Passion for collecting Ancient Coins

 

Many years ago, when I was a teanager, searching in my mothers closet I discovered a hidden 'treasure'! A few silver British modern coins of Quenn Victoria, one Gold proof double sovereign and a few copper coins. Among these coins there was one coin which was quite different in texture and thickness. It seamed to me so strange because at that time, I wasn't aware that such coins exhisted. It was out of my world!

 

Immediately I asked my mom, who was a teacher at that time, for explanations. She took the coin in her hand and told me that a student of hers had found it on the ground, in the fields, when they went to an excursion with their school. She adviced me to try to find what that coin was.

I begun searching in books, encyclopeadeas and every book related to history with pictures of coins in it.

 

Finally I struck Gold! I found something very similar to that coin, but still I wasn't sure what it was, however I was sure now that it was a very-very old coin.

 

An Ancient coin in my hands, once held by who knows who?

 

Years had past and I returtend back from the University of London where I had  just finished my educational studies in Science.

 

I was always interested in learning about coins but only through books and Museums until I was invited to attend a presentation regarding the private collection, of a well known bank institution.

 

The whole world, my world of coinage had changed on that day, because I realized I could actually practice this collecting habbit by myself, though American and European auctions.

 

Suddently and as I was mediculously examining the collection, I stabled on a coin which indeed looked very similar to my coin. It was a coin of the Hellenistic Era, after the fall of Alexander the Great, minted in Egypt or Cyprus. The Ptolemies of Egypt ! The coin had Zeus to the right in the obverse side and an Eagle with open wings on the reverse and a lotus bud in front of the eagle, along with a date.

 

Later and when I was an active collector of ancient Greek and Roman coins, I attributed this coin to Ptolemy the 8th, struck in Cyprus!

 

I believe that coin was my thrust to beggin collecting and studying ancient Greek coins.

 

A bronze coin with such a great history, 2000 years before our time...