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Author Topic: Drachmas v. Tetradrachm  (Read 441 times)

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Offline Kingston

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Drachmas v. Tetradrachm
« on: March 06, 2023, 04:35:58 pm »
It may be a naive question but as I am about to start purchasing greek coins, I find myself wondering if I should rather focus on drachmas as opposed to tetradrachm, or a combination of both. My plan is to have a linear, chronological theme mainly within the Hellenistic period with only one coin per ruler. It appears to me that both coin types are often comparable in terms of how common they may be, their price, or artistic quality. I am sure there is no right answer to this question but I would be interested in reading your considerations on this.

Offline Ron C2

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Re: Drachmas v. Tetradrachm
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2023, 07:58:52 am »
Very different coins. In hand, tetradrachm are around the size of a silver dollar and they often sell in the $500+ range.

Drachms, I'm the other hand, are about the size of a nickel and common ones sell under $100.

What is your budget? Do you want a lot of nice coins or a few nice coins of higher value?

Does size matter to you?
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Offline Kingston

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Re: Drachmas v. Tetradrachm
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2023, 03:55:03 pm »
Thanks Ron, this is helpful to know that tetradrachm are usually considered 'superior' (which makes sense re initial face value). From some of the coins I looked at recently (in that case Seleucid coinage), the drachmas were sometimes more expensive than the tetradrachm so I was not sure (and the artistic quality of the portraits were fairly comparable).

I would aim at fewer nice coins of higher value as opposed to many more affordable ones. Budget wise aiming at max $1000 per coin.

As your last question suggest and the more I think about it it is likely to come down to personal preference regarding the size and what we find visually appealing/satisfying in hand. The difficulty looking at photos online is that it can be misleading. Just did a quick comparison with my Byzantine solidi which are around 1.9mm in diameter, then a drachma is likely to be slightly smaller, and a tetradrachm significantly bigger. Now that I think about it I may be leaning more towards tetra as the drachmas may feel too small.

Anyway, interested to know if this is a big decision factor for folks here, although I expect most are likely to collect both.

Offline Ron C2

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Re: Drachmas v. Tetradrachm
« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2023, 11:54:53 pm »
In the drachm space, I only collect Cappadocia drachms and tetradrachm, but there is far more variety in drachm variants to chase and find.

Tetradrachms aren't superior per se, but usually they are pricier. Fewer of them were made and the canvas was larger so the artistry is often better than on smaller denominations.

This isn't a good or bad decision, only you can say what coins speak to you.
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Offline Virgil H

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Re: Drachmas v. Tetradrachm
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2023, 01:46:43 am »
Just curious, are you not interested in bronzes at all? Many nice ones out there. I realize you have a nice budget, but have you looked at adding some bronzes to any collection you might work on? I collect mostly bronzes, except for a few Roman Republicans where I just am in love with the silver. And my interest in bronzes started due to budget, but I have since realized I like them outside of budget constraints. There are also some fairly high priced bronzes, but I have gotten to like them in their own right and, as my budget at times increases, I am still usually going for bronze coins. Just a thought.

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Offline Kingston

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Re: Drachmas v. Tetradrachm
« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2023, 03:03:43 am »
Thanks Ron and Virgil.
Good point Virgil, I only set my eyes on gold and silver coins for now but the occasional bronze may also be interesting as part of this theme. As I am starting from scratch there is only so much advance planning we can do, I will probably end up not fully sticking to my plans or my interests may lead me to other coin types/themes as well. That's what make it interesting!

 

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