Caught the ancient bug a little while ago. I love the history and the things you can get for the money. A good RUclips channel for ancients is Classical Numismatics. He does a great job with the history and the coins. Love when you show them off on here as well.
I gave my grandkids , three of them, an old ancient Roman coin so they could hold something that was thousands of years old. Amazing stuff. Thank you for your knowledge sharing
Hi Ben! Thank you for touching on the subject of Ancient Coins. 😃 Im not a big fan of using slabs as a kind of help for beginner ancient coin collectors because the nature of the hobby in fact comes from doing lots of research on your coin, using books as a reference, etc. In fact, from my experience on coin shows, dealers with raw coins seem to be the ones more likely to have the coin properly attributed, while the NGC slabs generally give very limited information. But hey, if people coming from US coin collecting feel safer with this, go ahead. Your recommendation on books is spot on, books are a great help for everyone, beginner and experienced collector alike. As for greek coins, it really shouldnt be seen as this daunting task. Yes, its a different alphabet, but just like everyone here learned how to read and write by being introduced to the letters, then to its sounds, then to its syllables, learning some very basic ancient greek is completely doable. There are even online keyboards where you can type down what you see on your coin. The relatability point is real. For me coins have been a very interesting catalyst to study new cultures. Some people feel drawn to a culture first, then they delve into their coinage, thats how I got started with Roman coins in fact, but it can go the other way around, its very fun. I think I'll make a response video to this one when I have a little extra time. You seem to like Ancients, people here on the comments seem to have the typical concerns that are easily answered, and it would be good for the hobby. Thanks once again Ben!
I really like getting slab coins... I have plenty to touch as I read many people like that part of the hobby... I know NGC doesn't "guarantee" the coin is authentic, thought it does give some security that it most likely is. I have found a couple coins so far that looked nice, decent price, then through research there is no doubt it is a modern reproduction... After I pass a certain price level I love searching through all the NGC offerings and finding the "deal". I don't shy away from a lesser cost coin if the NGC package is about what it would cost me to slab it myself.... What I do not understand about NGC is I think their grading is a bit off at times... I wish they used the Sheldon scale. At least then I would understand why one VF is so much better than another V. More than once I have looked at the same grade on 2 different coins and thought, really. I even have a couple that I want to send back to them with photos of others and ask, why is mine a grade lower.... So to a degree, more expensive coins I rely on NGC to be a help as a beginner. Having 3 coins from many years ago I just started collecting 9 weeks ago and just discovered slabs.... I am a fan though I am picky on the one's I purchase with the info on them. I agree it would be great if they gave more.
@@greydogmusic For ancient coins, the reason why two coins of the same type and VF grade sell for different prices is because the grade isn't everthing. One coin might be more expensive than the other because it has struck with artistically engraved dies. Collectors value ancient coins with realistic, expressive portraits compared to crudely engraved, cartoonish portraits. Each ancient coin is evaluated as a unique work of art, so Greysheet style pricing is impractical for ancient coins.
@@TheQuickSilver101 A horrible attempt at proving a point. Food is necessary to survive. Bullion is a luxury item that nobody needs. Even the gloom and doom stackers don't usually buy high graded slabbed coins.
@@williamgrimes668 The cost to produce the bullion product and the middle man adding more than a fair market share to sell to the hoarding retail customers. Wait for a big dip in price to buy bullion at a price that you are comfortable with else you'll be holding your bag of bullion for years and years just to break even. The time to buy is opened during a short time period but that's when you should go all in or average in as the price continues to drop.
@@williamgrimes668 Horrible is a bit harsh, but was it a clunky attempt? Probably, so let me approach it differently by asking a few questions. What purpose do those hunks of metal serve? How much does it cost to extract and refine those hunks of metal? Can anyone extract these metals from their property? I presume I don't need to answer these questions for you though maybe I'm wrong since you seem to think they're just shiny metal with no purpose other than to appear attractive. I will say that anyone with any land at all (which I know isn't everyone) can grow their own food. I live in a major city and my family grows enough food that we haven't needed to go to the grocery store for anything in over a month. Whereas if I was allowed to mine for metals on my land I wouldn't find anything I'm not sure what your point was about high grade certified coins but as far as I know those are priced based on supply and demand. If no one wanted them no one would buy them
Yes you can definitely find affordable medieval hammered coins, though they are not as common as ancient coins, I've been collecting medieval coins as well as ancients for about 5 years, and I have a lot of medieval coins that I got for around the $15 - $50 price range, and same thing goes for early milled coinage from the 1600s - 1700s, a great way to get into this time period of coins is German States coins and Italian states coins, these are not as popular as the Spanish colonial coinage so they are usually more affordable and they have an amazing variety of different designs and issuing bodies, and if you are more into large silver coins this German and Austrian States thalers are definitely something you should look into, they can get a bit pricey especially the ones from the 1500 through the early 1600s but you can find some if you look hard in the $150 - $200 range and some the silver thalers from the 1700s can get more affordable, I've bought some for $40 - $80 range in auctions before.. but if you are interested in medieval/early modern coins you should check out my Instagram- @chicosmerf1 where I post ancient, medieval, and early milled coins, and sometimes also sell and trade on there as well., and also I would like to recommend the RUclips channel- The Hammered Corner. It is a great RUclips channel for Medieval English coins and really has some great educational content and even has some videos covering the early milled English coinage from the 1600s -1700s
The bar for starting a collection of ancients is much higher. It takes more effort to understand them, as well as their pricing and where to safely buy them as a beginner. They are also not as familiar to people as coins from their own countries. The lack of collectors further leads to people not even knowing that they could be collecting ancients.
If the coin was real, then the dating was certainly misattributed, as Romans did not mint coins until around 300 BC. They did mint bronze ingots before that, but it's unlikely that is what you are talking about.
