Interviewing... Benjy
Interview #6, talking to a friend that works at a German archive, studying and writing about Persian coinage in his free time, trying to build a quality collection early on…
Where did you buy your first coin?
That was all the way back in 2014 on a family trip to the Mosel river. There lay Trier, one of Germany’s oldest cities going back to the first century BC. Near the famous Porta Nigra was a small tourist shop which I only have vague memories of. They had a selection of Roman coins, and I bought a Claudius II Antoninianus for 18€.
What sort of coins do you collect?
Mainly Persian coins from the 500s to 300s BC, although I do treat myself to some coins from my ancestral homeland of Saxony every once in a while. Those don't go as far back; my oldest is from the 975-1000 AD range.
What’s the last coin you bought?
A Siglos minted around 375-340 BC, a piece of particularly amazing style and centering. Overall just unusually good, though the price reflects.
What advice would you give to someone keen to start collecting?
Read up a bit first. It doesn’t have to be books if you can't afford those, there's a LOT of great resources online. And once you've got something you like, buy quality. Most areas will have decent coins in a reasonable price range. Don’t just buy a coin because it's cheap; you'll wanna get rid of those coins sooner or later.
Have you ever made a mistake collecting (if so, what)?
That's a hard one. I'd say spending too much too early on. In my opinion you should really take your time to learn when starting out and only start buying once you've found something that really interests you. I didn't, and that's how I ended up with lots of decent grade Roman coins in my collection, which don't fit any of my collection themes or interests.
What’s your dream coin (ie if you could have any, what would it be)?
One of a small emission of Owl tetradrachms which were copied from the Athenians by the Persians. They were used to pay the Spartans, because they couldn't use the Persian Sigloi in Greece. Ironically, these pieces financed a fleet designed to fight the Athenians. Some of them have the head of Cyrus the Younger on Athenas cheek [as below], which was later removed. They’re the only coins certainly attributed to Cyrus, who went on to revolt against his brother - that incident is quite well known from the Anabasis of Xenophon.
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Benjy #1