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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;kaparthy, post: 1805205, member: 57463&quot;]I agree with John Anthony. I am not much of a collector myself, but having written about a dozen feature articles for <i>The Celator</i>, I had to acquire or inspect quite a few coins. Also, I covered major conventions in the US and Europe for <i>Coin World</i> including the New York International Coin Fair which is mostly ancients.&nbsp;&nbsp; Also, as the editor and webmaster (and Board member) for the Michigan State Numismatic Society, my ancients colleagues included local notables Eldert Bontekoe of Pegasi, James Beach (Numiscellaneous), Fred Knust of First Light, and several other national dealers such as Lorraine Weiss who came in for the conventions each Thanksgiving Weekend.</p><p><br /></p><p>You get what you pay for. I once spent a morning with an eBay dealer who just received a bag of about 500 late Roman bronzes from the Middle East.&nbsp; Among the culls were several modern fakes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Use the same skills you have for US coins to get started in ancients.&nbsp; Differences in the materials and the markets can be significant, but at root coins are coins.&nbsp; You do not want to give your son a fake 1877 IHC or a modern Chinese Seated Dollar.</p><p><br /></p><p>US coins are clearly modeled on Greek and Roman originals. The US Mint coin cabinet always held them. Generally speaking, the cost ranges are the same for US and for ancients. Common ancients cost no more than common BU Morgan Dollars.&nbsp; And junk is junk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Collectors across the spectrum like to quote Aaron Feldman: <b>&quot;Buy the book before you buy the coin.&quot; </b> Whitman, Fawcett/Krause, and other publishers have inexpensive but attractive and informative books about ancients.&nbsp; The Krause series by Wayne Sayles is a good start.&nbsp; Whitman just released a new 3rd edition of <i>Money of the Bible</i> by Kenneth Bressett.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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