The latest Heritage Auctions showcase of ancient coins features the collection of Robert S. Sloan, with a focus on Roman Imperial issues. These offerings are open for bidding now exclusively at Coins.HA.com, with the concluding live session scheduled for Sunday, May 14, at 7 PM CT (8 PM ET). Robert Smullyan Sloan (1915-2013) was an […]
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By Lucia Carbone for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… On April 17–18, 2023, the British School at Rome hosted an international conference titled Rome and the Coinages of the Mediterranean 200 BCE–64 CE, with the primary purpose of sharing with the academic community at large the preliminary results of a five-year European Research Council-funded project […]
The post Rome and the Coinages of the Mediterranean Conference: Part I appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
Mobile phone users. Stream this podcast for free by downloading the podomatic app or subscribe to the CoinWeek Podcast on iTunes. * * * In this episode of the CoinWeek Podcast, CoinWeek Editor Charles Morgan talks to Aaron Berk and Mike Nottelmann about their excellent Ancient Coin Podcast. Aaron is a noted antiquities dealer and expert […]
The post CoinWeek Podcast 178: Podcasting About Ancient Coins with Aaron Berk and Mike Nottelmann appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. By the middle of the third century CE, the Roman Empire was in bad shape. In 253, when Valerian became emperor, the Empire had had 10 rulers since the death of Severus Alexander in 235. Most of these men had killed the preceding emperor and then taken over; several […]
The post The Ancient Roman Coins of Carus and His Brief Dynasty appeared first on CoinWeek: Numismatic & Coin Collecting News.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. By the middle of the third century CE, the Roman Empire was in bad shape. In 253, when Valerian became emperor, the Empire had had 10 rulers since the death of Severus Alexander in 235. Most of these men had killed the preceding emperor and then taken over; several […]
The post The Ancient Roman Coins of Carus and His Brief Dynasty appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. By the middle of the third century CE, the Roman Empire was in bad shape. In 253, when Valerian became emperor, the Empire had had 10 rulers since the death of Severus Alexander in 235. Most of these men had killed the preceding emperor and then taken over; several […]
The post The Ancient Roman Coins of Carus and His Brief Dynasty appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. The issue of siege money is recorded on various occasions in antiquity and the Middle Ages, but its history effectively begins in the late fifteenth century, and the issue of obsidional money accompanies all the great sieges which are such a conspicuous feature of the military history of Europe […]
The post Emergency Money: A Short History of Siege Coins appeared first on CoinWeek: Numismatic & Coin Collecting News.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Backstory Born in 400 BCE, Alexander of Pherae would go on to leave an indelible mark on the Thessalian city of Pherae. While the son of the city’s tyrant, Jason, he was not first in the line of succession. This was to change quickly. After Jason was assassinated in […]
The post A Silver Drachm of Alexander of Pherae appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
One of the elite coins from the prestigious Hunt Collection, a coin considered the most historically important of all ancient coins, will find a new home when it is sold in the CSNS World Coins Platinum and Signature Auction from Heritage Auctions May 3-5. The Marcus Junius Brutus, Assassin of Caesar and Imperator (44-42 BCE), […]
The post EID MAR Denarius Commemorating Julius Caesar’s Assassination Leads Heritage World & Ancient Coins Auction appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Austin Andrews for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Infanthood is one of the few universal conditions that every adult has once experienced, which they cannot explicitly recall. Within this known ignorance, there is a fascinating projection of humanity onto the divine, in terms of religious sentiment and human psychology. If the gods look and […]
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Spink is offering two of the most important coins of the ancient world as well as two of the greatest rarities in British numismatics, all certified by Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC). The coins are being offered in Spink auctions that are scheduled for March 31 and April 3, 2023. The April 3 sale features three NGC-certified rarities […]
The post Spink Offers NGC Gold Rarities From Ancient Egypt, Rome, Britain appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
In this, the 26th episode of the Aaron Berk Ancient Coin Podcast, ancient coin expert and dealer Aaron Berk–joined by his fellow Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. numismatist Mike Nottelmann–discusses the recent arrest of Roma Numismatics Managing Director Richard Beale for falsifying a provenance for the gold EID MAR aureus that his company recently sold for […]
