Coin Collecting newbie with a few questions!

[coin_newbie]

Hello everyone!  I am interested into getting into coin collecting. I am primarily interested in learning about investing in some coins with numismatic value. I was curious if anyone knew of any good resources? I am a beginner collector so I would like to learn more about Morgan Dollars, along with other US coinage that fits a beginners budget. I've tried scouring youtube, but all I can find is info on folks investing in silver bullion instead of numismatic coinage. I am also open to roman coinage, and ancient coinage in general definitely interests me. Looking forward to hearing what y'all have to say!

 

Oh, and if this is the wrong place to post this just let me know and I'll delete this and post it in the right place!

[Roman Collector]

35 minutes ago, coin_newbie said:

Hello everyone!  I am interested into getting into coin collecting. I am primarily interested in learning about investing in some coins with numismatic value. I was curious if anyone knew of any good resources? I am a beginner collector so I would like to learn more about Morgan Dollars, along with other US coinage that fits a beginners budget. I've tried scouring youtube, but all I can find is info on folks investing in silver bullion instead of numismatic coinage. I am also open to roman coinage, and ancient coinage in general definitely interests me. Looking forward to hearing what y'all have to say!

 

Oh, and if this is the wrong place to post this just let me know and I'll delete this and post it in the right place!

It is indeed the right place on this forum to post a question like this. But I'm not sure this is the right forum to find people with an interest in modern US coinage. This forum is primarily to discuss ancient and medieval coins and (to a lesser extent) modern non-US coinage. I, for example, have no idea what to tell you about Morgan dollars; I primarily collect ancient Roman coins with an emphasis on the Antonine dynasty. Have you given Coin Talk a try? They have thousands of people who know all about US coins.

[robinjojo]

2 hours ago, coin_newbie said:

Hello everyone!  I am interested into getting into coin collecting. I am primarily interested in learning about investing in some coins with numismatic value. I was curious if anyone knew of any good resources? I am a beginner collector so I would like to learn more about Morgan Dollars, along with other US coinage that fits a beginners budget. I've tried scouring youtube, but all I can find is info on folks investing in silver bullion instead of numismatic coinage. I am also open to roman coinage, and ancient coinage in general definitely interests me. Looking forward to hearing what y'all have to say!

 

Oh, and if this is the wrong place to post this just let me know and I'll delete this and post it in the right place!

Coin Talk is a very good forum for US coins.  Eventually, as this forum attracts more members, I am sure that US coin threads will become more common, and perhaps a special "sub-forum" will be created for that specialty.   So, while it would be fruitful for you to join CT, please keep this forum in mind and don't hesitate to ask questions.

Are you collecting by mint or by variety such as VAM type, which is really quite advanced.

I can give you some general information about Morgan dollars, based on my collecting them a long time ago, so my memory is a little foggy on this subject.

There are five mints producing these dollars from 1878 to 1921.  The total mintage was huge (86,730,000 but with many melted over the years for various reasons) and these coins are generally very easy to locate, Carson City being the exception.  Also, a lot of these coins are slabbed by third party grading services, such as NGC and PCGS, the two dominant ones.  Slabbed coins usually sell at a premium. These coins are graded on the MS grading numerical scale, with several multiple grades for uncirculated condition, something that still bewilders me.  

Here are the mints:

Philadelphia (no mint mark)

New Orleans (mint mark O)

San Francisco (mint mark S)

Carson City (mint mark CC)

Denver (mint mark D, 1921 only)

Depending on your budge, you might consider with a type set for each mint.  While grade is an important factor, there are many nice high grade circulated coins available at generally a fraction of the cost of uncirculated examples.  A lot of the pricing is dependent on date, mint and the attractiveness of the coin.

I only have a couple of Morgan dollars.  I sold or traded almost all of them for world and ancient coins.  Here is my lone Carson City dollar, 1884, in the General Services Administration (GSA) holder from the 1970s.  You can see the "CC" mint mark below the wreath on the reverse.

