I'm going to Egypt over Christmas. From what I understand, Egypt is pretty old. I imagine they have got some pretty old coins around there too. But I don't know anything about ancient coins. What should I look for? How do I avoid fakes?

I don't know much about ancients, so I can't give you much advise as to what to look for, or how to detect fakes, but one thing I can suggest....check the laws while you are there. Several countries, including Turkey and Serbia, prohibit the export of "antiquities", which can include coins.

There is a law in Egypt prohibiting the sale of ancient artifacts (including coins). In other words, if you come across any at all, they are most definitely fake. If they aren't fake you (and the seller) would be dicing with a prison term, which in Egypt is certainly no picnic.

Enjoy Egypt It has a lot to offer for the historically minded. Forget about coins though excepting if you make a visit to Cairo museum. That's about the only place you will see the real thing on view.

It is very true, i'd totally ignore the coins there. Same with Tunisia (or it was in the 1970s), if they catch you trying to take currency (even modern currency) out of the country you will be arrested.

Wow, thats a drag. Not that you can blame them, having been looted by Westerners for centuries.

Thanks for the info.

Seriously you shouldn't feel really bad. Although it would be nice if you could get a hold of those old coins, I even had troubles when I was in Russia. When I looked at some old and pretty scarce Imperial Russian rubles (which I thought to be pretty "normal"), not only were the originals really expensive, but when I thought the prices are too cheap in a tourist area, that's when it struck me that they were counterfeits. Why not take a look at eBay now at various Egyptian coins?

Even in Russia where it is thought to be a place not friendly to tourists, you can even find counterfeits. It is only when you go to very odd places like Yaroslav, (extremely pricey though) where you might be able to find some genuine pieces but likewise, if you don't know what they are, don't even bother looking at them.

*cough* - You are not supposed to export out any Russian currencies out of Russia either, but I do confess that I did "export" some out

Bad person! BAAAD person!

It'd be interesting to see what happens in the next 50 years then, if Russia ever gets dragged into the EU and it's currency...