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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Marsyas Mike, post: 3269899, member: 85693&quot;]Your post is making me nostalgic, jamesicus.&nbsp; To add an ancient dimension to the UK crowns, I decided to photograph two of the first coins I ever bought when I became semi-serious about coin collecting.&nbsp; One is a denarius of Septimius Severus with MARS PATER reverse (RIC 46).&nbsp; The other is a rather scruffy Great Britain crown of 1896, Queen Victoria veiled portrait and St. George &amp; the dragon reverse. </p><p><br /></p><p>Both of these coins flipped some neuro-chemical switch in my head that I think most collectors have.&nbsp; I couldn&#039;t believe how beautiful they were, and how old (I use &quot;old&quot; loosely - in 1987 when I bought them, the crown wasn&#039;t even a centenarian yet!).&nbsp; I also couldn&#039;t believe how massive that crown was.&nbsp; For 30+ years these two coins have been the start of my obsession with old coins.&nbsp; For years I&#039;d work on ancients, then back to World crowns and minors. </p><p><br /></p><p>Looking back on it, I wish I&#039;d devoted more time and money to the ancients - there is more to them historically and artistically and they tend to compel me to read more books.&nbsp; As you mention, CT has been a real spur to expand my horizons as well as my collection (and meet some nice folks to boot). </p><p><br /></p><p>With world crowns I used to tend to accumulate rather than collect - teetering piles of dinged-up crowns - a bit sterile as a collection, I think.&nbsp; But some world coins, including this crown, are really spectacular too. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Anyway, here they are, 1987 purchases, pre eBay.&nbsp; The Septimius Severus denarius cost me about $35 as I recall - it appears to be one of SS&#039;s scarcer reverse types, at least I haven&#039;t encountered many of them over the past 2 years or so.&nbsp; The crown was $12.00 from a coin shop in Columbus, Ohio.&nbsp; Not sure that they&#039;ve appreciated enough to call them &quot;investments&quot; but they still bring me pleasure.</p><p>&nbsp; [ATTACH=full]862284[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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