I really like ancient coins in mint state. It's cool to own and hold a coin in your hand that is in the same condition it was 1000+ years ago. Surviving that long in mint state is fascinating to me. Just to think where and how long the coin sat undisturbed until somebody discovered it. Not to mention, you can see luster that was created by someone swinging a hammer that long ago!
As i unerstand the market, Deceased persons were buried with a coin in their mouths to pay the fee to cross the river Styx. And the burials were along the side of roads, advent of better metal detectors has revealed thousands of those burial coins. Their artful designs are impressive.
Thats correct. Times of economic uncertainty made people hoard coins. And stashing coins away for a rainy day was simply common practice, thats why so many are found today.
For those in the New York City area or traveling to NYC in January - a must show to go to is the NYC International Numismatic Convention. Many dealer of ancient coins and you get to see coins beyond the budgets of most collectors -- I recall a year or two ago seeing a coin from the era of Charlemagne (gold one -- nd these are quite rare) under glass being sold for $100,000. Yet there are grab bags of ancient coins, foreign coins and banknotes too. You can also get things such as 19th century French pattern coins, gold coins from South America from the 19th and 20th century (some of which were produced by US mints!!!!) and the current year's Libertad. If you get there early, you usually get a free coin - such as a large British penny from the 1960's - of low value but still cool.
Just ordered that book on your recommendation. I've been wanting to start collecting Roman coins for awhile now and have been looking for a good book and this looks like it nails it. Thanks and looking to more of your videos and content.
Aussie here. I recently purchased a silver Antoninianus coin because I could not believe how clear and sharp the details were on the coin. And considering its age, how relatively inexpensive it was (about US$50). Very interesting video. Thank you.
The one thing I have trouble with is finding a value for ancient coins. For example. I have a NGC graded AU 4/5 strike 4/5 surface 4 gram Bolbas and Quadrious from 83-2 B.C. I have no idea what it's worth!
Depends on how well the die is carved. I saw some MS 5/5 5/5 that look like a 5 year old carved the portrait, and from the same issue a VF with a masterpiece carved portrait.
Newer to Ancients myself but recently purchased a couple graded Denarius to own a cool piece of history and to drive myself into researching the coins history. Thanks for the content. I’m really enjoying this new journey.
When I started collecting, I decided from the beginning to focus on USA coinage and essentially 20th century. The world was just too big to even attempt more than that. As such, ancients held little interest for me and I expected that they're be quite expensive because typically the older the coin, the higher cost. I may have been wrong about that. However, I held to it and today the only ancient Roman coin that tugs at my heart is the aureus. You may have shown some of them in past videos. If so, I've missed them so far. I think of them as the British sovereigns of the ancient world.
I was thinking of buying my son a gold coin for graduation and it occurred to me maybe I can get a really old one for not much above spot. Are there any Greek or Roman gold coins that normally sell near spot?
ive always wanted to collect some ancient coins. i just checked my local shop and there's a cool grade xf roman coin from around 200 ad for 160 but i just have no idea if thats a ripoff or not
Collecting ancients is more popular in Europe than here in the States. I have been collecting them since '62. As far as values are concerned here is a comparision: 2 Buffalo 5c: One is a fine 36p: the other is a 18/7 overdate PCGS 45. Both Buffalo 5c but what a difference in value! Same with ancients. A Constantine bronze in low grade compared to an au nero denarius is another comparison of both rarity and value difference. If as many American collectors would add ancients to their collection,you would see,a substantial increase,in their value.
Especially a lot of coins from the Roman Empire are extremely common. The amount of mintages were extremely huge so until today in Southern Europe and Middle East they find tons of them, especially from the 3rd/4 th century. So maybe it´s time to start a pretty neat collection of ancient Romans with a low budget. 🤔Greets from GER, U.
Agreed --- even my friend from Newcastle said she could find once in awhile Roman coins from the time of Hadrian along the famed wall or the beaches around there. Also note that as production was huge it was also for centuries so there were sufficient brass coins laying around that up until the 19th century some ships would use them for extra ballast.
You hit it on the head - intrinsic value is determined by supply and demand. Unfortunately, demand for general ancient coins is fairly limited. I believe many collectors are fascinated by ancients - but hold back because there is such limited pricing information. Another viewer pointed this out below. There is also a huge range of quality - you showed the box of partially cleaned coins available at your store. Compare this with the select variety of high quality & slabbed ancients you have available. I'd happily venture that only 1-3% of the dug-ups yield a coin in gradable condition. Unfortunately, I'm seeing horribly over-cleaned coins in NGC slabs without a grade. They sell because people have no idea what they're buying...
I would add that for those on a budget Roman Imperial coins are probably the best ones to collect. So much of coins design from the Renaissance even until today was informed by Roman (and of course Greek design). Just one example is the fascinating design of the Pan Am Gold $1 - a mixture of then modern design with the neo-realism/slightly Cubist influenced depiction of a worker on the obverse but the reverse having two dolphins which is a theme and design idea going back to ancient Greek coinage.
Besides Roman Imperial coins, another option are Byzantine coins. However, appreciating Byzantine coins is an acquired taste due to the crude artistry and borderline cartoonish portraits on the coins. The Byzantine gold solidus & tremissis are some of the least expensive gold coins, especially in comparison to a Roman aureus.
Collecting ancient coins is not as straight-forward as collecting US coins, which can be assembled neatly by date/mintmark. What we think of as "Ancient Greece" was numerous city-states across the Mediterranean, spanning from southern Italy to central Turkey, which expanded further during the conquests of Alexander. Roman coinage spans over seven centuries of Roman civilization, crossing several phases from the Punic war-era Republic (3rd century BC) to the collapsed Empire (5th century AD), w/ various emperors and types on which to focus. It's all daunting for the American collector, but this is where collector's creativity comes in handy. Assembling a collection of ancient coins allows a collector to focus on a theme, whether it be, for example: specific deities or animals, specific regions, a particular monarch or era of monarchs, etc. A collector of ancients can tell a story w/ his collection (see @Classical Numismatics here on YT), rather than assemble a sterile collection of dates and mintmarks, or chase key-date coins.