The post Aaron Berk: Ancient Coin Podcast – Episode 26 appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Künker GmbH …… Künker’s Spring Auction Sales (382-386) ended with a remarkable total hammer price of 15.4 million Euros (about $16.61 million USD at the time of publication), not including Buyers Premium. The total estimate of the auctions was once set at 9.1 million Euros ($9.81 million USD). Thus, the more than 4,300 lots […]
The post Exceptional Prices for World, Ancient Coins in Künker Spring Sales appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. It would not be possible to cover the cult of Mithras in this not-quite 2,000-word article. But I can give enough of an overview of the religion for the reader to at least understand what its basic beliefs were and its importance in ancient worlds: not only to the […]
The post The Cult of Mithras on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. No lonelier man ever occupied the Byzantine throne – or any other, for that matter. Basil was ugly, dirty, coarse, boorish, totally philistine and almost pathologically mean. He was, in short, profoundly un-Byzantine. And all these things, one suspects, he would have readily admitted. He was not concerned with […]
The post Bulgar Slayer: The Coinage of Basil II appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Lucia Carbone for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… On February 16–18, 2023, the Royal Netherlands Institute of Rome (KNIR) hosted an international workshop titled Money in Mid-Republican Rome, to which the author was fortunate enough to participate. This workshop was organized by Fleur Kemmers (Goethe University, Frankfurt) and by Marleen Termeer (Radhoud University, Nijmegen) […]
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In the 25th episode of the Aaron Berk Ancient Coin Podcast, expert Aaron Berk and fellow Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. numismatist Mike Nottelmann take a look at a handful of ancient coins recently up for auction. Among the highlights are a drachm from Naxos, a “badge of Phanes“, and a Roman silver sestertius. With the […]
The post Aaron Berk: Ancient Coin Podcast – Episode 25 appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is pleased to invite applications for the 2023 Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics, to be awarded to the best single- or multi-authored book, catalog, or online digital work related to ancient numismatics (650 BCE to 300 CE). This distinguished prize seeks to reward innovative research in the field and is […]
The post ANS Invites Applications for 2023 Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. As someone working in the field of “pre-modern numismatics” at NAC USA, I have the extremely rare opportunity to handle some of the best ancient coins in the world. Now, more than ever, I ask myself a deceptively complex question. What drives the value of a coin? Which factors […]
The post What Makes the Most Expensive Ancient Coins So Valuable appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Atlas Numismatics …… We have been hard at work preparing our latest selection of new coins and medals. There are 460 new pieces for your consideration and browsing enjoyment. We hope that you may find something of interest for your collection and look forward to hearing from you if have any questions. Atlas Numismatics remains […]
The post Akragras Dilitron Among New World, Ancient Coins at Atlas Numismatics appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. BORN IN 247 BCE at Carthage (near modern Tunis in North Africa), Hannibal Barca[1] is remembered as one of the greatest military commanders of ancient history. His father, Hamilcar Barca[2] (lived 275-228 BCE), led Carthaginian forces in Sicily during the 23 year-long First Punic War, defeating a revolt by […]
The post The Coins of Carthage During Hannibal’s War With Rome appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. BORN IN 247 BCE at Carthage (near modern Tunis in North Africa), Hannibal Barca[1] is remembered as one of the greatest military commanders of ancient history. His father, Hamilcar Barca[2] (lived 275-228 BCE), led Carthaginian forces in Sicily during the 23 year-long First Punic War, defeating a revolt […]
The post The Coins of Carthage During Hannibal’s War With Rome appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. Pamphylia was not a country unto itself but a region. It is located on the southern coast of Asia Minor (Modern Turkey) surrounded by Lycia to the west, Cilicia to the east, and Pisidia to the north. In ancient Greek, Pamphylia meant “of mingled tribes or races”, and […]
The post Coins of Ancient Greek Pamphylia appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
Ancient Coins and The Colosseo Collection, by Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC …… Depending on who was in control at the time, the electrum coinage of Phokaia and Mytilene in Ionia was struck as payment to either the Persian Empire or the Delian League. Issued semi-annually, the volume of ancient coins minted […]
The post Ancient Coins – Zeus, the King of the Gods appeared first on CoinWeek.
