Ancient Coins: My Tips for Collectors
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 เม.ย. 2022
- Today, lets sit down and have a little chat about collecting. Let me give you some tips I personally apply to my collection, following them have made me a better numismatist, and they should help you too!
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Regarding the cleaning of ancient coins: Back about 1965 I found several ancient coins in a window in a coin shop in a bowl. A note said they had been found in the Mediterranean Sea and were encased in a heavy covering of whitish sea encrustation, so heavy, the coins were welded together and could not be identified as to ruler. My assumption was that they were denari.
I got them for a few dollars each, took them home, dropped them in a bath o hydrocholoric acid out doors, for a few seconds, and watched the encrustation dissolve away in the acid.
Then I immediately removed them into a pile of baking soda to neutralize the acid on the coins (6 coins). Then a cold water rinse.
What a sight to behold!
The pile of Denari turned out to be all uncirculated!, of Marcus Aurelius amd Antoninus Pius!
Another coin was of Victorinus, bought for a few dollars, with heavy brown patina (not from the sea). I gave it a hydrocholoric bath. And to my amazement, the patina dissolved away to reveal a lovely solid SILVER Antoninianus of the ruler bearing spear and shield on the obverse ( a rare type for this ruler).
Today, I, would NOT reccomend doing this to anyone out there,
Hydrocholoric acid is very dangerous to mess with.
But, I was young then, in the 1960's, (born 1943) and ignorant of the dangers at the time..
What a fascinating story!
My tip to collectors: HAVE FUN!
hi, new colletor here, just got my first coin Alexander The Great, AR Tetradrachm, with Herakles wearing lion skin, really like the design of it.
My advice/insight would be - that when many coins are put together, they start talking. What do I mean by that? When viewed from a broader perspective, the coins can tell an interesting story about the people who made them or about the times they were created in. Examples? 1 - coins of Napoleon the Third were marked by counter stamps after the battle of Sedan, also some of them were turned into hobo nickels that mocked the emperor - this can give us an idea of how much of a failure this battle was from the perspective of the french people. 2 - the design of some of the coins in the XIX and XX centuries was copied from ancient coins - the first 20 francs of Napoleon the First were heavily inspired by Augustus's denarius, Spanish 5 pesetas from 1870 were almost a copy of the design of Hadrius's denarius 'Hispania'. So don't just read about coins that interest you, widen your knowledge and if you do, you might be surprised by what you've learned. (I'm myself not into ancient coins, rather I'm into XIX and early XX century, but because of that connections I do own some ancient coins).
Absolutely spot on re: understanding the art. I collected American coins as a kid and when I look at what that field has become 60 years later and it is really off-putting. The huge prices, the obsessional focus on grading-all of this turns me off. I was always in it for the beauty and ancients defuse a lot of these downsides with the importance of art, context and history.
I am also young, only 27. I am also proud to say I have gotten several of my friends into collecting who are also in their 20s
I am obsessed by Roman coins that are (almost) uncirculated. They are expensive, but (fortunately) they don't show up often, so the temptation of buying too many also isn't too big. During an average year I buy about 3 denarii. Sometimes (once every 2 or 3 years?) I buy an exquisite aureus, but that's also because I don't care about driving an expensive car....
Wonderful!
I totally agree with these tips, especially to control your budget. The only thing I would add is to link your collection to your areas of historical interest, for example if you are obsessed with the history of the Flavians, buy a coin of the Flavians. Thats how I pick most of my coins (of course eye appeal is something important to consider as well)
This was really nice and relaxed video, yet very educational, when it comes to the hobby of collecting coins. I will share my story of how I started collecting, basically it all started when I was little kid, my grandfather mother died, and after cleaning the house we find whole bunch of old Yugoslavia coins, and that's the time when I started my own small collection of world coins..
But biggest game changer was when good buddy gave me some Austrian guldens from Franz Joseph I. and after that I never looked any modern coin again, ever since then I collect mostly only coins from Austrian Empire, Kingdoms of Hungary and Croatia and Austro Hungary! The look and design on these coins captivited me, and regardless of how many roman coins I discover, regardless of their beauty and prestige, to me coins I mention above are first and last coin love!
