I've been collecting ancient Roman coins (Caesar through Theodosius) for a while and, once I became familiar with the denominations, I got used to not paying much attention to diameter when making purchases. I recently got into British coinage and decided to start working on a collection (Ancient Celtic through Victoria). I went a bit crazy on a few recent auctions and picked up some coins. I also picked up a few medals for the more recent people, as I really like the size, artistry, and relief..... and I also do not mind that they aren't technically "coins". Here are the pictures that I was looking at when deciding on a few of the purchases, a Victoria medal and Richard II Half Penny: Well, my new stuff showed up today and, lets just say, I was a bit surprised by both of them for similar but opposite reasons! I was expecting the medal to be largish and the half penny to be smallish, but holy cow! I'll probably be avoiding half pennies in the future, as the size make them difficult to appreciate. However, in Richard II's case, this is probably the only denomination that's really in my price wheelhouse anyway. So I'll take what I can get! The bigger problem is the medal, as I didn't realize that it was so large that an oversized slab was required. I really like it, but unfortunately, it's gonna be a bit difficult to store it in the case that I bought for the British collection! Oh well, call it a lesson learned. I'll definitely be paying more attention to this kind of thing in the future. While I'm at it, I'll also show off this Oliver Cromwell medal that also came in the batch. This thing is fantastic, as it has a non-typical shape and way more relief than I'm accustomed to seeing on coins. Plus, it cost me about half as much as I was expecting would be required to purchase a Cromwell coin..... and I'm certain that I love it more than any coin that I would have ended up with! And best of all, the shape allows it to fit in a normal sized slab, so I can get it into the case... Hah! Have you guys ever been similarly surprised by an item purchased from pictures? Also, I'd be interested in hearing people's perspectives on coins vs medals, and whether you feel that it is legitimate to mix them in collections. (Not that it will change my approach, just curious)
Big 'Oliver' fan back in my college days.......' one never rises so high as when he knows not where he goes'.
Over the years I have ended up with a number of over-sized slabs included 2 of the "mega" slabs. They are problematic to store. Love the Cromwell medal.
