What are we gonna do with all these delicious old coins?

[Ryro]

When we're dead, that is. 

These coins are special to us. So we should be taking special care of them, longterm. Right?

I wasn't the first to say it and this is only a reminder but we don't own these coins. We are only care takers for a short period of time... if we do it right. And, at best, take good care of and leave our collections in the hands of other care takers.

Do you have a long term plan for your collection? Maybe have in mind friends or family, gonna sell them off, or just clutch onto them until the Grim Reaper comes and pries them from your grip... and they end up at the local pawn shop?

Some of mine I can sell off. But some, well they need and deserve more TLC!

I only have another 0-60(ish) years to make my boys ancient addicts. Get them into the rad-assness of Alexander:

Alexander lII the Great (336-323 BC). AR tetradrachm (28mm, 10h). ANACS XF 40. Lifetime issue of Amphipolis, ca. 336-323 BC. Head of Heracles right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied before neck / AΛEΞANΔPOY, Zeus seated left on backless throne, left leg drawn back, feet on ground line, eagle in right hand, scepter in left; Macedonian shield in left field. Price 57. Purchased from Heritage Auctions October 2021

and his Diadochi:

I've got exactly who knows how many decades to get my boys excited about the history, craftsmanship and artistry of Sicily?

Sicily, under the tyrant Gelon Silver tetradrachm (16.91 gr, 25 mm)

Obv: Slow quadriga being driven r. by male charioteer, Nike above crowning horses

Rev: Head of Artemis-Arethusa right, 4 dolphins around legend, ΣVRAKOΣI-ON

Popular type. Boeh-353, SNG-113 Toned VF, obverse

How much time can I spare to explain to my boys why the Roman Republic had much more dope coins than the empire:

ROMAN REPUBLIC. Anonymous. AE Aes Grave Triens (92.37 gms), Rome Mint, ca. 225-217 B.C. VERY FINE. Cr-35/3a; TV-53. Obverse: Helmeted head of Minerva left; four pellets (mark of value) below; all set upon raised disk; Reverse: Prow right; four pellets (mark of value) below; all set upon raised disk. A pleasing specimen despite its crudeness, with charming green surfaces. A test cut across Minerva's face is noted for completeness. Ex Stacks & Bowers 

 

Creperius, Rocus

Denarius. 68 BC. Uncertain mint. (Ffc-657). (Craw-399-1b). (Cal-522). Obv: Bust of the back of the Sea Goddess to the right, C to the right, to the left crab. Rev .: Neptune with trident, in biga pulled by hippocampi to the right, below Q CREPER M (F) / ROCVS. Ag. 3.61 g. Usually struck off center. Very scarce. VF. Ex: Tauler & Fau

Sextus Pompeius 

(37-36 BC) Denarius - ex. David Hendin Obverse: head of Neptune right. Reverse: Naval anchor with trophy. Silver, diameter 17 mm, weight 3,43 g. Reference: Crawford 511/2b

Grade: F. Purchased from GNDM Feb 2023

It has been remarked that the coinage of Sextus Pompey was a step towards the propagandistic issues of the Roman emperors. Having decided upon an affinity with Neptune, he minted a series of coins depicting the god and continuing his theme of pietas. This virtue was highly valued in Roman society; the city's founder Aeneas' epithet is pius and tradition details that his piety was three-fold; to his father, his homeland and the gods."

And if my boys don't love my/our wild niche hobby of kings!? What then? Just bury my with em?? 

What are you doing with your collection when you're gone? And what coins can't you part with?

[kirispupis]

Interesting topic!

Like you, I believe I have a good number of years before this is an issue. However, being realistic, when it does happens - regardless what happens to my coins I'll no longer care. 🙂

That being said, I do hope that my collection is kept together, though I recognize that my current collection + whatever I add over the next 40 or so years, will be worth quite a bit. Still, I hope they're well enough off that they're not tempted and will keep most of the coins, no matter how ugly they are. Next year I should finally have my web site up, which will make it much clearer how all the coins join together to tell a story.

With that, here are some of my latest acquisitions!

Akarnania, Anaktorion
Circa 350-300 BCE
AR Stater 21 mm, 7.96 g, 9 h
Pegasos flying left; below, monogram of AN.
Rev. Head of Athena to left, wearing Corinthian helmet; behind neck guard, ΔΩ and small altar.
BCD Akarnania 108. Calciati 58. HGC 4, 763

 

Sicily, the Tyrrhenoi
Circa 354-336 BCE
Æ 8.96g, 23mm, 5h.
Helmeted head of Athena to right; TYPPH before /
Athena standing facing, head to left, holding spear in right hand and resting hand on grounded shield to right; [M] in right field.
CNS III, 2; SNG ANS 1408; HGC 2, 1658
overstruck on an uncertain type.
Ex Mike Ballerini Collection
Ex Bertolami Fine Arts 2019

 

Thrace, Apros
circa 260-250 BCE
Æ 15 mm, 4,30 g
Laureate head of Apollo right /
AΠΡH to right, oval Celtic shield with central rib, kithara to left.
Cf. AJN 25 (2013), p. 11 ff / Pl. 2, 1

[Furryfrog02]

I plan on being buried with my collection so that some future generation thinks I must've been a king when they uncover my grave 😛

Actually, I am quite lucky in that I have a horde of children who will take over the hoard that will be the FF collection.

FFIVN - my oldest, and FFIVNA - my 2nd both have a healthy love for ancients and collecting in general. The smaller 2 have their own collections already - thanks to many generous members here, and are already showing interest in what dad, big bro, and big sis are doing. 

At least 1 of the 4 will get the collection when I shuffle off this mortal coil. If they all are interested in it, well that's between them to work out since I will be dead 🙂

[Prieure de Sion]

7 hours ago, Ryro said:

So we should be taking special care of them, longterm. Right?