Keep up the good work! All best from Croatia
I’ve been collecting for over 20 years and my only suggestion is: buy what you like! I typically only buy a coin or two a year, and I went for a long stretch without buying any (other hobbies took over). I don’t think I’ve paid more than a couple of hundred dollars for a single coin. Most of the coins I buy are within the $50-$70 range. And I don’t really have any collecting focus; I just buy what stands out to me and what I like. I am interested in all sorts of cultures and historical time periods. Right now I am fascinated with Kushan and Indo-Greek coinage, but for a long time I have been collecting ancient Celtic coinage. I have a number of Roman coins, and a few Greek coins. I don’t really have any particular focus but I’m OK with that. My collection is pretty eclectic, unusual and interesting in my opinion!
I love reading these little personal stories about what appeals to people about collecting and how they go about building their collections throughout the years. Thanks for that! :)
This is the second time I've read through comments on one of these videos and thought "that sounds like me!" -and it was you last time as well. I think it's a GREAT way to build a collection.
I forgot to add this; another big tip I could give would be to always ask questions. When I was a young collector in high school, I had a very small coin budget, so I could not purchase much. But, I did spend hours standing around at coin shows, shops or talking with other collectors and dealers on Facebook just asking about the coins. Everything from, "why is this type rare? why do you collect these? How were these coins minted? What is the history behind this type? What does the Latin say?" Most dealers and collectors will be very eager to answer any and all questions you may have.
Humility is a strength. Keep up the good work. You are my go to TH-cam source
6:55 so incredibly true!
Great Video as always Leo, you have done well for 5 years. I started 60 years ago when a work collogue from Germany offered me a Maximianus Follis for 50 cents. The rest was all uphill from there. I sill love and cherish my Imperials collection.
A Maximian follis for 50 cents is definitely a deal! Hopefully I can look back 55 years from now and be proud of my collection :)
I love your video! My tip to fellow collectors, it may be something we all know but we should still say it out loud. One should always consult their resources *before* buying and after buying a coin. I have found constant consultation of books, pictures, an websites one can start to see the little things that mark authentic pieces from non-authentic pieces.
I really like the videos you make. I started collecting ancient coins for about 4 years. My focus ist also on ancient roman imperial coins. I really wanted to meet people who think alike and have someone who I can share this passion. Since I discovered your channel, I have watched all the videos. I have learned very much from them and I will still keep watching all the videos you put out. The best advice that I received from you is that I shouldn't buy low grade coins and better invest the funds in fewer coins but better graded/looking ones. Cheers and best of luck!
By studying naval architecture and commerce and ports you start understand how art, culture, power, etc moved around in the world...
I have definitely made every mistake in the book since starting collecting 3 years ago so I relate to nearly every one of your tips. Great video and I hope that anyone who is starting with coins has a chance to see it. I don't think it is possible to be patient early, you need to get hands on to get a feel for the coins; when you have sufficient experience patience definitely is a virtue. This will mean making mistakes, hopefully videos such as this will reduce the cost of those mistakes.
You again did another good job expressing your knowledge and sharing it with those who are you wanting for it! You impress me with your young age and your level of knowledge and I want to thank you for sharing that with all of us! Thank you very much DMO
I really enjoy your channel. I have only bought a couple coins so far, but I have really learned a lot by watching your content. Thank you so much for putting it out there. Its a lot of work, but know that it is very much appreciated.
Im really glad to know Im helping you expand your collection. Keep it up!
Your comments on looking at coins are so true. When I first heard that tarnished silver coins are much more valuable and better looking than clear ones I was like "Mehh, bogus...". Then I bid on two coins that looked somewhat tarnished but not that much (at least on camera). Those were my 4th and 5th silver coins. When they arrived they were super tarnished, probably from a really old collection, but they look sooo good. Tarnish is awesome. All the details just pop out. :O I was super shocked! Learned my lesson that's for sure.
