Why don't you collect ancient coins?

There's maybe a dozen dedicated ancient coin collectors on Cointalk. And yet, whenever I post a new acquisition, three or four people always amazed with it. Do any of these descriptions fit you?

 

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I love ancients but there are to many fakes and forgeries out there.
I could never keep up and be sure what I'm buying is authentic... so instead of playing ancient roulette, I keep the money in the bank and look at photos instead.

 

I didn't vote because the poll doesn't have a place to mark "They just don't appeal to me."

 

Just my opinion - I like them, but there are just so many kinds and types that I could never pick something to collect. Plus all the books you would need were expensive, at least the ones I saw. I don't think they are ugly and I almost always look at HJB auctions - I just never seem to buy. I would love to have one of those big old gold ones, but they are too expensive.

 

I can't master United States issues from 1793-present. I have every reason to believe my job would become exponentially more difficult if I added several thousand years to that time frame.

 

As you can see one of the choices is they're too ugly and unattractive, that's funny but I won't even go there. Some ancients are very interesting looking, but I still don't understand them. It seems like there's alot to it with that Teutonic period and all those others. :thumb:

It would seem that there's too many fakes for me and a couple other reasons as well. :secret:

 

I'd need to learn a lot to avoid fakes, specially because I have no other choice than buying them on the Internet.

 

I am way too OCD about knowing the coin before I buy it. My head would explode from knowledge overload if I added ancients to the list. I really do like looking at them though and wouldn't mind owning a couple from the Byzantine era. Some day after compleating my US sets and retire I may venture there.

 

You left off:

"I do collect ancients, love them, they are a learning curve - but a fascinating and rewarding challenge!"

 

Doug, you are looking at all the wrong coins There is a veritable harem of ancients that are pruriently fascinating and lovely for their artistry and history.

 

ancient fake ancients

Too much to learn about 555.56%Too many fakes 444.44%Too expensive 00%The coins are ugly and unattractive 111.11%Nowhere to get them from 00%The reference are too expensive and/or difficult

Hello Ardatirion,

I don't collect ancients. There is too much to learn & there are contemporary & modern fakes that must also be understood. I'm not willing to just trust a dealer because I don't really know the people. I personally know & trust some people in the USA & modern world category.

 

This is a good question that I've often wondered myself. I like them and I can see why people collect them. They are cool and I may own a few some day. They are yet another over-looked area where apparently deals abound for how few people know anything about them.

For me, what it comes down to is time and $$. There's enough U.S. types to keep a person busy for more than a lifetime. Then you can expand into World coins, ancients, currency, etc....

I believe I speak for most when I say you just can't do it all.

And I won't give up U.S. coinage to concentrate on another area. Not now at least. Although I have gotten a little more interested in currency than I had been.

I'm glad people collect them though and always like to check them out.

 

Many of my coins are ugly as hell, I don't need any more.
Yes, I voted ugly...

 

GD, there are also silver and gold flavoured coins, I haven't presently any ancient gold, but have several in silver

 

I didn't vote because I don't really know what is ancient and what is just old or just older or even older than older. Just where does ancient start or leave off? What is really an ancient coin? Are you referring to coins without dates? I already hate our State Quarters and not sure if the Ancients had those but if they did, I'd hate them too. I've got coins that are old, older and some older than those but I really don't know if they are ancient.
Possibly a poll like this should clariify the time zone.

 

Anything after the fall of Western Rome is usually not considered an"ancient" coin. Some put the Byzantine (and only Byzantine, meaning other cultures from the same time as the Byzantines are not included) coins as ancients, but that is a matter of preference.


stainless

 

I don't collect them because they look like crudely made, little circles, made of dirt/clay, Very odd looking, most of them. I can't ever see myself collecting them