[Godebert]

"Price goes down when supply exceeds demand. I’ve seen Roman coins for sale for much less than $50. If all these coins are suddenly dumped on the market, on which there is already a good supply, I’d expect a very steep drop in price................."

It will probably take years before any of these coins come to market. There are literally thousands of different types even for a single emperor. There are over 3,400 different coins listed in ERIC II (encyclopedia of Roman coins) for Constantine the Great alone. Some rarer bronze types from the period of this Spanish hoard can sell for well over a thousand dollars, so the $50 per coin estimate is just an average. I think the discovery of this hoard will generate much interest among collectors from around the world. Everyone (including me) will want a piece of the action.

[Red Badger]

Be careful of fakes. After this, the ‘Fake Machines’ will be cranked up, and spitting out copies by the ton..............

[stayathomemom]

I am a 20 year collector of Roman coins of this period, as well as a part time dealer (RomanLode on VCoins: www.vcoins.com). There are some misconceptions here which need to be rectified. First, in Spain, all finds like this belong to the state. Finders must turn them in (not all do - but they stand the chance of running afoul of the law). There is no commission or reward to the finder. Coins of this period (as near as I can tell from the ones I can see, the time period spans approximately 295-307 AD or so) will weigh about 9 g on average. The coins are high grade and despite how they appear in the pictures, most will likely be of very high grade. Coins of this grade will average about $100 apiece for the common ones, and the great majority of them will be common. One of the coins pictured in hand is a rare one of Constantine the Great and should sell for about $600 up to a $1000 depending on grade. BUT - none of these will appear on the market. The Spanish government and the museums and the anti-collector archeologists will not let this happen (unless theft happens).

Stayathomemom's husband, Ron.