This is exactly why I stopped collecting US coins. US coins can be boring. In contrast, the iconography Roman coins served as political propaganda in a time where newspapers, TV and social media didn't exist. I feel a greater connection to history examining a Greek/Roman/Byzantine coin versus a US coin. It seems that appreciating history isn't a priority for most US coin collectors. After all, historically significant US coin series such as Colonial coinage and "Hard times" tokens are a lot less popular compared to Morgan dollars. An 1893-S Morgan doesn't look any different from a 1881-S Morgan.
I have 40 or so ancients (I think) and I joke with my wife that most of them are fake. She asked why I would buy a fake coin, I reply that it was faked 1700 yrs ago by a very hardworking guy!
I've always wanted to add a coin that was Ancient to my collection but when I saw some coins really cheap I passed on them, I figured something I wasn't aware of had to be wrong with them to be at that price. I think just holding an ancient coin would be an humbling experience
It always goes back to buy the book before the coin. Research and then buy. I have a couple of ancient Roman coins. NGCs attribution is lacking. They just put the bare minimum. My Owl is raw and I do have to say holding an ancient coin in your hand instead of a slab is much more exciting.
They're so cheap because 1000 years is a lot of loose change dropped. In 3024 they'll be buying copper and zinc pennies for 3000╛coin and people will wonder how they're so cheap.
Just because very few people in the first place realize that they exist on a market that is completely differently priced than most ancient artefacts. And it's better so !
There are cheap ancients coins because some are very common or with low quality, or even rare with very low quality. Then there are coins within the hundreds of €, some also common but with good quality, others rarer. Then expensive coins and very expensive coins. The main point with ancients is that all the coins are diferent, all strucked differently and an immense variety of dies so ancient coins have a lot more features that influence it´s final price. About forgeries, 1 basic advice: don´t buy from Ebay, buy from auction houses, it´s better to pay the fees than to a have a collection of fakes.
I',m a beginner and I just bought ten uncleaned coins, all of which don't hold much promise, and I am questioning whether or not buying uncleaned coins is a rip-off. Do you agree or not? Spending time on sites like SNG is not helpful because of the prices. Where can I go to find some of the "inexpensive" ancient coins you mentioned, Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
I started collecting ancients by following time periods of the bible old and new test. Many of the major powers that issued ancient coins will be mentiond in the bible in some form and from there on there is first a context for the coin at least for westerners of judeo-christian decent but then also a historical story to discover (not necesseraly from the bible itself but archiological historical finds). I think David Hendins book is a great start for beginners and it intruduces a broad range of themes (persian, greek, seleucid, parthian, roman and byzantine amongst other smaller city states and kingdoms) considering that ancient judea as a focal point was influenced by all ancient near east empires therefore intruducing one to a broad range of ancient coins from the very first coins struck by greek and phonecians circa 600BC up to the later byzantine era circa 600AD. Ancients also show the development of minting technology in human history and how designs got complexer, different striking technicks under various financial states that empires and kingdoms were in, different metals used and lots more other interesting things to learn about ancient history alongside the hobby of collecting. I would say that to me personally learning about the period of a ruller depicted on a coin is what makes holding such an old artifact so exciting. Personally i was never interested in "modern" coins eventhough my grandmother owned a very large collection of european and specifically Dutch coins. A 300 yo gold ducat or gilden has nothing on a 2500 yo greek silver tetradrachm in my opinion.
Thanks for the great info! I was just introduced to ancients at a local coin show and was blown away that you're able to get your hands on a piece of history so old. I really like your approach to follow biblical time periods. That would be pretty neat to match them to biblical events. :)
@ClassicalNumismatics is one of my favorit youtube chanell about Numesmatics. By the way, Is there any good book for Sassanian and Parthian (Achaemenid) coins? I bought "Sasanian silver coins : Sasanian numismatic history with identification tools and a catalogue of Sasanian coins in private collections" but It is very limited and does not explain the script and so on.
In regards to Rome, inflation played a large role in why late Roman bronze follis coins are cheap, due to how much was minted. Ancients in general require knowledge of history to fully appreciate and value coins accordingly. It also helps protect you against scammers, which there are unfortunately many in the field.
Another answer to why few collect them has to do with the ancient coin scandal that happened back in the 80s. You need to explain that part of history to collectors. Remember when some guys tried to corner the ancient coin market and their investment potential?
@TheCoinGeek - OK, I'll research for some good docs on it. Some Wall Street guys petitioned Congress and set up some investment laws to include ancient coins and they inflated the values and got people to invest in them like a 401k, which dramatically increased the demand and value. Fast forward a few years and the whole scheme fell apart. It really was a slick operation, obviously with strings pulled by people at the top, akin to the SBF cryptocurrency scam debacle.
PS I just very recently saw a modern, as in today modern, restrike of your Athenian Owl. I know others have used the design in recent times, but this was a new, beautiful one. Something for you to look for.
Since most people collect quality instead of quantity. So 99% prefer machine made coins and not stamped. Because they can be graded with accuracy. This make circulated stamped bronze coins pretty much worthless. I regularly find stamped bronze and silver coins(hammered) metal detecting but after 45 years of detecting I probably have gathered a couple of hundred dollars worth of coins. So it's not what media is writing sometimes that detectorist's find fortunes. Better to search beaches then for lost rings.
The question is: Are they really cheap? I don`t think so. Just because something is old, it doesnt mean it has to be very expensive. Compared to now, ancient coins were cheap 10-20 or meybe 50 years ago - now they are in my understanding expensive - especially silver coins which are in good condition.
