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Ever wondered what Emperors like Constantine the Great, Cleopatra or Julius Caesar looked like and wanted to hold something in your hand that may have been held by one of these Emperors or someone living during that time.

Ever wondered what Emperors like Constantine the Great, Cleopatra or Julius Caesar looked like and wanted to hold something in your hand that may have been held by one of these Emperors or someone living during that time.

If you are someone who has an interest in the Ancient past or perhaps someone who just likes collecting historic antiques but your not willing to spend much money then you should consider taking up the hobby of Roman coin collecting.

I prefer collecting Roman coins for a number of reasons.

Firstly there are a wide variety of Ancient Roman coins to suite your tastes. This is largely due to the vast time and area that the Roman Empire covered. From as early as 27 BC to 496 AD there were many millions of coins minted spanning a large area of the globe featuring coins that reflect the time from when they were created.

Also its great to know what the Roman Emperors looked like. It was common practice during the time of the Roman Empire to inscribe the portrait of the Emperor on the coins that were minted during their reign.

There were many Ancient coins created by the Greeks, Barbarians, Celts, Indians and Chinese but Ancient Roman coins are the most in-expensive of all of these.

This can come as a surprise to many considering how ancient these coins are. Yet they can be even cheaper then some of the modern day coins that coin collectors collect. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly as already stated the Roman empire was large and so there were a lot of coins minted. Many Roman coins are therefore not as rare as many believe. Another reason is that there are few collectors of ancient coins then modern coins. This makes the demand for them lower.

You are less likely to come across a fake Roman coin then other coins. Roman coins are less expensive and rarer so there is less of a motive to forge them.

Another reason why I enjoy collecting Roman coins is that they have more then just historic value. These coins have creative and artistic value. They have been beautifully crafted and reflect the culture and environment of where they were made.

Unlike most coins today Roman Coins had intrinsic value being comprised of precious metals worth many times more then their weight in those metals. These precious metals include Gold, Silver and Bronze. This can make the coins more special and increase the value of the coin should you choose to collect the more expensive Roman coins.

Factors that determine a coins worth

Prices for Roman Coins vary significantly and are due to a number of variables. The top two important are the grade of the coin when it was minted and the condition that the coin is in now.

The condition of the coin depends on how the coin was stored before being found or how tarnished the coin has become due to minerals in the ground.

The grade of the coin is determined by how the coin was minted when it was manufactured. These coins were minted by hand and so are not always entirely circular or detailed. A coin can be less detailed and of less value if it was struck by dies that were worn down.

How you grade the coin can sometimes be problematic and sometimes you just have to estimate it based on how appealing or detailed you think the coin is to your own eyes

Another factor that determines a coins worth is its rarity. Surprisingly rarity is less of a factor in determining an ancient Roman coins worth then modern day coins.

More people collect modern coins and therefore there is greater demand for them. Also because modern coins are less varied then Roman coins the value of a modern coin can be driven up if collectors are trying to complete their collections. This is less of an issue with Roman coins as the variety is much greater and collectors are less likely to complete their collection. Each collection will be different. Rare Roman coins do exist however. If an emperor was only in power for a short period of time less coins are likely to have been minted during his reign. These coins are harder to find and cost more.

Sellers of ancient coins will often use terms such as scarce, rare or very rare to describe a coin. Just because someone describes a coin as rare does not mean that it actually is. Unfortunately, some sellers will attach this label to ancient coins to attract novice collectors who do not know better. If someone describes a coin as rare or scarce does the person explain why the coin is rare? Does he give it an RIC number and explain the variety? If you are new to collecting ancient coins, you should not jump on a coin just because is it described as rare.

If you become a professional coin dealer of have even just built up a collection of ancient coins determining whether a coin is rare or not will become much easier.

Price of different Roman coins

Truly rare coins that are sort after will not sell for much less than $100, and often for much more. Hence, a coin of Constantine described as rare with an asking price of just a few dollars is very unlikely to be so. There are sellers on eBay who claim that their coin is rare, or they have only seen one in 10 years, but there is another one just like it being offered on eBay by someone else.

To get an idea of the range in price for Roman coins, for $5 to $10 you can purchase good quality coins manufactured under late 3rd and 4th century AD emperors.

For approximately $10 - $20, you should be able to collect a coin from the more recognized 1st and 2nd century emperors, and many later ones in good condition. In fact you could collect about half of the emperors of which there is about fifty with clear portraits and readable legends for about $20 a coin.

On top of this, there are numerous varieties available for each emperor. Of course, just as with modern coins, you can buy ones that cost much more; ones that are in better shape or are more scarce, but if you are just interested in decent coins and history then you may not have to look any further.

Once in a while you might want to spend a bit more on a scarce emperor, or something that really arouses your interest, or a coin in truly nice condition. But then again, you might be attracted to cheaper coins that are not fully cleaned or legible, which can add to their mystery.

To sum up, purchase coins that appear to you personally. Every coin will be different. Choose the one that you think is better value for your money. You may even be able to resell such a coin later and make a profit. Occasionally buy a more expensive coin of a higher grade and condition. Dont worry about rarity too much but if want a rare coin you should make sure the coin really is rare by asking the dealer the right questions. This can save yourself a lot of money.