These are some of his oldest coins from Greece, Rome and other ancient civilizations. They've always been my favorite, because of their unique textures and images. Coin making wasn't such an exact process back then, as you can see.
Oh yeah, remember the 2,000-year-old Zeus coin I mentioned before? Its the red coin featured below. I used to think his flowing hair looked more like a big brain:
Here is another valuable group of coins that aren't quite so ancient:
See those oddly shaped pieces in the center, with crosses on them? Those are "pieces of eight" from sunken Spanish treasure ships, just like you hear about in pirate movies. My dad loves pirate movies. I think a bunch of the others in this group are also Spanish dollars. Except the small rectangle...it might be Chinese, I think.Here is one more group of my dad's favorite coins:
This collection contains several Seated Liberty dollars and other coins from the United States. Sorry, I'm not sure what the gold ones are. Maybe I'll get back to you on that.
Tired of coins? How about silver rings? My dad found all of these himself:
They're strung on two chains for easier transport and viewing, I guess. Since my parents live in Utah, this whole second chain is composed of the ubiquitous CTR (choose the right) ring ...minus the dozen or so he's given away to friends and family. See?
Oh yeah, there are also these:
As I mentioned in my last post, bottles and marbles are also quite valuable. We used to go camping in ghost towns when I was a kid so my dad could go treasure hunting. The best place to find coins and bottles was, strangely enough, where the outhouses were. One finds these by plunging a long t-shaped metal pole into the ground, searching for the softest dirt. Then you shovel the dirt out onto a screen, where the dirt sifts through and the archaological finds rest on the top.
There used to be an old hotel in the empty dirt lot next to my parents' home. I recall my dad and a friend digging a huge hole (deeper than a man's hight) where they found 60-80 bottles and other knick-knacks. Unfortunately, I think my dad has sold most of those since. However, he still has plenty around the house that he has either found elsewhere or purchased from dealers:
And because I know you care so much, here is a close up of some of those marbles:
Marbles have been around since Egyptian and Roman years of power. The plain ones are clay, and that swirl on the left cost $120 at a Vegas bottle show. He says there were some marbles there being sold for at least $2,000!
So there you go, the highlights of dad's treasure trove. I hope you enjoyed it.
19 comments:
That's cool. My dad works in excavation (moving dirt) and has found a lot of his own treasures. He's got quite a few old bottles, although not as many as he used to. Your dad is quite the collector!
So YOU took those pictures..that makes sense. I was wondering how dad got them and could only come up with he took them using Thains new digital camera, although I didn't know how he managed to get them on the computer. I thought they were pretty good pictures for dad having taken them, but if you took them it makes more sense. :)
I love to see people's collections. Especially when they are grouped together and can be examined all at once. And owning anything 2,000 years old is amazing!
I love it. I have lost a lot of jewelry in my time and have wondered where it all ends up! And I once lost my CTR ring probably around Sarah's house. It was when they were building the garage. I like to think that it will be a found treasure someday. I should use that small cedar chest we got for graduating as a treasure box and put some of my random jewelry in there. And then I should give it to my grandchildren when I get older. Or maybe bury it somewhere and then put a treasure map in my journal.
Hey, I think that purple CTR ring is mine! (ha, ha)
Those are fantastic photos... nice post.
I'm really digging the photos of all the rings, especially the second one. The perspective is cool.
I tend to purge stuff in my home, but sometimes I think it would be cool to have some kind of collection that future generations could look at and say, "Man... she collected a lot of weird crap." :-)
Hey Tearese,
I always remember your dad out treasure hunting. It's neat to see all he has collected over his work. I thought the string of CTR rings was great! I'd love to see you next time you're in town. Your kids are adorable, by the way!
kara- thats neat, has your dad ever had his finds appraised?
kiera- thats pretty funny that dad emailed you those pictures...like you hadn't seen them before.
nettie-thanks for stopping by!
cardine-my dad actually used to keep all his rings in little treasure chests, but it got too hard to find the ones he wanted to look at. I think he still uses his chests for other things too.
sarah..hey, maybe that is Yours! Most of the rings I own were found by my dad.
jill- that would be funny to collect something random just so your descendants would have something to say about you. Thanks, I like the ring picture too.
missy- thanks for stopping by! Your kids are so old, its crazy how time flies.
Wow, what an awesome collection of coins, rings, bottles and marbles. I have an ancient Roman coin on a gold necklace my parents gave me for my 18th birthday. I should take a picture and blog it. Did your dad also find the silver rings while treasure hunting? Surely he didn't find the coins that way. Very cool collection, thanks for sharing that with us!
rhea- yes, I believe he found the majority of the rings, if not all, with his metal detector. He has found gold and silver American coins like those pictured as well.
That's just incredible, Tearese, that he found all those. Wow. Makes me wonder how much of that stuff is out there all the time, just waiting to be found. You may start me treasure hunting now...
Oh, how beautiful! It is incredible to think who has touched each of those coins over centuries and centuries. Perhaps someone famous or perhaps many famous people. The Greek and Roman coins are so fascinating because of their individuality as are the Georgian ones. Wow!
lorna, thanks for stopping by!
It's funny that he found so many CTR rings! Not surprising, though.
Wow! I love the coins! It's amazing that things so old have endured for so long and have ended up here! Where does your dad get them?
I also liked the pictures of the bottles.
mrs mordecai- thanks for visiting!
julie- they have shows like the one in Las Vegas that I mentioned. there are also dealers that put out catalogs you can order items from. Some are found in digs like I mentioned, and of course other collectors will often buy or trade their items. Thats why my dads collection changes shape over the years.
Wow, what an impressive collection your dad has amassed! I also love your collection of photos - the close-up of the loop of silver rings is my favorite. Thanks for sharing such a fun post!
thanks Chelle!
Everyone, here is an example of my dad's monthly 'finds' email, so you can get an estimate of what his hunting is like:
In march I found; 453 cents,110 nickels,378 dimes,244quarters including 38 different states quarters,2 dollars,( a sacagewea and a george washington),5 foreign coins, 4 non silver rings,3 silver rings(I'm already four behind last year),two silver coins, one marble, one old bottle,one key and 24 other keepable items.
Thats 1205 coins compared with 824 last march, 2591 so far compared to 1667 last year.
I'm totally intrigued by your dad...I collect old bottles as well. I try to limit myself to miniatures and I'm especially drawn to colored glass and bottles with lids or corks or caps of some kind. Also, I totally get the CTR thing! I've had plenty of those in my day.
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