Moderns several years ago). I completely lost interest in machine-manufactured, MASS-produced, coins where tiny, almost imperceptible changes excite collectors. That is incredibly boring (I have been in manufacturing for 40 years - it is mass marketing that creates modern coin excitement.) To get excited about a coin having less that 10,000 population? I have several coins with less than 100 known, many with less than 10 known, some with only a couple known specimens. Slabbing? I have removed any and all of my Ancients from slabs. I want to HOLD my Ancients as they were INTENDED for circulation... many have survived over 2000 years, why do they need to be slabbed now? Grading? I enjoy the HISTORY behind the coins. SOME of my coins have no better grade than 'Good' for all known coins.

When I got into Ancients, I felt I was back into what coin collecting was SUPPOSED to be, without all the colored "Price Sheets", without all the plastic coin tombs, and without always asking "how much is it worth?". I enjoy Ancients for their HISTORY, uniqueness, beauty, and amazing creativeness with different ancient technologies.

I really enjoy the people in Coin Talk Ancients Forum as you will receive knowledge, encouragement, support, and help... all at your fingertips. I never purport to be an expert, I let the other truly informed folks teach me via my observations. I am just here to enjoy my Hobby.


Etruria Populonia (pronounced as Fufluna in Etrurian)
AR 5 Asses
3rd C BCE 2.0g
Obv: Young Hd Left (Fufluns), V behind (mark of 5 Asses as value)
Rev: Blank
Ref: HN 173 Vecchi Rasna III 52 Vecchi Etruscan 91.6 ex NAC 29 No 9
RARE
(My research is that this is Fufluns, Etrurian God of plant life, wine, happiness, health, and growth in nature. He is one of the 16 Gods in the Etrurian Pantheon which were forunners of many of the Roman Gods)

 

welcome @papersplz

Your hose a great coin for your first ancient. Hang around and ask questions. there are plenty of people here who are willing to share their expertise. Most important thing in collecting ancient coins-have fun!

 

I hold my glass high to what @Alegandron just wrote x 1,000,000,000. Dilly dilly!