What Do You Consider As Historically Significant In Ancients

You can also go to FORVM Ancient coins. They have a list there, Roman Imperial, Provincial, Greek, Biblical, etc coins. Makes it easier for me to browse and window shop as well as gaining tidbits of knowledge. You might be able to build a want list from that.

http://www.forumancientcoins.com/

Greeks is harder to collect as sets, I've noticed. Many regions in the ancient world are lumped into Greek. So, you might just want to look around.

Thanks Gil-galad. Headed over there now.

Ancientnoob thanks for your post. I wanted something to pass down to the kids containing coins they would enjoy and would contain pieces from their history classes, kind of a family museum of sorts. Guess collecting ancients isn't as structured as a collection of U.S. type coins. Looks like I need to think outside the box.

Years ago I started my collection by trying to collect a Denarius of each of the first 12 Caesars (Julius Caesar through Domitian). It took me years, especially for the few rarer Caesars, but in the meantime I branched out collecting Repulics and Imperials with a sprinkling of Greeks. Whate er you decide, you'll find that they all have some historical significance unlike our coins of today. Collecting Ancients has been the most rewarding and educational hobby I've ever done. Good luck whatever you decide to collect.

....now how did that get in there?....

I thought about making such a list before I started collecting last year...but then I realised that this approach was not right for me.

The first coins I bought were Elizabeth I sixpence, Alexander the great drachm and Hadrian denarius. These were historically significant people to me.

After that I saw that big historical names like Nero and Julius Ceasar are expensive and many of the coins aren't particularly beautiful. I started focusing on which coins are beautiful and am trying to put together varied type collection, including key places, names and styles of coin.

Therefore my next coins were a Celtic stater, a Roman republic Denarius and a Corinth stater followed by some Roman Bronzes and a Persian Siglos plus a couple of incuse coins.

On my list are Byzantine, provincials and Selucid coins.

At the moment I am not specialising on any particular area (though the silver Greek coins have particular appeal for their age and beauty) but I am trying to build a rounded collection containing good examples of coinage of different types and places.

Often I see coins and look up the history surrounding the ruler or place and time, rather than picking the coin because of the history the coin leads me to the history.

Growing a collection in this way means it grows organically rather than to any particular plan and that I am scanning and looking at an array of coins and choosing thosse that offer the best deal or those that say something to me. Which has an advantage over trying to buy each ruler in order or following some linear plan.

The hardest coin to buy was my first, as I buy more it becomes easier to find connections and I am becoming more familiar with the different types and area's that I need to build on.

Okay guys, I took the plunge using the shot gun approach. Bought four coins from different categories. Here are my first ancient purchases.

Antioch, Roman Provincial Syria, c. 47 - 41 B.C.

Apollonia Pontika, Thrace, 450 - 404 B.C.

Claudius II Gothicus, September 268 - August or September 270 A.D., Roman Provincial Egypt

Krannon, Thessaly, Greece, 400 - 350 B.C.

Post each coin in separate threads. That way you will receive thorough comments on each.

Doug: I think you be right about Noob.