Grading Ancient Coins - Tutorial

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How do you grade something that was hand-made 2000 years ago? Lets try figuring it out in this video.
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[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Would you like to support the channel and my work? Help the Channel by "Buying me a Coffee": www.buymeacoffee.com/classicalnumismatics Consider buying some channel Merch! You get a cool T-Shirt or Mug and you help me make more Ancient Numismatics content. Thank you! leob.creator-spring.com/

[@88anza88]

Please, tell me... where are you from? I LOVE YOUR ACCENT! but I cant figure out where its from? Sort of driving me crazy, i cant figure it out

[@bryanoneal8067]

"Nobody needs an expert or a number to tell them what they like"

[@docgrows1125]

I would love to just sit down with you for a day and go over my collection. Your knowledge is truly amazing.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

I'd happily sit down with you guys for a beer and talk about coins

[@ElliotCarson]

@@ClassicalNumismaticsbeer and coins, my two great loves

[@2000brettpaul]

@@ClassicalNumismatics do you live in London? I like beer.

[@wollin20]

I have the exact same feeling. You're welcome to Rome !

[@hridgreximp6194]

Personally, the quality of ancients never mattered much to me. Ancients are meant to be handled, and high quality surface conditions seems counterintuitive to that. Of course, once in a while, no one can reject a mint state tetradrachm or sestertius.

[@emperorfancypants2512]

It matters, you must handle them with care to preserve them for next generations. I dont understand people who cant take care of their own property

[@financeexplainedgraphics]

Interesting. I’m actually the opposite. I have to have it as EF or better or I won’t add it to the collection. Neat that there are different style of collectors and coins for all types

[@emperorfancypants2512]

I would recommend any collector to take care of their coins no matter the condition

[@raymonddrake3675]

Thank you so much for this. Even with slabbed coins - sometimes I'm not really sure how they decide what to grade them. It doesn't always seem consistent.

[@thestephensons4520]

That French medieval coin looks incredible. Why is it that I always get the urge to collect another coin immediately after seeing it on your channel?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thats numismatics in a nutshell: Amazing coins all over!

[@aureaphilos]

~34:50 (Felicitas reverse): One good way to assess weak strike vs circulation wear is that circulation wear impacts the higher points of the design, whereas a weak strike impacts (pun not intended, but liked!) the lowest points of the design. This Felicitas reverse is an excellent example of a weak strike; her robes show some crisp detail, and the left border is sharp, but the background details are ghostly. This was a great video!

I really enjoyed the videos and I learned a lot about numismatics, I am very grateful. I would really like to see a video someday about coins repainted with artificial patina, advantages and disadvantages, whether it is good or bad for coins, etc.

[@rolandnyc4938]

Eye appeal has always meant a great deal to me.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

For me too, the Wow factor is crucial

[@financeexplainedgraphics]

Agreed! For me it’s got to be fairly centred, full and legible legends, with no distracting cracks or scratches. Though, that said, I have a few coins in my imperial collection that don’t meet this standard - because who can afford an EF+ Otho? 😂

[@rolandnyc4938]

Exactly. Otho too! I don't want one I won't be happy with just to fill an empty flip. I learned that from this channel also. But with that missing Otho I can't be too picky.

[@financeexplainedgraphics]

@@rolandnyc4938 I have a Roman Imperial collection and I haven't even seen (in person or online) a single coin of any of the last 10 emperors. If I see an ugly Oreo cookie looking disk that I can identify as one of them, you know I will be buying it.

[@neptunesmarsh]

As you mentioned w/ your denarius of Otho, some collectors (for budgetary reasons) have to overlook condition of some rare coins... I was able to pick up a denarius of Caligula, and it definitely saw a lot of circulation, and was affected by the soil in which it laid, but hey, it's a silver coin of Caligula, and I'm not a hedge fund manager!

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Congrats, a Caligula! Im still missing him in my collection.

[@Caligulashorse1453]

Same I picked up my Caligula (a as) for about 90 usd it was in very rough shape but you could tell it was Caligula.