In the UK Roman coins are really cheap and Celtic Gold and Silver coins are valued very low here. I am thinking of starting my own coin collection of Celtic gold because they are very affordable. As a detectorist I can say even in the UK finding a gold Celtic coin is a massive bucket lister but the price at auction does not reflect the time and work put in just to find it! Many detectorists never find a gold Celtic coin their whole detecting career. Finding Celtic coins is the biggest buzz and the mystery of British Celtic life is only slowly being unravelled. Then there is the Celtic Ring Money and Iron Ingot currency. The Celts did not write down their history so we have to rely on finds and other sources to piece their history together. Celtic coins go beck to around 200 BC. Roman coins are a similar age and even slightly older back to 289 BC
Ive been buying my daughter bullion for xmas / birthday's last 5years, could tell it was kinda getting boring to her( i dont blame her) this year i changed it up a bit, got her a few older coins ( all ngc just cuz im no expert on the matter )she can watch a movie or mini series to match coin era/origin.
Yeah honestly they aren't so cheap nowadays. The prices have skyrocketed in the last few years. It's difficult to find a good greek silver coin for less than 200 €/$ even if it's extremely common.
Wondering how Silver Eagles get rainbow toned so fast ? Is that happening to other coins like rainbow Morgan's also ? Seems like some have figured how to do this in a lot faster time for BIG money ...
I collect license plates, however I do collect interesting or neat currency as well, with license plates I collect ones that are extremely limited in their runs, I have 2 North Korea license plates, very very hard to get ahold of, my specific plates came from a Chinese fishing vessel who caught both plates together in their net…they were tied together with twine…wonder what the story was there, when I buy ancient coins I find it cool that things I learned about in school, and through historical documentaries and books. I find it amazing I can have coins from the time these people were alive….i have one coin from Judea that was found in Jerusalem at about the time when Jesus would have been walking the earth, it’s just amazing how we can have things from their time in our possession.
$85 is expensive. Some Roman coins cost less than $5 I have a couple of of Roman provincial coins that may be unique or at least exceedingly rat for about $150.
Bought my first roman coins about a month ago. Thought about getting some years ago, but, what is what? Is it even real? I looked in the dealers case and saw some in NGC holders and for forty bucks. Couldn't pass em up.
Trust me. Once you get your first one and research it it will completely change your perspective and unlock so much about history and the human condition for you.
You dont have to collect the coinage of the entiiire ancient period. Dip your toes into it, start, for example, with just coins of Marcus Aurelius, or just coins from a city-state that catches your attention. People should start small
if you have a hard time identifying coins as counterfeit, don't collect ancients unless they are graded. ancients are the number #1 counterfeited coins.
Grading companies do not guarantee authenticity, people have been collecting these for centuries, there is lots of knowledge on how to distinguish fakes from real ones. And trust me, you will find a WHOLE lot more counterfeit collectible US coins around.
Caught the ancient bug a little while ago. I love the history and the things you can get for the money. A good RUclips channel for ancients is Classical Numismatics. He does a great job with the history and the coins. Love when you show them off on here as well.
I was going to recommend Classical Numismatics, too. He's great and has a ton of videos that would help beginners out.
Thanks guys
Hi Mark! Thank you for the shout out! :)
I gave my grandkids , three of them, an old ancient Roman coin so they could hold something that was thousands of years old. Amazing stuff. Thank you for your knowledge sharing
Hi Ben! Thank you for touching on the subject of Ancient Coins. 😃
Im not a big fan of using slabs as a kind of help for beginner ancient coin collectors because the nature of the hobby in fact comes from doing lots of research on your coin, using books as a reference, etc.
In fact, from my experience on coin shows, dealers with raw coins seem to be the ones more likely to have the coin properly attributed, while the NGC slabs generally give very limited information. But hey, if people coming from US coin collecting feel safer with this, go ahead.
Your recommendation on books is spot on, books are a great help for everyone, beginner and experienced collector alike.
As for greek coins, it really shouldnt be seen as this daunting task. Yes, its a different alphabet, but just like everyone here learned how to read and write by being introduced to the letters, then to its sounds, then to its syllables, learning some very basic ancient greek is completely doable. There are even online keyboards where you can type down what you see on your coin.
The relatability point is real. For me coins have been a very interesting catalyst to study new cultures. Some people feel drawn to a culture first, then they delve into their coinage, thats how I got started with Roman coins in fact, but it can go the other way around, its very fun.
I think I'll make a response video to this one when I have a little extra time. You seem to like Ancients, people here on the comments seem to have the typical concerns that are easily answered, and it would be good for the hobby. Thanks once again Ben!
I really like getting slab coins... I have plenty to touch as I read many people like that part of the hobby... I know NGC doesn't "guarantee" the coin is authentic, thought it does give some security that it most likely is. I have found a couple coins so far that looked nice, decent price, then through research there is no doubt it is a modern reproduction... After I pass a certain price level I love searching through all the NGC offerings and finding the "deal". I don't shy away from a lesser cost coin if the NGC package is about what it would cost me to slab it myself.... What I do not understand about NGC is I think their grading is a bit off at times... I wish they used the Sheldon scale. At least then I would understand why one VF is so much better than another V. More than once I have looked at the same grade on 2 different coins and thought, really. I even have a couple that I want to send back to them with photos of others and ask, why is mine a grade lower.... So to a degree, more expensive coins I rely on NGC to be a help as a beginner. Having 3 coins from many years ago I just started collecting 9 weeks ago and just discovered slabs.... I am a fan though I am picky on the one's I purchase with the info on them. I agree it would be great if they gave more.
@@greydogmusic For ancient coins, the reason why two coins of the same type and VF grade sell for different prices is because the grade isn't everthing. One coin might be more expensive than the other because it has struck with artistically engraved dies. Collectors value ancient coins with realistic, expressive portraits compared to crudely engraved, cartoonish portraits. Each ancient coin is evaluated as a unique work of art, so Greysheet style pricing is impractical for ancient coins.