I'm already a Methuselah, so I won't be able to enjoy my coins for that long...

 

7 hours ago, Ryro said:

Maybe have in mind friends or family, gonna sell them off, or just clutch onto them until the Grim Reaper comes and pries them from your grip... and they end up at the local pawn shop?

Seriously. This is a big "problem" for me. There is no one, really no one in my family who is interested in antique coins. But - that's not true - they would be interested in the value of the collection and how best to sell it. 

No - I have a great family and especially my daughter is close to my heart. Only unfortunately, no one is interested in the history and not even in my coins. I have my daughter in my will first and foremost. But my daughter will sell them because she has other interests and she will want to finance those interests with this money. That is also perfectly ok. I have made her a list with the value of each coin. I just don't want her to sell the coins for less than they are worth.

But otherwise - again - nobody is interested in antique coins, my coins - so they will all be 100% sold. That in itself is perfectly fine. I can't force my family, my daughter to think my hobby is great.

 

8 hours ago, Ryro said:

Do you have a long term plan for your collection?

For this very reason, I have decided to change my private collection. I will only collect a few pieces (quality instead of mass). Only very high-quality pieces - and much fewer of them.

After all, what's the point if I have 20 boxes full of coins that are historically (for me) super interesting and fascinating - but there are also 20 boxes of "low-budget" coins? 

Yes, it is interesting for me. This one bronze coin remotely has something to do with Fulvia, the wife of Marcus Antonius and the coin was minted when she was visiting Greece - so I don't care that you can barely see anything on the coin. But in the end, no one will care - not my family, not my daughter and not the later buyer, who will just say, the bronze is of poor quality, I won't give you more than 20 USD for it.

Therefore - there will now be significantly fewer coins and only coins of the best quality. I also have great historical pleasure in these specimens - I'm not losing my hobby because of it. But I no longer have to have every coin just because an emperor or senator or emperor knocked over a sack of rice here in this village where the coin was issued. 

Don't get me wrong - I find every coin (no matter what quality) interesting because it has a story to tell. But I am no longer a young collector and in the meantime what counts for me is what is to come. 

And so the priority has now changed. My goal now is to get back at least a large part of the investment (or maybe even all of it) when I am old and have to give the coins away myself - or that my daughter at least gets a good sum with the high-quality coins. That is (now) my goal. Less is more. 

 

1 hour ago, Furryfrog02 said:

I plan on being buried with my collection so that some future generation thinks I must've been a king when they uncover my grave 😛

That is, of course, the most appealing plan!  😄 

[Salomons Cat]

I’m still young, but I already have a few scenarios in my mind.

Option 1 - my heirs will be rich:

Let’s hope that my heirs get very rich - without having to sell my coins. So they could bury me together with my coins. Please also add a ceremonial sword, some jewelry and the remains of a horse and for maximum confusion of future generations I would like to be buried on the moon. I’m sure that this could be arranged via one of these newly available commercial space flights.

Option 2 - my heirs will not be rich:

If my collection ever has to be sold, then I would like to eliminate the 15% seller’s fee, the 20% buyer’s fee and the fortuitousness that selling via auction usually includes.

Instead, I would either open a vcoins store or I would give my coins to a trustable vcoins seller who could sell them for me. I do not own many coins and there are no 20$ coins among them, so there should not be much work involved for handling and shipping. That’s why I assume that the seller would probably agree to a quota of 10% of the price for himself. 

Option 3 - my heirs will be interested in ancient coins: 

Well, then it‘s clear… They should keep the collection.

 

Edited October 31, 2023 by Salomons Cat
needed a horse

[Roman Collector]

I have a letter - inside the albums in which I store the coins - with instructions for disposition of the collection in the event that my son does not wish to inherit the collection and keep it for himself. This letter provides contact information about the auction firm(s) that my heir should work with. It also informs my heir(s) and the auction firm how to identify the rare varieties that should be identified as such in the auction lot listing (they are marked on the tags, with info on the back) when sold.

I recommend this book for those who are doing estate planning. I found it helpful.

[sand]

I like @Roman Collector's idea of having a document, in the same place as my coins, which will contain instructions, of where to sell the coins. I can't imagine ever selling my coins, even if I'm at death's door. Even if I'm gravely ill, I'll probably be eternally optimistic, that I'll somehow live forever. Therefore, my coins will be sold, after I pass away. Perhaps at a garage sale. Perhaps at a pawn shop. Perhaps at a local coin store. Any of those would be fine, because the coins would eventually end up, in the hands of collectors. Hopefully, my coins will be found, so that they won't end up in a landfill. I'll try to leave instructions, or a treasure map or something, with directions for finding my coins, so that they can be sold. I agree, that we are caretakers of these artifacts of history. I don't want my coins to disappear from the world.

Edited October 31, 2023 by sand

[sand]

P.S. : In my instructions, which will be in the same place as my coins, I'll probably list the names of some Vcoins dealers, to whom my coins could be sold. And maybe a few auction houses, to whom my coins could be consigned for auction. And, in my instructions, I'll list the approximate retail value of each coin, and what someone could expect to receive from a Vcoins dealer or auction house, for each coin.

Edited October 31, 2023 by sand

[ela126]

about a year ago i wrote a document about the history of my collecting and the values of some more important pieces... Mostly instructions for my kids but also an explination of why Dad collected. 

The document wasn't complete, just kind of an ongoing narrative about stuff which i updated a few times in the last year. It however was in a word document randomly on my computer... if i got hit by a car tomorrow i can't imagine anyone would have found it. Just now, because of this thread, i updated it once more, incuding suggested auction houses, and printed it out to stick in the safe. At least now someone can find it.