# How can something so old be so cheap? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2013, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291 "2013-10-26T09:08:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/21 "2013-10-28T18:16:50Z")
I wonder if it would be worthwhile to forge these Romans coins in large numbers: 25 bucks revenue for each item sounds good, yet cheap enough that potential customers probably wouldn’t bother to have them checked out by an expert. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/22 "2013-10-28T18:41:04Z")
That one may be $25, but there are others more valuable. See [here.](http://www.artancient.net/servlet/the-Ancient-Coins/Categories) ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/23 "2013-10-28T18:47:13Z")
Similar question often came up with old books. People would often come in to dump a “gift” of old books on us on the assumption that because it was printed in the 1800s it must be worth something so even if we didn’t want it on our shelves we could build a new branch by selling it at a Sotheby’s auction or something. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/24 "2013-10-28T19:36:58Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The standing rule for all collectibles: age, condition and scarcity. You must have all three, or the price plummets accordingly. Don’t forget _demand_. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/25 "2013-10-28T21:19:24Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > For a small fee I can transport you to a place that’s 13.798 billion (plus or minus 37 million) years old. That’s a nifty trick, considering that the earth’s only 4.5 billion years old. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/26 "2013-10-28T22:26:58Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Don’t forget _demand_. That’s what I meant to put instead of age, since age doesn’t really matter for things like Beany Babies. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/27 "2013-10-29T09:15:46Z")
> [@The Severed Head of Prof. P](#): > > That one may be $25, but there are others more valuable. See [here.](http://www.artancient.net/servlet/the-Ancient-Coins/Categories) Yeah the guy had a lot in the hundreds but $25 struck me as just weird. If it started its a non-zero value, it wouldn’t be anywhere close to inflation. Eg. A comic book that is worth $10 today is worth half as much as a $10 comic book in 1985. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/28 "2013-10-30T12:42:19Z")
I wonder what it would be worth today if it had been deposited in a bank back then (yes I know zero in the real world, but you know, just for fun). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/29 "2013-10-30T12:52:10Z")
Keep in mind that coin will not work in any modern coin-op machine. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/30 "2013-10-30T15:59:18Z")
You can buy hydrogen that’s dirt cheap and over 13 billion years old. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/31 "2013-10-30T16:54:16Z")
I swear I thought this thread was going to be about my mother-in-law. As far as “old” and “cheap” goods go, I think I’d be lucky to get $5 for my 1998 vintage 2.1 megapixel digital camera on Ebay. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291/32 "2013-10-30T20:07:24Z")
Yeah, poor to good quality Roman bronze coins can be bought by the lot for under $1 each. Now, gold coins are worth a shitload, and old silver coins also have value. Those in really excellent condition also more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-something-so-old-be-so-cheap/672291.md?page=1)