FINDERS STORIES: DOMINIC CHORNEY
Okonomiyaki and Digging up the Dirt on Ancient Coins.
We caught up with Dom over some Japanese street food.
Invited down to London for Baldwin's 150th Anniversary party, Roman Found had to swap the digging gear for something a bit less muddy! We couldn't quite turn up fresh from a Thames mudlark especially as we are quite prone to being too focused on the foreshore and not the sudden waves from the Thames Clippers!
After a small run around where Google Maps decided to take advantage of our lack of London Street knowledge. Who decided the numbers on The Strand run both ways up the street!? We were greeted by Dom, Baldwin's Ancient Coin Specialist, who we had become good instagram friends with over the past couple of months. We’d already been chatting to one chap and his son who we had walked in with late and lost from the street and he turned out to be quite the client of Baldwins pulling out a bag of silver drachmas from his pocket, his latest acquisition. Dom helped introduce us to all of the coin dealers and traders and kept us well refreshed with Baldwins Cocktails. Surprising everyone with our digging tales, Roman Found had scrubbed up well for the evening, we explored the exhibition and stepped into the trade and private collector world for the night.
Venturing into the South Bank after all the excitement of the party, progress was slow as half of Roman Found had been crippled by their fancy shoes. Despite this Dom was determined to take us for what he deemed a proper Japanese food experience at an authentic local restaurant. Taken deep into the depths of the tube, just to travel one stop a highly necessary journey with the current shoe situation, we were just along for the ride solely relying on Dom as head navigator. Something about being taken through the hidden local routes and back passages out of the main London rush is enough to confuse any non-Londoner.
With sore feet and heavy bags of Baldwins goodies we were seated at the very last table in this tiny restaurant. Corrugated iron and Japanese posters adorned the walls with the kitchen situated behind us Lucie’s back being roasted by the hot griddle. It really was a slice of Japan’s Streets right in the heart of London. Faced with a menu full of choices we were told we had to try the Okonomiyaki, a Japanese street food Omelette and Dom's personal favourite.
Okonomiyaki on the griddle next to us we dug in, getting the lowdown from Dom about his experiences in the Private Collector and Trade world.
Roman Found: Thanks for having us Dom we’ve had such a great evening! Whilst we are waiting for our Okonomiyakis shall we dive into some questions?
Dominic Chorney: Of course!
RF: Have you always been compelled to find things, how important is this to you?
DC: Before I became interested in coins, I was a fossil hunter. It was always fun going down to the Jurassic Coast, hunting for ammonites – as a child I used to enjoy looking for the tiny ones. I’m not sure my eyes are up to it now! I’ve actually gotten into mudlarking recently. Living and working so close to the Thames it was always a bit of a no-brainer, but I’ve finally come around to getting a licence. Haven’t found a coin yet, but I have found some other fun bits and pieces.
RF: You studied an Archaeology degree, what drew you over to the trade and private collector side of coin history?
DC: Initially I’d always imagined myself working in the museum world but to put it bluntly, jobs there are very few and far between, especially in numismatics. When a job came up at a mint company, that opened the door for my move into the commercial world of numismatics and ultimately my current position at Baldwin’s, where I’ve resided for the past six years.
RF: As a Roman Coin specialist what has driven your passion for this section of numismatics?
DC: The first thing I’m usually asked when I mention that I studied archaeology is ‘have you been digging?’. The answer, of course, is yes. But I never enjoyed it very much. The excavations I’ve been on were usually damp and cold – this drove me towards post-excavation analysis, specifically artefacts and coins – areas I would focus on for my MA. Roman seemed to be the sensible route to specialise in. There’s plenty of fresh, untapped data from Roman Britain on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database and I used a lot of this in my studies.
RF: Is there a particular coin that has had the biggest impact on you?
DC: I can’t think of a specific one, but I do find Celtic coins particularly fascinating. The wild and abstract designs are an amazing look into a world that we know so little about – even though we’re surrounded by Iron Age archaeology in the UK, there’s something really special about the Iron Age coins.
The wild and abstract designs are an amazing look into a world that we know so little about
RF: Are there any skills you have had to learn as a finder for Baldwins?
DC: I think the most important thing to learn is ‘the market’. You need to know the sensible price to pay for a coin, and a fair price to sell it. It took a year or so to get to grips with but after a few coin fairs, auctions and putting the hours in, you get the hang of it. The coin world is ever-changing so there are always new things to learn.
Learning to grade was also essential – being able to determine the quality of coins, their condition, and thus, their values. This isn’t really something that’s as important in the academic world, but essential at a firm like Baldwin’s.
RF: What is the day in the life of an Ancient Coin Expert?
DC: That’s a difficult one – no two days are the same. There are always lots of e-mails to reply to, valuations, enquiries, things like that – so I try to get them out of the way early, while the mind is fresh! Then it really depends – maybe there’ll be a big auction in London that I’ll visit, maybe some lot viewing for clients. Perhaps a collection will come over the counter. Sometimes we’ll work with the marketing team, creating videos for our YouTube channel.
One thing that’s consistent is cataloguing – either for the next Fixed Price List, or auction.
RF: How important do you find your own personal collection and what does it encompass?
DC: I actually haven’t added to my personal collection since starting at Baldwin’s – it’s a bit of a conflict of interest. I’ve branched into other things; London Underground signs, watches and trading cards. Everyone collects something and it can be very therapeutic.
RF: What would be THE coin you would want in your collection? We have our bucket listers. What are yours?
DC: Coin wise, I’ve always wanted a silver denarius of Carausius – the usurper emperor of Roman Britain – they’ve got very pricey in recent years. In watches, I’d love a Rolex GMT Master, the blue and red one, but I won’t be able to afford one of those for a while. In terms of trading cards, I’d love a Base Set Charizard. Sadly, these will have to take a back seat until I’ve bought a house!
It’s a bit of a conflict of interest. I’ve branched into other things; London Underground signs, watches and trading cards.
RF: What impact do you think private collections have on history?
CN: A really interesting question, It’s not something I’ve really thought about. Many of the major coin collections formed in the 1800s have ended up in museums but others, sold at auction, have ended up becoming major academic works in their own right.
Legendary private collections such as Schneider, Elmore Jones, Lockett and BCD are invaluable and used by numismatists – commercial and academic, for references all the time.
RF: Do you think there’s scope for the archaeology world, the private trade and collector world and the metal detecting world to all work together?
DC: I think, to an extent, they already do. Institutions like the Portable Antiquities Scheme, English Medieval Coin database and Celtic Coin Index all gather information from metal detectorists in Britain, resulting in incredibly valuable information for academics to use in their work. There will always be ideological friction on all sides, to an extent, but I think it’s important that all three areas – particularly archaeology and metal detecting, continue to work together for the common good. At Baldwin’s, we’ll always insist that detector finds are correctly recorded with the authorities.
RF: Is there anything you would like people to know about the private trade and collector world, the good, the bad and the ugly?
DC: All I’d say is to watch out for fakes. The coin world is riddled with them. Treat the famous online auction website with caution when looking for coins. Make sure you aim to buy from a BNTA (British Numismatic Trade Association) registered dealer.
DC: How long until you find a hoard??
RF: Excellent question Dom! We are pretty hopeful it’s on the cards, we still have plenty of fields to hit and are only now unlocking the full potential of the land and all its hidden archaeological secrets. Watch this space! She’s out there we just have to walk over it …
DC: Thanks guys I can’t wait to see the interview up! Your questions were really interesting and thought-provoking.
RF: No problem Dom it’s been a pleasure hearing all about the Ancient Coin world from the specialist!
