For your
price range, which is where many of us started, you have to make some decisions.
For that
price you will find many common coins, generally late
Roman bronze coins (usually 4th century AD). For that
price you can find ones in great condition with all details and lettering legible. You can even find ones for relatively well known figures -
Constantine the Great, Julian the Apostate/Philosopher,
Theodosius the Great, etc.
If you are interested in less common coins, for example earlier
Roman or Greek, you will be looking at coins in poorer condition. Likely with little lettering left and much fainter design. Over a few years when I started I was able to get most of the first Emperors from
Augustus to
Commodus (minus the three short-lived guys of 68-69 AD) in that
price range. They were well worn bronze
asses and
dupondii and took some searching but it was possible.
For example, right now Joe (the guy who runs the
forum shop) has one each of
Claudius,
Vespasian and
Domitian in the $30s - they are exactly like what I started my
collection with. Whereas when you look at
his Constantinian Era section you get about 60 coins listed for under $40 each (many under $20), and several of them are in what is in effect perfect condition.
It all depends on your interests, both historical and for collecting....
SC