Overview: Julius Caesar The Roman general and dictator Julius Caesar is still famous 2,061 years after his death, though most people are probably more familiar with the legend than the man and his actual achievements. Not that the facts disappoint. Caesar was by all accounts an energetic and forceful personality, his life lending itself quite […]
The post Ancient Coin Profiles: Roman Gold Aureus of Julius Caesar appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 * * * This article is the second part on the coinage of Troas, a region of northwest Asia Minor adjacent to the Hellespont. Its history goes back to the Bronze Age and the Hittites, and Troy (Ilium), […]
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By Numismatica Genevensis SA …… Anyone interested in truly top-class numismatics will have been following Numismatica Genevensis’ auctions for years. They are a pretty rare occurrence, but they always feature numerous coins preserved in the best possible condition. On November 14 and 15, the time has finally come again. Across three auction catalogues, Numismatica Genevensis […]
The post Rare Ancient, Islamic, and European Coins Offered by Numismatica Genevensis appeared first on CoinWeek.
Overview In 1092 CE, the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus enacted sweeping coinage reforms. He stopped production of previous denominations and introduced five new ones: the gold hyperpyron (which served as the unit of account for the new money), the electrum aspron trachy, the billon (copper and silver) aspron trachy, the copper tetarteron, and the […]
The post Ancient Coin Profiles: Byzantine Empire – Manuel I Aspron Trachy appeared first on CoinWeek.
A medallion from one of the best and most important collections of ancient coins ever sold through Heritage Auctions could bring $200,000 USD or more when it crosses the block November 2 at Heritage Auctions’ World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature Auction. The Maxentius (AD 307-312). AV quaternio or medallion of 4-aurei (33mm, […]
The post Ancient Roman Rarity, 1 of 2 Known, Headed to Heritage Auction appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. Troas, unlike the subject of my previous article, was not a country unto itself. It was only the name of a district in northwest Asia Minor (Anatolia) adjacent to the Hellespont (Dardanelles). The area is bordered by the Aegean Sea to the west, the mountain massif that forms Mount […]
The post Coins of Ancient Greek Troas (Troad): Part 1 appeared first on CoinWeek.
The first installment of the Historical Scholar Collection was featured in its own catalog in our recent Chicago World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session, and the first of our four Showcase auctions was offered last month. Now, Heritage is offering selections from Part II of the Historical Scholar Collection showcase auctions. This auction is open […]
The post Heritage to Offer Ancient Coin Historical Scholar Collection, Part 2 appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Nathan Elkins for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… The recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II (r. 1952–2022) and the elevation of King Charles III has prompted questions about how the face of money will change in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. This may seem like an odd line of inquiry to numismatists […]
The post Heroes and Villains on Circulating Coins and Banknotes appeared first on CoinWeek.
In the upcoming season of the CoinWeek Podcast, ancient coin expert Aaron Berk (Harlan J. Berk, Ltd.) will appear as a recurring guest alongside CoinWeek Editor Charles Morgan to help demystify the field for those interested in collecting ancient coins but who might feel intimidated by the depth of the topic. With over 30 years […]
The post Aaron Berk: Ancient Coin Podcast – Episode 2 appeared first on CoinWeek.
Sunday Auction #1244 from David Lawrence Rare Coins (DLRC) is now live and features over 575 total lots – including more than 250 No Reserve lots and over 20 Vault Values. Included in the variety of fantastic PCGS-, NGC-, and CAC-approved items in this week’s sale is a rainbow toned 1873 H10c PCGS Proof 67+ […]
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By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. The Incas had rivers full of gold and mountains full of silver, and they used gold and silver for art and for worship, but they never invented money because it was a fiction they had no use for. (Goldstein, 4) THE CLASSIC DEFINITION of money found in most Economics […]
The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Money Before Coinage appeared first on CoinWeek.
Künker Auctions 376-378 by Künker GmbH …… Three of the seven catalogs–with as many as 4,715 lots and a total estimate of 9 million euros–that were published by Künker for its Fall Auction Sales are dedicated to ancient coins, on sale from 18 to 21 October 2022. This time, the variety of material is particularly […]
The post Ancient Showpieces From Köhlmoos, Salton Collections at Künker appeared first on CoinWeek.
