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<p>[QUOTE="Curtis, post: 6462474, member: 26430"]All the coins pictured here cost under $100, many of them MUCH less. Some beginners have larger budgets, of course, but most want to limit their commitment at first.</p><p><b><u><br /></u></b></p><p><b><u>Unsearched Lots: </u></b>Don't buy anything from someone who advertises unchecked or unsearched lots. As far as retail purchases go, there's no such thing, and you don't want to support those advertising them.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>However, unattributed group lots</u></b> are a thing and can be a great option for beginners. Not on eBay, but from a professional. They'll be a bit cheaper than single coins, you'll get some variety, and, most importantly, you'll get to have the practice of researching and identifying them yourself. Valuable experience!</p><p><br /></p><p>Mostly it'll be stuff the seller didn't think worth individually researching or listing (for some, that might mean $20-40 coins), or ugly/"problem" coins that don't look good enough to be shown in the catalog, all of which are still fine for a beginner. Sometimes there will be very nice group lots added to an auction or dealer inventory to drum up excitement.</p><p><br /></p><p>What other people are saying is good advice on where to buy online. VCoins and MA-Shops and, I would add, Forum Ancient Coins is very beginner friendly.</p><p><br /></p><p>Especially in the past year, it may no longer be practical to recommend beginners get firsthand, "IRL" experience before buying too much. But if you get the opportunity, there's no replacement for looking at and handling actual coins at shows and shops (ones with expertise in ancients, specifically, not just local shops with a few strays on hand)</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>As a beginner,</u></b> your best option is not to try to get lucky and find a rarity. I always recommend going for common issues that look impressive and/or have historical or numismatic significance, depending on what interests you about ancient coins. You may want to think about what attracts you to the hobby.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most beginners are into one or more of the following: (1) Artistic and impressive looking coins; (2) historically- or culturally-rich coins; or (3) coins of technical-numismatic importance, such as denominations, minting technology, etc.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>(1) Common but Impressive:</u></b> If you want something that looks great but is affordable, you can often find the common silver Antoninianus (a 3rd-century denomination) issues of Gordian III or Philip I (or similar) in wonderful states of preservation for $60 or under.</p><p><br /></p><p>This one was a pretty good deal when I paid $25, 10 years ago, but usually they won't cost THAT much more now:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1258053[/ATTACH] There are also wonderful "silvered" (plated) and "Billon" (a silver-copper/base metal alloy) issues of Antoninianus that can be affordable. I think Aurelian and Probus (especially!) make very impressive coins for their price. Just make sure you pay attention to what the Antoninianus is made out of (the dealer should say, AE (bronze), billon/silvered, or AR (silver), though oftentimes AE and Billon are used interchangeably).</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotviewer.php?LotID=1759645&AucID=4035&Lot=1447&Val=98fadb97fce51440b9abf7b976e8a738" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotviewer.php?LotID=1759645&AucID=4035&Lot=1447&Val=98fadb97fce51440b9abf7b976e8a738" rel="nofollow">This Aurelian was WELL under $100</a> (even after the 20% auction fees, wire transfer fees, and intl. shipping). Even at $30 or 40 you may find something you really enjoy:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1258045[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>For something even more impressive you can go with a 3rd cent Roman Provincial Billon Tetradrachm. Ones from Seleucis and Pieria, for example, can be surprisingly affordable.</p><p><br /></p><p>Or a Brass/AE Sestertius. Huge coins. Usually well-circulated but still very impressive. This one is from a group lot (NOT unchecked!) and is in better condition than most, but still not expensive:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1258048[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>(2) If history is what interests you</u></b>, you can find affordable examples depicting famous emperors or related to important historical events.</p><p><br /></p><p>Constantine I "The Great" is a great example. He struck tons of coins. Many collectors find them boring but I'm fascinated by their variety. You can find attractive (to me!) examples of his bronze coins for $20 and up:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1258043[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Another popular choice is Marcus Aurelius, famous as the philosopher king (er, Emperor). His denarii are common and worn examples start at $20-30:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1258063[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Or a coin with a historical story to tell? This coin depicts the <i>Equus Traiani</i>, an important equestrian statue that was once located in Trajan's Forum in Rome, but is now lost to history. Today, the coinage of Trajan provides the only surviving depictions of this famous and important monument (thankfully others have better photography skills than mine!):</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1258051[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Perhaps you want coins representing your ethnic/religious heritage, or simply a place you've visited? If it's in Europe, W. Asia, or N. Africa, good chance the Romans went there to cause destruction and then commemorated it with coins. This kind of collecting theme can be bittersweet, of course, and less-than-joyful at all times.