First of all, we must understand the historical value. Rare ancient coins are the physical objects of currency history and also the witness of history. Therefore, it is necessary to find out its position in history before collecting it. For example, the "Chengdu Jiaozi" and the "Ten-character unified ingot and banknote" discovered in Hohhot are the earliest banknotes discovered in China so far, and are regarded as priceless by academic circles. Jilin's "Guangping Silver Coin" is considered to be the first machine-made coin in China. The "Cheng 'an Treasure" unearthed in Acheng County, Heilongjiang Province1August, 985 is a rare "one-half-white silver coin" product in China. Short-lived regimes also have high coin collection value. Coins made during short-lived dynasties or peasant uprisings are rare treasures with short circulation time and small circulation. For example, Jingkang Bao Tong and Jingkang Yuanbao were both cast during the reign of Song Qinzong, who was exiled to the north in1June. Therefore, "Jingkang" money is very small, and "Jingkang Bao Tong" is even more rare, belonging to the national first-class cultural relics. After the establishment of Dashun regime in Li Zicheng, the "Yongchang Bao Tong" was cast. This coin is rare because of its small amount of casting and short circulation time. There is also a coin called "arhat money", which has a high collection value. Emperor Kangxi borrowed the bronze Buddha and 18 gold arhat from the local Lama because of the lack of military pay, and melted the copper coins and gold into coins. At that time, there was a sign printed on the front of the coin, that is, the word "Xi" of "Kangxi Bao Tong" was missing for identification and recovery in the future. Because this kind of money is made of molten arhat, people call it arhat money.
Secondly, we should know the existing quantity. Following the principle of "rare things are precious" depends not only on the age and the length of circulation, but also on the amount of the world. Coins in China have a history of nearly 5,000 years, which can be roughly divided into knife coins, cloth coins and ant noses in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, foreign currency in the Qin Dynasty, Bao Tong in the Tang Dynasty, annual coins in the Song Dynasty and Bao Tong in Xuan Tong in the late Qing Dynasty. There are tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of varieties. Knife coins of Qi, Yan and Zhao, cloth coins of Korea, Wei and Qin, etc. Very old, rarer and more expensive than round currency. There are not many coins in the world, such as the "Deyi Yuanbao" cast after Shi Siming, a rebel in the Tang Dynasty, occupied Luoyang. Later, it was found that the word "Deyi" was unlucky, so it was changed to "Shuntian" and cast "Shuntian Bao Tong". These two kinds of coins are rarely passed down from generation to generation, especially the "Deyi Yuanbao", which is a rare treasure. In addition, 1972 The commemorative copper coin of "Six Years of Dakang" unearthed in a Liao tomb in Kulun Banner, Jilin Province is also a rare treasure; 1984, the seal of Xixia "Guangding Yuanbao" unearthed in Helan Mountain, Yinchuan, Ningxia, and the original money used caused a sensation in Tibetan areas. So far, only one "Daqi Bao Tong" in Nankang and "A Golden Chamber with a Slight Ten Thousand Dollars" in the Western Han Dynasty have been found, both of which are "orphans" in coins and have high collection and investment value.
It also depends on cultural value. Some categories handed down from generation to generation are favored mainly because of their high cultural taste and artistic value. For example, coins such as "fire circle" and "cloth circle" in Wang Mang's new dynasty in Han Dynasty used vertical needle seals; All Bao Tong, a ten-fold seal script written by Renzong in the Northern Song Dynasty, is the earliest artistic word in China and a masterpiece. Tang Gaozu's four-year five-virtue "Kaiyuan Bao Tong" was written by Ou Yangxun, a great calligrapher. His book style is correct and simple, and his statutes are rigorous, profound and subtle. "Chunhua Yuanbao" was written by Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi, with three characters: regular script, running script and cursive script. Regular script is vigorous and dignified, running script is meaningful and lingering, and cursive script is unrestrained and smooth, which makes the art of coin writing in Song Dynasty reach an unprecedented position. There was also a pair of money in the Song Dynasty. The original cursive script was written by Sima Guang and Su Dongpo respectively. Elegant and vigorous, unique in ancient and modern times, it has a high collection value. In addition, the ancient coins that enjoy "unique seal cutting method, the highest in the Six Dynasties", "the three products of the Northern Zhou Dynasty" and "treasures" all belong to this category.
It is very important to master the ornamental appearance. The investment value and appreciation of ancient coins are closely related to the quality. If the same coin has a difference in appearance, the price difference is often as high as ten times or even dozens or hundreds of times, which shows the importance of its appearance. No matter whether coins are rare or not, we should try to avoid those coins with vague faces, defective outlines, serious corrosion and poor faces. When collecting ancient coins, we should also pay attention to whether there are signs such as moon patterns and star patterns. The identification of ancient coins is to distinguish the casting age and address through the words on the back and evaluate their rarity. Generally speaking, coins marked with the moon and stars on the back are more collectible than those with smooth back. Among the coins worth collecting, the palace coins refined from gold, silver and copper are precious cultural relics, with little casting and good quality.