Would like to begin dabbling in Ancient coins

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by dog_pound, Jan 10, 2019.

  1. dog_pound

    dog_pound Supporter! Supporter

    I have been collecting modern coins for close to a decade now, and I am becoming more interested in Ancients.
    Would a few of you that have been doing this a little while be so kind as to recommend a particular coinage that is a little more plentiful and maybe slightly more obtainable to begin with?
    I realize this maybe a bit of an ambiguous and novice question but I am unsure of where to start. But to further illustrate the question I will provide an example: My interest in modern coins stemmed from beginning with Lincoln cents which expanded into a modest completed set and a tremendous amount of exciting knowledge to study. I have since moved to other modern coinage with similar results.
    I am hoping to hear a few suggestions and any advice you might impart.

    Very Respectfully
     
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  3. BenSi

    BenSi Well-Known Member

    The best and easiest way to start into Ancients is Roman Imperial coins, you will find the time of Constantine and his sons the easiest to acquire and begin with. From there as the bug takes hold you might find your self expanding into the many different options of time periods of history.
     
  4. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    I agree with Ben-- Roman Imperial coins are readily available and for the later and more common types, very affordable. Ridiculously affordable-- this is such a great hobby! A tiny piece of history you can hold in your hand, unencumbered by a sealed plastic container, for the price of a cup of coffee or lunch? Fantastic! Of course you can spend a great deal more for higher grade or less common coins, but the point is there are coins for every budget :).

    You might find this thread helpful:

    https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-coins-beginners’-faq-thread.324858/

    Welcome to your new addiction, @dog_pound! :D
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2019
  5. Dougmeister

    Dougmeister Well-Known Member

    From someone who was in your shoes just a few years ago, both posts so far are great advice.

    I'd only add that, if you have an interest in a particular era of history, that might make it even more enjoyable for you.

    For example, I'm particularly interested in Biblical coins and coins from historically significant individuals/groups.
     
  6. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    Hello to Ancients @dog_pound ! I agree with TIF's sentiments completely. I started out with some inexpensive coins - silver coins of the mid-3rd century, which are very cool and very obtainable, as well as bronze coins of the 4th century. It's interesting to follow along as the coin styles changed, there were monetary reforms, and so on. Also, one can read the history going along with the coins, such as Edward Gibbon's the decline and fall of the roman empire (kind of dated as it was written between 1776 and 1782 but still a classic) or even original sources in translation. Welcome to this segment of coin collecting, I think you will find it a fascinating and fun experience.
     
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  7. Nicholas Molinari

    Nicholas Molinari Well-Known Member

    Start with a big, fat Alexander/Hellenistic tetradrachm. You can get a fairly decent one for a bit over $200.
     
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  8. Nicholas Molinari

    Nicholas Molinari Well-Known Member

  9. museumguy

    museumguy Member

    I might suggest looking at this general publication by Zander Klawans - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0...ef_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0#reader_030709362X. It will give you a nice broad overview of Greeks, Romans and beyond. It might help you to focus. You have to decide what appeals to you - everybody is different and motivated by different things. My collecting habits in ancients have run the gamut. What connects with YOU is what is important. Remember, and I speak from experience, just because you start off collecting in one area doesn't mean that one day you won't focus in some other area. Of course price is also a consideration and Romans, generally speaking, are less expensive than Greeks. Good luck!

    Steve S.
     
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  10. Finn235

    Finn235 Well-Known Member

    Ancient coins are fun an addictive at any budget level, but be warned that:
    1) There is no such thing as a perfect ancient, the closer you get, the more you can expect to pay!
    2) Very few "sets" of ancients are possible to complete, at least not for cheap. You are probably OK with that, coming from a set that has a $500 coin as its key date.
    3) The history is addictive, and WILL lead to branching out!

    If you want an obtainable set with a definitive start and end that won't bust your budget, I'll echo that Roman Imperial is the way to go. I'd recommend the following starting points:

    1) House of Constantine:
    - Constantius Chlorus, his father
    - Helena, his mother
    - Theodora, his stepmother / Sister in law (yuck!)
    - Maxentius, his step-uncle / brother in law
    - Maximian, his father in law

    - Constantine
    - Fausta, his wife
    - Licinius, his brother in law
    - Licinius II, his nephew
    - Crispus, his oldest son
    - Constantine II, the oldest son he didn't kill
    - Constantius II, middle child
    - Constans, youngest child
    - Delmatius, his nephew
    - Hanniballianus, his nephew (he's rare)
    - Constantius Gallus, his nephew
    - Julian "The Apostate", his nephew

    All of these coins are obtainable for as little as $1 each, although I would recommend a patient and careful approach; plan to spend $15-30 per coin, and you can finish the whole dynasty in nearly mint state (except Hanniballianus - he is pricy!)

    For an example, this is my Crispus, bought on ebay for a paltry $35
    Crispus principia ivventvtis.jpg
    Coins like this one (not specifically this one; it's a unique mule error) can be had for just a few dollars
    imgonline-com-ua-twotoone-3VsefppE1cRCVW.jpg

    Another fun set is the Nerva-Antonines, or "Five Good Emperors"
    - Nerva
    - Trajan
    - Hadrian (+ Wife Sabina)
    - Aelius Caesar (kind of pricy)
    - Antoninus Pius (+ Wife Faustina I)
    - Marcus Aurelius (+ Wife Faustina II)
    - Lucius Verus (+ Wife Lucilla)
    - Commodus (+ Wife Crispina)

    Excepting Nerva and Aelius, you can complete the set for $20 each looking like this
    imgonline-com-ua-twotoone-HioV2NbIXTi.jpg
    $50 each looking like this
    imgonline-com-ua-twotoone-OZq8C8ZtPlfzQ.jpg
    $100-150 each looking like this
    Antoninus Pius Imperator II.jpg

    Don't forget that Rome wasn't the only civilization that issued coins, though!
     
