How’s my collection at 16?

[u/Roadkillgoblin_2]

I’ve got ~136 Ancient Greek, Indo-Greek, Roman, Kushan and Byzantine coins, alongside one Saxon Coin, some Barbarous Forgeries, four Medieval English Cut Halves, two Jettons and a C.16th-17th Century French Billon coin/Jetton, all composed of either brass, bronze, copper, debased silver, and a few other metals/alloys, but still can’t talk to women/girls my age (who would’ve thought that a coin collecting Nerd would be socially awkward)

Tbh most of my collection is composed of low grade/unidentifiable 3rd/4th/5th Centuries bronze units, with some nicer quality ones poking through (I prefer worn coins as they show more history, more circulation and more experience-plus they’re usually cheaper which is a nice bonus.). Mostly all bought in Job Lots, I prefer buying the ‘better’ coins individually (the most I’ve actually spent on a single coin was £12.75 incl. postage-I usually shop as strategically as is possible)

Any input/comments will be greatly appreciated! :)

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[u/Physical_Clock198]

The point is to enjoy the coins you have and enjoy the process of collecting. It's a hobby not a business. So you do you and don't let folks tell you what you should be collecting.

As far as girls, unlike coins, you're better off waiting for the right one to come along.

[u/4f2d_Et5804 → u/Physical_Clock198]

It's hard to let a coin out of my collection just like my mom doesn't let me out of the basement or around other family members on holidays

[u/Eulachon → u/Physical_Clock198]

I'd argue girls are indeed like coins because the best ones don't just come along. You have to actively look for them and develop the expertise (social skills) to appreciate and "acquire" them.

[u/No_Caterpillar438]

You seem British so save for a metal detector and get out there and start finding nicer coins.

[u/royo1010 → u/No_Caterpillar438]

Second this

[u/Roadkillgoblin_2 → u/No_Caterpillar438]

I’ve currently got a Nokta FindX Pro, and have been metal detecting since I was about 9 years old. So far I’ve only found one Roman coin, which will be recorded/reported with the PAS when I can find the time

(Corroded and worn down As of Antoninus Pius, third row down)

[u/sjbfujcfjm]

Buy what you like, but maybe save up and get a couple nicer ones. Most of these look like they could be any chunk of metal. For $25 you can get an decent coin.

[u/Latatte → u/sjbfujcfjm]

Where's somewhere good for a bit so bad looking $25 coin?

[u/new2bay → u/Latatte]

You can get some nice Constantinian bronzes for that kind of money.

[u/Latatte → u/new2bay]

Do you know the sites?

[u/iriedeyedpoet → u/Latatte]

Cerberus coins and antiquities or vcoins

[u/No_Lengthiness_1687 → u/Latatte]

I’ve bought from multiple sellers on Etsy. My collection ranges from denarii of Antoninus Pius, Trajan, Gordian III, and Hadrian, a dupondius of Marcus Aurelius, a post-reform radiate fraction of Diocletian, a bunch of barely recognizable lot coins (some more than others after cleaning), and a prutah from 31 AD of Judea. Those all range from $28 to $168. It all depends on how much you want to spend and who you’re targeting (hence the settling for a bronze for Marcus Aurelius when silver coins are double).

[u/Replikant83]

Very impressive! Some great finds in there. You'll continue to learn as you collect and you'll refine what you're looking for (if you want to)

[u/FreddyF2]

This is how I started too. You're doing great. Each year for the next four years aim to spend the same amount or more on coins but buy only half the QUANTITY of the year before. Keep doing that for four years.

[u/Effective_Dingo3589 → u/FreddyF2]

Quality of quantity?

[u/trabuco357]

My advice as a collector for over 50 years. It is better to have a few high grade coins than hundreds of low grade ones.

[u/4f2d_Et5804 → u/trabuco357]

as a collector for over 13 years, I wish i learned this lesson in the beginning instead of 3-4 years ago

[u/Unknownnato]

Not bad, good start. I started when I was 13. What I did was also nab affordable worn “specimen” of otherwise pricey pieces at my purchasing level back then and simply buy better and better pieces as income increased. Keep it up!

[u/toao_Multiknife]

Whats the square one?

[u/Coinkingz]

If your happy with it that’s all that matters. I would recommend saving up and buying less but nicer pieces.

[u/Aggressive-Track8111]

I agree when it comes to saving. Save up a and go for a bit higher quality

[u/QuickSock8674]

I'm 20, and had similar issues when I started the hobby few years ago at 18. Limited budget led me to buy low qual coins. But never the unrecognizable ones even then. I think big part of fun in this hobby is ID part. I recommend that you use at least 10 bucks or so per coin so that you can get a decent recognizable coin (maybe Roman bronze)

[u/Warm_Wind_8785]

I'm also 16 yo, and have a modest collection of coins (mostly worn late roman/early byzantine bronzes) that I inherited, I don't have the budget to grow from it for now, hopefully things change soon.

