Interviewing... Mark Petersen
Interview #2, talking to an experienced collector and transportation researcher from the mountains of southwest Virginia…
Where did you buy your first coin?
The first few coins I collected were a silver dime and some wheat pennies out of change when I was eight years old. I began doing date books and getting handfuls of foreign coins from family friends. I think it was probably a long while before I bought my first coin but I couldn't tell you what it was or where I got it. I do remember buying my first ancient coin, which was a horrible condition coin of Claudius Gothicus1 from a dirty bargain bin. All the coins in it were four dollars and I got just the one. I was thirteen years old and it absolutely blew my mind that I owned something Roman.
What sort of coins do you collect?
For the vast majority of my collecting career I have focused almost exclusively on ancient coins. At first I drew the line at about 500 AD but I am now collecting early medieval and going up to about 750 AD because there are a few more cultures and kings I am interested in which extend up to about that point. I still prefer to mostly collect older than 300 AD. I collect all ancient coins from any culture or place, with the goal of having as broad a collection as possible representing as many stories and as much history as possible. I have more Roman coins than anything else, but I also have coins from Celtic Britain and Gaul, Spain, North Africa, Persia, India, China, the Steppe, etc. Pretty much any group which was making coins before 750 AD is of interest to me. I do also have a very-casually-added-to WW2 collection, where I look for any coin or banknote which is different (either by design or metal content) than what one could reasonably suppose would have been issued without the war.
What’s the last coin you bought?
I love barbarous copies of coins, especially ones with blundered legends. You cannot always tell the prototype, and sometimes the reverses and obverses are muled or completely fantastical. This coin is clearly a copy of a Constantinian era "VLPP" type, with two victories holding a shield on the reverse. The portrait is pretty distorted compared to official examples, but the best part is the legend, which has degenerated into basically I I I I I I in tighter and looser groupings. The coin is from the 4th century AD, probably not long after official issues, and it weighs 2.29 grams. Some people theorise the legends represent illiteracy, but it is also possible they show an intent to create a recognisable and usable coin, one which is clearly NOT a counterfeit.
What advice would you give to someone keen to start collecting?
If you collect US or World coins and are moving into ancients, consider that it is a different hobby and requires different habits. Grading ancient coins doesn't make a lot of sense for a myriad of reasons, chiefly that the coins are not mass produced and cannot be objectively compared from one example to the next. Cleaning is acceptable in ancient coins, so is handling them. Divorce yourself from the need to complete sets, collect with a more relaxed attitude and accept that in some cases a full attribution is impossible. Mints and dates can be off flan. Maybe a whole side of the coin is destroyed but the preserved side is of interest. Maybe there is incomplete research about the coin. Enjoy the adventure, and if you need defined sets and lots of precision, maybe US coins are best for you.
Have you ever made a mistake collecting (if so, what)?
Everyone has bought coins they didn't need or didn't end up liking in the long run. I don't dwell on those mistakes, and am fine with taking a loss to recoup some of my money or to trade or gift coins I don't need. Definitely don't become fixated on the mistakes, learn from them. If the hobby ever becomes something other than fun, stop.
What’s your dream coin (ie if you could have any, what would it be)?
I don't know that I have a dream coin, but the obtainable coin that I am most set on getting is one from Herod Antipas. That will happen eventually when I simultaneously have the money and have the opportunity. I am a patient collector. My absolute dream coin probably doesn't exist, but it could. I have a Bostran Roman drachm struck over2 a Nabataean drachm, with the undertype still present. It is one of my favorite coins. The Bostran drachms are known to be a common type to be overstruck as Bar Kochba revolt coins. My absolute unicorn dream coin would be a Bar Kochba coin overstruck twice with evidence of both a Bostran and Nabataean undertype. That would incredible if it even exists.
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a third century Roman emperor, reigned 268-270 AD
Bruv thank you a lot for this interview. Numismatic community needs more people like you:)
This was a very very interesting article. I particularly liked the advice that if a hobby ever becomes something other than fun - stop. Thats so true of any hobby, fun and excitement are the key. Thank you!