It makes me wonder how much of the survival of these coins, in this great of condition, can be attributed more to circumstance/context in which the coins where kept, and how much of it can be attributed to craftsmanship.
These sorts of material artifacts surviving for this long really fires the imagination. Who pressed them? How where they made? How were they spent? Where were they spent?
It’s just fascinating to try and imagine the world in which these coins might have been just a commonplace occurrence. Where people had them in their homes, in their hands.
Well, it’s often a matter of the materials as well as the environment. Coins with a high silver or gold content survive well, and bronze coins survive well if the environment is favourable. Also, most of the coins in the picture were also valuable in ancient times; it makes sense that people would try to keep them safe, maybe hide them well in places where they weren’t often exposed to modern chemicals. Or they’re dropped in the desert where conditions are very favourable.
Ancient coins were struck, btw, or very rarely cast.
Sounds like you’re about ready to start collecting ;)
It makes me wonder how much of the survival of these coins, in this great of condition, can be attributed more to circumstance/context in which the coins where kept, and how much of it can be attributed to craftsmanship.
These sorts of material artifacts surviving for this long really fires the imagination. Who pressed them? How where they made? How were they spent? Where were they spent?
It’s just fascinating to try and imagine the world in which these coins might have been just a commonplace occurrence. Where people had them in their homes, in their hands.
Well, it’s often a matter of the materials as well as the environment. Coins with a high silver or gold content survive well, and bronze coins survive well if the environment is favourable. Also, most of the coins in the picture were also valuable in ancient times; it makes sense that people would try to keep them safe, maybe hide them well in places where they weren’t often exposed to modern chemicals. Or they’re dropped in the desert where conditions are very favourable.
Ancient coins were struck, btw, or very rarely cast.
Sounds like you’re about ready to start collecting ;)