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The most popular reviews in /r/AncientCoins:
It's a modern souvenir replica of a Spanish American Colonial coin, like a gold doubloon or silver piece of eight. We see this one here on reddit fairly frequently. You can order them in bulk on Amazon to hand out at pirate themed birthday parties, etc. It is cast base metal (probably a zinc alloy) and has no intrinsic or collector value to speak of.
You can recognize these particular replicas by their roughly pentagonal shape.
https://www.amazon.com/Metal-Pirate-Coins-Doubloon-Replicas/dp/B001CICTZS/
Sorry it wasn't better news.
Ah yes, I'd recognise colin_colyton's listings anywhere :)
Your best bet for cleaning them will probably be some dental tools (I use these ones), and gently try and pick the dirt off, without scratching the surface. Hopefully someone with some more experience cleaning coins will be able to be more helpful though
The following is the most sensible cleaning guide I've ever read.
Sadly, in Bulgaria the "authorities" are frequently the ones responsible for the theft and trafficking of the coins. Recent stats suggest that as much as 90% have disappeared, often from the museums where they are supposed to be stored. https://www.academia.edu/4136789/Celtic_Coinage_from_Bulgaria_-_The_Material_Evidence
This is one of the most common tourist fakes. I ahve seen it more than a hundred times. It is fighting for that place with the almost equally common (in the year I bothered to count) fake of a Syracuse dekadrachm:
https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=Syracuse+dekadrachm+fake&addon=opensearch
As aids_man13 said, it’s a plug from an electrical box. You can see the circled “UL” (also known as the “Underwriters Laboratory” seal) that is stamped on most electrical products, and the positive (+) and negative (-) symbols. It’s threaded on the edge so that it can be unscrewed from an electrical box with a philips head screwdriver and wires can be passed through the resulting hole.
Not the exact brand probably, but here’s a link
The eBay item has a $40 price tag. Many books, including this one are available from Google Print. If you click the Get this book in print link then On Demand Books you will find Espresso book machines that can turn any old book into paper. If you don't live in a town with an Espresso Book Machine the Harvard University Bookstore will print it for $13.55.
Often the Google Books and other print-on-demand publishers miss oversize pages due to improper scanning. Let's hope this is not the case with this book. A seller of the first edition points out that a fold-out page in this book was illustrated by mintmaster and sometime physicist Sir Isaac Newton.
"Legions" in the sense of Antony's and Caesar's named legions is not what I was discussing but more of "legions" in the sense of military camps and armies discussed by Livy. This is the ongoing research I was talking about by the way: https://www.academia.edu/15759112/Andrew_McCabe_Roman_Struck_Bronze_Coinage_in_Apulia_for_INC_Taormina_extended_version
We don't have a lot of info on the purchasing power of ancient coins, fortunately, the best source, the edict on maximum prices by Diocletian is from that era:
https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=edict+of+diocletian&addon=chrome&addonversion=2.1.0
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I've never actually read it though, so I don't have examples ready.
I've thought about that too and it makes me really think it had to have had some purpose other than stylistic reasons. It isn't extremely common, but Republican coins with test cuts are found in Spain(my Julius Caesar denarius, for instance, is of Spanish/Southern Gaulish style and has a Spanish-style test cut) so I would not be surprised if it was the Romans' attempt at providing the test cuts themselves so that Iberians and others wouldn't go destroying the coins' designs. Andrew McCabe recently posted a paper on Iberian-style test cuts here if you're interested, it doesn't mention serrated denarii, but given the damage done to the coins by the test cuts it seems to me that maybe the Romans used the serrations to attempt to counter that.
The etchings look similar to rock art from the Nlaka’pamux tribe in BC.
This book might be helpful for you:
The Write Their Dream on the Rock Forever: Rock Writings in the Stein River Valley of British Columbia https://www.amazon.com/dp/1772012203/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_BP595JG0H9ADMEMQHTBK
You are correct.
If you go to Worldcat it will tell you where the nearest copy of the book might be found in a library.
The Dirty Old Coins database can be downloaded from http://download.cnet.com/The-DOC-Database/3000-2648_4-10626570.html
That's only 10k coins and it's almost a gigabyte. It'd be pretty hopeless to try to build any kind of software around that but, hey, at least it gets the ball rolling.
Coinvac just broke the 1.5 million ancient coins record and it takes up more storage than your average hard drive. You're talking oodles of data!
No, the double denarius antoninianus was also made to be fourree during the inflation. Just like our pennies are actually tin now and the half dollar was silver, became clad silver (40%), and then finally became clad copper with no silver.
