Daily Musings 001

Not sure how long I will keep this up, but decided to make a daily entry for mind share and thought process.

I had a chance to talk with a fellow collector about half dimes and really enjoyed myself.

I started reviewing some of my Dad's coins and was quickly overwhelmed.  

I am not familiar with Byzantine, Greek and Roman coins and will certainly struggle with those.  I attributed 3 coins with a retail value of around $230.

• Roman Imperium (AD 271) - Antoninianus Victorinus - VF - $80
• AE3 Votive (AD 320) - Constantine the Great - EF - $100
• Byzantine Bronze Follis (AD 1028) - Basil II & Constantine VIII - G - $50

I am starting to learn Indian coins, but still have a lot of work to do.  I attributed a Jahangir  Rupee with a retail value of around $120.

• Rupee (AD 1628) - Jahangir - EF - $120

World, British India and US coins are significantly easier and I managed to attribute 12 coins with a retail value of around $800.

• Germany 1 Mark (1906A) - XF - $20
• Germany 1/2 Mark (1915A) - XF - $7
• Great Britain Farthing (1821) - G - $3
• India Rupee (1840) - XF - $60
• India Rupee (1840 - VF - $40
• India Half Rupee (1899B) - MS - $200
• India Half Rupee (1936B) - MS - $50
• Spain 2 Reales (1783) - G - $25
• Spain 1 Peseta (1883) - XF - $150
• Tunisia 5 Centimes (1917) - XF - $3
• USA Half Cent (1804) - VF25 - $200
• USA 3 Cent (1881) - XF40 - $40

I have a tentative plan to attack the World, British India and US coins first.  I will attribute and try to sell some of these.  I will likely keep the coins raw, unless there is an issue of whether the coin is genuine, condition/grade, or a significant retail value.

I like plastic sheets because I feel like they tell as story.  In regards to the blog and organization, I will start with spreadsheets and pages to identify history and rulers and then make a deeper dive.  Thank goodness for the internet.  Making this journey with strictly a numismatic library would be a nightmare.  For a lot of coins, attribution is often by feel.  Obviously the worse the condition, the more challenging the attribution.

Collecting Goals:

Reference collection of Gupta Dynasty Gold Coins (20) coins - $40K

Capped Bust Dimes (75) Coins - $40K

Research Goals:

Indian Subcontinent - Organize Reference Collection by Year

Roman Coins - Organize Reference Collection by Ruler

World Coins - Organize Reference Collection by Continent/Country