Maybe the question should why are US coins so over priced.
I agree. And why is new bullion so expensive? It is just a hunk of shiny metal.
@@williamgrimes668why is food so expensive? It's so common that it grows in the ground
@@TheQuickSilver101 A horrible attempt at proving a point. Food is necessary to survive. Bullion is a luxury item that nobody needs. Even the gloom and doom stackers don't usually buy high graded slabbed coins.
@@williamgrimes668 The cost to produce the bullion product and the middle man adding more than a fair market share to sell to the hoarding retail customers. Wait for a big dip in price to buy bullion at a price that you are comfortable with else you'll be holding your bag of bullion for years and years just to break even. The time to buy is opened during a short time period but that's when you should go all in or average in as the price continues to drop.
@@williamgrimes668 Horrible is a bit harsh, but was it a clunky attempt? Probably, so let me approach it differently by asking a few questions. What purpose do those hunks of metal serve? How much does it cost to extract and refine those hunks of metal? Can anyone extract these metals from their property?
I presume I don't need to answer these questions for you though maybe I'm wrong since you seem to think they're just shiny metal with no purpose other than to appear attractive.
I will say that anyone with any land at all (which I know isn't everyone) can grow their own food. I live in a major city and my family grows enough food that we haven't needed to go to the grocery store for anything in over a month. Whereas if I was allowed to mine for metals on my land I wouldn't find anything
I'm not sure what your point was about high grade certified coins but as far as I know those are priced based on supply and demand. If no one wanted them no one would buy them
I would be interested in hearing more about coins from the 1300s to 1700. Are any from that era affordable for an average collector?
Maybe look into Spanish Reales.
1700s British coins are pretty affordable
Yes you can definitely find affordable medieval hammered coins, though they are not as common as ancient coins, I've been collecting medieval coins as well as ancients for about 5 years, and I have a lot of medieval coins that I got for around the $15 - $50 price range, and same thing goes for early milled coinage from the 1600s - 1700s, a great way to get into this time period of coins is German States coins and Italian states coins, these are not as popular as the Spanish colonial coinage so they are usually more affordable and they have an amazing variety of different designs and issuing bodies, and if you are more into large silver coins this German and Austrian States thalers are definitely something you should look into, they can get a bit pricey especially the ones from the 1500 through the early 1600s but you can find some if you look hard in the $150 - $200 range and some the silver thalers from the 1700s can get more affordable, I've bought some for $40 - $80 range in auctions before.. but if you are interested in medieval/early modern coins you should check out my Instagram- @chicosmerf1 where I post ancient, medieval, and early milled coins, and sometimes also sell and trade on there as well., and also I would like to recommend the RUclips channel- The Hammered Corner. It is a great RUclips channel for Medieval English coins and really has some great educational content and even has some videos covering the early milled English coinage from the 1600s -1700s
Lots of them available and usually affordable.
Indian Sultanates coins are not expensive, Chinese Yuan and Ming dynasty are also not expensive.
The bar for starting a collection of ancients is much higher. It takes more effort to understand them, as well as their pricing and where to safely buy them as a beginner. They are also not as familiar to people as coins from their own countries. The lack of collectors further leads to people not even knowing that they could be collecting ancients.
I just realized yesterday that ancient coins aren't insanely expensive. I never dreamed I could even own one
Vcoins is somewhat reliable
Thanks Ben. One of the first coins I ever collected was a gift of a Roman coin from 400 B.C. I was ten years old at the time and promptly lost it.
If the coin was real, then the dating was certainly misattributed, as Romans did not mint coins until around 300 BC. They did mint bronze ingots before that, but it's unlikely that is what you are talking about.
“For those of you with a 3rd grade level of geography, you know Greece and Rome are countries …”
I really like ancient coins in mint state. It's cool to own and hold a coin in your hand that is in the same condition it was 1000+ years ago. Surviving that long in mint state is fascinating to me. Just to think where and how long the coin sat undisturbed until somebody discovered it. Not to mention, you can see luster that was created by someone swinging a hammer that long ago!
Where do you find the Van Meter book? Its 70 bucks used on Amason 😢, wonder if there are other sources.
It’s always good to check for used books on eBay 👍🏼
As i unerstand the market, Deceased persons were buried with a coin in their mouths to pay the fee to cross the river Styx. And the burials were along the side of roads, advent of better metal detectors has revealed thousands of those burial coins. Their artful designs are impressive.
Thats correct. Times of economic uncertainty made people hoard coins. And stashing coins away for a rainy day was simply common practice, thats why so many are found today.
For those in the New York City area or traveling to NYC in January - a must show to go to is the NYC International Numismatic Convention. Many dealer of ancient coins and you get to see coins beyond the budgets of most collectors -- I recall a year or two ago seeing a coin from the era of Charlemagne (gold one -- nd these are quite rare) under glass being sold for $100,000. Yet there are grab bags of ancient coins, foreign coins and banknotes too. You can also get things such as 19th century French pattern coins, gold coins from South America from the 19th and 20th century (some of which were produced by US mints!!!!) and the current year's Libertad.
If you get there early, you usually get a free coin - such as a large British penny from the 1960's - of low value but still cool.
Just ordered that book on your recommendation. I've been wanting to start collecting Roman coins for awhile now and have been looking for a good book and this looks like it nails it. Thanks and looking to more of your videos and content.
Awesome. Enjoy. It’s a great hobby
Aussie here. I recently purchased a silver Antoninianus coin because I could not believe how clear and sharp the details were on the coin. And considering its age, how relatively inexpensive it was (about US$50). Very interesting video. Thank you.
Sounds like a nice coin.
bought my first ancient coin today! got a Head of Helios silver Drachm from apparently 205 to 190 BC. I am tempted to get it authenticated/ graded
The one thing I have trouble with is finding a value for ancient coins. For example. I have a NGC graded AU 4/5 strike 4/5 surface 4 gram Bolbas and Quadrious from 83-2 B.C. I have no idea what it's worth!