If the metal value outstrips the face value of the coin, people will hoard the old coinage, and sometimes melt it down, creating a coin shortage. That happened just lately when the price of copper shot way up and people started going through all the world circulating coins and pulling the high copper coins out to sell as metal. It created a temporary shortage of low denomination coins in many countries.
Will and Ariel Durant wrote some good, thick books on roman history about 70 years ago, and they have many details of the lives of the emperors, life during each reign, the politics, and economics. The neat thing about those books is that not only are they compendious and highly accurate, they are really cheap for the used volumes, because they were printed in relatively high volume. He also wrote a history of greece that is well respected (and cheap!).
Edit, added link below...
I've learned that the Hemilitron seems to be very specific to Sicily and is roughly equivalent to 1/10 of an obol or 1/2 of a litra.
But can anyone say more about this denomination?
In this paper by Thomas Faucher and Catharine Lorber they discuss the series under which this coin is believed to have been minted and possible chronology based on hoard evidence. It seems like this was part of a big currency reform. A very worthwhile read if you want to learn a bit more about it.
Happy New Year all!
About the Mithridates coins. I rather think that Mithridates may have been influenced by 'barbarian' design to some extent. He had a Celtic mistress, and his personal bodyguard was made up of Celts:
I know, right? It's like they weren't really trying.
https://www.amazon.com/Widows-Coins-Reproduction-Antique-Bronze/dp/B00NVOFJ44/
https://www.amazon.com/Beverly-Oaks-Metal-Pirate-Coins/dp/B001D7Y9BU/
I don’t have any of these yet but I’ve been considering getting a few of these to display some of my favorite coins in. Might interest you
https://www.amazon.com/CrazyStorey-Floating-，Medallions-Jewelry，Challenge-Coin，2-75/dp/B07P94GNC3
Nice show...
I am in the process of doing the same and it is an interesting process. I am glad you showed the results!
If you are interested, I am using sodium sesquicarbonate that I bought off of Amazon. I read some horror stories about how the homemade stuff can sometimes be too strong (or too weak.) So far, I am happy with the results. I just mix 5 grams sodium sesquicarbonate with 95 ml distilled water. (I think this is the British Museum's ratio for curing bronze disease. ...I Let it sit for a week, then change it out until it is "cured."
I got my stuff on Amazon. A little goes a long way...
Buy the book"Classical Deception" by Wayne Sayles, he's a noted authority on fakes. 12 bucks on amazon, can't go wrong.
This is modern cast reproduction. Genuine examples of these types of Spanish Colonial coins were made by striking coin blanks with dies, and weren't made by casting like this one.
This particular piece is an example of a very common replica. They are intended to be used as party favors for a pirate-themed birthday party, etc. It's not unusual for people to bury them in the sand at a beach for treasure hunts.
Notice how yours is roughly pentagonal in shape, like all of the ones in this photo:
https://www.amazon.com/Metal-Pirate-Coins-Doubloon-Replicas/dp/B001CICTZS/
Sorry not to have better news for you.
Absolutely! Get some Andre pencils and work what dirt is left on it off gently. Don’t press too hard because it can damage the actual surface. The steel wool pencil is usually the gentlest. And definitely post some pics after! https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Andres-pencils-fantastic-cleaning/dp/B076GNXD35/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=1LBCSY1DRD7FL&keywords=andre+pencils&qid=1668481350&sprefix=andre+pencils%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1z...
I admit, this flip came with the coin, and I didn't purchase it. But what makes you think this has PVC?
Could it not be a PVC-free holder, like these? https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07BQFNXJB?smid=A25JP4WWDXB09W&psc=1
I will ask the coin seller to confirm however, but if you know how I can tell him this is a PVC one, let me know!
> le crayon a andre steelbrush pencil
Thanks, like this I guess?
I've never touched one of these -- I might worry about the steel brush wires scratching the coin, especially with silver.
Thanks! Magnification is my weakest area I think - I use a digital microscope that I got off amazon. It gets the job done, but there are definitely better models out there.
Yes, there are tons of fakes out there. Not just ancient coins, though. Pretty much anything of any value is faked by someone.
Fortunately, most fake coins are so atrociously bad, it's easy to tell the difference between fakes and the real thing. If you want to learn a lot about fake coins in general and how to spot them, my best recommendation is this book.