So, good luck collecting Morgans.  CT will be a valuable trove of information on these and other US coins for you.  Also, if the ancient, medieval, non-western or world coin bug bites you, there are lots of folks here to guide you through these fascinating areas of numismatics.

 

Edited June 4, 2023 by robinjojo

[sand]

5 hours ago, coin_newbie said:

I am also open to roman coinage, and ancient coinage in general definitely interests me.

Hello @coin_newbie. Welcome to Nvmis Forvms. Nvmis Forvms is a good place, for learning about Roman coins, ancient coins, medieval coins, world coins, antiquities, artifacts, and world banknotes. However, Nvmis Forvms doesn't have much discussion about US coins. There is an occasional discussion about US coins, but it is very seldom. You will notice, that Nvmis Forvms is divided into a variety of sub-forums. There is no US coins sub-forum on Nvmis Forvms. It seems to me, that there is no US coins sub-forum at Nvmis Forvms, because the goal of Nvmis Forvms seems to be, to focus on things other than US coins. As mentioned in the posts above, if you want to learn about US coins, then the best place I know, is CoinTalk.com. However, you are welcome to come to Nvmis Forvms, to learn about Roman coins, ancient coins, medieval coins, world coins, antiquities, artifacts, and world banknotes. By the way, in addition to collecting ancient coins, medieval coins, and world coins, I also collect US coins. Perhaps the best resource, for US coins, is a book called the "Red Book". A hardcover version only costs $18 plus shipping and taxes on Amazon. Try to get a 2024 edition. It has the approximate wholesale costs, of almost all US coins.

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-United-States-Coins-Hardcover/dp/0794850154/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1429HQCIODZT3&keywords="A+Guide+Book+of+United+States+Coins"&qid=1685868653&s=books&sprefix=a+guide+book+of+united+states+coins+%2Cstripbooks%2C105&sr=1-1

Edited June 4, 2023 by sand

[coin_newbie]

11 hours ago, Roman Collector said:

It is indeed the right place on this forum to post a question like this. But I'm not sure this is the right forum to find people with an interest in modern US coinage. This forum is primarily to discuss ancient and medieval coins and (to a lesser extent) modern non-US coinage. I, for example, have no idea what to tell you about Morgan dollars; I primarily collect ancient Roman coins with an emphasis on the Antonine dynasty. Have you given Coin Talk a try? They have thousands of people who know all about US coins.

Thank you!! Would you have an recommendations on how to get into collecting roman coins?

Edited June 4, 2023 by coin_newbie

[coin_newbie]

7 hours ago, sand said:

Hello @coin_newbie. Welcome to Nvmis Forvms. Nvmis Forvms is a good place, for learning about Roman coins, ancient coins, medieval coins, world coins, antiquities, artifacts, and world banknotes. However, Nvmis Forvms doesn't have much discussion about US coins. There is an occasional discussion about US coins, but it is very seldom. You will notice, that Nvmis Forvms is divided into a variety of sub-forums. There is no US coins sub-forum on Nvmis Forvms. It seems to me, that there is no US coins sub-forum at Nvmis Forvms, because the goal of Nvmis Forvms seems to be, to focus on things other than US coins. As mentioned in the posts above, if you want to learn about US coins, then the best place I know, is CoinTalk.com. However, you are welcome to come to Nvmis Forvms, to learn about Roman coins, ancient coins, medieval coins, world coins, antiquities, artifacts, and world banknotes. By the way, in addition to collecting ancient coins, medieval coins, and world coins, I also collect US coins. Perhaps the best resource, for US coins, is a book called the "Red Book". A hardcover version only costs $18 plus shipping and taxes on Amazon. Try to get a 2024 edition. It has the approximate wholesale costs, of almost all US coins.

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-United-States-Coins-Hardcover/dp/0794850154/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1429HQCIODZT3&keywords="A+Guide+Book+of+United+States+Coins"&qid=1685868653&s=books&sprefix=a+guide+book+of+united+states+coins+%2Cstripbooks%2C105&sr=1-1

Thank you!