Depends on how well the die is carved. I saw some MS 5/5 5/5 that look like a 5 year old carved the portrait, and from the same issue a VF with a masterpiece carved portrait.
The strike and surface only contribute so much. There are artistic qualities involved that really discern value.
You're absolutely correct. The only way to find out is to sell it (and then you don't have it anymore...)
@@therealdjanvrinYou can get a quote from a guy like Ben. He doesn't require you to sell it after the quote.
very simple...just take your coin to a large coin show and see how much each dealer will offer.
Newer to Ancients myself but recently purchased a couple graded Denarius to own a cool piece of history and to drive myself into researching the coins history. Thanks for the content. I’m really enjoying this new journey.
When I started collecting, I decided from the beginning to focus on USA coinage and essentially 20th century. The world was just too big to even attempt more than that.
As such, ancients held little interest for me and I expected that they're be quite expensive because typically the older the coin, the higher cost. I may have been wrong about that.
However, I held to it and today the only ancient Roman coin that tugs at my heart is the aureus.
You may have shown some of them in past videos. If so, I've missed them so far.
I think of them as the British sovereigns of the ancient world.
I was thinking of buying my son a gold coin for graduation and it occurred to me maybe I can get a really old one for not much above spot. Are there any Greek or Roman gold coins that normally sell near spot?
No. But a lot of coins that are really cool are most likely in your budget. Think of something cool you think he’d like.
ive always wanted to collect some ancient coins. i just checked my local shop and there's a cool grade xf roman coin from around 200 ad for 160 but i just have no idea if thats a ripoff or not
Collecting ancients is more popular in Europe than here in the States. I have been collecting them since '62. As far as values are concerned here is a comparision: 2 Buffalo 5c: One is a fine 36p: the other is a 18/7 overdate PCGS 45. Both Buffalo 5c but what a difference in value! Same with ancients. A Constantine bronze in low grade compared to an au nero denarius is another comparison of both rarity and value difference. If as many American collectors would add ancients to their collection,you would see,a substantial increase,in their value.
Especially a lot of coins from the Roman Empire are extremely common. The amount of mintages were extremely huge so until today in Southern Europe and Middle East they find tons of them, especially from the 3rd/4 th century. So maybe it´s time to start a pretty neat collection of ancient Romans with a low budget. 🤔Greets from GER, U.
What's the most made for one design
Agreed --- even my friend from Newcastle said she could find once in awhile Roman coins from the time of Hadrian along the famed wall or the beaches around there. Also note that as production was huge it was also for centuries so there were sufficient brass coins laying around that up until the 19th century some ships would use them for extra ballast.
Never realised ancient coins were a thing. And especially not so acessible. Being a History geek I'm going to have to check them out.
Please
Do!
You hit it on the head - intrinsic value is determined by supply and demand. Unfortunately, demand for general ancient coins is fairly limited. I believe many collectors are fascinated by ancients - but hold back because there is such limited pricing information. Another viewer pointed this out below. There is also a huge range of quality - you showed the box of partially cleaned coins available at your store. Compare this with the select variety of high quality & slabbed ancients you have available. I'd happily venture that only 1-3% of the dug-ups yield a coin in gradable condition. Unfortunately, I'm seeing horribly over-cleaned coins in NGC slabs without a grade. They sell because people have no idea what they're buying...
That is a real tuff market to get into. And knowing what is fake and what is real. And knowing what the coins are really worth.
Ancient coins have been studied for centuries, there is a strong community of people and dealers with lots of knowledge on how to spot fakes
I would add that for those on a budget Roman Imperial coins are probably the best ones to collect. So much of coins design from the Renaissance even until today was informed by Roman (and of course Greek design). Just one example is the fascinating design of the Pan Am Gold $1 - a mixture of then modern design with the neo-realism/slightly Cubist influenced depiction of a worker on the obverse but the reverse having two dolphins which is a theme and design idea going back to ancient Greek coinage.
Besides Roman Imperial coins, another option are Byzantine coins. However, appreciating Byzantine coins is an acquired taste due to the crude artistry and borderline cartoonish portraits on the coins. The Byzantine gold solidus & tremissis are some of the least expensive gold coins, especially in comparison to a Roman aureus.
At the end of the day, those Ionian bee coins are pretty cool.
Collecting ancient coins is not as straight-forward as collecting US coins, which can be assembled neatly by date/mintmark. What we think of as "Ancient Greece" was numerous city-states across the Mediterranean, spanning from southern Italy to central Turkey, which expanded further during the conquests of Alexander. Roman coinage spans over seven centuries of Roman civilization, crossing several phases from the Punic war-era Republic (3rd century BC) to the collapsed Empire (5th century AD), w/ various emperors and types on which to focus.
It's all daunting for the American collector, but this is where collector's creativity comes in handy. Assembling a collection of ancient coins allows a collector to focus on a theme, whether it be, for example: specific deities or animals, specific regions, a particular monarch or era of monarchs, etc. A collector of ancients can tell a story w/ his collection (see @Classical Numismatics here on YT), rather than assemble a sterile collection of dates and mintmarks, or chase key-date coins.
Thanks.
When control of areas change and boarders move it really can confuse the issue. There are coins that aren’t claimed by modern countries 😂
This is exactly why I stopped collecting US coins. US coins can be boring. In contrast, the iconography Roman coins served as political propaganda in a time where newspapers, TV and social media didn't exist. I feel a greater connection to history examining a Greek/Roman/Byzantine coin versus a US coin. It seems that appreciating history isn't a priority for most US coin collectors. After all, historically significant US coin series such as Colonial coinage and "Hard times" tokens are a lot less popular compared to Morgan dollars. An 1893-S Morgan doesn't look any different from a 1881-S Morgan.
