Basic Ancient Coin Questions.

It's basically up to you. If you want a "purely Roman Imperial" collection, then no, but if your collection is focussed on the emperors themselves, then sure, why not? It certainly makes things easier for several emperors who struck few "Roman" coins but quite a lot of "Provincials".


The Romans never woke up one day and said, "Lets change our name to the Byzantine Empire". From their perspective, the Empire that fell to the Ottoman Turks was the same Empire that was founded by Augustus. So in that sense, there is no "official" Roman/Byzantine boundary; any such boundary has to be drawn by later historians.

The "Byzantine" coin series is generally considered to begin with the coinage reform of Anastasius I that initiated the distinctive early Byzantine copper coins; for that reason, we numismatists consider Anastasius I the "first Byzantine emperor". But if you look at, say, the gold coinage, there is no clear break or division in the series at that point.


"Fabric" derives from an old French word for "craft" or "manufacture", and this it is in this context the word is used. It refers to the overall appearance of the coin as caused by it's method of manufacture - a combination of die artistry, planchet production and method of striking.


Traditionally, "AE" refers to any kind of base-metal, but often cataloguers want to be a bit more specific if the composition of the base-metal is known. Your guesses as to the interpretation seem reasonable to me.

Nickel was not discovered scientifically until the 1700s, but copper ore naturally high in nickel would produce a natural cupronickel alloy, not too dissimilar to the composition of the US 5 cent piece, which certain ancient societies found useful in making pseudo-silver objects, including coinage. The Chinese called it "white copper", and the Bactrians made coins out of it.

"Billon" is debased silver - usually debased with copper, but lead and tin could also be used. The term is usually used for alloys of less than 50% silver content; such alloys usually no longer look "silvery" after just a brief time in circulation.


The short answer is, "tradition". Back in Renaissance times when the modern concept of coin collecting began, all coins whose identities were unknown or ambiguous were described on a somewhat arbitrary scale. The Late Roman Bronze scale is the only one still in common use.


You've pretty much ruled everybody else out, there.

You might find some Celtic in that price range, but they're usually pricier; you might only be able to afford unidentifiable lumps. Some of the Indian series might also be of interest, though you'll find there's not too much "variety".


You mean this scale? It seems to be reasonably accurate, in a general sort of way.

I have been collecting for a long time now and I find most of the answers to your questions to be useful. I know its a cliche, but I don't believe there are any dumb questions. If you don't know the answers, then it is reasonable to conclude that others will not know the answer either. So from me, thank you for asking the questions. And thanks to SAP and echizento for providing answers.

Sap did a good job with your questions. I'll just ad a link to my 'Fabric' page because I consider fabric to be a very interesting and important topic. Those who understand fabric buy fewer fakes.
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/do.../fabric.html

Nickels are nice but not common.
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/do...ac58bak.html

There are few lead coins that you will find interesting and they tend to survive in poor shape. Many are Indian like the Ikshvakus from the third century AD.

I have some more questions that I hope ain't ridiculous.

I was reading up about Renaissance Wax, now that I have a little bit to use, thanks to JW. Apparently, a lot of people that purchased a full can of it did not receive directions for usage. So, I am wondering exactly how to use it.

1.)

Do you have to clean a coin first before applying the wax?

2.)

Is applying the wax with a Q-Tip and then rubbing with a non-abrasive cotton cloth suitable or the right way to do it?

3.)

Is there any instance where I should not use the wax? I have read that the wax affects sand patinas.


Now for some other questions about cleaning in distilled water.

1.)

Can you heat up distilled water in a microwave or pan over a stove and not affect the chloride removing properties?

2.)

If you use dish detergent in distilled water. Does this affect the distilled properties of the water to where it isn't good for coins?


I'm planning on purchasing a coin that looks like it has bronze disease. I am purchasing it for the purpose of learning how to treat it.

1.)

Is letting is soak in distilled water for a certain amount of time (how long?) and then baking it under 200F and then picking out the disease the way to do it? And then applying some Renaissance Wax.