What would you suggest I buy for my 1st Ancient Coin?

After reading various postings about the Ancient coins, I thought it might be nice to have "one". It would satisfy several of my basic joys. One of them would be holding an object and wondering at it's past. Wondering about all the events and people that might have had a part of it during it's journey to now.

Another would be greed. Ha! Not really, but having something of value.

Anyway, I don't want to spend much. I've seen on this forum people talking about $3-$12, which seems cheap for ancient history. So with that in mind, what do you think would be a great one coin acquisition for under $20, if there is such a thing.

Where would be the best place to obtain it, and to make sure it was authentic?

It was said that I should indicate my hobbies or likes. I enjoy the outdoors, hunting, shooting, fishing, animals, etc, but don't need to limit myself to these themes. I just want something that looks neat.

So I'm asking for your help picking one. Thanks in advance to for the multitude of suggestions I know will come forth.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I would recommend putting 50$ into a medium grade lot of 10-15coins, do some research have some fun. It will be worth it. Ebay is decent if u look for advice here first before buying a lot.

 

I would think your best bet for loads of history at under $20 would be a Constantine bronze.

 

https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/in...r_denarius_fortuna_seated/839124/Default.aspx

I found a Nice one

 

Take this advice for what it's worth...

I've been collecting coins for about 3-1/2 years. I added ancients about a year into this hobby. I started with a more expensive "first coin" (~$200) because it had a lot of historical significance to me (the ruler it depicted, the period of history during which it was minted, etc.).

More along your price range, a little while later I found a bronze of Alexander the Great for ~$35. It's not the prettiest, but it has some character.



Browse VCoins.com and ask here; the people here are great and will give you all the advice you can handle.

Bottom line:

• do some research to see what interests you
• ask here for advice
• buy something cool!

P.S. I personally think it is very interesting to hold a coin in your hand that may have once been held by an ancient dude who changed the world, such as Alex The Great. Other ideas include: Genghis Khan (not exactly "ancient" by some standards, but still...), coins from the Bible, the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, Xerxes I (?) of "300" fame, etc.

 

Welcome @Nyatii

 

Welcome to the forum, Nyatii! You could buy a starter kit.

 

LOL, I have a feeling that particular starter kit is worth more than the 20 dollars OP suggested he'd be willing to spend.

After all, didn't it save your life? Fantastic story...I remember it still.

 

Here is a link to vcoins for coins under $20
https://www.vcoins.com/en/Search.as...cords=100&SearchOnSale=False&Unassigned=False

 

FitzNigel has a really good suggestion. Constantine the Great minted gazillions of coins. Take a look through vcoins to see if something appeals to you. Take your time, there is no rush.
https://www.vcoins.com/en/Search.as...cords=100&SearchOnSale=False&Unassigned=False

 

Do you have a local coin shop that might have some ancients for you to handle?

I give you fair warning, it is quite possible that after you have bought your first ancient, you will want to buy him a friend. Slippery slope.

 

...gazillions..a googol #

 

Welcome to the dark side.

There are plenty of coins to choose from. LRB (Late Roman Bronze) coins can be had for pretty cheap i.e.. the Constantine that was mentioned. Another option is Byzantine coins, a lot of them can be had for relatively cheap although the condition won't be the best and some don't consider them true ancients.

Or if you really want you can up the budget a bit and pick up a silver denarius. Common denarius coins can be had for $40-$50 in really good condition too. $40-$50 can also get a decent Greek coin, there are lots of options out there.

And if you really want to go into the obscure coins try coins from Elymais and Nabataea. These would be hard to ID but we got a few experts here to help.

Most important of all, have fun and don't forget to post your first purchase.

 

Seleukid bronzes are often in good condition with nice earthen patinas and are remarkably inexpensive. So, if you are leaning more towards Greek than Roman, I suggest a nice Seleukid bronze. Just search for "Seleukid" on vcoins.

 

Welcome to the dark-side ... buy a Greek!!

 

I would recommend the best CONSTANTINOPOLIS or VRBS ROMA (c. 300-337 AD) you can find on eBay. Yes, eBay has lots of fakes, but not of those types. They are remarkably historical. You could learn more about them at many sites on the web, including:
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/CON/Founding.html
I recommend eBay because for the least expensive types they will be cheaper on eBay than vcoins.
If something else catches your eye on eBay, be sure to check the "fakesellers" sites to avoid the dealers who sell fakes which are "obvious" to experts but perhaps not to you.
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/fakesellers.html
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?board=9.0
(I think you have to join Forum to see the second list.)
On the other hand, vcoins sellers have a guarantee of authenticity and eBay does not. There are surely fakes on eBay being sold by sellers who are not on the lists. Avoid new sellers (feedback under, say, a hundred). The bad guys eventually are discovered and make the lists, but perhaps not in the first hundred sales.

 

Long ago I wrote a page about buying:
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/numis/buying.html
I just updated it a bit. A few weeks ago I moved my educational site to a new server, so it is possible some links are broken. If so, please let me know and I will fix them.

 

Have fun. Find something that appeals to you. The nice thing about ancients is that you actually can find an interesting coin for $20-25. You've already gotten some great ideas above. It's probably safer going with Vcoins for your very first purchase, IMHO. For a budget purchase on VCoins, you really can't go wrong. But I would second Valentinian's comments about those interesting and affordable city commemoratives.

If I had to choose one budget coin that looks good and tells a story, it would be a Constantine coin with a Sol Invictus reverse. I have one as my avatar. Constantine was the first Christian emperor, and yet for many years he kept traditional pagan deities on his coinage, including the sun god Sol, to which he seemed particularly attached. I like to translate the reverse legend SOL INVICTO COMITI as "TO MY HOMEBOY, THE UNBEATABLE SUN." The precise relationship between Constantine and Sol is a continuing matter of some academic dispute. But to me, the coin reflects the fascinating blurred culture of an Empire moving from state-sponsored paganism and mystery cults to Christianity. All that for 25 bucks.

https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/vi...stantine_i_sol_from_lyons/828795/Default.aspx

A cool Constantine with great eye appeal, though it's not a Sol Invictus reverse:

https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/vi...antine_i_vlpp_from_siscia/823102/Default.aspx

 

I want to thank everyone for all the help and the great replies. It's been great fun following the leads and suggestions everyone has given. You are all correct about it being hard to pick just one. They are just too interesting, and the allurement of holding a coin that someone held centuries ago is exciting. And the history search part of it is very pleasurable.

 

Well, if you don't mind spending about $45 or $50, you could always look at a Gordian III or even a Philip I Ant.