[coin_newbie]

10 hours ago, robinjojo said:

Coin Talk is a very good forum for US coins.  Eventually, as this forum attracts more members, I am sure that US coin threads will become more common, and perhaps a special "sub-forum" will be created for that specialty.   So, while it would be fruitful for you to join CT, please keep this forum in mind and don't hesitate to ask questions.

Are you collecting by mint or by variety such as VAM type, which is really quite advanced.

I can give you some general information about Morgan dollars, based on my collecting them a long time ago, so my memory is a little foggy on this subject.

There are five mints producing these dollars from 1878 to 1921.  The total mintage was huge (86,730,000 but with many melted over the years for various reasons) and these coins are generally very easy to locate, Carson City being the exception.  Also, a lot of these coins are slabbed by third party grading services, such as NGC and PCGS, the two dominant ones.  Slabbed coins usually sell at a premium. These coins are graded on the MS grading numerical scale, with several multiple grades for uncirculated condition, something that still bewilders me.  

Here are the mints:

Philadelphia (no mint mark)

New Orleans (mint mark O)

San Francisco (mint mark S)

Carson City (mint mark CC)

Denver (mint mark D, 1921 only)

Depending on your budge, you might consider with a type set for each mint.  While grade is an important factor, there are many nice high grade circulated coins available at generally a fraction of the cost of uncirculated examples.  A lot of the pricing is dependent on date, mint and the attractiveness of the coin.

I only have a couple of Morgan dollars.  I sold or traded almost all of them for world and ancient coins.  Here is my lone Carson City dollar, 1884, in the General Services Administration (GSA) holder from the 1970s.  You can see the "CC" mint mark below the wreath on the reverse.

So, good luck collecting Morgans.  CT will be a valuable trove of information on these and other US coins for you.  Also, if the ancient, medieval, non-western or world coin bug bites you, there are lots of folks here to guide you through these fascinating areas of numismatics.

 

Hey, I really appreciate this! I'm not just limiting myself to US coins as I'm a newbie. I'd love to learn more about ancient coin collecting. Would you have any tips on where to start?

[Heliodromus]

Most coin collectors don't consider it an investment. Hopefully, depending on what you buy, you may eventually get a good portion of what you spent back if you eventually sell, but you won't necessarily make any profit. So, better than other hobbies such as golf in that regard, but not exactly an investment.

There are various problems with trying to make money on coins (or at least not lose too much) :

- The buying/selling costs are very high. Buyers fees, sellers fees. Shipping costs, etc. e.g. Typical auction buyer's fee is ~20% so you'd need a 25% (not 20%) increase in value just not to lose on that one factor alone.

- Experience shows that for the most part only high quality coins have any potential for appreciation. Cheap coins stay cheap.

If you want to collect for the love of collecting, and not lose too much money in the process, then best advice is to collect top quality coins and be patient with buying to get good prices. If you start buying coins just because they are interesting or rare (as many of us do), but not top quality, then you'll likely lose money on them.

Coin collecting is better regarded as a hobby than as an investment. If you want an inflation hedge, then hard-asset mutual funds would be a better bet!

 

[ewomack]

Hello, @coin_newbie and welcome to the forum! There is a lot of knowledge about ancient and medieval coins here, but, as others have said, far less about more modern coins. At least at this time.

And you used the word that always makes collectors' antennae stand on end: "investment." If you want to make money off of coins, it's fair to say that's a tricky and complicated business. Coins are a mature market, but speculation still exists in bubbles here and there. Unless you have a lot of money to spend (and I mean a lot), you likely won't make a lot of money. You might make some. A very few lucky people do "strike it rich," but those instances occur less often than lottery winners. You could be one of them, the probabilities are greater than 0, but it's also highly unlikely.

