How did you become a collector of ancient coins?

I have told the story before how I got in to ancient coins, but it was out of boredom with US coins. I mean, I never "got" why I should care there is a little d or s on a coin, and somehow this made it "a completely different coin". I never "got" why I should simply fill in holes that others have decided "made a set". I never "got" how it can be very exciting to be able to buy about any coin in the series you want, at any time, it was only a matter of money.

So I was helping running my local coin club's coin show, and was wandering around the aisles. I passed by a SD dealer who had some ancients. I bought two coins that day, a crummy Parthian silver and a beautiful facing head Larissa copper in deep green. I still have no idea why the pretty Larissa coin didn't suck me in to greeks, but I ended up concentrating first on Parthians/Sassanids, later Hunnic/Sogdian coins. Of course I have many "sub collections" of other coins. I don't want to be stuck only collecting one thing again.

 

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Haha - I find your story very relatable @medoraman except for me it happened here!

 

Can't say I'm an avid collector of ancients but I bought some fakes for my son during a trip to Lebanon, without realizing they were fakes and since then I've been trying to find the real ones. I'm more into Russian Roubles and Great Britain sovereigns but buy ancients from time to time.

I try to concentrate more on important historical figures or events, Alexander III, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra VII etc. etc. Have managed to buy some but others have eluded me so far, mainly because of other bidders with deep pockets .

I did get 2 very good shekels though. Posted one a few weeks earlier (MS 5/5 and 5/5) and here is the second one (MS 4/5 and 5/5) :

 

Excellent @1934 Wreath Crown

 

I'm new here so I'll (try to) be brief. I wanted to add some precious metals to our portfolio, but couldn't get excited about ingots, so I bought bought bulk Morgan dollars instead. Rather than being all 1921, as advertised, there were actually many dates and mintmarks, and many coins appeared to be in nice condition. I bought a grading book to see. Some coins were worth preserving so I bought flips. I needed some place to store the flips, so I bought a box, then an album, but there were some holes... you can see where this is going, it's the Goldfish Story except with coins.

Fast forward years and I'm peering down my stereo microscope worrying if my newest purchase is actually VAM 11 or VAM 74 or whatever when it suddenly struck me. Who cares! They're microscopic differences.

After that it all unwound. Soon I had the thought that an 1893-S only differs from one letter from 1893-O. Who cares. A bit later and an 1880 only differs from one digit from 1881. Who cares. This Seated Liberty has drapery this one doesn't. Who cares. Eventually it got to a Barber dime is a Barber quarter is a Barber half. Who cares. I was done. I boxed everything up and shut the closet door.

That lasted a few months. I was bored and somehow ended up on VCoins (that site should come with a Surgeon General warning about being addictive) and I saw a specific Attica Owl. It spoke to me (not literally, that would be crazy, my had dog previously warned me about listening to coins). I researched it. It was impossibly cheap for the amount of history it represented. After years chasing identical coins that differed only by a single die break or bag mark the idea of a 2500 year old, unique, beautiful owl that I. Could. Touch. was too much. I bought it. It was awesome to hold and admire. But it was just one coin. I didn't want it to get lonely, so I got it a turtle from the same island to keep it company.

Since that day it's been a Goldfish Story with ancients, and I'm loving every minute of it.

 

Cool story and welcome @SanClem any pictures?

 

Welcome @SanClem. Your story is entertaining, but all to often retold by many here on CT and elsewhere. I will be looking forward to seeing the owl and turtle and any other "goldfish" you may have acquired.

 

I would say you need to take the next step that most Ancient collectors do: crack that slab open and have that Ancient in its true raw state. Keep the ID plaque, but throw away that coffin.

 

Thank you. I don't have any photos, my coins are ugly ducklings compared to the impressive ones I've seen posted here. When I got into ancients I decided (probably rebounding from my US coin MS-mania) that I only wanted coins that were actually used as coins. Worn coins tell stories. For example, I recently acquired a Pharos lighthouse not only because it's a 7 Wonder but also because of all the people who touched it some probably saw the actual lighthouse. Another example, the Nero Temple of Janus with the doors shut: some who held the coin may have learned from it (in the days before mass media) welcome news the Empire was at (comparative) peace. A coin as a direct link to the past adds an interesting dimension to coin collecting for me.

 

I wouldn't be so shy! Seriously. Take some photos and share with the forum, you'll have a blast! There are lots of collectors just like you that are here.

 

To photograph my original owl and turtle and other ancients and Morgans and US type-coins and error collection and...I would need to go to the Trabuco Canyon landfill with a metal detector. How they all ended up there is a pathetic story for another day.

I recently got this guy, he's standing in for my original owl (sorry for the lousy photo).

 

All right. But don't say I didn't warn you.

The Pharos I mentioned:



And the Nero:



Both recent acquisitions.

 

NO ancient is a bad ancient to show! As you said, it is the HISTORY behind them. And, all of the ancients are hand made making them unique. I have good, bad, and the ugly; but they are all beautiful to me. Welcome to the Ancients Forum, or as we affectionately call it: The Dark Side. I would say a clear majority of us were modern collectors and got put off by the machine-made, run of the mill, microscopic differences that bored us from the hobby. Ancients, with uniqueness, and incredible variety, mixed in with fanstastic histories are just plain fun. Enjoy the ride...

 

@SanClem show both sides so we can admire them whole. I'm not so sure I want o hear how the original coins ended up in the landfill. Just think. Some future MDist will find those and fantasize how they ended where they are.

 

That is actually a quite nice Pharos reverse sir. Most are not in nearly as good of shape. Nothing to be shy about with that coin at all, let me tell you.

 

Wow, SanClem => nice entrance, cool coins .... welcome aboard!!

 

My mom bought me a Mithridates II coin after I won a school spelling bee in fourth grade. That got me into ancients.

 

Beautiful! I Love it! Sorry guys but I still love NGC slabs.

 

The edge view of the coin is excellent!

 

Deacon Ray
You'll never see it with NGC slabs This 3D view really can change a way of thinking