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin depicts Parthian captives (geographically Persian, is most accurate, I believe) and celebrates Rome's (largely imagined) military successes against them. S<a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/captives-trophy-8-or-9-examples-from-julius-caesar-to-constantine-others-if-you-have-them.374729/page-2#post-6250325" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/captives-trophy-8-or-9-examples-from-julius-caesar-to-constantine-others-if-you-have-them.374729/page-2#post-6250325">imilar designs exist for Judaea, Gaul, Dacia, Armenia, and many others</a> (my post on the topic, a couple weeks back, linked). You can also find less-violent designs:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1258047[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>(3) Numismatic, technical, and other specialized interests</u></b> can also be done by a beginner, and on a beginner's budget. The important denominations above include the AR Denarius, valued at 4 X AE Sestertii. Both of them are popular collecting areas (e.g., start buying up interesting seeming examples of either denomination, and if something keeps your attention, start focusing there).</p><p><br /></p><p>The AR Antoninianus (originally valued at 2 X AR Denarii) is another popular collecting area, not only because it is impressive looking for its price, but for its numismatic history. Others can do a better job of explaining the figures and the timing, but the silver content of the Antoninianus dropped dramatically over it's history in the 3rd century, from its inception under Caracalla (AKA Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus; the coin was named after the...uh, fourth of his names) until about 293 and the currency reforms of Diocletian. By then the silver content was perhaps 2-3%, much of which wore away quickly since it was mostly in the surface plating or "silver wash."</p><p><br /></p><p>Of course, a single coin can be interesting for all of those reasons. And you don't have to have any particular well-thought out reason to go for a certain coin. That's just a way of processing it in your mind.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oh -- don't forget -- Republican and Provincial and Byzantine are cool too!</p><p>For these ones, you have to click to enlarge the thumbnail, I felt I was running way too long!</p><p>[ATTACH]1258046[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]1258082[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]1258083[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b><i><u>EDIT</u></i></b>: Lastly (for real this time!), I forgot to mention, even for a beginner it’s good to factor in a coin’s "pedigree." Oftentimes you can find ancient coins with great histories of ownership and past sales that will make it all the more rewarding to own (and give confidence in authenticity) -- even budget coins. The Justinian Follis thumbnailed above is <i>Ex-Forum Ancient Coins, Ex-Ancient Medieval Coins Canada</i>, and – very interestingly, <i>Ex-TheRed Collection</i> (the username of a CoinTalk member who had previously shared the coin here).</p><p><br /></p><p>From that same auction, here's a link to a budget group lot of 10 Roman coins ($3-4 ea, amazingly) for which the auctioneer advertised its pedigree in the title: "Late Roman Bronze group from the Doug Smith collection," Ancient & Medieval Coins Canada. (For <a href="https://www.biddr.com/auctions/amcoinscanada/browse?a=808&l=846889" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.biddr.com/auctions/amcoinscanada/browse?a=808&l=846889" rel="nofollow">the listing</a>, and just <a href="https://media.biddr.com/media/img/auction_lots/808/846889.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://media.biddr.com/media/img/auction_lots/808/846889.jpg" rel="nofollow">the photo</a>.)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Curtis, post: 6462474, member: 26430"]All the coins pictured here cost under $100, many of them MUCH less. Some beginners have larger budgets, of course, but most want to limit their commitment at first. [B][U] Unsearched Lots: [/U][/B]Don't buy anything from someone who advertises unchecked or unsearched lots. As far as retail purchases go, there's no such thing, and you don't want to support those advertising them. [B][U]However, unattributed group lots[/U][/B] are a thing and can be a great option for beginners. Not on eBay, but from a professional. They'll be a bit cheaper than single coins, you'll get some variety, and, most importantly, you'll get to have the practice of researching and identifying them yourself. Valuable experience! Mostly it'll be stuff the seller didn't think worth individually researching or listing (for some, that might mean $20-40 coins), or ugly/"problem" coins that don't look good enough to be shown in the catalog, all of which are still fine for a beginner. Sometimes there will be very nice group lots added to an auction or dealer inventory to drum up excitement. What other people are saying is good advice on where to buy online. VCoins and MA-Shops and, I would add, Forum Ancient Coins is very beginner friendly. Especially in the past year, it may no longer be practical to recommend beginners get firsthand, "IRL" experience before buying too much. But if you get the opportunity, there's no replacement for looking at and handling actual coins at shows and shops (ones with expertise in ancients, specifically, not just local shops with a few strays on hand) [B][U]As a beginner,[/U][/B] your best option is not to try to get lucky and find a rarity. I always recommend going for common issues that look impressive and/or have historical or numismatic significance, depending on what interests you about ancient coins. You may want to think about what attracts you to the hobby. Most beginners are into one or more of the following: (1) Artistic and impressive looking coins; (2) historically- or culturally-rich coins; or (3) coins of technical-numismatic importance, such as denominations, minting technology, etc. [B][U](1) Common but Impressive:[/U][/B] If