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 Replies: 21 / Views: 2,741 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
I figured I would start a thread of a fun type. What do you do with your ancient coins? Some people keep them locked away in safe deposit boxes, others carry one in there pocket as a conversation piece? Do you store them in binders or flips or binders in flips do you leave them loose? Do you house them in a purse of some kind in the event that you wanted to wow a money changer? How do you treat them do you hide them and not talk about them unless someone else knows something about them? Do you show everybody? Do you talk about them to others? I have never met another ancient collector in person. I have known people to have one or two 3-4th century bronze Romans. Do you look at them monthly, weekly, daily or hourly? What are you going to do with your collection when you die? Are you going to sell them while your alive, give them to family? The love of ancient coins is often an odd love. People who don't collect coins think they are cool, people I have met who collect/or sell around here know nothing about them and they are worth a $20 bill. I don't like generalizing but this is often the case. Some people hoard quietly. I handle my coins daily. Sometimes Ill sit on the couch and think to my self, I wonder what Helios looks like today? I always have my favorite new toy on my nightstand (my wife makes fun of me)...but this is a tradition that started with Tonka trucks when I was a boy. I guess the point is collect what you like and love it anyway you choose, but how do you guys do it? Food for thought.....
Nate
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
I keep em all out, rattling about the house.
A roman once had them in his house, a roman dropped the coin and most likely shouted Furcifer very loudly when he realised his blunder, and to have a portrait of an emperor long dead adds to the experience.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5155 Posts |
Lined up on a table or in flips all over the house? Or you have the all over like Christmas ornaments?
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Ones for cleaning are on a shelf above my desk, the rest are on mantlepieces throughout the house, all loose. Why seal them away? They've been like that for as much as 2000 years! I've made space to put nicer coins in a display cabinet that has some space in it, but they are having the last of their dirt cleaned off in a long term olive oil bath.
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
In labled 2x2's and store in albums.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
Mostly, my coins are kept in 2x2 flips in three ring binders. I have one display box with the denarii of the 12 Caesars on my bookshelf next to my desk. On occasion I look through my three ring binders and take out a coin I haven't looked at for a while, marvel at it, and then reverently place it back. I own 500 or so coins, some worth a couple thousand dollars (not many). I would worry about loosing/misplacing a coin if I just willy-nilly set them about the house. All my coins are meticulously cataloged including their location in which binder, page, line and cell. I've been described by subordinates as having OCD. I don't think so. Do you?
Edited by Bing
07/24/2012 7:29 pm
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Moderator
Australia
16851 Posts |
You might find some folks reluctant to talk about storage location and security - no point giving the criminals a roadmap to the loot.
For me, I prefer to house them in 2x2-sized flips. I regularly go though my ancients album, once or twice a month at least, to look for coins to bring along to coin club meetings; as one of the few Ancients collectors in the club, I try to bring them along as often as I can. On behalf of the club I've also had some of them on display at coin shows and in public libraries.
Sometimes I'll pull one out to post on the forum, but frankly, most of mine aren't in good enough condition to scan or photograph well.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
I have thought about displaying mine all over the house but I too am afraid of losing or misplacing. An Ionia, Miletos AR 1/24th stater got away from me and luckly I found it. OCD no way man, its a testament to a life time of study and enjoyment. I saw the 12 caesars in silver in your gallery, I am inspired.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
I have no coins of value yet! SHould I get one, then ill consider getting it a proper home. Anyway, if its lost, it will only be within the walls of my house, so its not *truely* lost..
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2044 Posts |
I'm still mostly learning how to organize and store my collection. Right now I have them in 2x2 flips and in a single binder since I don't have too many coins yet. About 65 coins so far, 62 of them are fully attributed.
I leave a few of them on my desk for awhile to look at them until I receive the next order, whenever that may be. When I want to look at a coin I just pull one out once in awhile.
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Pillar of the Community
3352 Posts |
It may be a bit difficult to understand what you're looking it, but it works very well for the likes o' me!! I curently have three of these binders which store my 70 or so coins ... each coin can to accessed by using its coloured-tab ... Here are three random examples:   Each coin is housed in its own PVC-free sleeve (some sleeves fit pennies, nickels, quarters, dollars, etc) ... then I also print-out large photos of each coin (plus, I can add as many pages of info regarding each coin and merely hole-punch it and then keep it in the binder along with the coin) ... => now who do you think has OCD?!! |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2624 Posts |
Steve send me the second coin its one of my favourites :)
My collection is all in one room, I don't talk about it but if anyone mentions they collect coins I tell them I am interested, used to collect as a boy and saw lots when I worked in a pawnbroker.
My collection only recently started on the ancients side of things but here is what it comprises of.
Banknotes of the world large binder
British banknotes large binder
American banknotes large binder
British coins large binder
Australian coins large binder
American coins large binder
Eurocountries last coins binder
Eurocountries first Euros binder
Numis lighthouse mixed world coins small binder
Numis lighthouse mixed world coins small binder
Numis lighthouse "wow" coins binder (this one has my special coins in it with 2x2's at the front)
Phonecards large binder
3 x velvet boxes with trays containing large coins (silver one ouncers, crowns etc)
One large shoebox containing mint boxed sets
Most of these folders are over-filled, containing too many pages and not many gaps.
Most days I paw over some part of this collection...I know where every piece is from memory but it is not catalogued. I don't think anyone except for me has seen the entire collection, in the last 10 years I showed one person a folder of banknotes.
Edited by DavidUK
09/03/2012 10:25 am
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Pillar of the Community
3352 Posts |
Wow DavidUK, it sounds like you have a lot of numismatic "stuff" (very nice!!) ... I have only been collecting ancient coins for about 7 months (that's an everage of 10 ancient coins per month, or one coin every 3 days) ... yikes, I need help ... Oh, and not unlike you, I also have hoards of Canadian, US and World coins and paper-money comprising my "overall" currency collection ... however, as with my ancients coins, my other numismatic items are just as anally organized as my ancient binders!! => it's apparently how I roll ...  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1549 Posts |
I prefer open trays but I have more trays than will fit in my box (a big one!) so there are some packaged more compactly in paper envelopes. Because I have reasonably good photos of every coin, I do not see each one 'in hand' as often as I would like but I try to rotate things in the box so I handle each coin every year or two. Finding a bronze disease victim last year makes me want to speed up the rotation. New acquisitions go in a tray for regular handling until the try fills up and new things get sorted into the main files in the box. Being located near the bank makes visiting easier but collecting as I know it really depends on having the full set of photos. As I get older, the large photos are becoming more important to me.
What will I do with them? Not my problem; I'll be dead. I hope my grandson grows into them by the time I'm finished with them but I realize that is not more than a 50-50 chance. I only spend disposable money on them (what most of you spend on dining out, vacations or playing golf) so the loss will not be the difference between life and death. Maybe he will trade with someone else's grandson for a fossil collection more to his liking.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Steve - only 7 months?! Holy moly, It could take someone years to assemble a collection like yours!
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Pillar of the Community
3352 Posts |
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Replies: 21 / Views: 2,741 |
Posted 07/24/2012 6:52 pm
