My LCS stopped carrying Ancients

As you all may be aware, I’m a little overworked this academic year and have had little time for coining. Heck, I’ve only added about four coins to my collection since August, and haven’t had a chance to photograph any if them. But, I managed to make it to Spring Break, and decided to reward myself with a purchase. While I had two bids in on today’s Agora Auction (which I won - hooray!), I was out running errands and decided to stop by my local coin shop.

They no longer carry ancients. None. Apparently I have been the first person to ask about Ancients in the last month. Now it’s nothing but shiney new U.S. coins.

While I will admit that the majority of my purchases come from the internet, I always liked that there was a small selection in town I could buy from, and help support the local hobby. We do have one annual coin show in my town, plus a few more every other month within driving distance (about an hour and a half), but no longer having a shop in town feels like a big loss.

Okay - I’ve voiced my dissapointment. Console me with some cool ancients! (And maybe I’ll have time tomorrow to photograph my ‘recent’ purchases...)

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Bummer. The closest regular coin show to me never has any ancients either.

 

Does Skip at Carolina Coin W-S, handle any Ancients anymore?

 

@FitzNigel Sorry to hear your LCS is no longer carrying ancients. Also, I hope the workload lets up a bit for you.

Here is one of my favourite coins of the moment- a nice Tealby penny.

 

Bummer!

Here's a youthful Caracalla with a Mars reverse to cheer you up:


Caracalla, AD 198-217 AR Denarius, 20mm, 2.8g, 12h; Rome Mint, AD 206
Obv.: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG; Laureate, draped bust right, seen from behind.
Rev.: PONTIF TR P VIIII COS II; Mars, in military dress, standing left, resting right hand on shield and holding spear.

 

Sorry to hear that @FitzNigel what a disappointment.

I offer up a coin of the Mamertines, those Italian rascals that turned a local Sicilian struggle into the first Punic War.

The Mamertini AE Pentonkion. 288-278 B.C. Messana mint, 16.893g, 26.5mm
Obv: ARES, laureate head of Ares right, uncertain control symbol behind (off flan).
Rev: MAMERTINWN, eagle with spread wings standing left on a thunderbolt.
SNG ANS 402

 

You guys know me well! Henry II AND Caracalla??? Two areas I love.

Yep - he told me today that he shipped off the last of the ancients.

 

I should clarify @Alegandron - no, he is not handling them any more.

 

Wow. He was using Perry Siegel with Herakles as his wholesaler. I imagine they just worked it out to return them to Perry. Skip did not focus a lot in my areas, so I bought only a few items from him. I AM surprised that he gave up his biblical coinage as he presented historically to several churches.

 

I could have the name wrong, but it was the same guy there who focused on Ancients

 

The couple of shops in my area never did. It's all US. I go in now and then for supplies and conversation but nothing else.

 

@FitzNigel here is one of Robert Guiscard that should really cheer you up. Not my coin.

 

I wish there was a shop in my area.

 

I do like the look of Guiscard!

 

We really don't need LCS that carry ancients on consignment from dealers we can access otherwise but that have no interest in the coins and would turn away a local who came in to sell grandpa's coins. Most LCS I see are fronts to buy bullion judging from the size of sign in their windows 'We Buy Gold'. I have stopped in a few good ones as I travel by but most hardly sell what I would call coins. This is sad. I loved to go to my local LCS's when I was young and learned much from the kind elderly owners.

 

Round here. I don't find many. I wish more dealers would deal them.

 

It may be old hat to you guys, but as a newbie to ancients, I perceive the learning curve to be pretty steep. I may be wrong, but the knowledge base and connections that you would have to build to be an effective ancient coin dealer are rather large.

I'd have a hard time believing that the level of interest at the local scale would be worth the trouble for most B&M dealers. You'd have to operate at a national or international level (online) to make a living at it. Moderns are easier, more popular, and more readily available. B&M guys have a hard time keeping the doors open these days, guess you can't expect too much.

 

That’s too bad Fitz. There aren’t any near me either in North Atlanta as far as I know. Mainly pawn shops and bullion dealers. Once a month there’s a coin show in Marietta,GA which one ancient dealer attends. Worth the 45 minute drive for me as he’s a nice guy and has variety.

 

A local antique shop has a glass cabinet of ancients (some over priced) and even a bowl full of LRB for $5/c (most ID-able and lots of FTRs). I haven't been there since fall... I should make a trip.

And here's a denarius of Lucius Septimius Bassianus:

 

Some of my best (nice and or rare) coins came from my local shop, at pretty nice prices too.