Home World & Ancient Coins Forum

Ancients Price Guide

Are there any easily accessible price guides for ancient coins?

Comments

  • bronzematbronzemat Posts: 2,602 ✭✭✭✭✭

    No, there really any way to use a price guide on such coins like there are modern coins.

    Because each coin is hand made & not machines, too many variables make it hard to exist.

    BUT you can use www.acsearch.info or vcoins.com and maybe get a rough idea. Ebay "sold" is a good "guide" too.

    There are coins that will always be high no matter what the condition. Say, Portrait Julius Caesar.

  • MWallaceMWallace Posts: 3,832 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @bronzemat said:
    No, there really any way to use a price guide on such coins like there are modern coins.

    Because each coin is hand made & not machines, too many variables make it hard to exist.

    BUT you can use www.acsearch.info or vcoins.com and maybe get a rough idea. Ebay "sold" is a good "guide" too.

    There are coins that will always be high no matter what the condition. Say, Portrait Julius Caesar.

    Thank you.

  • SapyxSapyx Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Spink publishes price guides, but they are not really reliable "guides". Their "millennium edition" catalogue of Roman coins by David Sear, for example, is their most recent work on Roman coins: five volumes, the first published in 2000 (hence the name), the fifth and final published in 2011. I don't think anyone has done a "price guide" since then. The prices in the guide are more an indicator of market rarity than an actual guide to price, as they are now 10 to 20 years out of date.

    As bronzemat says, it's hard to put a definitive "price" on a coin because ancient coins are far more variable than modern machine-struck coins. Besides "wear", a coin's price depends on strike (weak vs strong, centred vs off-centre) and state of preservation (how corroded it got after being buried for 1800 years or so, and how well it's been cleaned and preserved). Then there's the absolute rarity of the piece in question (how many are known to have survived). With ancient coins, a "rare coin" can suddenly become much more common if someone goes and digs up a hoard of the things. In that sense, their variability in price can be similar to seashells, minerals or other naturally-found collectables, rather than modern coins.

    Finally, price can fluctuate as a result of new international laws controlling the trade. Many countries that are original sources of ancient coins have put in place strict laws regarding ancient coin ownership and export. This can tend to artificially restrict supply (and increase the price).

    Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.
    Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"

    Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD. B)
  • amwldcoinamwldcoin Posts: 11,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I like how you use seashells! There are quite a few examples of a shell once being rare, then folks figure out where or how to collect them and makes them much more common! Conus Gloriomaris is a great example. Back in the 70's you would be hard pressed to find one for less than $1,000....now you can buy a nice one from $50-$100. There are other shells which were rare which are now tank raised!

    @Sapyx said:
    Spink publishes price guides, but they are not really reliable "guides". Their "millennium edition" catalogue of Roman coins by David Sear, for example, is their most recent work on Roman coins: five volumes, the first published in 2000 (hence the name), the fifth and final published in 2011. I don't think anyone has done a "price guide" since then. The prices in the guide are more an indicator of market rarity than an actual guide to price, as they are now 10 to 20 years out of date.

    As bronzemat says, it's hard to put a definitive "price" on a coin because ancient coins are far more variable than modern machine-struck coins. Besides "wear", a coin's price depends on strike (weak vs strong, centred vs off-centre) and state of preservation (how corroded it got after being buried for 1800 years or so, and how well it's been cleaned and preserved). Then there's the absolute rarity of the piece in question (how many are known to have survived). With ancient coins, a "rare coin" can suddenly become much more common if someone goes and digs up a hoard of the things. In that sense, their variability in price can be similar to seashells, minerals or other naturally-found collectables, rather than modern coins.

    Finally, price can fluctuate as a result of new international laws controlling the trade. Many countries that are original sources of ancient coins have put in place strict laws regarding ancient coin ownership and export. This can tend to artificially restrict supply (and increase the price).

  • KOYNGUYKOYNGUY Posts: 101 ✭✭✭

    There was a pricing sheet for types and grades of ancient coins produced in the late 1980's very similar the the gray sheets we have today. I think it was short lived, maybe a year or so. Today we can check auction and online sales much easier, and the pricing knowledge is out of the hands of the few. Margins have tightened as well. When I was employed With an ancient coin dealer in 1981 doubling up (100%) was the rule. Today, I think less than half of that with more competition and the introduction of grading services like ANACS (Me) and NGC (Vagi) allow more people with less knowledge that previously required to successfully trade these items. I'm not sure why PCGS has not entered the race as I know it has been a hit at NGC.
    I thought not offering the authenticity guarantee would be a deal breaker for that program 10 years ago, but Dave has done a great job and has built a good track record in the choppy waters of authentication.
    J.P.

Sign In or Register to comment.