I tend to agree with you on the artistry of coins, it is one reason I don't have as many
Roman coins. However, there are some
Roman Republican coins I absolutely love for their artistry (virtually no Imperial coins fall into this category for me). I appreciate the historic aspects of all coins and I have many, but for sheer artistry, it is hard to get past the
Greeks pre-Alexander, as you say. I love
Alexander, but I don't want a bunch of coins that all look very similar and aren't overly beautiful in the first place. That said, not all the
Greeks are particularly beautiful, but those that are are the height of art in coins.
Cheers,
Virgil