Believe it or not starting a collection of Roman coins is probably the most affordable way to start your own coin collection because Roman coins are not as rare as you might think despite their age. In fact there are so many still around today that many people believe they must be fake when they see the price tags attached to them. This is quite simply because the Roman Empire was an incredibly vast empire and many millions of coins were created to cope with this enormous demand that was realized. Because coins are designed to last, and take little damage through the general wear and tear that is associated with the use of money, very few of them were ever destroyed or lost for good and literally millions of them remain today.
Legends on Roman Coins
Being able to read the legends on Roman coins is vital to being able to accurately date and price the coins. The legend is basically the writing that appears around the side of the coin. Because emperors had a tendency to live quite short lives there were new coins created for each emperor with the head of the emperor and there own legend appearing around the site. Most legends are written in Latin, but you can easily translate them using the Internet if you can make out most of the letters. The Roman Empire was in existence for a very long time, from around 600BC to approximately 400AD. This means the youngest Roman coin you could have would still be around 1600 years old and if you were lucky you could get one that is over 2500 years old.
Common Roman coins
The most common of Roman coins found today are from between 200 and 400 AD and one of the most common coins is a copper coin from the times when Constantine reigned between 307 and 337 AD. These coins can be picked for quite cheap and often in quantities of ten or so. They really are an excellent start to any coin collection, especially those who are interested in coins for their historical value. Other common Roman coins include the silver coin from the time of Severus 193 to 211 AD. Many historical sites sell these coins and just because they seem very cheap does not mean they are not genuine. There is a very good chance they are genuine.
Imperfections of shape and size
You will notice that many Roman coins aren't perfectly round in shape and this is because the technique that the Romans used to create coins was far from perfect. By using a heavy hammer they would strike a piece of metal between two metal dyes causing the shape to be imprinted. This technique meant that the lack of precision often led to imperfect shapes or nicks being taken out of the coin during creation. This doesn't mean it isn't a perfect specimen of a coin it just means that the coins themselves weren't perfect.
Starting a collection for next to nothing
Some of the more common coins are available from as little as $5 and you can probably pick one up for less than that if you look at the numerous auctions on Ebay. Many dealers find they have more than they know what to do with of the more common coins and you will be able to buy them in their tens, hundreds and even thousands at rock bottom prices. Truly a superb way to start your interest in Roman coins and coins in general while also serving to give you a little history and knowledge on the subject of coin collecting. How else could you buy something 2,000 years old for only a couple of dollars? If you decide you really like these vintage coins then you will find there are more scarce coins that will require a little more money to purchase but for a couple of hundred dollars you could set up a more than reasonable collection of Roman coins.
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