I have 40 or so ancients (I think) and I joke with my wife that most of them are fake. She asked why I would buy a fake coin, I reply that it was faked 1700 yrs ago by a very hardworking guy!
Funnily enough, there are plenty of ancient counterfeit coins made thousands of years ago that reached our days!
I've always wanted to add a coin that was Ancient to my collection but when I saw some coins really cheap I passed on them, I figured something I wasn't aware of had to be wrong with them to be at that price. I think just holding an ancient coin would be an humbling experience
www.oldpueblocoin.com/ancient-coins?sort=price-asc
😉
Its not that hard, give it a try!
Some very interesting ancient coins you have there!@@TheCoinGeek
You're right and I will 😀@@ClassicalNumismatics
At the end of the day, I think they’re cool, but realize it would take a lifetime to become well versed in ancients. Thanks for a great video!
It's only worth it if you love it and it fascinates you -then it isn't even that hard.
It always goes back to buy the book before the coin. Research and then buy. I have a couple of ancient Roman coins. NGCs attribution is lacking. They just put the bare minimum. My Owl is raw and I do have to say holding an ancient coin in your hand instead of a slab is much more exciting.
Since Ben said its ok, ancient coin channels I check are Classical Numismatcis, Numischannel and The Hammered Corner
Roman Coins and their Values is a great 5 volume set
Very good question and discussion. Wish I thought of it...
They're so cheap because 1000 years is a lot of loose change dropped.
In 3024 they'll be buying copper and zinc pennies for 3000╛coin and people will wonder how they're so cheap.
Just because very few people in the first place realize that they exist on a market that is completely differently priced than most ancient artefacts. And it's better so !
There are cheap ancients coins because some are very common or with low quality, or even rare with very low quality. Then there are coins within the hundreds of €, some also common but with good quality, others rarer. Then expensive coins and very expensive coins. The main point with ancients is that all the coins are diferent, all strucked differently and an immense variety of dies so ancient coins have a lot more features that influence it´s final price. About forgeries, 1 basic advice: don´t buy from Ebay, buy from auction houses, it´s better to pay the fees than to a have a collection of fakes.
Thanks for the video!
I',m a beginner and I just bought ten uncleaned coins, all of which don't hold much promise, and I am questioning whether or not buying uncleaned coins is a rip-off. Do you agree or not? Spending time on sites like SNG is not helpful because of the prices. Where can I go to find some of the "inexpensive" ancient coins you mentioned, Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
😮 How in the world do you do it Donald ! You are the man 🙏😊 👍
Easy - he lives for Ben’s videos.
Spin-off idea: Ben the Coin Goth - for the sad beat up pieces.
awesome video man, subbed
Appreciate it!
I prefer punch marked coins or Western Satstraps from India, they cost about $10 and Chinese Bang Liang and Wu Shu coins, about $5.
Great topic and great discussion! Thanks
I started collecting ancients by following time periods of the bible old and new test.
Many of the major powers that issued ancient coins will be mentiond in the bible in some form and from there on there is first a context for the coin at least for westerners of judeo-christian decent but then also a historical story to discover (not necesseraly from the bible itself but archiological historical finds).
I think David Hendins book is a great start for beginners and it intruduces a broad range of themes (persian, greek, seleucid, parthian, roman and byzantine amongst other smaller city states and kingdoms) considering that ancient judea as a focal point was influenced by all ancient near east empires therefore intruducing one to a broad range of ancient coins from the very first coins struck by greek and phonecians circa 600BC up to the later byzantine era circa 600AD.
Ancients also show the development of minting technology in human history and how designs got complexer, different striking technicks under various financial states that empires and kingdoms were in, different metals used and lots more other interesting things to learn about ancient history alongside the hobby of collecting.
I would say that to me personally learning about the period of a ruller depicted on a coin is what makes holding such an old artifact so exciting.
Personally i was never interested in "modern" coins eventhough my grandmother owned a very large collection of european and specifically Dutch coins. A 300 yo gold ducat or gilden has nothing on a 2500 yo greek silver tetradrachm in my opinion.
Thanks for your addition to the community
Thanks for the great info! I was just introduced to ancients at a local coin show and was blown away that you're able to get your hands on a piece of history so old. I really like your approach to follow biblical time periods. That would be pretty neat to match them to biblical events. :)
I'm ancient and pretty much worthless according to my ex.😂
😂😃😀🙂😐😔😥😭
Looool
She also hates your guts... but your money is still green to her.
That's funny 😅
If she's a woman and she's over 40, then she's invisible anyhow. Just taking up space and waiting for death to come.
@ClassicalNumismatics is one of my favorit youtube chanell about Numesmatics.
By the way, Is there any good book for Sassanian and Parthian (Achaemenid) coins?
I bought "Sasanian silver coins : Sasanian numismatic history with identification tools and a catalogue of Sasanian coins in private collections" but It is very limited and does not explain the script and so on.
In regards to Rome, inflation played a large role in why late Roman bronze follis coins are cheap, due to how much was minted.
Ancients in general require knowledge of history to fully appreciate and value coins accordingly. It also helps protect you against scammers, which there are unfortunately many in the field.
Another answer to why few collect them has to do with the ancient coin scandal that happened back in the 80s. You need to explain that part of history to collectors. Remember when some guys tried to corner the ancient coin market and their investment potential?
Send me the info.
I don’t know that story
@TheCoinGeek - OK, I'll research for some good docs on it. Some Wall Street guys petitioned Congress and set up some investment laws to include ancient coins and they inflated the values and got people to invest in them like a 401k, which dramatically increased the demand and value. Fast forward a few years and the whole scheme fell apart. It really was a slick operation, obviously with strings pulled by people at the top, akin to the SBF cryptocurrency scam debacle.
PS I just very recently saw a modern, as in today modern, restrike of your Athenian Owl. I know others have used the design in recent times, but this was a new, beautiful one. Something for you to look for.
