Reasons Why I Collect Roman Coins

April 5, 2010 | By andrew In coins |
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 have an interest in the ancient past and enjoy collecting things but you have a low budget you should consider collecting Roman Coins.

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 know what the Roman Emperors looked like. It was common practice during the time of the Roman Empire to inscribe the portrait of the Emperor on the coins that were minted during their reign.

There were many Ancient coins created by the Greeks, Barbarians, Celts, Indians and Chinese but Ancient Roman coins are the most in-expensive of all of these.

In fact they are less expensive to collect then many modern day coins which can come as a surprise to some. As already stated the Roman Empire was large and existed over a long period of time. Therefore there were a lot of Roman coins and so they are not as rare as some may believe. Also fewer people collect ancient coins then modern coins and so the demand for them is 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.

Another reason Roman coins are great to collect is that they do not just have historical value but also artistic value. These coins were cleverly and beautifully crafted and tell a story from the time and area that they were minted.

Roman Coins had intrinsic value. Unlike coins today these coins were made from Gold, Silver, Bronze etc. Should you have a higher budget this gives you the chance to collect the more special and rarer Gold and Silver coins which were worth many more times their weight in those metals.

Factors that determine a coins worth

The price of a coin ranges significantly due to a number of factors. The two biggest factors being the condition the coin is in and the grade of the coin.

Condition of the coin is dependent on how eroded the coin has become while it was in the soil or how it was stored before being found.

The grade of the coin depends on the tools and experience of the person who minted the coin during the Roman period. These coins were made by hand and so are not always very well minted. They may be oval rather then circular and lack detail. This can happen if it was struck by dies that were worn down.

Trying to determine the grade of a coin can be tricky and occasionally you have to go with how appealing and detailed you think the coin is.

Another factor that determines a coins worth is its rarity. Surprisingly rarity is less of a factor in determining an ancient Roman coins worth then modern day coins.

More people collect modern coins and therefore there is greater demand for them. Also because modern coins are less varied then Roman coins the value of a modern coin can be driven up if collectors are trying to complete their collections. This is less of an issue with Roman coins as the variety is much greater and collectors are less likely to complete their collection. Each collection will be different. Rare Roman coins do exist however. If an emperor was only in power for a short period of time less coins are likely to have been minted during his reign. These coins are harder to find and cost more.

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.

Once you become more experienced it will be much easier to determine yourself if a coin is uncommon, scarce, rare or very rare.

Price of different Roman coins

Truly rare coins that are sort after will not sell for much less than $100, and often for much more. Hence, a coin of Constantine described as rare with an asking price of just a few dollars is very unlikely to be so. There are sellers on eBay who claim that their coin is rare, or they have only seen one in 10 years, but there is another one just like it being offered on eBay by someone else.

To give you an idea of the variation of price for Roman coins, for $5-$10 you can buy decent quality coins issued under a number of the late-3rd and 4th century AD emperors.

For approximately $10 – $20, you should be able to collect a coin from the more recognized 1st and 2nd century emperors, and many later ones in good condition. In fact you could collect about half of the emperors of which there is about fifty with clear portraits and readable legends for about $20 a coin.

Dont forget there are a variety of coins for each emperor. Some of these coins will cost much more and are in better condition or more scarce. However you shouldnt have to look much further if you want to assemble a collection of fairly good quality coins without having to spend too much.

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.

So, to summarize, buy coins that you find interesting and that appeal to you. No two coins of the same type will be exactly the same; choose the one that you think is better value for your money. Look around to see if a nicer looking coin might be also affordable if that is what you really want, and hence save yourself the trouble of replacing it later or regretting that you bought it in the first place. Do not worry about rarity too much!

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