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I like all of the above ideas. I may try one of the above ideas, the next time I buy a coin, which is in a slab. I'm starting to like the ideas, that don't involve a hack saw, because my hack saw method, destroys the NGC label. I'm starting to think, that I would like to try to preserve the NGC label, rather than just taking photos of the NGC label before I saw through it. Here's my hack saw method (sometimes called "hacksaw"), that I've used so far, which is the method that @Prieure de Sion mentioned. Before I remove a coin from a slab, I always take photos, of both sides of the slab. That way, I can always refer to the NGC number, that was on the slab, in order to lookup photos of the coin, on the NGC web site. That way, the NGC number serves as sort of a certificate of authenticity (COA). A hack saw is a thin metal saw, with lots of very small teeth. Don't try to use a regular wood saw, because the teeth aren't small enough, and the blade is too thick. I cut off the end of the slab, away from the coin, to keep plastic dust off of the coin. Then, holding the slab over a box top with a soft pad in the box top, I put a large flat head screwdriver, into the cut end of the slab, near the edge of the slab, and carefully twist the large flat head screwdriver, to pry apart the top of the slab, from the bottom of the slab. When you pry with the large flat head screwdriver, you have to be careful, not to cause the top half, or bottom half, of the slab, to break, where the coin is, because that could scratch the coin. That's why I put the large flat head screwdriver, near the edge of the slab. You may have to carefully work your way, around the edge of the slab, with the large flat head screwdriver, to gradually get the top of the slab, and the bottom of the slab, apart. Here are photos, of one of my formerly slabbed coins, and my hack saw.

@Jims,Coins That's a nice example. I like the wear, and I like the green patina. If it were my coin, I would leave it alone. I would not clean it. I would put it in my Byzantine coin tray.

Yes. I think that, sometimes, I get a little bit obsessed with coins.

That's good. I'm glad, that you are not planning, to carry the coins loose in your pocket. I've seen a few threads, on coin forums, in which some people have talked about carrying coins, loose in their pockets, and they call them "pocket pieces". Usually, it's worn, very common coins. If I remember correctly, it's often US coins. I admit that, when I was a lot younger, I once had a US silver eagle, which is a large bullion coin, year 1998 or so, in which someone had painted the devices red, white, and blue. I used to carry that coin, loose in my pocket, because I liked the feel of it, in my pocket, and I liked to look at it, sometimes. However, that was a common, bullion coin. However, perhaps someday, official US bullion coins will be collected as much as the US non-bullion coins, because official US bullion coins are as real as the non-bullion coins, to me.

@ambr0zie I like the Pius portrait. I agree. He looks serene and dignified. I'm curious, about your definition of "pocket piece", in the title of this thread. I thought, that a "pocket piece", was a coin, that someone carried in his/her pocket, often loose, not in a container, as a good luck charm, or for some similar purpose. Will you be carrying these coins, loose, in your pocket? Or, am I mistaken, on the definition of "pocket piece"?

Hello @Topcat7. Here's something I just noticed, which seems to do, what you want, to a certain extent. At the top of the list of threads, there is a "Sort By" drop down list. If you select "Start Date", then it will show the most recently started threads first.

As @NathanB mentioned, if you live in the US, then you can go to a coin show in the US, and sell your US coins directly to dealers. I've done that, with several of my US coins. Whenever I go to a local US coin show, there always seem to be some people, selling coins to dealers. For example, I sold a trade dollar, for which I had paid $200 a couple of years earlier, and the dealer paid $100 for it. The other 2 coins were another trade dollar, and a bust half dollar, both of which I had bought 10 years earlier. I don't remember how much I was paid for those 2 coins, but I remember being happy with the amount. Older US coins, from 1900 AD or earlier, that cost $50 and up, seem to be pretty liquid, in the US. But, I'm not an expert.

Yes. In my copy of ERIC II, pages 533 and 534 are identical. I like the book a lot. I like the descriptions of the Emperors and their coins. I also like the quality of the paper, and the color photos. I agree, that it's massive, so it's hard to read, if I'm lying on a sofa. If I were to put the book, on a pillow, then that may work, for the sofa. I wish, it were 2 or 3 smaller books, such as the size of the Sear books.

