If youve ever wondered what Roman Emperors like Julius Caesar, Nero or Constantine looked like or wanted to own something that may have been held by one of these historic men or someone living during that period then consider this.
If you are someone who has an interest in the Ancient past or perhaps someone who just likes collecting historic antiques but your not willing to spend much money then you should consider taking up the hobby of Roman coin collecting.
There are a number of reasons why you should consider collecting Roman coins then other Ancient Coins.
Firstly there are a wide variety of Ancient Roman coins to suite your tastes. This is largely due to the vast time and area that the Roman Empire covered. From as early as 27 BC to 496 AD there were many millions of coins minted spanning a large area of the globe featuring coins that reflect the time from when they were created.
Also its great to have a real portrait of an Emperor in your possession. Many emperors came and went and it was customary to inscribe the portrait of the emperor on the coins that were minted during their reign.
Roman coins are the least expensive of all Ancient coins. Other ancient coins include for example Greek, Barbaric, Celtic, Parthian, Nabathaean, Islamic, Indian and Chinese.
This can come as a surprise to many considering how ancient these coins are. Yet they can be even cheaper then some of the modern day coins that coin collectors collect. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly as already stated the Roman empire was large and so there were a lot of coins minted. Many Roman coins are therefore not as rare as many believe. Another reason is that there are few collectors of ancient coins then modern coins. This makes the demand for them lower.
There are also less forgeries of Roman coins then other coins particularly modern day coins. This is largely due to the fact that they are less rare and expensive.
These coins dont just have historic and monetary value. They also have artistic value being beautifully crafted and containing a narrative or story of the area and period that they were minted.
Unlike most coins today Roman Coins had intrinsic value being comprised of precious metals worth many times more then their weight in those metals. These precious metals include Gold, Silver and Bronze. This can make the coins more special and increase the value of the coin should you choose to collect the more expensive Roman coins.
Factors that determine a coins worth
The price of a Roman coin can vary radically and is due to a number of factors. The two most important factors are how the coin was minted and the condition that the coin is in.
The condition of the coin depends on how the coin was stored before being found or how tarnished the coin has become due to minerals in the ground.
The grade is determined by how the coin was minted during Roman times. These coins were hand made and so are not always very circular or detailed. A Roman coin can be less detailed and of less value if it was struck by dies that were worn down.
Determining the grade of a coin can be tricky and sometimes you simply have to go with how appealing and detailed the coin is to your own eyes.
Another factor that determines a coins worth is how rare that coin is. Rarity is less of a factor in determining a Roman coins value then modern day coins.
Coins are worth a lot more if fewer were minted and there are fewer of them in circulation. Given the large number of collectors of Modern day coins this is more of a factor with Modern coins. This would drive up the cost of a rare coin if collectors are trying to complete their collection.
You should be wary of coin dealers that use terms such as rare or very rare to describe a coin. A coin that is described as rare may not necessarily be rare. Some of those who are new to coin collecting will be misled by such claims. If someone describes a coin as rare you should determine how rare and why the coin is rare. Does the dealer of the coin give an RIC number and provide the range. Do not be tempted to purchase a coin just because someone describes it as rare.
If you become a professional coin dealer of have even just built up a collection of ancient coins determining whether a coin is rare or not will become much easier.
How much should you pay for a Roman Coin
If you want to purchase a really rare Roman coin then they will not sell for much less than $120. Some will sell for more then this. For example a coin of Nero described as rare with an asking price of just a few dollars is very unlikely to be so. There are ebay coin sellers who will claim that their coin is rare, or they have only seen one in a decade, yet there is another one exactly the same being sold on eBay by someone else.
To get an idea of the diversity in price for different Roman coins, for $5 to $10 you can buy good quality coins minted under late third and forth century AD emperors.
If you were willing to pay $10-$20, you could collect a coin from the more well-known 1st and 2nd century emperors. Maybe some later ones in good condition. If you were willing to accumulate a collection of over 50 emperors in good condition with clear portraits and readable legends this should cost approximately $20 a coin.
There can be a large variety of coins for each emperor. Some will be in better condition, or more rare, but if your interested in purchasing decent quality coins and you dont want to pay too much you may not have to look much further.
Once in a while you might want to spend a bit more on a scarce emperor, or something that really arouses your interest, or a coin in truly nice condition. But then again, you might be attracted to cheaper coins that are not fully cleaned or legible, which can add to their mystery.
To sum up, purchase coins that appear to you personally. Every coin will be different. Choose the one that you think is better value for your money. You may even be able to resell such a coin later and make a profit. Occasionally buy a more expensive coin of a higher grade and condition. Dont worry about rarity too much but if want a rare coin you should make sure the coin really is rare by asking the dealer the right questions. This can save yourself a lot of money.
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