The artistry of the coins of Sicily and Southern Italy completely eclipse anything produced since. Modern commemoratives are left behind by the Roman Imperials whose reverses commemorate Felicity, Justice, Hilarity, Chastity, Victory, Piety, World Peace, a Happy World, Liberty and Liberality, to name just a few. When you hold a half dollar from 1850, you know that Lincoln or Calhoun, Bell or Morse might have carried it. When you hold an Owl, you can imagine it in the hand of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, or a dozen others whose ideas still form the basis of our civilization. A litra of Syracuse may have bought dinner for Archimedes.
Every ancient coin is a story.
And if you love historical research, ancients are an always-unexplored world. Very few coins, no matter from what seller, come fully attributed. You can always add a BMC or SGC number, find a coin in an SNG or special volume. Minor oversights abound. World-leading sellers let go of unusual bargains, not knowing what they owned.