Many consider "investment grade" coins to be the top 10% of the market, the ones that people buy to make large profits off of. You need a lot of money to go down that road. I also think you'll find less talk of investing here and even on Coin Talk. Most of the posters here and there buy coins largely for pleasure and many even accept that they won't recoup their costs when selling. I try my best to buy coins that will resell to a decent percentage of initial cost, but I accept the risks as well. So far, every time I have sold coins I have lost at least some money overall (i.e., I gained on some, lost on others, but overall I saw a net loss).

You also need a lot of knowledge to make money in coins. Morgan dollars can be fiercely competitive and a great number of people already play in that market. You'll need to read up on that series, keep an eye on auction results, read coin news, keep up with third party grading companies, etc., to best know when to buy or sell to an advantage. You may just get lucky as well, but luck alone is never enough when investing long term. You may also do all of that work and still lose money. It happens, so use caution and learn before you buy.

I wish you luck! And please stick around here if you want one of the best sources of information for ancient coins on the internet.

[sand]

1 hour ago, coin_newbie said:

Thank you!! Would you have an recommendations on how to get into collecting roman coins?

A pretty good place, to buy ancient Roman coins, and other ancient coins, and medieval coins, is Vcoins :   https://www.vcoins.com/en/Default.aspx     

I recommend that you avoid Ebay, as a beginner, because there are a lot of fakes on Ebay. However, there are some good, honest dealers on Ebay.

I recommend, that you start by buying relatively inexpensive coins. Many ancient coins cost less than $50. As you learn more about ancient coins, and the ancient coin market, then you may want to buy more expensive coins. As others have said above, you probably won't make much money, and you probably will lose money, buying and selling inexpensive coins. But, at least you won't lose much money, while you are learning. Unless you buy a ton of cheap coins. If you start by buying expensive coins, then there is a high probability of losing a large amount of money, if you are a beginner.

You can also learn a lot, by using the search feature, here at Nvmis Forvms, to search for threads and posts, which are related to what you would like to know.

Also, there are many books, about ancient coins, and about Roman coins. One of my favorite books on Roman coins and Byzantine coins, is called "ERIC II". It's rather large, and it seems to have become difficult to find, and it may cost more than $100. I have other books on ancient Roman coins, but I'm not sure which ones are best, for beginners. You can search Nvmis Forvms, for other book recommendations.

Also, you can Google, to find web sites, which discuss the history of ancient Roman coins. For example, Wikipedia has a lot of good information, about ancient Roman coins, and about the history of ancient Rome. For example, here is a very useful Wikipedia page :   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Roman_emperors  

Here's another useful Wikipedia page, which has links to other useful Wikipedia pages :    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_currency  

And here's a web site, which seems to have a lot of helpful information, which is run by 1 of our fellow Nvmis Forvms members @Valentinian :    http://augustuscoins.com/ed/ 

Edited June 4, 2023 by sand

[robinjojo]

2 hours ago, coin_newbie said:

Hey, I really appreciate this! I'm not just limiting myself to US coins as I'm a newbie. I'd love to learn more about ancient coin collecting. Would you have any tips on where to start?

One good overall reference for ancient coin collecting is Ancient Coin Collecting by Wayne G. Sayles This book give a good overview of the ancient coin market, coin values, detecting fakes and general information on ancient coin designs and themes.  You might be able to find a used copy on eBay or Amazon.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

This book, by Van Meter, was my newbie guide to Romans, and what a good one it is.  It's a great beginner's guide.  $35 isn't bad. It's from the 1990's, so the prices are out of date, but it gives 'prices' in broader value bands, so it's more of a relative rarity guide, not a price guide.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?srch=2&pos=1&grade=&what=Van+Meter&bn1=Search&itemnumber=&attribution=&category=&metal=&denomination=&mint=&pricel=&priceh=&obvinsc=&obvdesc=&revinsc=&revdesc=&rsi=&status=available

You could also search online for the older, free download of ERIC (but I guess be careful in finding the original site and not some virus).  I believe Rasiel Suarez was the author, and wasn't he the proprietor of dirtyoldcoins?