I wonder, if it would be good, if the "Non-Western" forum were renamed "Other Ancient".

@JeandAcre I like your idea of an "Other Ancient" forum. This would also include the wandering tribes, such as the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, and Lombards. And, perhaps, various northern African countries, before they were conquered by Rome (Carthage, Mauretania, Numidia), even though, perhaps, one could call some of them "Greek" or "pseudo-Greek", although I'm not very knowledgeable about that. And, any other ancients, which don't seem to fit into the existing forums.

I wouldn't put a trachy coin in a flip. I would be worried, that the pressure of the flip, would flatten the trachy, and perhaps cause the trachy to crack. Also, if the flip were in a page of flips in slots, and if you were to put other pages of flips, on top of the page with the trachy, then that could flatten and crack the trachy. One solution, is to put the trachy, into a coin tray, and put a photo of the trachy, in a flip.

@Al Kowsky Beautiful coins. I've been fascinated with the Byzantine Empire, ever since I saw a Byzantine exhibit, in a local museum, when I was 11 years old, on a school field trip. It was a wonderful museum. The first room was an exhibit of ancient Egypt. The next room was ancient Greece. The next room was ancient Rome. The next room was medieval. The medieval room was dark. In one corner of that room, was the Byzantine Empire. A wonderful experience, for a little kid. Ever since then, for me, the Byzantine Empire has always been a dark, mysterious time in the past. In school, the Byzantine Empire was never mentioned, except for that museum exhibit. The Byzantine Empire seems like a dark secret, hidden away by the powers that be, at least in the West. Why? Who knows? Is it because of the schism between the Western Christian Church, and the Eastern Christian Church? Is it because of the Christian nature of the Byzantine Empire? Is it because the Byzantine Empire gradually became more Greek in nature, even though it kept many aspects of ancient Rome? About the Byzantine coins. To me, the coins are very spiritual. The coins show many aspects of the After Life, which is fascinating to me. Also, it's fascinating, how the Byzantine coins changed, over the centuries. From coins that looked similar to ancient Roman coins, but with an increasingly decadent style. To increasingly strange coins, with an increasingly spiritual nature. When it comes to strangeness, perhaps the strangest Byzantine coins, are the trachy (cup shaped) coins. When I first started collecting Byzantines, I disliked the trachy coins. But then, all of a sudden, a light bulb turned on in my head, and I started liking them, and I've been a "trachy enjoyer" ever since. Here are 3 of my favorite Byzantine coins, in my collection. Justinian I The Great : AE 40 Nummi Follis. Regnal Year 12. 538 AD To 539 AD. Nicomedia Mint. Sear 201. DO 116b.1. 44 mm. 21.73 grams. Obverse Justinian I Bust Facing Front. Reverse Large M Mint "NIK" Officina B. Basil II or Constantine VIII AE 40 Nummi Follis. 1023 AD to 1028 AD. Constantinople Mint. Class A3. Sear 1818. 28 mm. 9.27 grams. Obverse Jesus Christ With "EMMANOVHL" On Left Edge Greek For "Emmanuel" Meaning "God With Us" And "IC XC" On Left And Right Abbreviation For "IHSUS XRISTUS" Greek For "Jesus Christ". Reverse "IHSUS XRISTUS BASILEU BASILE" Greek For "Jesus Christ King Of Kings". Andronicus I Billon Aspron Trachy. 1183 AD To 1185 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 1985. DO 3. 28 mm. 3.40 grams. Obverse Mary Full Length Facing Front With Halo Standing On Dais Holding On Breast Head Of Infant Jesus Christ With Halo Facing Front M-Rho On Left Theta-V On Right. M-Rho Theta-V Is Abbreviation For "Meter Tou Theou" Greek For "Mother Of God". Reverse On Left Emperor Full Length Facing Front Holding Labarum In Right Hand Holding Globus Cruciger In Left Hand On Right Jesus Christ With Halo Full Length Facing Three Quarters Crowning Emperor.

@thenickelguy Can you move your microscope lens closer, to get higher resolution photos, of just the end of the club, and the monogram?