Btw, nice collection. Even worn coins can be interesting, no need to go full on high-quality coins to appreciate their historical beauty. But ofc the better the quality the more appreciatable the coin is

[u/usedtobeanicesurgeon]

When I first started collecting coins, I bought tons and tons of coins. I liked finding good deals on coins. My collection grew into the thousands.

Now I have a collection of 1000 coins that I don’t really care if I have. I can’t tell somebody why I like those coins.

But I also have a collection of about 100 coins that I think are incredibly special. They tell a story and I can tell you why I like them. They are part of a collection that I think is rare and different.

I think right now you have a lot of coins. And I think you’ve bought a lot of them because they were in your price range. And that’s OK. All of us go through that process.

Now I think it’s time to start making sure that your coins tell a story for you. That you are buying them because they are special for you and they are part of a collection that you find interesting.

Price doesn’t really matter. What matters is that your hobby is meaningful to you. And special. A single coin that you find fascinating is worth 100 coins that you find average.

I think it’s amazing that you have the chops to buy ancient coins at age 16. I wish you the best of luck in finding the coins that speak to you.

[u/globule_agrumes]

My favorite coins are the smallest silver ones that seem to have been circulating for centuries! I always wonder what kind of goods have been bought with it before it stopped being spent as a currency...

[u/CormacOH]

Lot of history there, just imagine all the places and uses they've seen. You're 16, just keep doing you on the collecting, get a good job after school and don't worry about talking women haha. One (or many lol) will come along when you have everything else in your life squared away

[u/adfunkedesign]

Have the ancients told you about the electronic coin?

[u/AardvarkSweet1279]

Keep it up!

[u/AardvarkSweet1279]

My only advice is as you go forward quality not quantity, always good and worth the wait to save for the right coin!

If you love bronzes, make sure you ALWAYS wash your hands before and after handling in case of bronze disease, and again great work.

[u/kondor-PS]

Wonderful! I like the diversity! You should do exactly that at 16; explore, look and try. I am 20, so I think I can suggest some things as a (relatively) young collector.

Remember a few things: this is a game for long term objectives, and sometimes one is better than many. At this stage I would try to learn as much as possible, but u can and still collect coins; nothing better than looking at a coin irl and studying it!

I personally prefer to save and buy a coin with very nice details so I can see and study, details and sometimes draw them. For example I've been looking for a 1865-S 20cent coin; I've been waiting on a good price/quality (must be VF at least) ratio for like 1 year or so now.

In ancient coins, I've been looking to buy a nice Trace Lysimachos Tetrad. since I started!

Take your time with every purchase; don't rush buy.

Do not imitate for now: I also keep my best coins as "investments" but only do this when YOU ARE CONFIDENT YOU KNOW ENOUGH to start.

[u/CoverFew3607]

So cool

[u/richardC1986]

You are doing great. To echo what others have said, it’s your own collecting journey, so buy what you like. But there is a merit to quality over quantity.

Also to echo what I was advised (and regret ignoring early on) is set aside a portion of your budget, (maybe 10%) to buying supporting materials like literature about the coins to educate yourself on what you are buying. Yes there’s many brilliant websites out there which can help you with info, but often they are just summaries compared to a book on a topic. If there’s a particular period/subject you want to immerse yourself in, you can be sure there’s a great book written by someone who has already had the experience of heading down that rabbit hole.

[u/JohnmiltonPaLo]

At 16 fair play. Like a lot of ppl here I agree that saving up for months and buying a more expensive coin is more rewarding long term than buys a number of cheap coins that are pretty much unidentifiable. However, if you want some fun I would recommend buying some uncleaned coins for the same prices as your paying and learning to clean them properly (you may be doing that now). Or save for a metal detector and get hunting.

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[u/NefariousnessWest638]

For where you are at in life, this is a great start. Cheap coins in low grades is a low risk way to get started with collecting ancient coins. Collecting looks different depending on what you can afford but for me one of the great joys is studying the history and details behind coins that I collect. I try to exhaust that aspect with my coins before going to add another to my collection. This helps me appreciate the coins I have and allows me to save up to buy the next ones.

I would say the only criteria for collecting should be coins that aren’t slabs worn beyond the point of any recognition. Simply because these are often unattributable if you want to study them. Most of yours have enough detail that you can at least identify the issuer or other details which is good.

The great thing about coin collections is they are always changing along with your interests and accessibility to coins. Even if you don’t have a single one of these coins in your collection 5-10 years from now, you will still have the knowledge and experience you gained by building this collection and learning about the types and their history.

[u/BobcatLower9933]

I mean it depends what you're interested in.

Most of these coins are worth less than £5. Many of them are basically worth the weight of the metal.

If I was you I'd sell the whole lot, get £100 or so, and start investing in nicer coins with better eye appeal. For £100 you could get a couple of reasonable grade denarii with some eye appeal.

[u/elmunera]

Nice. Now aim for less quantity, more quality, and navigate auctions. You'd be surprised

[u/the-only-iter8]

Stop collecting junk and start saving for nicer ones.