 Recommend a collection :)

I've always thought ancient coins were so interesting - but, I've not really collected them. I'd like to change this!

Is there an affordable collection to start with? A certain type of ancient coin? Or range?

I'd love and appreciate some ideas

Thank you!

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

You should start with something that interests you. Were you in the Navy or perhaps just like ships, well there are lots of galley issues. Do you like animals...lots of coins with animals. Plenty of military themes to collect. You could collect different gods. You can collect by city... I collect Late Roman bronze coins with a focus on Constantine I. I started this collection because of my interest in history-- specifically Medieval history and like collecting coins from this period. My collection also has many subsets like Constantine coins from London or coins of the Tetrarchy from Carthage.

here are some of my specialized collections

Here is my page about a usurper in Alexandria, Egypt
https://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/Alexandria/

my page on Carthage and the Quinquegentiani
https://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/Carthage/

secret coded coins from Siscia
https://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/CONSERVATOR/

Constantine I coins from London
https://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/London/


The only limit to what you collect is you!

 

Just as an offhand..... I am a US collector that bumped into an ancient vendors table at a coin show some years back. I was drawn to a Byzantine coin with a stunning image of Christ and that began my new love affair with Byzantine coinage and I have dabbled in other ancients along the way. Find what interests you and go from there.

 

Here are some ideas for a collection:

http://augustuscoins.com/ed/catalogs/themes.html

That page does not discuss some obvious themes like the most common one of all, the portrait series of Roman emperors.

I recommend anyone beginning read beginning here:
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/numis/

There are many linked pages which show you coins and might give you ideas.

 

Also, if you're not afraid of a project, you can clean your own ancient coins as well. There are a couple of vendors that sell uncleaned coins and it's very inexpensive compared to buying a coin outright (most of the time, anyway). I am far from an expert, but I've cleaned a few coins myself already and I wouldn't have been able to do it without expert opinion from fellow CT users.

 

You have to find your own niche interest and go after it.

In my case I collect from the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire beginning from emperor Arcadius until 1453.

I collect coins mainly from Byzantine Empire due to its achievements and history:

 

These are all wonderful ideas! And, I will be checking out ALL links I'm interested in history, more than animals or ships or specific things like that. So, rulers are a big yes and country history a big yes. But, my big question is about affordability. Is there a "section" or "collection" of ancients that go around the $5-20 dollar range? (not counting the obvious rare or flawless condition etc).

I think I mean to ask, which 'collections' have more affordable coin options?

Thank you all!!

 

I'm already reading the links you've posted!! This is great so far- thank you!


"
Roman
- All coins of the Republic through the collapse of the Western Empire in 476

Pros:
- Very common and affordable; the commonest types can be had in mint state for $20-30.
- Exhaustively well documented, free resources allow you to identify down to varieties in line breaks for many types. Some types can be dated to a window of just a few months!
- Common household names like Augustus, Nero, Trajan, Hadrian, Constantine etc
- Easiest learning curve; most have the ruler's name in plain Latin letters, and later types even have mint marks.
- Many pre-defined sets: 12 Caesars, Five Good Emperors, Severans, Barracks Emperors, Tetrarchy, Constantinian dynasty

Cons:
- Many "key" rulers that are out of reach for most collectors; most sets have at least one emperor or empress that costs upwards of $1,000. Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor, will set you back as much as a Ferrari or a small house.
- Fakes of these scarce personages are rampant on ebay
- Coins of the 12 Caesars in particular are way more expensive than they ought to be."

So far this looks solid (still looking at other ideas though)- now I need to read up on "how to find them "

 

I think all areas are affordable in term of copper coins. You will need to go over 20 USD before the details on the coin would be obvius for the naked eyes.

 

@JDcompy Welcome to the world of ancient coins. You can visit Vcoins, and look at what they have for sale. Vcoins seems to be the most popular place, to buy ancient coins. Some ancients collectors like to buy from Ebay, but there are many fakes on Ebay, therefore you have to know what you're doing ("Know the dealer, or know the coin"). However, there are some legitimate dealers on Ebay. And, many ancients collectors win coins at internet auctions, which are sometimes less expensive than you would think.
Near the top of the Vcoins web page, you can click on the link called "Ancient Coins". In the resulting page, you can click on the link called "View All Ancient Coins". You can also sort the coins, by price, from lowest to highest. And, you can look at the various categories of coins.
https://www.vcoins.com/en/Default.aspx
I used to spend a lot more money on coins. In 2023, I decreased my coin spending. Looking back at my 2023 purchases, many of the ancient coins, which I purchased, were under $50 including shipping (shipping is usually $5 to $10 if you live in the US and if the seller is in the US), and many of the ancient coins were less than $40 including shipping. The least expensive ancient coin, which I purchased in 2023, cost $30 including shipping.

 

I have collected for 75 years and got to the point that there were no more chances to get circulation coins for my collection. The coins I would need are the cost prohibitive types.

I decided to do ancients by cleaning. This is almost the same as finding coins in change. I started out to clean and attribute 100. It is addictive. I now have over 200. Cleaning is time consuming and tedious. It is also relaxing.

After identifying the coin I print a data sheet that includes a photo and description from a reputable source and a photo of my coin. These are tied together by an identifying number. Here are a couple of photos of that process:

 

Not to jump on the bandwagon or hijack this thread but I really like this idea. I've also thought of dabbling in some ancients but thought it cost prohibitive.

I'll stick this idea in my back pocket for now.

 

Not at all. The coin on my avatar is one I got from an uncleaned lot. at the time there was one known in the world. Mine made 2 known and is listed with my name in the RIC register. Cleaning is fun and rewarding.

 

Wow, that's really cool for sure

 

Awesome, Jeep! Come join in with me :]

@sand I signed up on Vcoin and purchased about 12-14 random coins. I tried to compare cost/detail/subject. I am excited to get them and see how they look in person. I didn't think about it until now but I am hoping they are not the size of a finger nail, as I've seen some like that.. but that site is fantastic! And, I'm excited to learn about it! Thanks @sand and @Valentinian !

@Inspector43 I LOVE it!! I think that's right up my ally. It'll slow me down in purchasing and give the excitement of finding/searching/learning/organizing. How/where do you find lots like you get? I'd love to get into that!

 

the size of the coin is almost always in the description

 

@JDcompy I hate to make recommendations for fear they may backfire. I will risk one that I go to frequently.
Nerocoins.com
He is in Canada. I trust him.

 

@Inspector43 I appreciate it! Don't worry (at least when it comes to me) about recommendations - they are just that and never perfect. I would so much rather have a recommendation than not; it's on me to choose wisely and make good choices I will absolutely check that out! Thank you Send any ideas/recommendations you have!

@Victor_Clark You are so right. And, I didn't even realize that until the end hehe my own fault. But now it'll be more of a surprise.. I guess?

 

I will help wherever I can. @Victor_Clark is a very good and trustworthy collector. There are many others. Spend time on this Ancient Forum and see what others are doing.

 

@Inspector43 Ordered! Thanks! He was sold out of more than he seemed to have in stock (a number of items I would have ordered). But, I have 21 dirty coins coming (I ordered a group of 10, a different group of 10, and a single) - I look forward to cleaning and sharing some finds If you have any cleaning thoughts/ideas/recommendations - please let me know! I'd appreciate it!