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Ancient coins. Where to start?
Hi
I was wondering where one should start to collect ancient coins (Low end ones). I don't want to become an expert on the subject, just know the basics. I just got a coin from India in a lot, it cost me only $2.00, it is a bull/horse coin from the Shahi dynasty. The coin is of course heavily circulated but I still like it. How can some of these ancient coins be so cheap? If you could recommend some sites/books that teach the basics of ancient coins collecting, I would appreciate it. Also what to watch out for as far as scams. Thanks a lot Patrick |
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#2
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Ancient coins. Where to start?
On Nov 26, 2:13*pm, varois83 wrote:
Hi I was wondering where one should start to collect ancient coins (Low end ones). I don't want to become an expert on the subject, just know the basics. I just got a coin from India in a lot, it cost me only $2.00, it is a bull/horse coin from the Shahi dynasty. The coin is of course heavily circulated but I still like it. How can some of these ancient coins be so cheap? If you could recommend some sites/books that teach the basics of ancient coins collecting, I would appreciate it. Also what to watch out for as far as scams. Thanks a lot Patrick There is a lot to learn and I know very little of it. I recommend a connection with the Oriental Numismatic Society, in case you find that convenient. They seem to be a particularly knowledgeable group and learning from lectures and personal contact is sometimes the easiest. http://www.onsnumis.org/ Seaby publishes guides for Greek and Roman coins that are highly regarded by some. The International Numismatic Convention in NYC in January has a wide selection of ancient coins from all over the world and it is possible to find folks that want to talk with visitors, there. Why are coins so cheap? Well, some are not. Even so, there are far more old coins than there are collectors. Counterfeits and other scams are easily found, if not found out. There are a lot of clever folks that want to make more money and counterfeiting coins is not extremely difficult, especially when the prevailing wages are tiny and some coins are extremely expensive. |
#3
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Ancient coins. Where to start?
On Nov 26, 2:13 pm, varois83 wrote:
I was wondering where one should start to collect ancient coins (Low end ones). I don't want to become an expert on the subject, just know the basics. Like any other area, it is up to you. Traditionally, we start with ancient history. That provides the context, the story that truly gives the coins value. The books of Michael Grant on Greek and Roman history are authoritative and readable. But it is perfectly valid to get a coin as you did and then do the research on that. You see a coin in a junk box and you want to know who struck it, when, and why. If you go to a larger show or convention (state, regional or ANA) you can find dealers with $5 to $25 items. (Avoid eBay; too many fakes. ANA dealers are bound by a Code of Ethics.) You already know the dynasty, so you have a start. The internet is rich but your local librarian can help you find other resources. Books by Colin Kraay, Harold Mattingly, Martin Jessop Price, are among the basic resources for all. They have great pictures, nice narratives, and status in the eyes of both the collector community and among academics. If you are interested in the numismatics, the collecting of it, apart from the history (strange as that may sound), then the books by WAYNE SAYLES published by Krause are widely considered to be a good starting place. His series ANCIENT COIN COLLECTING in six volumes goes from a general overview through the Greeks, Romans, and Others. If you want to view pictures of coins, the Wildwinds site (www.wildwinds.com) and Coin Archives (www.coinarchives.com) are databases built from auctions by reputable firms. The dealer ring VCOINS wwww.vcoins.com is another running database, but you need to know a bit in order to Search for Keywords. FORVM Ancient Coins www.forumancientcoins.com is widely regarded as helpful, friendly, open, reputable and authoritative. FORVM grants awards to other websites and its laurels are highly valued. Do you have any affinity for any time and place in the ancient world? My introduction to ancients came from the episode "Backbone of the Night" of Carl Sagan's COSMOS. I built a collection based on a day's wages from the towns of the lifetimes of famous philosophers from Thales of Miletus to Hypatia of Alexandria. But I also just published an article on the times of medieval Champagne, the county in which is the town of Troyes whose Great Fairs gave us "troy" ounces for precious metals. Mike M. Michael E. Marotta "Semper vale et salve" |
#4
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Ancient coins. Where to start?
Do a Google search on getting started with ancient coins.
eBay is a great way to get similar bargains on inexpensive coins as the lot you bought. Many reputable dealers sell on eBay. But many counterfeit scammers do too. The above Web site can help you differentiate. -- Consumer: http://rg.ancients.info/guide Connoisseur: http://rg.ancients.info/glom Counterfeit: http://rg.ancients.info/bogos |
#5
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Ancient coins. Where to start?