I have an episode on toning and patina that explains this a bit. You are totally right.
its ok if someone prefers a blast-white coin, but in my humble opinion, a nicely toned coin looks spectacular.
I couldn't agree more with your tips Leo, especially with your suggestion of buying coins that you hold first in your hand. As you said, no photo will give you the actual feeling of the coin, and there is also a special feeling about hunting coins in the real world!
Great advice on here! 👍
Very good message on budgeting. Coin obsession and so many auctions make this hard to do, but so important
Another awesome video! Keeping within a budget is the biggest challenge. Hope you can do a video on Byzantine coinage.
I am visiting a coin fair next month in Eboracum, looking forward to seeing and maybe buying something nice. They call it York these days i think.
There are tons of cheap and wonderfull coins out there. I personally dived into those coins and avoid any expensive coins. I think that is the best way to start. Once you are experienced you can focus on whatever catches your attention and you can start collecting the more expensive coins. For reference cheap is < 15 USD. Expensive is > 50 USD. Keep your median entry price below 25 USD. And with those price levels you can buy almost everything!. Forget coin grading until you are experinced. Also when you get experince Fakes will not be a big issue any more.
Wonderful video as always! I would say I am definitely a beginner, but I have become comfortable buying coins in auctions now and it shouldn't be seen as a scary hurdle for newcomers. My advice would be to echo Leo, do some research! If you find a coin you like, there are going to be museums that have these cataloged, like the British Museum! That's a tip I took to heart learning from this channel. Lastly, coin auctions are a very common occurrence and trusted auction houses are a great place to start buying coins online! I recently acquired one of my absolute favorite coins from an auction, it's well worth it!
While I was in Madrid I went to their ancient coin (and money in general) museum. What a cool experience seeing those ancient works of art
All major European capitals have very impressive numismatic collections, Spain does indeed have a spectacular numismatic collection.
Sadly a lot of the ancient gold collection was melted down and smuggled out of the country during the civil war. One of the biggest numismatic crimes ever.
I definitely made some of these mistakes early on in my collecting. Thanks for your advice on collecting my later purchases were better because of it.
I have been colecting coins for about 5 years...got over 1000 roman coins.Most of them are in pretty bad shape...but i love them .Right now i stopped buying coins because the buget went to the small bussines i started ..but always love to watch your videos and just wanted to say great job.
Thank you Gabrian! All the best to your new business and more episodes are coming every week, so your thirst for coins will be quenched :)
I made a very steep entry in ancient numismatics and what helped me a lot to tie everything together was studying naval architecture. Power, trade and coins are always related. Who rules the seas and water ways has the power and rules commerce.
Awesome coins 👍👍👍
I know we have different values and attitudes in collecting, so I was expecting to feel a need to offer counterpoints when I saw the title... but this was surprisingly solid. You surprise me a lot, good work ;)
Such a great informational video, every time I see you post a new video, I get excited! Excellent content.
I will 100% second the keeping money aside for opportunities advice. I have been collecting since 2009 and selling since 2020. Some of my best purchases, either for sales or collecting, have come from having the funds on hand to snag a good deal as soon as I saw it. Books are always a good purchase, especially if you collect an area like Ptolemaic coinage, which only had 1 reference book from 1909 until recently.
I made this mistake last week with Titus and Commodus. I wanted to complete 2 dynasties. Trying to make up for lost time is one of the disadvantages of non starting sooner. Watching your videos and lots of research has helped me to make as few mistakes as possible. TY. I'll be more patient now with Caligula and Claudius.
Great information and useful!
You obviously spend a lot of time and effort in making these videos. Thank you. Very educational. I just returned to the hobby after selling my collection years ago -- to say I have "sellers regret" is a huge understatement. What was I thinking?! My advise to new collectors is that when you lose interest in your collection because of life's many distractions to realize that it is probably just temporary and that the collecting "bug" will return. Just give it some time. On the "slab" vs. "non-slab" question, I too would prefer to handle the actual coins rather than a piece of plastic, but because of my age (66) I must think of what will happen when I pass. My adult son is not interested in history and I don't want that Julius Caesar denarius I just purchased to end up in a garage sale with a $4 sales sticker on it. For that reason I've decided to slab any high-end coins with detailed instructions to him including an auction house he should consign them to, but otherwise not to slab, I really would hate to see ancient collecting devolve into the current state of U.S. coin collecting. The history and significance of our "key dates" are far more interesting than those of, say, Morgan silver dollars with such and such mint marks. Maybe we should beat them at their own game and have the grading services assign "history grades" to coins, such as: "Morgan Dollar History Grade 1," Nero Denarius History Grade 5." That would create some buzz at coin shows!