Yes you really must buy the book
Notice how they are all exactly the same shape and design? Kind of a rounded pentagon shape? You don't get that uniformity with genuine Spanish Colonial cob coins. These are well known replicas made of plated, die cast pot metal that we see here and over on /r/coins all of the time. They are sold as pirate play money for party favors, etc.
https://www.amazon.com/Metal-Pirate-Coins-Doubloon-Replicas/dp/B001CICTZS
Hey, you gave some great advice but one of our moderators removed your comment because you included an amazon affiliate link. If you edit your link so it only has the "https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Ancient-Coins-Harlan-Berk/dp/0794846327/" part in it, which still goes to the same book, and then reply to me here I can approve your comment, which as I said contains lots of good information.
Thanks, and good luck!
I bought a Schulz Tray from Amazon. It's super cheap but it does the job:
Sorry, I didn’t get a notification for this for some reason. I browse this sub daily and have learned a lot here. Forumancientcoins.com is also a fantastic resource. There’s a member of this sub who has a YouTube channel with some great videos on really all aspects of ancient coin collecting.
https://youtube.com/c/ClassicalNumismatics
I honestly also learn a lot from just scrolling through v-coins.com, clicking on coins that look interesting and reading their description. These days I think you can find most information that’s in coin books online. However, I like having physical books. This was the first ancient coin book I got and I think it’s great. You might want to get some other books once your collecting becomes more focused. It’s pretty inexpensive so I’d definitely recommend it.
https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Ancient-Greek-Roman-Coins/dp/030709362X
I bought a copy of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins a while back which is a simple book on the basics, but it’s helpful for sure. I mostly use wildwinds and google searches tho haha.
Btw the link to seller
I will try that. This shot was at a slight angle to the coin and not directly overhead. I am waiting for an adapter ring for the Canon lens that comes today before attempting any more macro shots. I am already liking the progress.
I'm actually a little surprised at the lack of quality you get for that price, I honestly expected better. If it were half that price, I'd say go for it but I think $140 is too much for something that you will probably want to upgrade from in due course due to its limitations (height adjust, stability, working distance).
I'd recommend a WeMacro stand instead, which is much better built, cheaper ($125), and comes with an XY positioner to help align the coin with the camera. The downside is that it ships from China and the shipping could be a bit expensive. I haven't used one myself but know of people who have and that use it for more demanding tasks (higher magnification macro photography) and they say it's a great deal for the price.
You only need the "vertical setup" but if you think it might be useful for horizontal use, it's another $24 ($149 total) to include the accessories for that option. You'll want to buy an Arca plate like this for your camera, it will screw to the tripod mount on the underside of your camera and let you attach it to the WeMacro stand.
Thanks, I have been playing with my tripod which I use with my GoPro and it really doesn’t work for coins. What do you think of this: Cosmo COPY STAND, Mini 500, A Compact Tool for Digitizing Documents, Old Photos and Macro Photography with Your High-Pixel Camera Instead of scanning, with Floating Magnet, Made in USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084DJ7VHL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_QD78E6FM8WR6T6ZAPF1B
It's a modern cast imitation of a Spanish Colonial coin, pirate play money sold in gift shops and handed out at pirate-themed children's birthday parties. These look very different from the genuine coins that they kinda-sorta imitate.
You can buy them in bulk on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Metal-Pirate-Coins-Doubloon-Replicas/dp/B001CICTZS/
>I think no-background photos are key if you want to publish them in a website gallery. You really need a consistent background to achieve a clean, professional, look
Yup, exactly. A few places get away with gray background (Heritage, looks like just a gray plastic platform), or felt especially if you always use the same one. I may try red or blue felt & see how the Santa responds to vivid background
>Did you have trouble removing the backgrounds from the photos?
Actually no! Finding out the technology for background removal had improved so much was really a shock, since I wasted countless hours in the past with poor results. These are what https://www.remove.bg/ gave me first try (not perfect for all, but pretty good for drag & drop). (Using one side at time to get biggest possible image then posting back together.) These are just the small free images but they have bigger ones available if you subscribe.
Because they are so complex in detail you’re probably best off with soft back books references like The Voided Long-Cross Coinage 1247-1279 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1902040740/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_NHMEYT1MRAS3250P7CT5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
WISHDIAM 3PCS Set 3D Floating Frame Display Holder Stands Holder Suspension Frame for Challenge Coin,AA Medallion,Chip,Pin,Medal,9.1x3.5x1.2 inches,Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L3LFKGN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_K70CPPREAM9JGSH5EJQW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
After 20+ years of looking at this stuff, and reading all available literature, it eventually starts to suffuse the brain. Somewhat. But, with ancient coinage, a Russian adage comes to mind.