The Sale On 15 October, Éditions Victor Gadoury will hold their traditional autumn coin auction sale. There is a wealth of high-quality coin rarities on offer – from ancient to modern times. A special focus is on France and Italy, as well as on world gold coins from every time period. On 15 October 2022, […]
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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. As a divine metal, gold not only served as a store of wealth for the rulers of ancient societies but it was also an earthly representation of unending and incorruptible divinity. Coins struck in gold, while definitely earthlier and more materialistic than religious or decorative items, also retained a […]
The post Five Ancient Gold Coins And The Stories They Tell appeared first on CoinWeek.
by Harlan J. Berk, Ltd… Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. has just launch sale 221 on their web site with paper catalogs following in a few weeks. This catalog has a large amount of affordable lots along with a few fantastic highlights worth noting. The entire sale consists of 580 ancient coins, 53 world coins & […]
The post Harlan J. Berk’s 221st Buy or Bid Sale is Now Live appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Harlan J. Berk, Ltd …… Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. has just launched sale 221 on their website with paper catalogs following in a few weeks. This catalog has a large number of affordable lots along with a few fantastic highlights worth noting. The entire sale consists of 580 ancient coins, 53 world coins […]
The post Harlan J. Berk’s 221st Buy or Bid Sale is Now Live appeared first on CoinWeek.
The American Numismatic Society (ANS) and the Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents at Oxford University are pleased to announce the launch of Bactrian Indo-Greek Rulers (BIGR), a new online typology and research tool for ancient Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek coinage. BIGR is a component of Hellenistic Royal Coinages and has been funded by the […]
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American Numismatic Society in Lycia By Ute Wartenberg – President and Research Curator, American Numismatic Society (ANS) As part of a longer trip abroad, American Numismatic Society President Ute Wartenberg, together with her husband Jonathan Kagan, went to southwestern Turkey to examine excavations at the ancient Lycian site of Patara. At the invitation of Dr. […]
The post A Visit to Patara, Eight NLG Awards Among News at ANS appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. AT THE BEGINNING of recorded history, the Iberian Peninsula was inhabited by a variety of peoples. Iberians, who spoke a non-Indo-European language that might – or might not – be related to modern Basque, lived along the Mediterranean coast. Along the Atlantic coast lived Lusitanians[1], a warlike tribe that […]
The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Coins of the Celtiberians appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Michael T. Shutterly for CoinWeek ….. The Iconoclastic Controversy was a period of near civil war in the Byzantine Empire that began in about 726 CE and lasted until about 787. It was revived in 814 and finally concluded in 843. The Controversy involved a religious dispute between Iconodules (“image servants”), who venerated icons […]
The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Coins of the Iconoclasts appeared first on CoinWeek.
Anyone who’s interested in high-quality ancient and Italian coins will be familiar with the auction house Numismatica Ars Classica (NAC) located in London, Zurich, and Milan. It is one of the world’s most important auction houses, especially when it comes to high-quality ancient and Italian coins. Here’s a good example to illustrate this: NAC is […]
The post NAC, Shanna Schmidt Join Forces to Found NAC USA appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. THROUGH A LONG chain of pious frauds and medieval myth-making, the February 14 feast day of St. Valentine, an obscure third-century martyr, became a day for celebrating romantic Love in Western popular culture. It may be no surprise to the reader that classical numismatics has relatively […]
The post Eroticism on Ancient Coins (Adults Only) appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Lucia Carbone for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Caesar was exceedingly fond of his sister, who was, as the saying is, a wonder of a woman. -Plutarch, Life of Antony 31.1 Roman women, especially if they were members of the upper class, acquired increased visibility in the last decades of the Roman Republic, […]
The post Octavia Minor, a Wonder of a Woman appeared first on CoinWeek.
The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is pleased to announce the publication of In the Treasure Room of the Sakra King: Votive Coinage from Gandhāran Shrines (Numismatic Studies 44), by Waleed Ziad, which is now available to purchase. In a lush valley within the Sakra peak in Gandhara (northwestern Pakistan) is a vast limestone cave temple, […]
The post ANS Announces New Book on Coins of Ancient Sakra appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Shanna Schmidt – Owner, Shanna Schmidt Numismatics Inc. …… Hello everyone, I wanted to officially invite everyone to the event where a new partnership will be announced at the Summer 2022 ANA World’s Fair of Money. Numismatica Ars Classica (NAC AG) and Shanna Schmidt Numismatics Inc. will make an official announcement at the ANA […]
The post Shanna Schmidt, Numismatica Ars Classica to Make Annoucement at ANA World’s Fair appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Ask a collector of ancient coins if they have ever bought a coin from an overseas vendor, and you will more likely than not receive a positive response. And while many collectors will have never experienced a problem with Customs, everyone will have heard at least a few horror […]
The post Collecting Ancient Coins in an Era of Import Restrictions appeared first on CoinWeek.
