Many coin collectors appreciate the history associated with an old coin. So, appreciating ancient coins, artifacts from antiquity, is easily understood. Yet many coin collectors will not have a single ancient coin is a typical collection.
One reason people do not include ancient coins is that there is a misconception that all ancient coins are expensive. True, many ancient coins are expensive, but lower grade coins often are not.
Of course, higher grade coins are more desirable. Many well worn coins look like disks with little detail. This is because no one has a can of pristine ancient coins hidden in an attic from the year in which they were minted. Ancient coins are usually dug up after years of having been buried. This is not conducive to having great specimens. Also, ancient coins were minted before mints had machinery to put pressure on planchets with well engraved dies. Some ancient coins, those minted for military payment, were often minted by portable mints that went with the soldiers by a person who applied pressure with a hammer. Yet despite this, great specimens do occasionally come available.
Comments
Ancient coins are not available for every culture, although if they exist they are probably meaningful to collectors. I know Biblical coins are a collecting specialty, but often are of Roman origin when what is now Israel was occupied by Rome. Desert nations might have problems associated with shifting sands hiding coins. In Europe many coins were buried by soldiers entering battle, and later found if the soldier had been killed or fled.
blackspanielgallery, Thank you for the practicalities and products.
Are ancient Asian coins outside China and Japan not available or popular with collectors or inspirational for mug art?
Thanks for stopping by. This was intended to be a light article, not pertaining to any problems.
It is good to keep up the flow of articles at this period of stress. Thanks, I learned something here.