Bек живи век учись а дураком помрёшь (vek zhivi, vek uchis' a durakom pomriosh) i.e. one may live and learn for a century, and still die a fool ;¬)
The subject area is vast, there is not enough time to learn it all.
•
Some of this is told by the coin: XXIR is a mark of Rome, I is the Greek numeral for the 10th workshop.
The dating is from Sylviane Estiot's Monnaies de l'Empire romain XII.1: D'Aurelian a Florien (270-276 apres J.-C.) This is the most up to date and authoritative reference for Aurelian. I used a RIC number because that's the most commonly accessible book.
Try this aplication , this will be help you.
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Looks like a modern replica of a Biblical widow's mite. These were made to be handed out in Sunday School classes, etc.
https://www.amazon.com/Widows-Coins-Reproduction-Antique-Bronze/dp/B00NVOFJ44
Hey, thanks for feedback and tips! Do you just use any generic "prop wax" or is it something like this? Do you find it's more tacky than Blu Tack? I'm mainly concerned about it lifting flaky surfaces off of coins, which can happen with Blu Tack it seems.
No problem :) The weight could mean this is a half-follis - or that it is a later issue, since inflation quickly cut the size in half.
I also see a B - which indicates the 2nd Officina. I also see the mintmark SMN - and I know which city it is but I'm not telling ;) If you browse the page I linked in the first post your should very quickly be able to find it for yourself.
If you're looking to get into coins from this era you should buy the book Roman Coins and their Value vol IV by David Sear. The whole series is worth buying, but start with this one and read the introduction.
Check out this link on Amazon.
The difference between this stuff and some of the homemade recipes is that this won't eat the patina too. Just mix 5 grams with 95 ml of distilled water.
Good call on buying saflips. If you're after something nice and economical you can grab boxes like these for cheap off amazon
Lighthouse also sells a few case types on their website to store 2×2 flips, but they're a little pricier.
Yeah, sorry. It's definitely a reproduction of a Greek lepton that was still in use in Judea at the time of Jesus , which features in the story of the Widow's Mite.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesson_of_the_widow's_mite
These replicas are handed out in Sunday school classes, etc. You can buy a bag of 50 of them on Amazon for $10.98 plus shipping.
https://www.amazon.com/Widows-Coins-Reproduction-Antique-Bronze/dp/B00NVOFJ44/ref=sr_1_2
It's useful as teaching realia and as a novelty, but not really worth anything. We see them here and on /r/coins somewhat frequently.
Congrats on your first ancient coin - a great coin to start with. There are as many ways to collect as there are collectors e.g. you could stay with the "alexander the great" drachms and collect different mints, or different control marks, or coins issued by different diadochi (general who divided up his empire after he died). Or you could collect different coins from macedonia or a coin each from all the kingdoms that existed at the time of Alexander the great...The Oxford Handbook recommended by u/anAquilaSPQR is an excellent book - this book by Wayne Sayles is also very good for new collectors of Ancient Greek Coins.
Well I urge you to either go and get trained in proper archaeological technique or cease what you are doing. These sites need to be excavated in a controlled, systematic manner, with proper written and photographic recording.
https://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Archaeological-Excavation-Philip-Barker/dp/041515152X
As for metal detecting medieval coins and the like please stop it immediately too! These artefacts are generally part of a larger archaeological site and by removing them from that place you are destroying priceless heritage and scientific information.
There is a whole book about Diva Faustina coins that puts together a chronology of when each type was minted. Might be worth picking up if you like these.
I'd say you photographed them very well! I think I can see what the issue would be, though - reflectivity? I should have a go at taking pics of mine too. There were 7 being sold for 1/2 price at a coin show and, as you do, I had to buy the lot.
I too thought it was just an A at first, but that 'tail' is a result of the conjoined Gamma.
Where did you get the other two references from? It's seems that Grose's McClean collection is a great resource, but haven't been able to find an electronic copy. Here's an example of the hard volumes for sale (gulp!):
https://www.amazon.com/Catalogue-collection-lettering-unchanged-Cambridge/dp/0916710505
Fiberglass pen brush?
Would this one, in your opinion, do the job? Is fiberglass softer than bronze patina?
What I have right now but have yet to start reading as much as I need to right now.
Also try this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Origins-Business-Markets-Columbia-Publishing/dp/0231153260
One more tip and I'm done. As far as books, pick up Apollonia Pontica. Contribution to the Study of the Coin Minting of the City 6th-1st c. B.C for a good specialized reference work. $6 on Amazon for the digital edition, totally worth it IMHO considering the relative cost of some reference works and the amount of info and at that price the cost is pretty much negligible.