@Curtis JJ Nice limes denarii. I know very little about limes denarii. I don't know enough, to know, if your limes denarii are authentic or fake. Limes denarii are rather interesting. Here is an article on Forum Ancient Coins, which says, that some limes denarii were cast, and some were struck. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=limes denarius

@robinjojo Are those the seller photos? Or are they your photos? The reason, that I'm asking, is that, I wouldn't pay $2,500 for a coin, if the seller photos were such low resolution. I would want to see, higher resolution photos. Or, I would want to see the coin, in my hand, and under a microscope. However, maybe someone on this forum, can look at the photos, and figure out, if the style looks correct.

P.S. : Perhaps a cheap coin microscope, or a loupe, or an even higher resolution photo, would reveal the truth.

@thenickelguy You may be correct. However, I wonder, if the round thing at the top of the monogram, that you think may be an "O", may be the round end of the club, or maybe a spike on the end of the club. Perhaps there is a light spot, on the center of the rounded club end or spike, which makes the rounded club end or spike look like an "O". It's just a theory, of another possibility. You have the coin in hand. Therefore, you can see the coin better, than I can. Here are 2 examples, from ACsearch, of an alpha (A) monogram, including a larger photo of the coin that @Marsyas Mike found. Here's a zoomed in view, of your coin.

I'll take a whack at it, even though I'm not an expert in Greek letters or monograms, and I'm not familiar with the Sardes Lydia Apollo club coin type. Hopefully, someone who is more expert, will provide a better answer later. To me, the monogram on your coin, looks like the Greek letter alpha (A), in Byzantine coins. It also looks like the bottom part, of the monogram of Byzantine Justinian II coins. Interestingly, the "A" on the bottom of the Justinian II monogram, often has a line hanging down, below the center of the "A", similar to your coin. Here are some Byzantine examples. These are not my coins. In this 1st example, on the reverse, note the Greek letter alpha (A), underneath the large letter "M". This means, that the coin was minted, at officina A. This is not my coin. In this 2nd example, on the reverse, note the Greek letter alpha (A), which is the bottom part of the monogram, above the large letter "M". The "A" is the bottom part of the monogram of Justinian II. Note the line, which is hanging below the center of the "A". This is not my coin. Here are more examples. On the reverse, note the Greek letter alpha (A), which is the bottom part of the monogram, above the large letter "M". The "A" is the bottom part of the monogram of Justinian II. Note the line, which is hanging below the center of the "A". This is not my coin. This is not my coin. This is not my coin. This is not my coin.

Thanks @robinjojo

Yes. Equally devastating, seems to be the over-fishing, and the trawling of the ocean bottom, which seems to be going on. I have read, from multiple sources, that all of the fish of the world, particularly the fish that humans like to eat, have decreased to 10% in number, compared to what they were, not long ago. In other words, the number of fish in the ocean, that humans like to eat, has decreased by 90%, in the past 50 years or so. Humans, with their increased population, and with their improved fishing technology, seem to be eating the fish of the oceans, to extinction. Perhaps, in the near future, there will be nothing left in the oceans, except jellyfish.

Yes. Here's a quote, from the above article, which is rather alarming, to me. “The sea bottom is barren,” said Allen. “The colourful coral that divers remembered from the 70s is gone, poisoned by ocean acidification and choked by metres of shifting sand. It’s painfully sad. Still lying on those dead grey reefs, though, are sparkling finds.” Here's my oldest Spanish colonial coin, an 8 reales cob coin, often called a "Piece Of Eight". Spain. Philip II. Silver 8 Reales "Piece Of Eight". 1589 AD To 1591 AD. Potosi Mint (In What Is Now Bolivia). Assayer RL. 37.7 mm. 27.20 grams. Paoletti 97. Sedwick P13. KM 5.1.

I wonder, what would happen, if someone were to bid on it.

P.S. : After thinking about it, I'm guessing, that Mr. Robinson has a sense of humor. I wonder, what the shipping cost would be?

LOL! What in the world, is this contraption? "604 COIN Restoration Machine, the device you've always dreamed of, combining the latest in AI, 3-D printing & quantum computing technology; just place a coin in the slot, press the button, and the coin comes out as new, minus any corrosion, nicks, wear, etc. Satisfaction guaranteed $199.95"