Can someone dig up Valentinian's URL's?  He has excellent guides for newbies.

The biggie; you'd have to figure out what you like, in terms of looks, and your interests.  Listening to a good podcast often ratchets up the interest level.  Also, budget level.

I've been collecting since the 1980's.  I'd really recommend sticking to halfway decent coins, and not something totally decrepit, although I have my fair share of those.  Halfway decent doesn't have to be expensive.

I'd say stick to vcoins at first.  Based upon my buys, my favorite vendors are (not in order): Savoca, London Ancient Coins, Forum, Zurqieh, Incitatus Coins, Marc Breitsprecher.  Zurqieh's probably not good for a beginner.  While they have some good deals on uncleaneds and Persian/middle eastern material, the attributions are annoyingly bare-bones.  That being said, LAC, Incitatus and Marc B have the most items at a lower price point.

Is Allen Berman still an active dealer?  He has excellent Byzantines and had a wonderful 4 for 20 junk box deal.  The junk boxers would generally take pretty long for those to be shipped, but they were generally pretty nice for the price.  Inflation might have killed off the 4 for 20, but one could ask him if he could do something similar.

Per the podcasts:

Some of the biggies:

History of Rome by Mike Duncan

History of Byzantium

Emperors of Rome

Totalus Rankium (ranks ALL the Roman and Byzantine emperors, in a slightly jocular way).  The History of Byzantium is the best of the lot, in my opinion.

Edited June 4, 2023 by Nerosmyfavorite68

[Roman Collector]

2 hours ago, coin_newbie said:

Thank you!! Would you have an recommendations on how to get into collecting roman coins?

Here are my do and don'ts for people just starting to get into Roman coins:

DO:

1. Look at lots of coins that are for sale at various fixed-price dealers. Get an overall lay of the land. Go to V-Coins and search with various  parameters, filtering especially by price, so that you know what's available at your budget. Filter for "Republican" and "Provincial (also known as Greek Imperial)" to get a feel for what coins of the Roman Republic and Greek-speaking provinces of the Roman Empire look like.
2. Pay attention to what you like about the coins that strike your fancy. Are the action-packed reverse types on Roman Republican denarii cool? Do you like seeing portraits of the various historical figures you've read about or seen in movies? Do big bronze coins with green patinas make you gasp? Do you like the various local gods and architecture and the Greek language inscriptions on the Roman provincial bronzes?
3. Go to educational websites, especially those run by a couple of our members, @dougsmit (here) and @Valentinian (here), as well as Bill Welch's page (here). Read the material in small, digestible chunks, over the course of weeks.
4. Once you have a feel for what sort of coins you'll want to try, get a good general reference. I HIGHLY recommend David Sear's Roman Coins and Their Values. Volume 1 covers the Republic and the first 12 emperors. Volume 2 covers imperial issues from Nerva through Severus Alexander. Volume 3 covers Maximinus Thrax through Carinus. Volume 4 covers the tetrarchy through the reign of Constantine. Volume 5 goes from the sons of Constantine to the fall of the empire. David Sear's Greek Imperial Coins provides an overview of the entire Roman Provincial series. Each of the volumes of Roman Coins and Their Values has the same introductory material, which is an extremely thorough but concise overview of Roman numismatics. I highly recommend reading this.
5. Read about Roman history. Mary Beard's SPQR is excellent. I also recommend many of the ancient history classes available at The Teaching Company. Learn about the period and you'll better appreciate the coins. Similarly, learn about the coins and you'll better appreciate the history. It builds on itself!
6. When you're ready to get your feet wet, buy coins that appeal to your eye and heart, not just because they seem like a bargain.

