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 Replies: 8 / Views: 3,791 |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
548 Posts |
I think having a genuine Roman coin would be really cool but I could never be sure that what I had was the real deal. What are the basic things you look for when verifying a Roman coin?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3443 Posts |
Depends very much on the type of coin it is. Gold Silver and Bronze are very different and after thousands of years behave in very different ways . In the case of gold no change at all. in the other two it all depends on circumstance. If the coin is encrusted inside a piece of corrosion the authenticity is 99.999% sure and treatment necessary. It all depends
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
Welcome to the community. Before you buy your fisrt coin I recommend doing some research first. There are many excellent web sites that you can go to an learn a bit before you buy. Here are a few: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmithhttp://www.estyancients.info/ricxI also recommend you download a free copy of ERIC I at dirtyoldbooks.com. When your ready to buy your first coin buy from reputable dealers such as the ones that you will find here at http://vcoins.com/en/coins/ancients.aspxFinally visit us often, there are many experience and knowledgable collectors here that will be more that happy to help you. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1315 Posts |
 Demarco If your first starting out with ancients, and want a relatively expensive coin, choose a reputable seller who guarantees his(her)coins to be authentic with a return policy. Usually (but not always) common Roman coins will not be fakes and you can find a lot of these around for reasonable prices. There are many websites that help explain fake ancients for collectors. There are some 40, 50, 60 year collectors here that still wind up with a fake from time to time. It takes study and research. A good seller is your best bet until you get a little knowledge. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3443 Posts |
Late Roman coins are very common.The mints were working 24-7 and inflation had created a situation were the common coinge had been reduced in size to 15-20mm. Reputable sellers can be found on the popular internet sites for buying 'thangs'. Many sellers can ship you a decent coin of the later period for well under $10 US. It all depends on your budget. My advice is buy a low priced (decent) Constantine and within a few days you will know whether you have caught the 'bug'. Its similar to H1N1 and symptoms include compulsively taking the thing out to look at it and letting your mind wander back over a thousand years. If on the other hand you put in a drawer somewhere and only notice it while looking for something else then you are immune and will thankfully save yourself from great expense many anxious hours waiting for auctions to close and packages to arrive in the mail. Good Luck !
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Pillar of the Community
 United Kingdom
548 Posts |
Thanks for your responses.
I'm not a new collector exactly and I got well and truly bitten by the bug a couple of years ago. Only thing is that I've been collecting modern gold and silver coins. When a coin is in perfect condition it's easy to pick up on fakes that lack the weight or exquisite detail of the genuine article. That's why I'm wary of older coins because once you reach a certain point it's hard to tell what is a genuine old coin damaged by centuries of wear and tear and what is simply s poor quality copy.
Edited by Demarco Bishopp
03/04/2013 10:45 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4964 Posts |
i agree with FR, I started out buying a couple of relativly cheap coins....first thing I purchased for myself was a 10 buck 5th century arcadius (avatar pic). i got the bug,so  be careful! hanging around here will also increase the chance of infection! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3443 Posts |
One of the reasons I started to stay away from silver ancients is that so very many sold by dealers were so darn bright and shiny that they looked like 'new'. It troubled me. One reason we see so many 'gem' silver and gold ancients is the relative value of money. Its like British sovereigns. They didn't get tossed around or sit in someones pocket getting tumbled with the other coins. They got 'ratholed'. In ancient times a silver coin was probably a days pay or more. Bronze was the coin of everyday use and bronze will under the right circumstance patinate quite nicely. If you buy silver and gold then $100 is probably not out of the question. With patience you can find a larger sized bronze with the sort of patina that only a thousand years can produce. A nice thick dark olive green/black patina is most desirable and almost impossible to fake. And by the way you stated that you had already caught the 'bug' ..... You are comparing the common cold to H1N1 ! This bug can really kill you ! Until you have suffered you can never understand.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Well, in a little bit I'm getting a batch of uncleaned roman coins in. If you want to dabble with some (probably low grade but I hope for some good ones in there) real ancient coins then PM me. You clean them - you ID them too. Post them here and keep us up to date with cleaning and stuff and you'll learn tons about it. You'll see the indicators of a fake after only a few coins.
And they really arent expensive. I'm offering them 95p/coin but as you're in the UK and new to the forum (we want to drag you in!) then I could make a concession (85p?).
And of course - most uncleaned coins are real, but recently some uncleaned 'crustys' have been turning out fake - encrusted washers and the likes. Its all about spotting the signs.
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Replies: 8 / Views: 3,791 |
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Posted 03/04/2013 08:40 am