You really enjoyed sharing.
Where do i buy one
Great info man!
Classical Numismatics sent me 🪙
Have to admit - makes me want to get an owl, just to have one ancient.
Since most people collect quality instead of quantity. So 99% prefer machine made coins and not stamped. Because they can be graded with accuracy. This make circulated stamped bronze coins pretty much worthless. I regularly find stamped bronze and silver coins(hammered) metal detecting but after 45 years of detecting I probably have gathered a couple of hundred dollars worth of coins. So it's not what media is writing sometimes that detectorist's find fortunes. Better to search beaches then for lost rings.
David Hendin's books on ancient coins of Judea are really good too.
I just bought my first RED BOOK ever and I'll say Im shocked at how many coins are in it 😊
The question is: Are they really cheap? I don`t think so. Just because something is old, it doesnt mean it has to be very expensive. Compared to now, ancient coins were cheap 10-20 or meybe 50 years ago - now they are in my understanding expensive - especially silver coins which are in good condition.
In the UK Roman coins are really cheap and Celtic Gold and Silver coins are valued very low here. I am thinking of starting my own coin collection of Celtic gold because they are very affordable. As a detectorist I can say even in the UK finding a gold Celtic coin is a massive bucket lister but the price at auction does not reflect the time and work put in just to find it! Many detectorists never find a gold Celtic coin their whole detecting career.
Finding Celtic coins is the biggest buzz and the mystery of British Celtic life is only slowly being unravelled. Then there is the Celtic Ring Money and Iron Ingot currency. The Celts did not write down their history so we have to rely on finds and other sources to piece their history together. Celtic coins go beck to around 200 BC. Roman coins are a similar age and even slightly older back to 289 BC
I can read Ionic Greek, but I have no ancient Greek coins. I'm a special kind of geek 😅
Just ordered 2 ancient coins, waiting them to arrive, I had no idea they were so cheep.
Does anyone know an ancient coins expert I could send some pics to ?
Fun fact: "Octavianus" translates loosely to English as "Eightbutts".
A joke on par with my 3rd grade level of geography. 😝
Hi, Ben. I want a PR70+* DCAM FDOI Athenian Owl from 480 BC. 🦉
Lmao
Lolololololo......😂
Ive been buying my daughter bullion for xmas / birthday's last 5years, could tell it was kinda getting boring to her( i dont blame her) this year i changed it up a bit, got her a few older coins ( all ngc just cuz im no expert on the matter )she can watch a movie or mini series to match coin era/origin.
cheap?? where you get yours @?...i'm needing the Gordians l & ll...and i haven't found one less than around 2 grand....
Yeah honestly they aren't so cheap nowadays. The prices have skyrocketed in the last few years. It's difficult to find a good greek silver coin for less than 200 €/$ even if it's extremely common.
Your little side comments always have me laughing keep up the amazing content great and informational!
Thank you
I purchased my first ancient coin about a week ago only time will tell if it terns into a new addiction lol
It’s an addiction as fast as the wallet
Same here... I can totally see it getting out of hand pretty quick.. lol
Just started to get into ancients.
NGC is a curse to collecting!
Wondering how Silver Eagles get rainbow toned so fast ? Is that happening to other coins like rainbow Morgan's also ? Seems like some have figured how to do this in a lot faster time for BIG money ...
Of course they have. They use sulfer to tone them.
They use an egg. It's on RUclips how to do it. I like the colors but would never pay extra for that.
I collect license plates, however I do collect interesting or neat currency as well, with license plates I collect ones that are extremely limited in their runs, I have 2 North Korea license plates, very very hard to get ahold of, my specific plates came from a Chinese fishing vessel who caught both plates together in their net…they were tied together with twine…wonder what the story was there, when I buy ancient coins I find it cool that things I learned about in school, and through historical documentaries and books. I find it amazing I can have coins from the time these people were alive….i have one coin from Judea that was found in Jerusalem at about the time when Jesus would have been walking the earth, it’s just amazing how we can have things from their time in our possession.
"Octavianus"
$85 is expensive. Some Roman coins cost less than $5 I have a couple of of Roman provincial coins that may be unique or at least exceedingly rat for about $150.
Get me some cheap Bactrian, especially the Buddhist stuff. I cannot buy any cheap, and I hunt that stuff
I love the Indo-Greek silver drachma
Bought my first roman coins about a month ago.
Thought about getting some years ago, but, what is what? Is it even real?
I looked in the dealers case and saw some in NGC holders and for forty bucks. Couldn't pass em up.
NGC Doesnt guarantee ancients authenticity, just be aware of that
OctaviAnus?
Got mine from Authentic Ancients
Always respected ancients, but it seemed too daunting to learn about them. US coins have only been around a couple of hundred years, not thousands.
Trust me. Once you get your first one and research it it will completely change your perspective and unlock so much about history and the human condition for you.
Much more interesting, my advice is to dip your toes in it.
You dont have to collect the coinage of the entiiire ancient period. Dip your toes into it, start, for example, with just coins of Marcus Aurelius, or just coins from a city-state that catches your attention. People should start small
I have some old silver coins inherited from my grandfather. I want to sell to you, how do I do it?

🙂
if you have a hard time identifying coins as counterfeit, don't collect ancients unless they are graded. ancients are the number #1 counterfeited coins.
Grading companies do not guarantee authenticity, people have been collecting these for centuries, there is lots of knowledge on how to distinguish fakes from real ones.
And trust me, you will find a WHOLE lot more counterfeit collectible US coins around.
Why are modern coins so expensive? Demand, I suppose.I hope ancients stay less popular....
*FIRST*
Nobody wants them.
Ohh you are very mistaken. In the US in particular the market is growing substantially.
Everybody collects different coins..@@ClassicalNumismatics
Because There are Millions of them of course
🏁☃🌈🤠😎