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How do you find out what your ancient coins are made of?

I have some ancient Roman coins, and I want to know if there's any way I could do some sort of test to find out what some of them are made of. For some reason I can't seem to find a lot of them on different online catalogs, so I want to be able to see if there's some way I could figure it out myself.

This is a great identification site for ancient coins

http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/index.html

Hope you find what you need.

2008-05-20 17:40:05 by Chloride | Posted in History

Can I get some help on ancient coins?

I'm looking for information on ancient coins (Greek and Egyptian mainly, but other areas if able). If anybody could tell me what coins they used and what the values of those coins were, I'd appreciate it greatly.

This is a complex subject. Ancient coins vary widely in value, depending mostly on the time they were minted, their current condition and the actual metal of the coin.

Most ancient coins are worth a lot less than people think. Why? Because these people were around a long time compared to Americans....they made a LOT of coins and there are truckloads of them still being dug up.

Egyptian coins are generally not too interesting because they are really the coins of the conquerors---either Alexander the Great's generals (Ptolemy and his successors) or Roman colonial coinage.

Greek coins can be among the world's most beautiful and they offer a rich and complex history for the collector. But still, even today, you can buy small silver Greek coins for a few hundred dollars, and small bronze ones for $20. Some roman coins can be purchased for $1 apiece!

It's ironic, but a silver coin of Alexander the Great can sell for a lot less than a vintage Barbie doll on eBay. Go figure. Supply and demand.

So anyway, there is no way to guess the value of an ancient coin without expert knowledge, but unless it is very large, in great shape, and made of silver or gold or is a very large roman bronze of the imperial period, it probably isn't worth very much.

As the empires declined, you will notice the coins get more stylized and far less interesting. By 300 a.d., most Roman and Greek coins look like trash.

The British Museum has a fabulous ancient coin collection.

2006-07-02 08:58:06 by 5464657 | Posted in History

ancient coins?

i have alot of ancient greek and roman from around 300b.c. to about 20 ad anyone know where i can find out what they are? i can only seem to find either the front or the back but not both together.

http://esty.ancients.info/numis/images.html

2006-07-28 01:51:02 by junkmail22280 | Posted in Hobbies & Crafts

Where/how do I buy bulk ancient coins?

Who would I contact, and what permits/ licenses would I need to import ancient greek and roman coins. I am from washington state.

In the US, you do not need special permits or licenses to import coins. All is needed is declaring their value.

Getting the coins depends on what you want. Are you looking for uncleaned coins? There are a couple of good dealers I know of for these on Ebay. Are you looking for large groups of cleaned coins? I know of a Yahoo group that specializes in that, as well as a couple of German auction firms that sell many large lots.

It all depends on what you are looking for. If you send me an email, I can try to help you more.

2007-03-05 19:50:59 by ggroksterr | Posted in Hobbies & Crafts

To know From which period of time do the ancient coins belong?

I have some 20 old coins, some of which are really very old or were used a long time ago.
some of them are in Persian, sanskrit , english etc.
i mean to say they are from different countries. and i want to know to which time period do they belong. what should i do or to whom i should ask for the same ??

thanks in advance.

take them to a coin collector or to a museum they may be able to help you date them. i have a roman coin from around 300 CE its pretty cool.

2008-07-06 01:42:40 by Tarun G | Posted in History

How do I clean uncleaned (dirty with patina) ancient Roman coins? with vinegar?

I have several uncleaned ancient roman bronze coins, and would like to clean them safely to remove the centuries-old patina and dirt. This is a project for me and my 4-yr old son. Thank you!

Cleaning artifacts can devalue them. I'd proceed with caution if you later plan to sell them. In any case, I'd begin with the most gentle methods and work up as needed.

I would start with plain old hot water. Put them in a glass baking dish and pour steaming but not quite boiling water on them. Stir gently with a wooden spoon and let soak for 15 minutes. Remove and swab dry with a fairly fluffy towel (a washcloth would be good).

The nice thing about using a sequence of cleaning techniques is that some coins won't need as much as others and also you get to appreciate the gradual revelation of detail.

2005-12-17 14:41:35 by trojan fan | Posted in History

What is the QUICKEST way to remove dirt from Ancient Coins?!?!?!? HELP ME PLEASE!!!!?

I bought 10 coins, all of which are over 1500 years old. But I cannot remove the dirt quickly. And I do not want to scratch the surface of the coin. I need to get the dirt off to see what I have!!!!! PLEASE DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY REMEDIES!!!! THANKS SO MUCH GUYS!!!!!!

try leaving them in cooking oil for 72hours. then take them out and brush them with a tooth rush or brass brush. repeat this process 5-6 times. it will totally remove surface dirt. from there you should be able to identify or see the writing on the coin.

2008-01-26 14:54:46 by Willy M | Posted in Cleaning & Laundry