A drachm for your thoughts (on ancient coins that is)… Item Number: 100023 $0.00

DescriptionWe don’t do much in ancient coins - that’s a specialty all onto itself. But last week we purchased a lovely Attica Athena Owl Tetradrachm, and lo and behold, sold it less than 3 hours after we listed it… which got me thinking, where do ancient coins fit into this addiction of collecting ancient art?

OK, I admit it, I’ve always had a preconceived notion that coin collectors are, for the most part, little old men who buy coins mostly as investments, and spend hours on end categorizing, sorting, and grading, but little time actually “enjoying” the artistic merits of their coins. And when done, the coins are relegated off to safe or safe-deposit box hibernate, if you will. Sure, ancient coins are pretty cool and they can certainly be great investments, but are they art?

Hell yes! How can you look at the bust of Arethusa on the Syracuse/Sicily tetradrachm and not be struck by her beauty? Or Pegasus flying across the Greek sky on a Corinthian silver stater and not be struck with the artistic skill required first to create the art, and then to carve this incredible image into a metal die. Or even look at the owl on the Attica Athena tetradrachm and not smile by its wide-open eyes and wise countenance… Perhaps this is why every major art museum has a section devoted to ancient coins.

Last week, I discussed miniatures and when you think about it, coins are some of the most beautiful examples of art in miniature available anywhere. Not only are they historic reflecting the people, myths and topical subjects of the day, they are also great investments and they really are to be (or can be) enjoyed for their artistic beauty.

If interested in collecting ancient coins, like any other form of ancient art, do it right! How about a few pointers?

1. Buy from reputable dealers! Like every other form of ancient art, fakes abound and some are SCARY good! Buying form a reputable dealer is your best protection. There is a “web mall” called Vcoins.com. There you will find a number of very good reputable dealers, but even with this group, do your homework and get the particulars on their guarantees of authenticity.
2. I would recommend some form of buying strategy. We know collectors who buy only Roman emperors, or Greek leaders, or only mythological subjects. There are so many types of subjects that specializing is actually rather easy. But also buy what you LOVE! If a coin’s art does not make you smile, it’s very easy to find ones that will!
3. Learn the nuances that affect value. Small things like precise placement of the image, the toning of the metal and things most of us have a hard time even seeing can have a big impact on pricing. If you are buying as an investment, you probably need to learn some of these things. Harlan Berk (HarlanjBerk.com) can be a great resource for educating about these nuances. We always recommend using auction catalogs as a way to learn art values. The same holds true in ancient coins, and it is pretty easy to get your hands on old Harlan Berk catalogs.
4. If buying for the art, figure out a place or a way that allows you access to see these beauties. Safety deposit boxes are great to keep things safe, but not a way to really enjoy art. Many folks have ancient coins set into jewelry so they can wear it, enjoy it, and show it off to others. There are two very divergent schools of thought on this. One says, “it’s yours, enjoy it.” The other is “you are damaging or destroying ancient treasures. How dare you!” I would NEVER recommend taking a world-class coin and setting it into anything that could potentially damage it. But I personally see nothing wrong with taking a good example of an Alexander the Great coin (of which millions were minted) and setting it into a ring or pendant. But that’s me, and I could be wrong!

Like I said, we are not big coin people, but we very much appreciate the art and love my Alexander the Great ring each and every day!

Happy collecting!
Bob Dodge