Challenge "Box of 20" Ancient Coins

Ancient Joe's "Parameters for Your Collection" alluded to an interesting problem.

"A recent trend in US coins has been more minimalist, focusing on a "Box of 20" where you limit your collection to only 20 coins. This would be excruciating for ancient collectors but it fits with a popular trend..."

It is pretty easy for me. I started in numismatics in 1992 with US. I quickly settled into ancients in 1993. In 1999, I went to work for Coin World and discovered that I really am not a collector and I got rid of almost everything except the dozen or so that I could use as educational examples.

(As a result of a college class in geology 2007, I have small board of nine mounted fossils. Last night, I met with my astronomy club outreach at a local elementary school with my 3-inch refractor because the suburban parents could afford it easily to see if their kid is really more interested in that versus orchestra or soccer.)

BOX OF ONE DOZEN ANCIENT COINS.

1. Miletus 1/12 stater electrum c. 550 BCE.
2. Miletus 1/12 stater silver c. 550 BCE.
3. Abdera hemi-obol c. 480 BCE
4. Athens Owl c. 450 BCE
5. Sinope "Diogenes" stater c. 400 BCE
6. Alexander stater c. 300 BCE
7. Rhodes drachmon c. 280 BCE
8. Rome Mercury/Prow Sextens c. 211 BCE
9. Rome Cato the Younger Quinarius
10. Rome Hadrian denarius
11. Rome Marcus Aurelius Sestertius
12. Rome Julian the Apostate AE

Pretty much tells the story...
(And, over the years, I have continued to add other interesting numismatic examples to meet other themes, such math & science, aviation, and authors/publishing.)

 

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My Twenty selection is at my following current Coin Talk post:

Parameters for your collection

…………… and following.

Actually nothing to do with current “minimalist thinking” - it is just coincidental.

 

Athenian Owl is an important piece to have.

 

If I ever wanted to do a Box of 20, (I don't, see my post on "Parameters of your collection"), I would make sure its not so Euro centric. To me, its a MUST to have Persian, Chinese, Indian, and other empires coinage as well. Even at the height of the Roman Empire, other civilizations were as important as Rome, and take them on in a fight. "Ancient coinage" is WAY more than Greece and Rome.

 

Very interesting! For me, should I limit my collection to 12 or 20 the coins would have to be beautiful and representative of important historical periods or events. Thankfully I'm happy to have more than 20 coins and can include less beautiful and more mundane coins.

 

Unless you only want to collect and research Roman coins.

 

Of course. Anyone can collect anything they want. I guess I was reacting to the idea of a "comprehensive collection representing ancient coinage". Everyone can always collect whatever they like.

 

OK. Now I understand what you meant.

 

If I did a “Box of 20”, it would represent a core collection. I simply could not limit myself to 20 coins. But I would buy and sell the extra coins and trade up for increasingly “mega” coins in the 20.

But I’d rather not. I like what I am doing now.

 

Yeah, the whole idea loses me really versus what I do. I do not want to limit my hobby by an artificial constraint, and I do not sell coins. If I buy a coin it's a lifetime commitment. Basically I like the coin more than I would like the money I would get. Forcing me to have to sell a coin before I can buy another, when I have the money to buy the second, would drive me crazy.

I appreciate the sentiment of being more selective, but I simply believe all coins deserve love.

 

Yes!

 

This is roughly something that I've done, take a handful of coins and trade up for one "big" one.

But, as it stands today, limiting a collection to only twenty pieces would be a serious challenge in my eyes. My difficulty would be in choosing between my twenty favorite coins vs twenty coins that best cover the breadth of the "story" of antiquity.

And, either case would require me picking a favorite child...

 

You would have to keep 40 then

Q

 

I am very happy with my own selection of twenty, but I have numerous web pages containing images and detailed descriptions of most of the coins I have owned that I constantly read or reference. Of course, my age and circumstance allow me to thoroughly enjoy the coins I now have.

I have four children, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren none of who have the slightest interest in Ancient coins. My wife, Beverly, and I have discussed this and we (at my urging I might add) decided that I would keep the twenty coins I list for me to admire, play with and love. All of the money I derive from the sale of my broken-up collection goes to her to do with as she wants (mad money). We agreed that she will hold on to the twenty after I die in case one of my progeny should develop an interest in them and become (I hope) a collector/enthusiast. Whatever eventually happens to them is beyond my control anyway - I just don’t want her to have to worry about disposing of them.

If Beverly should die first I will hold on to my twenty and eventually (if I become incapacitated, etc.) give them to my executor to dispose of them as he/she thinks best.

