Ancient Coins: My Tips for Collectors

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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[carson]

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.

[WalterRMattfeld]

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..

[stephenparker]

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.

[Kohnbread]

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

[victorvanmurray]

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)

[jaha]

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).

[edwinvdv]

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....

[Buzzygirl]

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!

[MD_Panonnia]

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

[watson]

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.

[jonathanaristone]

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.

[vfc]

Humility is a strength. Keep up the good work. You are my go to YouTube source

[Mike_of_the_Sonora]

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.

[nsi-nbsecretary]

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.

[CrazzyyDanyy]

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!

[jasonhaase]

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.

[Numischannel]

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!

[LannisterFromDaRock]

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.

[davidorrall]

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

[Yakitak]

Very good message on budgeting. Coin obsession and so many auctions make this hard to do, but so important