you want something that looks great but is affordable, you can often find the common silver Antoninianus (a 3rd-century denomination) issues of Gordian III or Philip I (or similar) in wonderful states of preservation for $60 or under. This one was a pretty good deal when I paid $25, 10 years ago, but usually they won't cost THAT much more now: [ATTACH=full]1258053[/ATTACH] There are also wonderful "silvered" (plated) and "Billon" (a silver-copper/base metal alloy) issues of Antoninianus that can be affordable. I think Aurelian and Probus (especially!) make very impressive coins for their price. Just make sure you pay attention to what the Antoninianus is made out of (the dealer should say, AE (bronze), billon/silvered, or AR (silver), though oftentimes AE and Billon are used interchangeably). [URL='https://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotviewer.php?LotID=1759645&AucID=4035&Lot=1447&Val=98fadb97fce51440b9abf7b976e8a738']This Aurelian was WELL under $100[/URL] (even after the 20% auction fees, wire transfer fees, and intl. shipping). Even at $30 or 40 you may find something you really enjoy: [ATTACH=full]1258045[/ATTACH] For something even more impressive you can go with a 3rd cent Roman Provincial Billon Tetradrachm. Ones from Seleucis and Pieria, for example, can be surprisingly affordable. Or a Brass/AE Sestertius. Huge coins. Usually well-circulated but still very impressive. This one is from a group lot (NOT unchecked!) and is in better condition than most, but still not expensive: [ATTACH=full]1258048[/ATTACH] [B][U](2) If history is what interests you[/U][/B], you can find affordable examples depicting famous emperors or related to important historical events. Constantine I "The Great" is a great example. He struck tons of coins. Many collectors find them boring but I'm fascinated by their variety. You can find attractive (to me!) examples of his bronze coins for $20 and up: [ATTACH=full]1258043[/ATTACH] Another popular choice is Marcus Aurelius, famous as the philosopher king (er, Emperor). His denarii are common and worn examples start at $20-30: [ATTACH=full]1258063[/ATTACH] Or a coin with a historical story to tell? This coin depicts the [I]Equus Traiani[/I], an important equestrian statue that was once located in Trajan's Forum in Rome, but is now lost to history. Today, the coinage of Trajan provides the only surviving depictions of this famous and important monument (thankfully others have better photography skills than mine!): [ATTACH=full]1258051[/ATTACH] Perhaps you want coins representing your ethnic/religious heritage, or simply a place you've visited? If it's in Europe, W. Asia, or N. Africa, good chance the Romans went there to cause destruction and then commemorated it with coins. This kind of collecting theme can be bittersweet, of course, and less-than-joyful at all times. This coin depicts Parthian captives (geographically Persian, is most accurate, I believe) and celebrates Rome's (largely imagined) military successes against them. S[URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/captives-trophy-8-or-9-examples-from-julius-caesar-to-constantine-others-if-you-have-them.374729/page-2#post-6250325']imilar designs exist for Judaea, Gaul, Dacia, Armenia, and many others[/URL] (my post on the topic, a couple weeks back, linked). You can also find less-violent designs: [ATTACH=full]1258047[/ATTACH] [B][U](3) Numismatic, technical, and other specialized interests[/U][/B] can also be done by a beginner, and on a beginner's budget. The important denominations above include the AR Denarius, valued at 4 X AE Sestertii. Both of them are popular collecting areas (e.g., start buying up interesting seeming examples of either denomination, and if something keeps your attention, start focusing there). The AR Antoninianus (originally valued at 2 X AR Denarii) is another popular collecting area, not only because it is impressive looking for its price, but for its numismatic history. Others can do a better job of explaining the figures and the timing, but the silver content of the Antoninianus dropped dramatically over it's history in the 3rd century, from its inception under Caracalla (AKA Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus; the coin was named after the...uh, fourth of his names) until about 293 and the currency reforms of Diocletian. By then the silver content was perhaps 2-3%, much of which wore away quickly since it was mostly in the surface plating or "silver wash." Of course, a single coin can be interesting for all of those reasons. And you don't have to have any particular well-thought out reason to go for a certain coin. That's just a way of processing it in your mind. Oh -- don't forget -- Republican and Provincial and Byzantine are cool too! For these ones, you have to click to enlarge the thumbnail, I felt I was running way too long! [ATTACH]1258046[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]1258082[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]1258083[/ATTACH] [B][I][U]EDIT[/U][/I][/B]: Lastly (for real this time!), I forgot to mention, even for a beginner it’s good to factor in a coin’s "pedigree." Oftentimes you can find ancient coins with great histories of ownership and past sales that will make it all the more rewarding to own (and give confidence in authenticity) -- even budget coins. The Justinian Follis thumbnailed above is [I]Ex-Forum Ancient Coins, Ex-Ancient Medieval Coins Canada[/I], and – very interestingly, [I]Ex-TheRed Collection[/I] (the username of a CoinTalk member who had previously shared the coin here). From that same auction, here's a link to a budget group lot of 10 Roman coins ($3-4 ea, amazingly) for which the auctioneer advertised its pedigree in the title: "Late Roman Bronze group from the Doug Smith collection," Ancient & Medieval Coins Canada. (For [URL='https://www.biddr.com/auctions/amcoinscanada/browse?a=808&l=846889']the listing[/URL], and just [URL='https://media.biddr.com/media/img/auction_lots/808/846889.jpg']the photo[/URL].)[/QUOTE]
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