 

I could do it for the U.S., basically, have. 10 total I still own, but ancients & modern world, no.

 

I thought about that when I created the thread. And I do have a couple of "others" myself. For that matter, the definition of "ancient" includes anything up to the fall of Constatinople in 1453. And like the "fall" of Rome 1000 years earlier, it may be putative as well.

My choices were intended to create a representative array, each one of which was evidence of some important aspect.

1. Miletus 1/12 stater electrum c. 550 BCE.
Early, event-horizon coin near the creation of the medium in electrum from which evolved coins in silver
2. Miletus 1/12 stater silver c. 550 BCE.
and gold.
Miletus was important because it was from there that philosophy came to Athens. In the mid-500s, philosophy replaced religion for explanation of natural events, and eventually human conduct. (What we call "the Socratic method" they called "the Milesian way.") Coins replaced cows. Merchants replaced farmers. Democracy replaced monarchy. Writing replaced public speaking. Mercenary hoplites replaced conscripted commoners. It was a long process and not complete or untextured, but still a watershed in the evolution of civilization.

3. Abdera hemi-obol c. 480 BCE
Small silver from the time before bronze coins, also from the time and town of Democritus. As Carl Sagan said, "He was from the Brooklyn of his day and he was no dummy."

4. Athens Owl c. 450 BCE
I will not go on at length.

5. Sinope "Diogenes" stater c. 400 BCE
This is a coin that I believe that I can identify with the philosopher.

6. Alexander stater c. 300 BCE
Again, much could be said.

7. Rhodes drachmon c. 280 BCE
They policed the eastern Mediterranean and made a business out of fighting pirates. Rhodes became an entrepôt. It was a center for learning, especially mathematics and astronomy. The geographers of Alexandria ran their Prime Meridian through Rhodes. Even after it was reduced by Rome, it was a center for learning. Julius Caesar was one of many who studied law there.

8. Rome Mercury/Prow Sextens c. 211 BCE
Bronze. The Romans were practical and started with bronze money. I have many Mercury coins. Mercury was identified with the Greek Hermes and the Egyptian Thoth, but actually was inherited from the Etruscans. We still have an inauguration of our President, which was when the Romans brought Etruscan augurs to read entrails and predict good things to come.

9. Rome Cato the Younger Quinarius
Eloquent republican narrative goes here...

10. Rome Hadrian denarius
11. Rome Marcus Aurelius Sestertius
I actually chose these two from among the Five Good Emperors of the Pax Romana, and again, a bronze coin.

12. Rome Julian the Apostate AE
Concluding with Roman bronze and a failed attempt to return to "that olde tyme religione" thus, closing the ancient world and opening the door to the Middle Ages, culturally.

I could go on and on... but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

If it takes Mat 10 coins to represent US coinage to a certain level, how many coins would it take to represent all of ancient coinage to that same level? I believe 10,000 would be reasonable but people here act like 1000 is a large collection. Not counting things like officinae, magistrates or minor varieties, how many 'types' of ancient coins exist? How many US coins make a standard 'type' set? Do the math and tell me if 1000 is a fair number.

 

Naw, ‘taint gonna happen. I am not a numismatist, and never cared about what I consider as arbitrary parameters in anything I do. Kinda a rebel when folks start putting a box around me or my thinking.

I enjoy collecting Historically in Ancients.

So, how do we turn this confining “box” thought-process on its ear?

I see my collecting “parameters” as a Journey... presently, I have a thousand or so placemarkers in Ancient History... So, then, “How many THOUSANDS of coins can I capture” to to EVER satisfy my interests in Ancient History???


Carthage LIBYAN UPRISING Mercenary War 241-238 BCE AR DiShekel Herakles Head in Lion's Head- Lion walking R SNG Cop 240f
Overstrike

 

I could never fathom limiting my collection of Roman coins. There is just so much history to consider and varieties to collect. My only constraints are my budget and my lifespan.
I do however have 3 "dream coins" that I KNOW I shall never own, but it never hurts to dream. They are....

 

I have actually wrestled with that question for some time, as I view my coins as both as my collection and as a teaching tool to help students of ancient history understand ancient coins. I think the minimum number would be somewhere between 600 and 700 coins so a thousand should do the job reasonably well. When adding a coin to the group I have to look at a number of criterion, mostly trying to determine the importance of the coin in economic history, in art history and the relevance of the individual who caused the coin to be struck. Of course I also have to like the coin (which sometimes trumps all other considerations).