[@AV-hl1pf]

Love the background music. Reminds me of Age of Empires o Caesar like videogames...

[@cameronmaclean9623]

I've found the grades given to hammered coins by many of the grading companies to be incredibly inconsistent. In the area I focus on, I've even seen contemporary counterfeits graded as genuine pieces, coins assigned the wrong catalogue number, dates and even the wrong country.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thats far too common, sadly. Although grading companies hire some very skilled numismatists, I have the impression that the volume of submissions is taking a tool on the time dedicated to each coin, resulting in an unacceptable number of innacuracies.

[@mattl3729]

I agree grades aren't particularly meaningful when it comes to ancients- I never even note them when reading a description. For me as well, the image tells me what I need to know and just comparing other specimens helps put anything into context when it comes to values. That all being said, this was an interesting video- I had always wondered what the grades meant. Thanks!

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Im seeing more and more dealers not even worrying about putting the grade on their listings, and just doing a written description of each coin, and letting the photos/videos do the selling for them. I think thats the way to go.

[@briank7936]

Grading is a nice guide but in the end, its all about what your eye likes and wallet can handle. I have seen coins graded and in my novice opinion be spot on, too high or too low. Just need to look at alot of coins and train yourself.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thats good advice. The best way to get good at coins is to look at lots of coins.

[@financeexplainedgraphics]

Great video! As someone who has collected coins for over twenty years and started in modern US coins and now is very involved in ancients, this video couldn’t be more spot on. I’d recommend to many collectors to familiarise themselves with the science of modern coin grading and this can help add understanding to the art of ancients grading. For me, the grading is where the collector shines (the history is where the numismatist shines and they aren’t mutually exclusive). Ancient grading is so nuanced and this video did a great job reducing that nuance down to the core concepts. Also provided me some good basic refreshers. Loved it! Also, not to flatter, but the guy on this channel has a strong eye and is nice and conservative in his ratings. I’ve seen people rate coins as MS because it’s chemically cleaned and shiny…. 🤦‍♂️

[@user-jw7cq6gu6o]

Highly enjoyable presentation. I appreciate the way you slowly move the coin in the hand, so the viewer can see it from slightly different angles. As a collector of ancient and medieval coins for over 40 years I agree with everything you say. One thing I might add is the tendency to over grade (for example describe a coin that is really VF as EF) is more pronounced the rarer the coin is. I fully understand that a dealer is in business, and there is naturally a need to make enough profit to survive, but to avoid buyer's remorse one should look at a rare coin's images very, very carefully and come up with your own grade. Better yet if you can physically visit a dealer or auction house and view the coin directly. There is a saying 'wonderful coin to see in the hand' that applies especially to the hand struck ancients. Coins are a 3D object, so are always going to be different to a 2D image when seen in the hand.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thats true. Particularly the case with more expensive coins, it is paramount that a collector tries going to museums and auction houses and get accquainted to the average appearance, weight, and overall "feel" of a coin. In fact, Id say thats applicable to every collector, also to those that just like collecting normal, affordable coins.

[@danphelps3583]

I notice you say “die crack” when the defect seems to be in the coin’s flan/planchet, not the die. I thought these were called “flan cracks”. To me, a die crack is when the iron die that struck the coin is damaged. Am I wrong, or are the terms interchangeably used? I have a sestertius of Maximimus Thrax that has an offset going diagonally across the coin that looks like the die was almost ready to break in two.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Im very sorry, you are totally right, I swapped the terms.

[@allanwestphall8108]

Extremely useful and informative video - thanks for sharing with us!

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thanks for the kind words. Im here to help the numismatic community! :)

[@allanwestphall8108]

@@ClassicalNumismatics Now I have responsibility for starting a new coin auction, I use your excellent videos as intros to these varied subjects - it would be good to see more on ancient Indian coinage!