DON'T

1. Buy uncleaned lots or cheap bulk lots. A newbie won't be able to identify many of them or clean them properly. You'll end up literally throwing them in a jar wondering what to do with them. Buy one coin that has legible inscriptions and (if applicable) mint marks rather than 10 that are barely identifiable.
2. Fret about buying an unslabbed coin. Almost all ancients are raw. Many -- if not most -- collectors of ancients crack them out of slabs when forced to buy slabbed coins. If you buy from a reputable dealer, you don't have to worry about authenticity. 99%+ of ancient coins are genuine.
3. That being said, STAY AWAY FROM eBay. I mean it. It's not for newbies. You'll either overpay for a real coin or get burned by a fake.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Yes, I'd concur. Don't buy uncleaneds or cheap bulk lots (although the Berman ones aren't bad, for a beginner). He was nice enough to generally include my wishes; 40 nummi.  While they're not masterpieces, they were average or even slightly better than average).  Good uncleaneds have really dried up. I sampled most of dirtyoldcoins' categories, and while some were far better than others, some being decent, some categories were complete crud (although, to be fair, one's not going to get a nice one for $3.  The $7 provincials could be decent, although it was a crapshoot if you were going to get a good one or something with bad bronze disease. Their silver coins seem to be a pretty bad deal, at least in my opinion.

Go with what Roman Collector said. I'll also add, avoid AE coins with bronze disease (bright green stuff).

If you have a pretty good budget, one can't go wrong with Greek/Hellenistic silver tetradrachms.  However, it's tough to find one for $200 nowadays, and generally a nice one will be $350+.  Alexander the Great types and Seleucid tetradrachms are usually the 'cheapest'.

You'll have to decide; do you like big coins or little coins, copper/bronze or silver?  Or, even gold?  Do you like realistic?  Or stylized?

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

40 Nummi of Justinian I, from year 12 onwards are pretty impressive, large coins, very historical, and relatively cheap.

One can also get a silver denarius of Severus Alexander or Septimius in really great shape for a relatively cheap price.

Base silver Antoninianii (double denarii) of Philip I are usually pretty large and one can get a very nice one inexpensively.

I find Sasanian silver to be really fascinating - and fairly cheap.  However, I have to rely on others for year and mint attributions (the script is hard), unless you get them already attributed.

While I've always been interested on and off in Byzantine coins, the history of Byzantium podcast reignited my passion for Byzantine coins.  The podcasts are really good. 

There are one or two podcasts on the Hellenstic period, what I could find through apple music's dreadful search engine, that is.  However, while the Hellenistic one was informative, it was slightly dull.

Here's the official download page for the old (2005) edition of the Encyclopedia of Roman Imperial Coins

http://www.dirtyoldbooks.com/eric.html

The Sear books are excellent if you're into Romans but you'll be plonking down $50-80 for each.  I believe there's five, plus the excellent imperators edition.  I'd recommend the cheaper Van Meter and free ERIC to start out with.  Then, if you get into Romans, then the Sear volumes are a really good pickup.

Why not go to vcoins and browse around?  You can then at least see what catches your eye and what doesn't. 

Edited June 4, 2023 by Nerosmyfavorite68

[ewomack]

@coin_newbie, how well do you know ancient history? I made my way into ancient coins by studying ancient history. For Rome, knowing about the emperors can help increase interest in the coins and give them historical context and interest. For example, after reading about Marcus Aurelius, I knew that I wanted a coin of his.

Marcus Aurelius. AR Denarius. Struck 161/2 AD. M ANTONINVS AVG, bare head right / CONCORD AVG TR P XVII, COS III in exergue, Concordia seated left, holding patera, resting left elbow on statuette of Spes set on base. 18mm 3.4gm

 

Once I knew more about ancient coins, I spent some time on this forum, and scanned the coin sites, and the reverse happened. I came across Byzantine coins, but I knew very little about Byzantium itself. So I bought some Byzantine coins and started learning about Byzantine history. The coins just caught my eye and now I have an entirely new area of history to explore.

Here is an example of a Justinian I Follis, such as @Nerosmyfavorite68 mentioned.

