I want to buy some (cheap) ancient coin for my /his/tory fri

>>1966011
If it's cheap it's a fake.

>>1966016
Their quality is really crappy though, so perhaps it's legit? Where can I shop for real stuff?

>>1966016
I wouldn't say that. If they are cheap and not fake, it is usually because they are not in very good condition, depict a not so popular emperor, are very common, and were very low in purity, with some being made with as little as 5% precious metals.

>>1966011
I've bought several coins from Vcoins and I've never bought a fake one. I've verified them using various numismatics website(like http://www.wildwinds.com) and there are also certain ways to tell if it is a reproduction or even an ancient fake(which I don't really mind). Vcoins is a pretty legitimate website and scams get reported(I've never seen any there myself, only on ebay).

Constantine coins are quite cheap, Roman coins being widespread and this era's coins remained in circulation until pretty much the end of the Empire so they didn't usually get smelted down into new coins. However, the price will steeply increase when getting into finer coins, even if they are common. I myself own a Byzantine Maurice Tiberius Follis that I am very happy with, it's quite big and has a neat design. Size is something you have to keep in mind, most coins are a bit smaller than you expect them to be, so look at the diameter.

>>1966144
Do you have any suggestions for an interesting coin? I quickly looked up Constantine, Justinian and Basil II because they're well-known and have high meme value, but there might be something else worth looking at.

>>1966157
You should get one of Julian the Apostate, aka the last pagan Roman emperor.

>>1966172
This guy is a devoted Christian and I'm going to gift him this on Christmas.

That option would certainly be interesting.

>>1966177
If hes a devout Christian than Constantine is the way to go.
Though Julian was a boss.

File: Constantine's_conversion.jpg (402KB, 1280x1055px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1966182
Yep, that's why I thought Constantine or at least Byzantine

>>1966157
Well, I'm not sure what your price range is, but a good byzantine coin(excluding late roman empire like Constantine) can be bought for $40ish. As for specific coins, I usually pick based on aesthetics and sharpness rather than ruler. However, that doesn't exclude the well known emperors: here's an average shape Justinian: https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/moneta_numismatic_services/104/product/justinian_i_527565__12_nummi_alexandria_vf_brown_and_green_patina/538112/Default.aspx . If you prefer a later empire coin with an inscription on the back instead of a denomination, they have some pretty nice ones in that range: https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/iseum_coins/83/product/anonymous_ae_folles_class_b_romanus_iii/401844/Default.aspx
I would stay away from the late late stuff, I don't like the style of the trachy type coins, too large, thin and rounded.

The most important thing is just to look for a good amount of time. Find a style you like and narrow it down based on the content, style and color of the patina. If you want to look outside Byzantine coins, here's a quick run down: Roman Republic are quite expensive along with early empire, mid-late empire are quite common, classical/Hellenistic Greek coins are usually very expensive, don't bother with any kind of Persian unless you're willing to go upwards of 60(still awesome though), and everything else varies.

File: tumblr_oaq85pMPHS1vui450o2_500.png (220KB, 500x500px) Image search: [Google]

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>Antiquity shit

If you don't exclusively collect coins from the warlord era of the Republic of China you're doing it wrong

>>1966196
Thanks a lot!

How much can I trust vcoins is legit?

>>1966204
Well, I have received half a dozen coins from them and have had no cause for complaint. If you are still wary, it is not a bad idea to try other trading or auction sites to get a firm handle on the prices. You must bear in mind, however, that Vcoins is not a seller, but a marketplace where many different stores sell their stuff. The companies are from all over the world, so it's really not Vcoins you have to be thinking about. And of course it's always a good idea to check the coin you want to get against other websites for price and authenticity(i.e. don't buy a coin that looks like no other coin you can find).

Personally, Vcoins has given me no reason to distrust them.

>>1966268
Yeah, I guess I'll have to use common sense. Do you know any site/community for these kind of things?

>don't buy a coin that looks like no other coin you can find

https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/romanlode/137/product/constantine_i_ae_3_free_with_order_more_than_50__must_ask/630404/Default.aspx

For example, this appears very clean and large for that price. Would you call it fake?

>>1966286
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/
there's forums, a large database and a store
the store only stocking real coins, otherwise you get a full refund

>>1966016
many byzantine copper coins are dirt cheap

>>1966286
Probably not. I got one similar for the same price.

Hey anons. This is a really neat thread.

Do any of you anons have some basic info/links(other than google) for someone wanting to get into coin collecting?

>>1966016
>he thinks that just because something is old it is worth a lot of money

Nope. You can find centuries-old stuff dirt cheap. Just because something is old, even old as shit, doesn't make it remotely valuable.