  11. dog_pound

    dog_pound Supporter! Supporter

    Wow, I really appreciate the feedback. Really great advice. Based on comments I think I will begin studying Roman imperial, read some lit, and decide on initial coins to start with.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2019
  12. jamesicus

    jamesicus Well-Known Member

    Excellent @dog_pound! I suggest purchasing the following inexpensive book. It is a long time favorite in the Ancient Coin collecting community as a great beginner’s reference for attributing and reading Roman Imperial coins. It is an easy read and also is a very handy little book to carry with you when visiting Coin shops and shows. I still reference it (and enjoy re-reading it) to this day. It has gone through several reprintings since I purchased my copy in 1953.

    DB9B4D0C-23DF-4C71-A606-05000E22810F.jpeg ADE7F26C-0530-4CC7-A3ED-3E41B97AFA5E.jpeg

    Added via Edit: used hardcover copies are available online for around $14 and used paperback copies for around $9.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2019
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  13. ddoomm1

    ddoomm1 keep on running

    Most people try to stay away from the dark side....
     
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  14. dog_pound

    dog_pound Supporter! Supporter

    Aaah, a flaw in my personality.
     
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  15. panzerman

    panzerman Well-Known Member

    Welcome to the club dog_pound! Hope that your dog never ends up there;) Here is another great book, weighs a ton/lots of plates/ info/ cheap. I started off with Western Roman Empire (first ever coin, a AV solidus Valentinian II) from Numismatic Fine Arts:happy: Now, I collect all AV coinage from ancients/ medieval/ renaissance/ baroque eras to present. I have now started into Roman denari too. Here are photos of my dog/ first ever ancient coin/ that great book ERIC-II. Good places to get your coins, CNG/ Roma/ Kunker/ Gorny&Mosch/ Heritage/ Stacks auctions.:cat: d1d9ea5fdd3e951a6497e4798e8fea08.jpg 4272425-4245164-eric2-a.jpg 47c90d6d25445d390168c87f669c4ac5.jpg 217518600f34e9a3ffd326e0b1ba0f4d.jpg
    John
     
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  16. Pishpash

    Pishpash Well-Known Member

    Depending upon your budget. I started with uncleaned foins from ebay, highly educational and fun to clean. Once I had bought a couple of higher grade coins, the urge to clean was diminished.

    Stay away from ebay until you know what you are doing.

    If you look on the wildwinds site you can find a list of all the emperor's. Check them out on wiki for further information.

    Agree with the others, Constantine and his family is a great place to start. Look up his family on wiki it's quite a story.

    Welcome to the dark side.
     
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  17. cwart

    cwart Senior Member Supporter

    I just started collecting ancients myself in the last year. For me I kinda just dipped my toes in the water with an affordable coin from a site I could trust. Even though that coin was already ID'd for me, it gave me a chance to start to look at how to identify the coins (a Late Roman Bronze of Constantine II) and where to start looking to do so. Its been a fun introduction and has grown to five coins now... :)
     
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  18. Kasia

    Kasia Got my learning hat on

    I think I like personality flaws like this.
     
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  19. Valentinian

    Valentinian Well-Known Member

    @dog_pound , welcome to our forum! You are not the only one who has been in your situation. A while ago there was a thread "New to ancients" and I contributed this:

    https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-to-ancients.300298/page-2#post-2806167

    The are many helpful collectors who have written and illustrated sites you will find interesting. If you go to the pages I recommend, you will find links to many good sites, including sale sites and educational sites.

    I've been studying ancient coins since 1971 and still find them fascinating. They are not all about high grade and what they should cost, or minor varieties that might be worth much more. Ancient coins are actually interesting in their own right and no one will press you to buy that last rare date or avoid anything less than MS65. Make up your own mind what you like.

    One other suggestion. CoinTalk gives you the ability to look at old threads and search for keywords. If anything comes to mind, search on it, or just browse old threads, and you will learn a lot rapidly.
     
  20. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    I disagree with almost every post given so far at least in part. I very much agree with the Finn235 thoughts I quoted here but then he went on to recommend set collecting which is exactly the opposite of what I suggest. The big point here is just about each and every one of us approach this huge hobby in a different way. Not only is there nothing wrong with that, that is exactly the best part of collecting ancient coins. You can not ever have them all. That frees you to have only the ones that you want. We call that the coins that speak to you. Some here can not tolerate any coin that is not mint state and are satisfied with a collection of very few perfect coins. Others of us seem to take pride in how many barely recognizable coins we can accumulate and may have a couple hundred we have not quite ever managed to identify. I say your first task should be to expose yourself to as many coins as possible and figure out what YOU find appealing - not what any of us like. I am a general collector with about a dozen sub-specialties that account for about half of my purchases. I started over fifty year ago and have way too many coins. You may find every one of my coins absolutely worthless but that is OK because there are well over a million other coins for you to consider. I do not recommend Roman Imperials to be first or last. I do recommend my web pages that show a sampler of coins I found interesting enough to own and words I believe will help you to understand and communicate with others like the people who post here.
    http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/voc.html
    Welcome to Ancient Coins! Have fun!!!
     
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  21. David Atherton

    David Atherton Flavian Fanatic

    When I was new to ancients way back in 2003 Doug's website was a godsend. I studied them like an exam. Even printed off key pages and put them in a 3 ringed binder. I still have that binder.

    @dog_pound good luck with whatever you choose to do! In case you haven't already guessed, this is a hobby with no hard and fast rules.
     
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