Justinian I Follis (540/1 - Year 14), Constantinople mint, Obv: DN IVSTINIANVS PP AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing holding cross on globe and shield; cross to right. Rev: Large M, ANNO to left, cross above, XIIII (date) to right, A below, CON in exergue, Sear 163

It is big, weighty, and substantial coin and examples can be found fairly cheaply (everyone does have a different definition of "cheap," however).

No one book will likely give you all that you need, depending on what you want to focus on. But it's probably best to find an interest: Greek, Roman, Byzantine, for example, and read a book or two on the subject before you delve in too deeply. Make sure to learn about counterfeits as well. Nothing will douse interest in a hobby like buying an inauthentic item.

Lastly, hang around this forum. Plenty of people here will give advice, point you in the right direction, and even look at coin photos for opinions. For ancients, this is the place to be.

 

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

If you want to consider medium-grade ancient coins as an investment, even if rare, then you are probably off target. Better to invest in a NASDAQ100 or S&P500 Index Fund where you might average 7-8% a year appreciation. As an example, I purchased a good quality Gordian III silver coin back in 1980 for $30 as my first ancient. Today it might be worth, at auction $80. Being as that was 43 years ago it was not so hot as an investment. The idea is to enjoy the history, the learning, and the knowledge that what you are holding in your hand was carried by merchants, soldiers, traders, bureaucrats, and others almost 2,000 years ago. When I quit collecting or when my heirs liquidate the holdings for a breakeven, I will be happy.

Edited June 4, 2023 by Ancient Coin Hunter

[coin_newbie]

Thanks so much for all the advice everyone!

Just to clarify @Heliodromus. I'm not really looking for a serious investment here, as I already invest my money. I'm just looking to diversify a little bit and see if I can make money off this. You're totally right about mutual funds hahaha. You make some excellent points though, I'm really going to have to bear that in mind while I learn more about this fascinating hobby.

To answer your question @ewomack, I majored in philosophy and it definitely sparked an interest in roman history. That Marcus Aurelius AR Denarius is gorgeous!! I think I might have to add something like that to my collection. 

VCoin looks awesome, thanks so much @sand. I really appreciate all the insights you've given me here, this is a ton of stuff to research lol. @robinjojo I'll check out the book, thank you! @Nerosmyfavorite68 and @Roman Collector thank you, I appreciate all the information you sent over! 

@Ancient Coin Hunter I see what you mean. I'm thinking that I might just collect a few coins for fun and not worry so much about profit. This sort of thing is more for fun vs a serious investment. I totally agree with you that I'm better off playing the stock market. Thank you!

[CPK]

Don't have much to add to what's already been said. My advice? Jump onto VCoins, browse, find a coin or three that appeals to you for one reason or another, and buy! Then, tell us about it here and maybe post some photos too. 😉 

You'll learn a lot, and your interests may shift over time, but it's all about pursuing what you find interesting right now, not what you think you'd like or should like.

Edited June 5, 2023 by CPK

[dougsmit]

On 6/4/2023 at 8:55 PM, coin_newbie said:

and see if I can make money off this.

This is the point:  If you are in it for the money, you will miss the fun; if you are in it for the fun, you may miss the money.  It is hard to  walk a thin line between the two.  I have many coins that many people would may more than I paid BUT those are the coins that I most want to keep because they still make me happy.  I would suggest you skip coins and find an interest where you do not need to worry about the money being returned.  Coins are great as a hobby to reap rewards other than cash but making decisions based on cash ruins the fun. 

[idesofmarch01]

On 6/4/2023 at 5:55 PM, coin_newbie said:

I'm just looking to diversify a little bit and see if I can make money off this.

Here's a quick anecdote about making money by investing in ancient coins:

Compare the hammer prices of this coin, sold initially in January 2012 and just recently last month:

If you like this profit and have this kind of money to invest, I would note that the S&P 500 rose by a factor of over 3.25 during that period and if you had invested your $3.25M in the S&P instead of this coin, it would be worth $10.57M today -- almost $4M more than the coin.

Still want to invest in ancient coins?