I buy what catches my eye. If it has eye appeal to me I will try to buy it.
At the end of the day, thats what matters!
love your videos! keep them up! thanks!!!
When you get experience and knowledge you will find deals since not every coin dealer knows everything about coins especially when legend is not clear and sometimes the coin dealer has no clue since he just sells for somebody else or it is just not his area
That's absolutely true. It pays, and it pays WELL to know your coins!
Another good video. Agree with the tips.
You need to make videos too Luca!!
@@ClassicalNumismatics thank you for your kindness Leo. Numismatics is my getaway from creating another type of content for year's so I still need some vacations and more knowledge, but... I'm not saying no 😉
PS You are doing a great job and represent many of my thoughts, so I don't even feel it would be necessary now to duplicate some topics. Ciao! 🙋🏻♂️
Bellissime Monete 🎉
thanks i'll watch the playlist, I didn't noticed that
Hi Leo, thanks for the tips! Which is the last empress you showed in the video? Many thanks
Thats Mariniana, wife of Valerian :)
Dropping some serious knowledge bombs 📖 💣
example. How did a sphinx end up on a coin in a city in the middle of Andalucia, Spain?... Well...the concept came from mesopotamia, traveled to the ports of Phoenicia. The phoenicians were displaced by the Persians and founded Carthage... And rhe Carthaginias conquered the south of Spain... And the Carthaginean general Anibal Barca married a prnincess of this spanish city, named Castulo. And Castulo started using a Sphinx on their coinage. Am I right?. Dont know for sure. But this type of connections adds a lot to the fun of numismatics. And there are tons of connections numismatist are able to establish by watching coinage patterns. As I said, its a infinite journey and a lot of fun!
NICE COINS BRO
Just out of curiosity, what are the first things you look for, when buying an ancient coin? Do you look to see how worn the picture looks or how worn the lettering might be?
Lets start from the principle that a certain coin called our attention. It doesnt matter why, a certain coin caught out gaze.
Before merely evaluating its conservation state and how well it was struck, Id compare it against its "peers", by checking out similar coins online and similar pieces previously sold.
This should give you a good idea of how it stacks up against the rest of the population if you cant judge by yourself. Hope this helps!
Eye appeal is more than just wear and condition. A worn out coin can look more appealing than a nicer example sometimes... indeed, taste is developed, but if you are collecting for enjoyment you need to go with your gut and get coins you like. I live in the financial zone where I cannot always get a coin with a good device (picture is the word you used) and good lettering, and sometimes I need to choose one or the other. Which is more important to me might depend on the coin type, but which coin I choose will probably be the one I have the strongest emotional reaction to. I want the coin that I enjoy looking at.
@@markp44288 thanks for the feedback!
@@ClassicalNumismatics ... thanks! 🙂
Here from Reddit, thanks!
Welcome!
Love your show....don't know if you have done it yet or not but perhaps a show on the best and biggest ancient coin hordes found.....coins and burials.....have you done a general episode about debasement.......rumored large coin hordes never found.....gods bless
You should head to my page and look at the other videos I've made. Pretty much all topics you suggested have been explored on a previous episode. Hope you like them!
Curious, what is the coin being shown at 9:50 mark? Thank you for your great videos! 🙏
Thats a Indo-Scythian Tetradrachm struck under Gondophares :)
@@ClassicalNumismatics Thank you much! Will place this on my wishlist! Appreciated, Blake 🙏
Do I need to put my coins in capsules or is a plastic sleave fine?
If the sleeve is PVC free (I like Abafil ones) they should be perfectly fine.
