Thanks Rushmore Rocks. And who among us hasn't done this? ;^) This will make a good Digest ping for the week.
Posted on 12/07/2018 10:02:14 AM PST by ETL
Mesapotamian Pickers??
Yeah, it doesn’t sound like he’s too bright and must have really needed the eighty quid. Of course he probably paid the auctioneer a commission which would have been in the 20% range (what we used to charge for inexpensive personal property when I was working in that trade). Like most other collectibles that follow the value flow based on the Greater Fool Theory, he should have kept it and in ten years maybe gotten a grand or more. Not a lot of manufactured things from almost 4,000 years ago survived.
That’s kind of cool. I have a couple of 1890-something shiny silver dollars that a grandparent/great-grandparent stashed away many years ago. I occasionally take them out and marvel at the sounds they make. I sometimes think it would be spiffy to have a coin from ancient Rome or Greece, but it seems as though the cost would be ... daunting. Maybe I’ll have to have a look.
Is that a same sex “marriage” tatoo on his finger?
That’s his field. No, something isn’t right.
Ancient coins can be very small, like the size of a flattened pea, to about the size of a half dollar. I have one from Alexander The Great that's so small it looks like someone lost a silver filling - cool how old it is but not much to look at.
In general they are made of bronze (dirt cheap), silver (more expensive, still affordable), or gold (expensive). Also, the sharper the detail, the more they fetch. I have a couple that are large, silver, and have moderately good detail still and they might fetch $1500 or so, I think. But most are very affordable.
From the ebay link I shared you can get five or ten coin lots for under $40. You can get a single coin for under $10. Those tend to be smaller and worn. Most of mine are in that range.
If you want one just for the "wow" feeling, there's no reason not to get one, they can be had for not much money.
Didn't know such a thing existed. But wouldn't be surprised, given the ditz he seems to be.
The one for sale right now is asking for $2,700. Yikes!
You made me chuckle with food in my mouth. Bad bad man.
I sometimes think it would be spiffy to have a coin from ancient Rome or Greece, but it seems as though the cost would be ... daunting. Maybe I’ll have to have a look.
Greek coins, often very beautiful, and coins from Alexander the Great can be had for less than $100 as well. As with anything, the more famous/infamous the Roman emperor will command a higher price. Some emperors ruled for weeks, their coins are great rarities and cost like it.
But even a tatty late Roman empire coin is over 1500 years old—you close your eyes and try to imagine what that coin has seen, what it paid for. It can be money well spent just for that experience.
Or go to any ancient archeological site in Turkey.
Local kids have pocketfuls of *ancient* coins they will sell to unsuspecting Western tourists.
Thanks Rushmore Rocks. And who among us hasn't done this? ;^) This will make a good Digest ping for the week.
Local kids have pocketfuls of *ancient* coins they will sell to unsuspecting Western tourists.
But there were fakes (counterfeit) coins made in ancient times by barbarians and Roman mints were known to make fakes as well—a thin coat of silver over a copper coin. These official copies of course weren’t accepted for paying taxes.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Happens to me all the time, stuff that I have not unboxed for my last 3 moves.
What’s a Greek urn?
Whatever you're willing to pay him!
That’s Nothing, Once, I used the Dead Sea Scrolls as a Doorstop.
Didn’t know such a thing existed.
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I didn’t either but looking on the net there are lots of symbols used
I've got my last move stuff stacked in the garage, I plan to get right at it sometime before this decade is out. :^)
That was my thought too - $100? Hard too imagine there that much 4,000 year old pottery just laying around. Can you imagine his disappointment?
“Hey - I got a pot just like this at home. Five bucks at a yard sale!”
“Yeah? Well - bring it in, I can take a look at it.”
“This is unbelievable! This dates back to 1900 BC! Wow! And to think you’ve been using at as a toothbrush holder!”
“So how much do you think it is worth!!!????”
“Oh - maybe a hundred bucks.”
That’s probably why it ended up in the yard sale. I could see somebody buying it in Kabul for $20.
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