Ancient Coin Collecting: The Basics of Collecting Rare American Coins


By: Robin Darch

Normally, ancient coin collecting involves digging deep for coins that were minted during ancient Roman and Greek times. Ancient Egyptian coins, as well as those used in the Mesopotamian civilizations, are considered valuable coins also. If your focus is on ancient coin collecting, be prepared to spend money. You also need to be prepared for the long search, ancient coin collecting tend to be more difficult since rare coins are harder to find than contemporary coins.

Your best alternative is to narrow down your ancient coin collecting focus. For instance, you can focus on collecting ancient American coins. Ancient American coins are newer compared to coins of the Roman period but they are also highly valued by coin collectors. These American coins were minted during the colonial period. Some foreign minted coins that have been extensively used in America can also be considered ancient coins of America. To guide your ancient coin collecting efforts, here is a basic overview of the ancient coins of America.

Different Types of Colonial Coins

France minted silver and copper coins in the early 1700s. These coins found their way in colonial America. You can find these ancient French coins in the collections of veteran coin collectors. Some of these coins are sometimes auctioned by their owners so you need to keep an eye out for these auctions.

British and Irish coins minted in the 1600s can also be considered ancient American coins because these coins were used widely in the colonies during those times. The highly valued coins of this era are the Irish St. Patrick Farthings. You are in luck also if you can find the Talbot tokens or the Allum tokens of the British.

Spanish coins also made their way to North America. The Spanish Eight Reales coins were much older than the French and British coins so they are considered to be more valuable in the market. If you can find these ancient American coins that were minted in Spain, be prepared to pay a good sum of money in order to own them.

The first Congress also had coins minted, specifically the Continental Dollar and the Fugio Cent. These coins are very rare now and they should fetch good value in the market. There are also special ancient American coins minted in Vermont, New Jersey, and Connecticut. These states have produced and minted their own coins in the past. Such coins are also good to collect and could enrich your ancient coin collecting hobby.

How to Buy Ancient American Coins

There are coin dealers that sell colonial coins over the Internet. Be sure, though, to research the coins first before you make a purchase. This way, you can ensure that you pay the right amount for the ancient American coins you want.

It is also best if you can deal with coin collectors who are members of the Professional Numismatists Guild. The guild is a non-profit organization of coin dealers and collectors and requires their members to maintain high standards in selling ancient coins. You can also use the services of the Numismatic Guarantee Corporation of America. This organization can provide you appraisals for rare ancient coins. You can also get information, tips and advice from this organization about buying ancient and rare American coins.

Ancient coin collecting, specifically ancient American coins, is a very challenging undertaking. It is also more expensive than collecting modern or contemporary coins. However, the challenge of finding rare and ancient American coins can be very rewarding for most collectors.


Author Resource:->  For more information about coins and coin collecting check out Coin Collecting Made Simple

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