Why To Collect Ancient And Medieval Coins?

First and foremost for me is one you mentioned, Doug: the history imbued in these little metal disks. The fact that people handled them two millennia ago...it's a tangible way to experience history and to feel a connection to fellow human beings from so long ago.

Beyond that:

Next for me (especially as an artist, art instructor, and former art history prof): the artistry of the coins, including the ebb and flow of aesthetic quality over time in particular series. Tracking - and collecting - stylistic changes is fascinating.

The fact that no two ancients - even when produced from the same dies - are exactly alike. Coins in OUR collections are unique. (Take that, modern collectors!)

The intellectual challenge, especially with regard to discovering things about a coin's historical context and manufacture: learning about rulers, kingdoms, trade, minting practices, etc.

The fact that there are gaps in research pertaining to certain series, or at least areas that are not definitively explained, particularly with regard to iconography or symbols. (Is that really a serpent the elephant is trampling on Caesar's denarius? Is that actually a showbread table between the columns of the temple on the Bar Kochba sela?) Mysteries abound with ancients - especially, it seems to me, with some of the Eastern series. While some might find that off-putting, I find it appealing. As an aside: I recently uploaded a short article about coins from Elymais, a particularly mysterious collecting area: http://www.coincommunity.com/pdf/An...-Elymais.pdf

Related to the above: the fact that, even as amateur collectors, we have the opportunity to contribute to the body of research. (I greatly look forward to reading TypeCoin971793's first book someday!) And, of course, we get to regularly offer up our interpretations on various aspects of these coins, interpretations which - in forums like this - are often warmly received, whether agreed with or not.

This one is of course not exclusive to ancients: The challenge and associated rewards of locating and obtaining coins to fill in collection gaps. I especially love the hunt for rarities, even though it is - more often than not - a lesson in frustration.

I also like the "outsider" vibe as an ancients collector. I sometimes look at the traffic on some of the other boards here at CCF and feel like this is the dark little corner of the site. But I like that. We're the rebels!

The main focus of my collection is Greek Silver coinage. I like all the history etc but I guess the aesthetics must be part of the reason for my choice. The designs of Greek coins seem a tier above everyone elses... the thick planchets with heavy relief depictions of Pegasus, Zeus, Heracles, Corinthian Helmets and various animals etc just strike a chord with me.

We are the latest link in a chain of humanity that stretches back millennia. The latest - but not the last.
These coins are tangible connections to those prior generations, broadening the perception of what it means to be human.

Plus they're really cool.

For me, one of the main fascinations with collecting mediaeval and ancient coins is that coins, unlike most other ancient artifacts such as the oil lamps mentioned in the OP, are still used today in much the same way as they were used a couple of thousand years ago when they were first invented: you use them as money to buy things.

Take someone from ancient Athens, or Rome, or mediaeval London, or even Tang Dynasty China, and transport them through time to a modern Western society of today. Much of what they would see would be alien and strange to them (cars, aircraft, electricity etc). Yet, if you gave them some modern coins, not only would they be able to correctly guess at what they were, but they would also know roughly how to use them.

So in that sense, coins directly link us to the past, in ways that many other relics cannot.

We'll see. It will be a few years before I am in the position to take on such an undertaking.

Thanks for the shoutout!