A Guaranteed Way to Profit from Ancient Coins

[kirispupis]

I recently devised this way to guarantee a profit on every coin I pickup and I thought I'd share it for others to use. Here's an example:

Coin purchase price: $500 (for simplicity sake, including fees and shipping)

Enjoyment of opening the box and seeing the coin for the first time: $25
Researching the coin over my lifetime: 3 hours * WA State minimum wage of $16.28 = $48.84
Return on my investment for the joy of presenting my coin online with my research for the first time: $50
Bonus happiness from each like I receive: $1 per like = $20
Annual rent for the joy of having the coin in my collection: $15 per year (3% CAP rate) * 40 years I expect to live = $600
Happiness from showing the coin off over the next 40 years: 3 showings $10 = $30
Happiness from showing the coin off on forums over the next 40 years: one post every other year = $5 x 20 = $100
Return for knowing my kids will actually have to look at the coin when I pass: $25
How much my kids will make from the coin when I pass: $400

And there you have it. I purchased the coin for $500, and I'll make $898.84 (tax free) from it during my life, and $1,298.84 if you include what my kids make. If one of my (G-d willing) grandchildren wind up keeping it and repeating the above, then the profits will be higher.

Including a coin where I paid this much. Note that I spent more than 3 hours researching it and I've posted it several times, so I'm already ahead...

Nikokles of Cyprus
AR silver tetradrachm
Struck at Paphos, Cyprus, 325-317 BCE
Head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin headdress; on lion's mane, faint letters NIKOKΛEOYΣ at the highest points (and as such worn nearly illegible).
Reverse - BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΛEΞANΔPOY Zeus seated left; holding eagle in right hand and sceptre in left; ΠΑΦ monogram for Paphos in left field, and below the throne, a laurel spring.
Price 3123. May, Paphos 7, pl. 1, 9. Tziambazis 11. Very rare. 26mm, 17.0g

Edited December 23, 2023 by kirispupis

[I_v_a_n]

3 hours ago, kirispupis said:

Annual rent for the joy of having the coin in my collection: $15 per year (3% CAP rate) * 40 years I expect to live = $600

I think here is a mistake in this line... 🤔

There was de Callatay's study about an average life expectancy for different fields of activities during last about 500 years. The conclusion was that numismatists had a bonus +5 years to contemporary average expectancy. So, the result of this line must be $675 🤣

[Sulla80]

LOL - love the ROI thesis - and I will try to make another $10 in "Happiness from showing the coin off" - unfortunately this coin also inspires me to by a nice bottle of wine, I wonder if I should subtract that as a cost of the coin?  or just assume that the ROI on the wine is a separate equation?

Moesia Inferior, Nicopolis ad Istrum. Elagabalus. A.D. 218-222. AE assarion (16.8mm, 3.24g, 1 h)

Obv: AV K M A ANTΩNINOC, laureate and draped bust right

Rev: NIKOΠOΛITΩN ΠPOC I, bunch of grapes hanging from vine

Ref: AMNG 2036

Edited December 23, 2023 by Sulla80

[kirispupis]

16 minutes ago, I_v_a_n said:

I think here is a mistake in this line... 🤔

There was de Callatay's study about an average life expectancy for different fields of activities during last about 500 years. The conclusion was that numismatists had a bonus +5 years to contemporary average expectancy. So, the result of this line must be $675 🤣

That's interesting to know. The only problem is I might then start to drool on my coins, so my kids may not be able to realize as much. 🙂 

[ominus1]

...that's some good figuring i figure...and just about right too...^^

[lordmarcovan]

I like the way you think!