Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Best Book for Ancients
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Gao, post: 1194792, member: 19409"]Yeah, there's nothing quite like that for ancients in general. The most comprehensive that I am aware of is ERIC II, which sounds pretty good for what it is (I don't have a copy yet, unfortunately), but it only covers Roman Imperial and Byzantine coinage. So you're not only out of luck for the coins of pre-Roman Greece, Iran, China, etc., but you won't get Roman republican or Roman provincial* coinage. If I recall correctly, it doesn't have prices, either.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ancient coinage in general is far more complex than any modern coinage, so it's really hard to make something like the World Coin catalog you mention. Dies were all hand carved and hand struck back then, so there is a lot more variation in terms quality of style, strike, and die conditions that all greatly effect price, making it somewhat difficult to pin one price on one coin type. What exactly makes up a "type" is complicated as well, and it can vary from catalog to catalog. For instance, if you have two coins with otherwise identical design elements, but one small guy has a different hat, is that different coin type? That depends on what reference you're using. I recall somewhere on Doug Smith's site where he gave the example of the falling horseman coins of the Constantinian dynasty, where one catalog gave this coin type one entry, while another gave it hundreds! In addition to all of that, ancient coins would often be made with many designs at once, and even very short lived Roman emperors can have dozens of clearly different designs. Then there's the fact that we don't have surviving mintage numbers for anything. We can figure out some level of rarity by what people currently have, but if some guy in Bulgaria digs up the right jar, a previously rare type can become much more common.</p><p><br /></p><p>All that isn't to say that there's aren't catalogs that are useful or ones that are so commonly used for certain areas that they're pretty much standard. It's just that such catalogs aren't as definitive as ones for modern coins would be, and any price or rarity guide should be taken as much less reflective of the current market than guides for more recent coins. You can't easily approach ancients like more modern coins, but if you put in the time and effort, collecting them can be very rewarding.</p><p><br /></p><p>*In case you don't already know, In addition to Rome's centralized coinage system, Individual regions and cities would often have their own supplementary coinage system for local use. This is a massively complex group of coinage in and of itself, as hundreds of locations made many types of coins, and you usually need separate references from Roman Imperial and Republican coinage. This coinage is also referred to as "Greek Imperial Coinage" and "Roman Civic Coinage."[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Gao, post: 1194792, member: 19409"]Yeah, there's nothing quite like that for ancients in general. The most comprehensive that I am aware of is ERIC II, which sounds pretty good for what it is (I don't have a copy yet, unfortunately), but it only covers Roman Imperial and Byzantine coinage. So you're not only out of luck for the coins of pre-Roman Greece, Iran, China, etc., but you won't get Roman republican or Roman provincial* coinage. If I recall correctly, it doesn't have prices, either. Ancient coinage in general is far more complex than any modern coinage, so it's really hard to make something like the World Coin catalog you mention. Dies were all hand carved and hand struck back then, so there is a lot more variation in terms quality of style, strike, and die conditions that all greatly effect price, making it somewhat difficult to pin one price on one coin type. What exactly makes up a "type" is complicated as well, and it can vary from catalog to catalog. For instance, if you have two coins with otherwise identical design elements, but one small guy has a different hat, is that different coin type? That depends on what reference you're using. I recall somewhere on Doug Smith's site where he gave the example of the falling horseman coins of the Constantinian dynasty, where one catalog gave this coin type one entry, while another gave it hundreds! In addition to all of that, ancient coins would often be made with many designs at once, and even very short lived Roman emperors can have dozens of clearly different designs. Then there's the fact that we don't have surviving mintage numbers for anything. We can figure out some level of rarity by what people currently have, but if some guy in Bulgaria digs up the right jar, a previously rare type can become much more common. All that isn't to say that there's aren't catalogs that are useful or ones that are so commonly used for certain areas that they're pretty much standard. It's just that such catalogs aren't as definitive as ones for modern coins would be, and any price or rarity guide should be taken as much less reflective of the current market than guides for more recent coins. You can't easily approach ancients like more modern coins, but if you put in the time and effort, collecting them can be very rewarding. *In case you don't already know, In addition to Rome's centralized coinage system, Individual regions and cities would often have their own supplementary coinage system for local use. This is a massively complex group of coinage in and of itself, as hundreds of locations made many types of coins, and you usually need separate references from Roman Imperial and Republican coinage. This coinage is also referred to as "Greek Imperial Coinage" and "Roman Civic Coinage."[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Best Book for Ancients
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...