On Nov 26, 2:13*pm, varois83 wrote:
Hi I was wondering where one should start to collect ancient coins (Low end ones). I don't want to become an expert on the subject, just know the basics. I just got a coin from India in a lot, it cost me only $2.00, it is a bull/horse coin from the Shahi dynasty. The coin is of course heavily circulated but I still like it. How can some of these ancient coins be so cheap? If you could recommend some sites/books that teach the basics of ancient coins collecting, I would appreciate it. Also what to watch out for as far as scams. Thanks a lot Patrick Hi Patrick, The responses so far in this thread have lost of good advice. I would especially amplify the recommendations of Wayne Sayles' books (especially Volume I, the general introductory guide) and of the various coin dealers on the Vcoins.com website. Ebay can sometimes be a good place to find coins, but it can also be a good place to get scammed- you should probably avoid it for now. (I seldom buy coin on eBay anymore.) How can (some) ancient coins be so cheap? It all comes down to supply and demand. Huge amounts of coins were struck, and since they were made of metal many have survived to the present. Although collecting of ancient coins has increased in popularity in the last couple of decades, it is still a relatively "niche" area of numismatics, so common coins can remain relatively cheap, while even rarities are often less expensive than comparably scarce coins would be in US coins or other popular series. Avoiding scams- that is too big a topic to cover adequately. Your best defense is to only buy from reputable dealers- Vcoins is a good place to start. Avoid eBay, at least until you know a lot more about ancient coins. Oh, and if you are on vacation at a tourist spot near ancient ruins and some shady character offers to sell you "real ancient coins"- they are almost certainly selling you badly-made fakes. I have not encountered such peddlers myself, but I had to disillusion a friend whose grandfather fell for such a scam. As you examine more real ancient coins, you will get a better feel for them and have an easier time of spotting fakes. There are also various books and websites on the subject- Sayles' "Classical Deception" is a useful start. You might want to think about what attracts you to ancient coins, so you can have a more focused collecting strategy. Are there particular countries/regions or time periods that you find interesting? Is there a particular artistic style you like? Are there subjects (animals, weapons, etc.) that you want to collect? You don't have to make a decision now, but as your collection grows it's good to consider such questions. Hope this helps, please come back with any further questions. -Robert A. DeRose, Jr. |
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Ancient coins. Where to start?
On Nov 27, 4:47*pm, Reid Goldsborough
wrote: wrote: Avoid eBay, at least until you know a lot more about ancient coins. . Much better advice is to buy on eBay only from dealers you know or who are recommended by reliable sources. ... When a dealer sells elsewhere along with eBay, eBay is typically the place where he sells his bargain coins, just the kind of coins this poster was asking about. [snip] True, there is nothing about eBay that would suddenly make good sellers turn untrustworthy. My point was that a complete novice is not likely to know which sellers on eBay are knowledgeable and reputable in the ancients world, and which are not. Anyone can set up on eBay with a name like The Ancient Experts, and to a novice that seems at least as impressive as Harlan J. Berk. Sites like Vcoins help with that initial sorting process. Of course, once you've found a good seller, their eBay auctions can represent a worthwhile source of coins. Your point about eBay being a place where some big-time sellers may put their bargain coins is a good one, though searching on Vcoins itself turns up a number of pieces in the under $20, and even under $10, range. I will therefore modify my advice to read "Avoid unknown sellers on eBay." Side note: Any other ancients fans received CNG's Triton XIII catalog (or browsed it on the website)? I've been spending much of the past few days quietly drooling over the Parthian collection up for sale, and wondering how many kidneys I can sell so I can buy some of those coins... -Robert A. DeRose, Jr. |
#8
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Ancient coins. Where to start?
wrote:
Side note: Any other ancients fans received CNG's Triton XIII catalog (or browsed it on the website)? I've been spending much of the past few days quietly drooling over the Parthian collection up for sale, and wondering how many kidneys I can sell so I can buy some of those coins... Stay away from that Athenian dek, though. g -- Consumer: http://rg.ancients.info/guide Connoisseur: http://rg.ancients.info/glom Counterfeit: http://rg.ancients.info/bogos |
#9
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Ancient coins. Where to start?
Hi
I want to thank everybody for their answers. I have bookmarked all the links and they have a ton of info, that should keep me busy for a while. Thanks again Patrick |
#10
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Ancient coins. Where to start?
varois83 wrote:
Hi I was wondering where one should start to collect ancient coins (Low end ones). I don't want to become an expert on the subject, just know the basics. I just got a coin from India in a lot, it cost me only $2.00, it is a bull/horse coin from the Shahi dynasty. The coin is of course heavily circulated but I still like it. How can some of these ancient coins be so cheap? If you could recommend some sites/books that teach the basics of ancient coins collecting, I would appreciate it. Also what to watch out for as far as scams. Thanks a lot Patrick Has anyone mentioned The Celator yet? http://www.celator.com/ JAM |
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