I don't have any acient coins yet, just brought 1898 Nicholas II Russia silver 1 Ruble coin.
You should look into Russian medieval "wire money"
It was also my first coin. After 1917 revolution all silver coins were confiscated, communist party melted almost all of these coins, so it's very cool to have it now.
I have met 2 ancient numismatics ... and they both dont slab their coins ( send it for grading at ngc or pcgs) why is that .... one of them said he really likes touching the coin and the other one says ancients grading is really unreliable unlike us coins
Both are absolutely correct, and I subscribe to what they said.
NGC's ancients grading system is VERY bad compared to its US counterpart, and isnt worth the money imo
@@ClassicalNumismatics interesting, one more thing... does cleaning actually drops its value? i have one alexander coin that i bought with a discount because its cleaned... i get the value of aging but i really appreciate seeing the coin like how they view it in ancient times...
Keep doing what your doing i love your shorts...Especially the shorts explaining the coin with voice not just text
@@fogster8886It depends, pretty much all ancient coins were buried and has been cleaned, however harshly cleaning a coin does tend to decrease the value, for example copper from ancient coins should NEVER be red as we see on an US cent for example. As for silver its harder to determine but if its too reflective its consider harshly cleaned but from what Ive seen it does not decrease much the value.
@@leonardodtc4847 thanks
I have just recently got into coin collecting were would be a good reliable place online to shop
Vcoins if you're in the USA, or MA Shops if you're in Europe.
can you tell me some good online sites for buying ancient coins?
He has a great video on online buying. Vcoins, ma-shops, and numisbids are all good resources
Can you handle coins on shows without gloves?
Yes you can, Just ask the vendor first if its ok to pick the coin up :)
@@ClassicalNumismatics thanks!
What is the coin shown at 3:10 in the video? Looks amazing.
What do you think of test cuts on coins? I've been avoiding them so far, but I'm getting better lately
I was looking purchase my 1st Roman coins.
NGC ( F ) Roman AE of Constantine I, the Great (AD 307-337) BI Nummus - Ancient Graded.
Asking $68. Is that worth it or to much?
Of course we would have to see the coin to judge it, but a "Fine" Constantine nummus for 68? That is ABSURD. Thats a 10 dollars coin. Dont fall for overpriced slabbed ancients. Slabs dont add value.
Yah it was label as F. Wow super glad I asked before I buy lol. Thank you!!!
Constantine, of course was one of my favorite people to read about. I’m sure many others for a slab fine what would be the most one should probably spend on for him?
You can easily find Constantine pieces on MA Shops, VCoins and other reputable dealers in wonderful VF grade for 30, 40 dollars. They wont be slabbed, and it doesnt make sense to slab such coins. Why spend 20 dollars slabbing a 20 dollar coin?
@@ClassicalNumismatics I assume people do it for the authenticity ?
People who are new to it, like me who are unable to tell if it’s real or fake
NGC Ancients doesnt guarantee authenticity of any coins they slab, they just dont slab coins they dont "think" are genuine. Always buy coins from reputable dealers and those that offer lifetime guarantee. I have a couple of videos on how to avoid fakes, have a look at these and my beginners playlist, it should help ease your doubts.
📽️👍👍👍👍👍
I've been buying gold/silver/platinum bullion coins for years now. Just got into buying ancient coins, thanks to your channel. I have a few graded Roman Denari, bronze greek coins, but the best piece I have is a NGC Extra Fine, Macedon - Alexander the Great TetraDrachm. Thanks for the great content.
У меня есть one cents 1961D 1964D 1968D 1970D и до 1999p коллекция продаю
I have recently found out about the hobby, before this i thought all ancient coins costed like 10k a piece. But after looking for soviet coins and finding out about how cheap old Russian coins from 1500s-1800s are, i think i might start collecting ancient coins. My main interest is Russian, Roman, and Greek coins.
I have a silver coin dating to 129 bc..14 grams..antioxoy 7th..it's a rare coin..I want to sell it but I don't know how.
@@mohammadzamil4861 where are you from?