I often wonder about what went on during the times when these old coins were circulating and people used them to buy thier food and farming supplies. There is so much history behind each date. David
Coins are linked to each of our pasts and ancestors. As many of you know, I have taken an interest in ancient coins this year. The Roman coins depict many stories on the reverse of their coins. Some tell stories of friendship between two nations, some depict tragedy, and some depict the life of the emporer. Just the fact that many of these coins survived from one era to the other is so fascinating to me. I have many years of studying to learn the basics of the ancient coins, but that is why I love this hobby.
I agree with you, David. I have many coins from the pre-Civil War era. It is a fascinating time in history to me. Among my favorite coins, are those struck at the New Orleans Mint, especially my 1861-O half. I like to imagine that it was one of those struck while the country was still the CSA.
I agree. For me, learning the history gives the coins (banknotes, etc.) their true value. For several years, I worked on a set of Small Greek Silvers from the Towns and Times of Famous Philosophers. I worked from Diogenes Laertus's biographies and learned about the thinkers and their historical settings. Conder Tokens, Bank of Upper Canada, Hard Times Tokens, wildcat banknotes, each item brings the opportunity to learn. It is a cliche that those who are ignorant of the past are condemned to repeat it. I like to avoid mistakes. Another cliche is that you should learn from the mistakes of others because there is not enough time to make them all yourself. There is an upside, also, a positive motivation to appreciate the best of the present because it reflects the best of the past. We sit here online with our computers. When old Technologies Were New by Carolyn Marvin tells about the advent of the telegraph and telephone. A coin or banknote from 1876 or 1904 reflects a time of technological change. So does an ancient Greek coin. I have two from Miletos from the time of Thales who wrote the first formal geometry proof. That was a time when new ideas and new technologies were changing the world. When the Owl I own circulated Aristophanes was putting on plays, just as we have movies and television. At that same time, the first books were being hawked on the streets of Athens, not quite Barnes & Noble, but the same idea. It would be safe to say that I do not own a single item purely for its artistic merits -- pretty though they may be -- but because of the history.
The oldest coin I received as a 10 year old was a 1850 Large Cent. To me, I had a coin before the Civil War. I imagined where it had been, what it was used for and the "stories" it could tell. As a lover of history, I look at coins as a measurement and moment of time. I look at CC Morgans and wonder if this was what outlaws in the old West were robbing banks for...or if they were thrown on a salon poker table to call a raise. I look at a 1914 penny as the start of World War I...or a 1880 Morgan as when my ancestors first set foot on American soil. Before I get carried away, I am sure that most of us that collect coins are lovers of history and probably watch our fair share of the History channel when were are not surfing the net for "coin stories".
Over in the "Common Date" thread Coinfreak said that he likes to imagine people getting paid with Double Eagles. I had to stop and think about that. I am not sure who would have been paid that way. The average wage then was about $1 per day, give or take. Even if as a clerk or manager you earned, say $1000 a year, that would be about $20 per week, but you would not get paid with one double eagle. You would get small bills and small change. Double eagles did not circulate, which is why they are so easy to find in Extremely Fine to Mint State. We know that silver dollars were unpopular, except among Negroes and other poor in the South and among average people out West where silver was more popular for cultural reasons. Again, the fact that perhaps one-third of all Morgan Dollars are Uncirculated bears this out. I look to several reliable sources for history about trade and commerce. The most accessible are the local newspapers in America. Your hometown library probably has the hometown papers in archive, most likley on film. If you take the time to read the advertising, you get a good idea what money bought in different times and places. (Of course, ads are come-ons. You also want to look at farm produce prices, stories that mention prices or wages, etc., etc.) I live in the northern lower peninsula, and Upper Michigan has a history of mining here, so there are books based on original source materials that tell about wages, etc. When it comes to medieval or ancient history, the problem is one of filtering. You read Jenkins or Kraay or someone and you get their evaluations of the facts, rather than the facts themselves. I think it was W. W. Tarn who said in the middle of a paragraph about something else entirely that silver coins were worth more than their value in their home towns. Now how could that be? That statement is illogical. It is also not supported by evidence: no footnote to an ancient source, for instance. So, when you read about history, you have to really dig beneath the surface to get a good understanding of money and how it was used.
Thinking that gold coins and silver dollars readily circulated is a common misconception that many collectors have. To be sure - some of them did - but only a few and usually only in a few localized areas. Even way back when - paper money is what most folks used.
One good source to use is the availability of UNC coins of a given time frame and mint. Little hoards of the early American coins can still be found in upper grades. A testament to just how many Americans did use their money.
Hello David, Yes, there are a lot of great reasons to collect coins and one of those is the history associated with them. They are a great way to learn about history, U.S. history as well as the history of other nations world-wide. It seems that all of us in the U.S. have some tie or other to another country, maybe through our own personal ancestry. So, that makes coins a good way of learning more about our own individual culture as well. And while we are learning history with coins, we are also learning other things as well, such as geography. This is probably what makes coins and coin-collecting such a hit with kids. It is a fantastic opportunity for them to learn so many things, and to share that with others in school. Coins are also easy to bring to school for those 'show-and-tell' projects. Thanks for starting a thread on this subject! Regards, John
Hello National dealer, I am not certain from what you said (above) whether you HAVE studied ancient coins for many years, or whether you still need to study them for many years. It appears that you meant to say, "I (still) have many years of studying to (do in order) to learn the basics of the ancient coins, but that is why I love this hobby." Is that correct? I was wondering this because of the advice that you had given in another thread regarding the cleaning of ancient coins. Thanks, John
If ND will excuse me, I will say that both are true. I have published perhaps a dozen articles in The Celator and I just gave a talk at museum conference, "Coinage and Identities in the Ancient World." If you ask me, I don't know jack. I do know what I do know. So, too, with National Dealer. "Ancients" covers 2000 years on three continents, and probably a dozen distinct cultures. There is a lot to learn -- and the learning makes it all fun. As for cleaning them, or whatever, some basics come pretty quickly.
