Thasos Tetradrachm

That's a nice one. The city-name at the bottom (ThASEWN) is a bit weak, but still readable.

I don't have any coins from any of the Greek island-city-states as yet... Something else to add to my wantlist sometime.

A bit more background to the coin (Sear# 1759): Thasos became the main mint city for the region after the conquest of Macedonia by the Romans, with silver from the rich mines of northern Greece being sent there. Sear gives the date of issue to be "after 148 BC".

These coins were also copied by Celtic tribes in the Danube valley. (Sear #215/6). Unfortunately, they couldn't read Greek and rarely managed to spell the words correctly.

The Greek inscriptions translate to "Hercules Saviour of Thasos". Apparently the temple of Hercules was one of the key landmarks on the island.

I reall need to get some ore ancients at least the cheap one to start out

If you're doing a search on ebay or Amazon, the full title is "Greek Coins and Their Values" by David R. Sear. There are two books in the Greek series: Volume 1 (Europe) and Volume 2 (Asia and Africa).

Mr. Sear writes the "entry-level" reference catalogues for Roman, too. The Millennium Edition Roman catalogue is being progressively released, since the year 2000. It's up to three volumes and counting, with over 500 pages per volume:
Volume 1: Early Rome, the Republic and the First Twelve Caesars (280BC to 96 AD)
Volume 2: The Golden Age of the Empire (96 - 235 AD)
Volume 3: The Military Emperors and the Beginning of the End of the Empire (235-285 AD)
Volume 4: not yet released, but presumably the period 285 AD to the Roman/Byzantine transition in 498 AD.

Each Sear volume costs me around AU$200 or so, as they come from Britain and the pound-to-dollar conversion is atrocious - plus the cost of shipping hardcover, glossy-paper books to the far side of the planet. The European Greek book is slightly smaller, and cheaper.

For the generalist in ancients, add extra volumes if you're into Byzantine or Greek Imperial (Roman Provincial) coins.

They are all excellent resources, but I have no idea how a beginner is supposed to get interested in ancients around here when the "Full Catalogue" of Greek coins costs $300 and the Roman costs AU$800!

Of course, the older "all-in-one" volumes for Roman are probably still available, second-hand if nothing else, and still well worth acquiring for the beginner. I bought my second edition Sear (1981) some years ago for AU$25. Granted, someone had been at it with scissors, cutting out the pretty pictures first!

I don't trust the FleBay, I have never bid on anything only bought.

Are their any Online shops thast you guys buy them off and are their any Medieval Guides(AD. 1000 - 1700)

Thanks!

TKC!