Its taken me two years of collecting, but I've finally found a specialty. Rather, three. - ancient tessera - Tokens of the ancient world, often used for purposes such as entry into the amphitheater. Commonly struck or cast in lead or bronze. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=2267 - imitations and counterfeits of ancient coins - Contemporary counterfeits, struck both within and beyond the borders of the Roman Empire. The styles at times deviate dramatically from official issues. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=1602 and less important to me, as its more expensive - coinage of Roman Alexandria, Egypt - a fascinating series stretching from Augustus to Diocletian, with some amazing themes and designs. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=2258 I've begun assembling a library for these, as well. Alexandria is the best published of the three areas, and the standard reference by Keith Emmett is available for only $50 or 60. The best work on tessera is written in Latin and published in 1903, [FONT="]Tesserarum Urbi Romae et Suburbi Plumbearum Sylloge[/FONT]. Its very expensive, but I'll find one soon. As far as imitations go, there is no standard reference, only scattered hoard reports. These coins, particularly from the first two areas, are a thrill to collect, to me. Tessera are very difficult to find, and I saw only one at the whole NYINC, which I of course bought. Imitations are common enough, but to find one with good preservation and outrageous enough style is quite a challenge. Alexandrian coinage is comparatively common, but many of it is struck in lesser style, and a piece in fine style is quite a find. Of course, I'll continue to acquire other coins, both from the Roman Empire, the Greek world, and beyond. I'm meandering my way towards a collection of all the emperors, focusing solely on the Imperial coinage and not counting the provincial. What do you think?
Now you have my attention!! I am very interested in counterfeits but I know very little about ancient counterfeits (or counterfeit ancients). I plan to tour your site and learn what I can. Perhaps one day you can give me some instruction on detecting ancient counterfeits. Nice collection, by the way.
Hmmm..those 3 areas you have chosen to focus on are not exactly run of the mill. The Tesserae in particular are difficult to obtain, as you say, specially the ones with erotic motives (i wonder why). Prices are always very high. When you say imitations, you do emphasize contemporary imitations, and not for example Becker copies or Paduans? Congratulations on a nicely set-up site over at the Ancients forum by the way. regards Eduard
Its very close there, but I would say Diocletian minted last, judging by the mystery-denominations he issued, which are probably a failed attempt to streamline Domitius' issues with the new system. And I will have one, eventually. Smaller lead tokens can be had from $50-150. You'd be amazed what you can find with patience. I'm focusing solely on contemporary imitations, mostly for their interesting styles. Thanks for all the compliments guys. I have to give kudos to the guy who owns/runs the site, though. My collection is only a small (and comparatively meager!) portion of what is there!
Oooh! Still, just browsing through some of these web-pages, this is one truly fascinating area. Very good, dedicated work, here, identifying and documenting these counterfeits.
That's good that you've been able to narrow it down. It's always a weight off my shoulders when I finally narrow down what I'm going to collect. Until then, I sometimes feel like I'm floating out in space. The areas you've chosen to collect are interesting. There shouldn't be very many people specializing in the first 2, which is good for you. It is certainly hard though not to pick up a random coin here or there that doesn't fit the mold!
