Sunday 15 August 2010

Collecting Coins During the Ancient Times


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One of the best methods of learning history and its significant teachings is through actual doing. It may sound confusing but it has been certified and proven that experience indeed serves as the best teacher.

In this article, a particular form of collecting or hobby known as ancient coin collecting will be discussed briefly and concisely. Coin collecting in general is considered a hobby of the accumulation and maintenance of coins for their artistic, historical, geographic, and economic value. Coins may range from ancient times to modern times. But for an avid coin collector virtually any coin is worth collecting especially ancient ones.

In ancient coin collecting the aim of the coin collector is to acquire rare, valuable, and untouched coins from the far past. By untouched we mean a coin that has no imperfections whatsoever.

There three main coins that are hunted down by experienced and determined coin collectors: Roman, Greek, and Chinese coins. Those three civilizations are considered to be the epitome of all coins. From each comes down a line of newer and more modern types of coins that may trigger the interest of coin collectors not particularly attracted to ancient coins per se.

The minting of coins was first started by the Greeks during the ancient Greek times. The first coins were called Silver Drachmae by the Greek people because it is of course made from silver which gives it a silver hue. The capital city of Greece, Athens displayed their artistic talents through their coins. They infused their coins with designs inspired by the gods and goddesses. Finally, Alexander the Great morphed the common idealistic designs and had it turned into more realistic ones like images of rulers and kings.

The second type of ancient coin is the Roman coin. The coins of the Romans were the first to establish bronze, silver, and gold. It differs from the Greeks who employed silver coins... Ancient roman coins were said to be made to broadcast various economic and political propaganda. Like the ancient Greek coins, Roma coins used depictions of their ruler in the distribution of their coins.

The last form ancient coin collecting people seek to acquire are the ancient Chinese coins. Due to its value and prize as a rare coin, conniving coin dealers constantly create forges and fraud of this type of coins. This is a big problem to the coin collecting hobby and industry especially the aspiring and new coin collectors. Other than that significant problem, ancient Chinese coins are said to be majestic in design and form.

Ancient coin collecting is sure to captivate the hearts and interest of coin collectors and hobbyists a like. It may seem boring and dull but it surely is a gateway to the ancient period of the world. Remember before engaging on you rare coin hunts to add in your collection of precious coins, it is best to do some research and further readings you can possibly make. It will to the highest degree lend a hand in your coin collecting hobby.




Stephen J. Buckley is a long-time collector of rare coins. His collection includes (and in fact specializes in) coins found in ancient Rome. You can check out his site at Inside Coin Collecting and he also knows a great deal about Ancient Coin Collecting [http://www.insidecoincollecting.com/ancient-coin-collecting]

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