Coin Collecting

Coins and Paper Money -> Coins – Ancient -> Greek Coins

As a link to the ancient world, coins are an incredibly popular way to capture this history. Thanks to the minting process and the metals that were used, we can still enjoy many ancient coins today. Greek coins are increasingly becoming more popular and their unique designs enhance any coin collection. For those that are looking to collect these coins, but are uncertain as to whether or not they are dealing with an authentic collectible, there are a few guidelines.

1. Check the Wear

An ancient coin will understandably look a bit old. In many cases, you are dealing with coins that were produced thousands of years ago. If the Greek coin you are looking at it is shiny, or has no visible signs of wear, there is a good chance that it is not authentic. Most collectors do not restore these coins since their wear is a sign of their true age. If you do find a coin that is in remarkable condition, there is a chance that it is authentic, but the chances are few and far between.

2. Check the Back

Ancient Greek coins will typically have a name engraved on the back, but it won’t be of a king or of anyone incredibly important. Instead, in this culture, it was customary for the person that actually minted the coin to put their own name on it. This was a unique practice and it offers a great way for the average collector to be able to authenticate a Greek coin. Since the vast majority of these coins bear some sort of engraving on the back, this will help you determine whether or not the coin is authentic.

3. Check the Design

Minting equipment was understandably not as advanced as today’s equipment and that means that very often, the designs on Greek coins will not be perfect. This is actually desirable and if you do find a coin that is too perfect, it is a major sign that it may not be authentic. Take the time to thoroughly examine the coin. If you cannot spot any flaws, there is a very good chance that it is not authentic.

4. Check the Certificate

Many ancient coins that have already been authenticated will have an accompanying certificate. While this can of course be forged, you can follow up with the person that did the appraisal and authentication. If you cannot contact them or they do not have any knowledge of the coin you are dealing with, it is best to save your money and find another Greek coin to buy.

5. Check the Shape

Last but not least, coins made during this period were quite often not perfectly round. Look for a slight deviation on your Greek coin. If it is slightly off, then this is a very good sign that it is authentic. Remember, many of these Greek coins were hand made, one at a time and whenever you are dealing with that kind of process, the chances for imperfections are very high.

Originally posted 2008-08-22 05:00:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Coins have been treated as a method of currency for as many as thousands of years now. Collecting these little pieces of ancient history has become an extremely popular past time among many people. For many people, the idea of ancient coin collecting has become a true passion as well as a real life hunt for treasure. Because it is relatively inexpensive for a ancient coin collecting hobby to be started, you can collect a myriad of different ancient coins from all over the globe as simply as logging into the internet.

With the large variety of different types of coins that are available, from modern coins to ancient ones, it is important that you select a specific category of coins that you want to collect. You may choose ancient coin collecting or you may choose some other type of collecting depending on what you are interested in.

When getting into ancient coin collecting, what you should do is to gather coins that come from either a certain country, or a specific period of time. There are a number of inexpensive coins that you can fall back to in order to get started without spending a lot. Some examples are:

• The British Half-Farthing, which hails from between 1842 and 1869, and which was criticized for being too small of a denomination,
• The French Rooster Franc,
• The Chinese Gold Panda,
• The Silver Drachma, which was used around the time of the rule of Alexander the Great,
• The Silver Denarius, which hails from the earliest Roman Empire,

There are other ways to grow your collection of coins as well, such as by collecting:

• United States coins, including commemorative coins for example,
• Particular coins, such as coins that fall into a specific denomination or a specific type of coin, such as by collecting only Washington quarters, or only silver half-dollar coins,
• Coins with a specific theme, such as coins that feature animals, or coins that feature vehicles, or monuments, or anything else that you can think of.
• Coins with errors, since even mints are capable of making mistakes, and there are a myriad of different error coins that you can find, including coins with the wrong inscription, the wrong form, the wrong design or the wrong date on them.

Any time you are choosing a coin to collect, it is important that you determine the value and worth of the coin before you purchase it. Determining what the coin is worth is going to allow you to make sure that you get a good deal on the coins that you purchase. You should never spend more for a coin than it is worth on the market, because someone will be asking the market price, and others will be asking more. Just shop around until you find the ancient coin you want for the price it’s really worth.

Photo Credits: oceandesetoiles

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