My beginning journey into ancient coins
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I inadvertently posted this on the Buy-Sell--Trade Ancient Coins Forum. It took quite a bit of time to organize and write this and may of interest to those, like myself, who are beginners in ancient coins. I apologize if I've broken any rules and if so perhaps the mods could just delete the post in the buy/sell/trade form. Thanks.
For the past several months I've been learning about these coins myself.
Two books that were a great help at the beginning were Harlan Berk's "100 Greatest Ancient Coins" and "Ancient Coin Collecting 2nd edition" by Wayne Sayles.
The book on the "100 Greatest" shows you the coins that are most beautiful. At the back of the book the prices are listed. I suspect most of us will never own any of these, but the photos give a glimpse of ancient coins at their best.
I found the book by Sayles extremely helpful in that he lists different types of ancient coins. There is a great deal of material on both Roman and Greek coins so this might be helpful in deciding upon the two. Other areas of ancient coin collecting are listed and you may become interested in these. There are excellent chapters on numismatic literature as well as identifying and attributing these coins, and some great illustrations of major themes as well. Although my book has a 2002 copyright, it seems to me most of the material is relevant. (However, the information on where to buy coins is outdated, in that the use of the Internet for buying coins in 2002 was in its early stages.)
The history behind these coins makes them fascinating. One thing I'm doing is going through each Emperor and looking up their reign on Wikipedia. Wikipedia articles can be excellent--you can get a good idea by checking the references. (In fact, the greatest value of Wikipedia may be as a way to get to primary sources and the best references, IMHO.)
I bought one of the books by David Sear. To many, his five books represent the best "catalog" and description of the Emperors and their many coins. It's a bit overwhelming, though, and it may be a good idea to wait for awhile before you get a book or the series.
There seem to be many, many coins that collectors of "modern" coins would view as quite inexpensive. A visit to eBay will show you these. If you go up a step, there appear to be many coins for under $100. in the EF-VF range . I like looking on the Coins site. Vcoins is a marketplace for dealers; as I understand it, many/most of the dealers will guarantee the authentic of a coin.
Once you really get to know the coins, you may find it interesting to buy a bulk lot. I haven't done this, as the cleaning seems to require skills and much practice, but it may be a way to find many coins in an inexpensive manner, and there is always a chance for a "diamond in the rough."
There seem to be many "high end dealers" who sell coins of great beauty. These dealers should not be hard to find and again, you can do historical research on the coins you see there.
I'm keeping a journal of everything I'm learning, just making entries of what I discover, doing so in a chronological but not thematic way.
There are different kinds of patina that can be found on the coins, green and sand being two common ones. This adds an entire new dimension to what one collects.
I've dipped into "Plutarch's Lives" to learn about the people and events of the years of the Greek coins. Plutarch tells the story in a very interesting and readable manner. I found a copy of Plutarch on a website so you wouldn't have to purchase it. If you want to buy one, there are modestly-priced paperback edited versions on Amazon and some expensive full-volumes as well.
Many people see "Byzantine" coins as an extension of the Roman Imperial emperors. Some us the term "Romaion" in reference to this era. If one is interest in symbols of Christianity (as I am), these coins point to ways in which the Church was growing.
I like to find copies from the major auction houses. used copies of these can often be found for very modest prices, and there is usually excellent written material about the history, much more than in catalogs featuring American coins. Of course, most of these catalogs can be found for free and perused on the auction house websites.
The American Numismatic Society in New York City has a superb collection of ancient coins, and voluminous historical material for those who want to learn more. Much of the writings and research are available for free, but by joining ANS you get some neat benefits.
So these are things I've found helpful after getting into ancient numismatics around the beginning of the year. (I'm retired, so I'm able to devote time to learning more things about the hobby.) I just also add that I think I've learned more from the forums than from everything else and can sit and read these for hours.
Best wishes to you.
Comments
Welcome to the forum and this hobby! Yours is a great introduction and will certainly resonate with many of us. Please post any questions and new purchases as you find them. Your journal of learning would be a fascinating resource and might even be appropriate to post in a single, long thread here, for others to follow your journey of discovery.
I'm looking forward to seing what your learning path will lead you to acquire
Welcome !
Welcome, have fun collecting!
SmEagle1795,
The single long post is a great idea. (I've only been out of the house a few times in 15 months and feel like a deteriorating Lincoln cent in an acidic folder.)
How would I turn this into such a post?
I've written for different venues during my life and this is an excellent one: you know that people reading it really care about the topic, will read it, and there may be some nice conversations that ensue.)
Thanks for reading and the idea. I have some other things I could add soon.
Buy the following 3 books on amazon. I own them and don't even collect ancient coins. They are awesome books full of clear knowledge you will truly enjoy.
Collecting interests: Coins from Latin American (2020-present)
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Nice write-up. I find it ironic that a 20-year-old book on ANCIENT coins is obsolete!
I've always heard that the buy-sell spreads on ancients are greater than for other types of coins. Don't let it discourage you, just keep it in mind.
Yeap, more akin to jewelry mark-ups.