[@fificrossnails]

Thanks for taking the time to explain this, it’s always been a little confusing to me, as grading seems to be quite inconsistent sometimes, and for ancient coins it is pretty subjective. I just buy whatever I like the look of, but within my budget…especially if it’s a coin of Hadrian😊

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thats the way to go! Do your research, use your eyes and pick what you like the best :)

[@Kohnbread19]

if you ever end up local to me we must certainly meet up to discuss coins

[@user-wx3lc2sn6i]

Brilliant thanks Leo👍🙂

[@isabelcrb]

People should care less about grades, and trust their eyes and sense of whats beautiful

[@nazarnovitsky9868]

Thank You very much for such informative videos ! 😊 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@johnlee4897]

I've mentioned it before. Only my two gold solidi have been sent for grading to authenticate them as I'd bought from from a small local coin dealer many years ago. Just needed that piece of mind considering how many fakes are floating around.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

If it makes you feel more comfortable with your collection and the second opinion is valuable for you, its completely understandable. Are you convinced they are good now? :)

[@danielralston7182]

Another Excellent Video! Thank you.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thanks for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed

[@yaroslavprotsenko4116]

I love watching your channel

[@Gnosarchist]

Is this background music from Total War? LOL

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

"We take this settlement, for ROME!"

[@christopherevans2445]

Thanks for the vid

[@brunoovejero1073]

Great video as always

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thank you! Glad you liked it :)

[@briancisco1176]

Just curious, but have any ancient coin dies survived to the present day?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

A few, yes! But not in great shape

[@pauldockery1747]

Thank you

[@AN-fu5uo]

Excellent video! I believe that the opinion of a grading service is no more qualified in telling me how much I should appreciate the piece than my own sensibilities for any coin up until the 1800s, or in some cases even later on. I am fond of HRE Taler and particularly the earlier mints (say anything before Joseph I) are just as unique and individual as its more ancient predecessors.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Absolutely. Grading services are basically a grade in a speculating machine that pushes coin prices up.

[@AN-fu5uo]

@ClassicalNumismatics yes, quite similar in nature to financial analysts providing stock price targets... I suppose people love the fake aura of "certainty" or perhaps being told what to think haha your videos are very informative and I really appreciate them!

[@AN-fu5uo]

@@ClassicalNumismatics is it perhaps possible to contact you via email?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

I've removed my email due to the torrent of unsolicited messages. If you have instagram, you can contact me there: classical_numismatics

[@AN-fu5uo]

@ClassicalNumismatics thanks!

[@matttroughton]

That quadrans is amazing I recently got the same coin at auction just not that one and can see clearly between the one featured and the dies on mine. Although does anyone know what the DES IT means on the legend haven't had much luck in sear or online translating this. Thanks for the video.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Its the last part of the "COS DES IT" title, meaning "CONSUL DESIGNATIO ITERUM". "Designated Consul for the Second Time". Meaning Claudius by that time already served as Consul once, and had a second consulship lined up for the next year.

[@UKDark_Mark]

This video is excellent. Thank you very much! I would value your opinion on the NGC Ancients grading system………

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

I have another video called "Should you slab your ancient coins?" check it out. Basically, no. Im very anti-slabbing. I think in its current shape, they offer terrible value for money

[@UKDark_Mark]

@@ClassicalNumismatics thank you!

[@LyVanToan-vn2tq]

Hello 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@sebastianmaharg]

Is that a sestertius of Gallienus at 10:29? Leo, please lable featured coins with some text! Thanks :)

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Yes it is. Thats not the main focus of the video, its just some coins for background footage :)

[@sebastianmaharg]

@@ClassicalNumismatics not the main focus, granted, but it's helpful/educational nonetheless.

[@LongLivedCoins]

🍯🐝🌻

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

🐝🐝

[@NinoSunLiqrx]

is minting an ancient coin a thing?

[@Gamerdude497]

The coin at 32:10 is actually not an Islamic coin. It's a coin minted during the Sasanian Empire which was Zoroastrian

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Please, look into the "Arab governors of Tabaristan". They were an islamic state that issued silver drachmae immitating sassanian coins. This piece weights half as much as a Sassanian coin.