An Affordable Hobby: 2019 Favorites under $25

Maybe I'm just getting old, but there used to be a time when everyone understood an Oregon Trail reference.

 

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I think my favourite is #3, the Carthaginean... lovely style and a great deal! Each one of those coins illustrates your theme perfectly, though. Thankfully some collectors come to realize it every year, which keeps our hobby active.

Here's one I picked up for USD 23 recently. The battle between the Gods and the Giants, on a big flan (30mm), and with a cool countermark besides. That's a lot of fun for under 25 bucks!

 

I don't remember that time whether or not I once understood it remains unclear to me as well. I do disagree with one point:

The fact that the market has been obsessed with grade lately in no way insures what the market will be like in 20 years or 200. There was a time when great collections were defined as those which contained the most different types of coins. That was a more common view 200 years ago. When I started in the hobby, there was more emphasis placed on coins with eye appeal and some of us avoided coins that had strike or surface problems more than those with a little wear. I am amazed today at the prices brought by unworn coins with legends missing due to centering and surfaces with texture preferred over those worn to EF. We simply do not know what the fad will be in 20 years. I prefer to think we may find more people interested in fine style or coins with an interesting story and less on having an MS on every slab. I dream. I will never know but the youngest here might see a change. If the current trend away from collecting hobbies continues, none of us may be able unload our collections of silly old grandpa's stupid coins that can't be spent whether they are perfect or not.

 

I’m a US collector who knows zilch about ancients, but I learned some things with your posts!

 

I guess that strongly depends on the part of the world you grew up in – personally, I only learned about the Oregon Trail after I moved to the US some years ago. It's an important part of American cultural mythology but not that well known in other places.

Apart from that, I think you both have a point here:

@Tejas , if I understand him correctly, rightfully pointed out that collectors shouldn't expect inexpensive coins to drastically rise in value. Especially for beginners, this is very useful information and mentioning it might help to prevent the type of frustration and disillusionment we often see here on CT. Collecting coins for historical interest is a way to spend money and not to make it. If I ever decided to sell the ten coins in the original post, I'd be happy if I broke about even.

(I'm not so sure if value development really depends so strongly and exclusively on condition, though. For example, many of the high grade medievals in my collection, a couple of them shown here and in my main top ten list, came with considerable price tags exactly because of their grade. If I needed to sell them quickly, I'd almost certainly had to face a substantial loss. Selling e.g. a mid-grade Alexander the Great tetradrachm without loosing much money would probably be a lot easier.)

@Sallent replied that many ancient collectors don't care that much about the value development of their coins and the factors that influence it. Rather, they collect to enjoy the history behind their coins as well as their beauty. This most definitely resonates with me: though I know that it has a certain monetary value, I don't consider my coin collection a financial investment that needs to grow. Others might think differently, but for me, this would drain away much of the fun. And in the end, coins are my hobby and not my side job. I do this not for profit but for my personal enjoyment. It's okay that this costs money.

 

Nice!

 

Interesting post. There are plenty of old coins for not very much money!

We often have LRB in our coin club auction like this Maximinus for less than $20. I did not buy the coin. We have several dealers at coin shows that much better LRBs below $25.

This well worn As was a coin show find when there were no ancient dealers offering RR coins.

One of my favorite coins to give away are anonymous Byzantine bronzes. they are big and show Christ. The group of 4 was $100 (or less) and the single was $0.

This group of scale weights was less than $25 each, including postage.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the compliments and for showing your own inexpensive 2019 favorites! (Keep them coming.)

Do I see Saturn holding the harpa he castrated Uranus with on your Gallienus reverse? If so, that's a mighty cool type which just added itself to my 2020 wish list...

It indeed is. Do you happen to know whether they differ in weight, too?

Happy you succeeded with that - congrats! Also, those are helpful tips for budget collectors you gave.

And what a collection it is, showing that specializing on a budget is no problem either. Needless to say, your poster is simply stunning.

Nice one – worn Kushans, unite!

Kujula Kadphises, Kushan Empire, tetradrachm: local imitation, ca. 40–60 AD, minted in the Western Provinces? Obv: blundered Greek legend, draped bust (Hermaios imitation) right. Rev: Kharoshthi legend, Heracles standing with club and lion skin. 22mm, 8.29 g. Ref.: Mitchiner 1978, no. 2897–2903.

That's an excellent point. As discussed above, it's often necessary to make some sort of compromise when collecting ancients on a budget. Also, no ancient coin is like the other or can be reduced to a number. One of my favorite numismatic head games is comparing coins with different strengths and weaknesses. Below are three Constantine coins of the same type. All did cost ca. $20 and have their own pros and cons. Which one would you personally pick as the best? (I doubt that there is an objectively correct answer.)


Constantine the Great, Roman Empire, AE2, 312–313 AD, London mint. Obv: IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; bust of Constantine I, laureate, draped, cuirassed, r. Rev: SOLI INVICTO COMITI; Sol standing l., raising r. hand and holding up globe in l. hand; in field l., star; in exergue, PLN. 23mm, 2.77g. Ref: RIC VI Londinium 280.


Constantine I, Roman Empire, AE3, 312–313 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; bust of Constantine I, laureate, draped, cuirassed, r. Rev: SOLI INVICTO COMITI; Sol, chlamys hanging behind, standing l., raising r. hand and holding up globe in l. hand; in exergue, RT. 20mm, 2.96g. Ref: RIC VI Rom 323a.


Constantine I, Roman Empire, AE3, 313 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; bust of Constantine I, laureate, draped, cuirassed, r, Rev: SOLI INVICTO COMITI; Sol, radiate, chlamys draped across r. shoulder, standing l., raising r. hand and holding globe in l. hand; in fields, R-F; in exergue, RP. 19.5mm, 3.41g. Ref: RIC VII Rome 2.

 

The only ancients I have paid much for are my Alexander drachms and tets and my Athena Owl (and they aren't that good, but I have them!).

 

Very well
Said

 

Some great bargains, nice coins everyone. Here are a couple of my $25 and unders for this year.



Claudius II Gothicus, Antoninianus, . Rome mint, 268-269 AD. (18mm, 3.3g.), IMP C CLAVDIVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right/ Rev.- VICTORIA AVG, Victory standing left with wreath and long palm. RIC 104


Leo VI the Wise. AD 886-912, AE Follis (27mm, 6.04g), Constantinople

 

To all who didn’t understand this reference @Sallent was talking about an old computer game from the 80s called Oregon Trail. I remember playing that game on my grandpa’s old DOS computer in the mid to late 90s when the game was already long in the tooth. It was a fun game and good times.

Here are a few sub $25 coins in honor of @Orielensis ’s great thread.

 

I actually won this beauty for under $10.00 in January, This is the nicest I have ever encountered for a half tetarteron.The coin in this condition could easily get 10 to 15 times more at auction. Minor wear on the noses of both sides. Beautiful green patina.

This was my best deal of 2019.
1143-1180AD MANUEL AE HALF TETARTERON SBCV-1980 DOC IV 23

OBV Bust of St. George, beardless and nimbate, wearing tunic, breastplate, and Saigon; holds in r. hand spear, and in l. shield.

REV Bust of emperor, bearded, wearing stemma, divitision, collar piece, and jeweled loros of simplified type; holds in r. hand labarum headed scepter, and in l. Globus cruciger.

Size 18 mm

Weight 2.4gm

Happy Holidays All.