I am ancient-illiterate. I don't have the slightest understanding and wouldn't know what's what. But I have noticed that what I've seen most of the time, prices seem pretty reasonable as in low. Why is this? Is it because there are a large number of known ancients around or just not as big of a market as for U.S. coins? I guess I don't understand why something that is 'ancient', especially a coin, wouldn't automatically command a price tag upwards of several hundred dollars. I'm not complaining. I wouldn't mind getting a few myself. I'm sure you can pay whatever you want depending on what you want to get. Also, do ancients have their own grading scale? Does one exist? Typically how old does a coin have to be before it is considered ancient? And where do the majority of them come from? Does anybody try to keep a rough guess at a population report for any of them? Thanks!
In partial answer to your question, there are many ancient coins that price cheaply for both reasons you propose. Roman copper coins, for example, were turned out by the millions with the help of very cheap labor. And while people collect them, many more people buy US coins, so there is a great difference in demand. And most are still buried somewhere. I don't know where you would begin and end with determining populations of certain ancient coins. No records exist, and virtually every coin is a variety unto itself due to the crude process of manufacture, speed of die breakdown, and the fact that dies were created by hand. People have different ideas on what is 'ancient'. One possible division mark is in the general vicinity of the collapse of the Roman Empire.
Here's a good grading guide for ancient coins: http://www.calgarycoin.com/reference/grading/grading.htm
It realy is quite amazing just how many are out there LOL and not just Roman but Greek, Indian etc Here is a good site to wet your apitite for them http://www.ancientcoins.ca/indexf.html If you have a interest in Celtic coins then check out Chris Rudd's coins :thumb: As for what can be classed as a Ancient well it is open to a great deal of personal interpritation, again with grading it can very quite considrably, if you do want to start collecting them then my advise would be buy from a reputable dealer (the two I mention above are a start) go by eye apeale (do you like it or not) also have a look at Hammerd coins from the middle ages, there is so much scope.
Does anybody try to keep a rough guess at a population report for any of them? Here's a rarity scale from the dirtyoldcoins database, which is the closest you get to a population report. I wouldn't call it accurate, more an approximate rarity. The finding of a new hoard could turn it around. http://www.dirtyoldcoins.com/natto/rarity.htm
