How far do you go back?

[banivechi]

I collect everything, except Roman coins. I'm focused into European coins.

[Ætheling]

Hammered coins are just spectacular. I love the old letters!

 

 

Amusingly the old letters are often the key point of designating which type/class a hammered coin can be ascribed to.

[Conder101]

Although I have some earlier pieces, and my collection of British Monarchs goes back to 955, for the most part I concentrate on the 1787 - 1807 era.

[Ætheling]

Although I have some earlier pieces, and my collection of British Monarchs goes back to 955, for the most part I concentrate on the 1787 - 1807 era.

 

 

955! You've got an Eadwig penny?

 

 

ow, ow, ow... lemme see!

[PAB]

My British collection goes as far back as the 1st Century BC with a couple of cast coins (Including a Thurrock bull) from the Cantii through Tasciovanus to Boudicca. The Romans in Britain (Roman coins made or found in Britain) commences with a Quadrans of Cladius 43 AD and found near an early Roman fort of the Claudian period to the late sub-Roman copies of the late 400's (described by Mortimer Wheeler as 'King Aurthur's small change). The hammered section begins with a copper sceat of Eathelred II of Northumbria (Moneyer Leofthegn) continues to Canute, William I then most kings /queens to the end of hammered including a milled 6d of Elizabeth I by Elois Mestrelle, Finally milled from Charles II to 1967.

 

British tokens from 17th, 18th and early 19th Century.

 

My USA collection begins with a 1795 one cent (This appears EF but I think will unfortunately need to be 'slabbed' to prove genuine.) and continues to today.

 

My British commonwealth collection begins with late 18th Century Demerary and Esquibo silver and copper (can't remember exact dates at the moment).

 

The Ancient Greek with 'olive leaf' (again can't remember date) coinage to 47BC-ish Athenian.

 

All in all quite a wide spread and lots of gaps to fill.

 

Regards,

 

PAB.

[Mediccoin]

I have to say the majority of my focus has been 20th century era, a little 19th century and 21st century for my children.

[mmarotta]

I go back to the event horizon. My oldest coin is in this series from about

600 BC, probably a little later. This coin is a "trite" or one-third stater. Mine is a "hekte" or one-six stater. The incuse punches on the back are very different, but the reclining lion is similar.

 

http://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotviewer.ph...ucID=55&Lot=180

 

When I started collecting, I started with tokens as a project in December 1992. I went quickly to Barber Dimes and Mercury Dimes, but by Spring 1993, I had discovered that ancients -- especially Greeks -- are no more expensive than anything else. So, I focused on ancient and archaic Greek coins worth about a day's wages from the times and towns of famous philosopher.

 

I have another silver 1/12 stater from Miletos about 550 BC for Thales and I have I have several from the early classical era, 480-450 BC from Abdera, Klazomenae, etc., for Democritos, Anaxagoras, etc.

 

Of course, I have an Owl, attributed to 450-420 BC and many others after that into the Hellenistic era after Alexander post-300 BC.

 

When the collection was complete -- I since stopped collecting and sold off most of my coins -- I had a pretty full set from Thales of Miletos to Hypatia of Alexandria.

 

I still have the electrum "hekte" from 600-550 BC.

 

(My inspiration for all of that was a tv presentation of "Backbone of the Night" one of the chapters in Carl Sagan's COSMOS.)

[tommyd]

That coin in lot 180 is gorgeous!

[Sir Sisu]

Okay what era/eras does your collection focus fall within? Is there a certain date you will not go back beyond?

Are you a modern, early modern, medieval, antiquity/classic or an ancient coin collector?

 

My primary focus is Finnish (proper) coinage, which begins after the mid 19th century. Of course I am not limited to that. However, I have finicky tastes regarding the coins I collect- meaning I prefer the full rounded forms of struck milled coinage. I find hammered/pressed/etc coins interesting on their historical merits, but they do not appeal to me so much as a collecting item (except for those examples that have a nice rounded, full, struck appearence).

 

So as a generalization, I would be a modern/early modern collector.

[Tiffibunny]

I seem to be aquiring more and more pre-1800 pieces now.