The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is pleased to announce that Presbeus: Studies in Ancient Coinage Presented to Richard Ashton has now appeared and is available for purchase. Edited by Andrew Meadows and Ute Wartenberg, it includes 20 articles that focus on the coinage, history, and archaeology of the Greek East. Noted scholars from Belgium, France, […]
The post ANS Honors Royal Numismatic Society’s Richard Ashton With Festschrift appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz …… IN 2007, CANADA captured a world record by producing five examples of a 100-kilogram gold piece (220.5 pounds, or a bit over 3215 troy ounces). It was 53 centimeters in diameter (21 inches) and three centimeters thick, denominated at one million Canadian dollars. “Why did the Royal […]
The post Metal Monsters: The Biggest Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. This reptile, as an image of divinity and of nature, is figured both in its natural shape, and under a variety of monstrous and imaginary forms, on a great multitude of coins of Greek cities … It is less frequently found on coins with Latin inscriptions, but still there […]
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By Michael T. Shutterly for CoinWeek ….. On September 2, 31 BCE, a great fleet under the command of Octavian, the great-nephew and posthumously adopted son of Julius Caesar, faced the fleets of Caesar’s former close companions Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII at the Battle of Actium. Octavian (or rather, Octavian’s friend Marcus Agrippa) won […]
The post CoinWeek Ancient Coins – The Legionary Denarii of Mark Antony appeared first on CoinWeek.
In the upcoming season of the CoinWeek Podcast, ancient coin expert Aaron Berk (Harlan J. Berk, Ltd.) will appear as a recurring guest alongside CoinWeek Editor Charles Morgan to help demystify the field for those interested in collecting ancient coins but who might feel intimidated by the depth of the topic. With over 30 years […]
The post Aaron Berk: Ancient Coin Podcast- Episode 1 appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Michael T. Shutterly for CoinWeek ….. Imperial Byzantine coinage served both economic and propaganda purposes. The coins routinely identified the reigning emperor or empress by name and title, and usually portrayed the ruler in some vigorous pose that demonstrated power and authority. One great exception was the copper coinage that began to appear circa […]
The post CoinWeek Ancient Coins – The Anonymous Folles of Byzantium appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. An interesting group of Roman Republican coins, serrati (saw-edged) denarii have proved to be an enigma for numismatists for hundreds of years. As H. Mattingly states in his seminal 1924 piece on serrati, these Roman coins are completely different than Macedonian, Syrian, and Carthaginian serrati. Firstly, the Roman host […]
The post How Were Roman Serrate Coins Made and Why? appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Michael T. Shutterly for CoinWeek ….. Ardashir V, King of Persis, defeated Artabanus IV, the last Shahanshah (“King of Kings”) of Parthia, at the Battle of Hormozdgan in 224 CE. Persis was located in what is now southwestern Iran, while Parthia was located primarily in what is now northeastern Iran; both kingdoms were once […]
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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Let’s take a tour through the auction records to get a sense of the value of an ancient coin. The coin in question is quite interesting. It is an arresting denarius of Augustus struck between 18 and 19 BCE at the Spanish mint of Caesaragusta, modern-day Zaragoza. On the […]
The post A Look at the Ancient Coin Market Through Recent Auction Results appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Liv Mariah Yarrow for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… I never had the pleasure of meeting Charles Hersh during his lifetime. But over these last few weeks, I’ve been meeting the man, his brilliance, his meticulous research habits, and a little of his personal tastes, all through his papers on deposit here at […]
The post Hersh’s Die Study of the Denarius of Gaius Antonius appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. Apostate: (noun) a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc.[1] REMEMBERED AS THE “Apostate” by his enemies, and “the Philosopher” by his friends, Flavius Claudius Julianus–or Julian–ruled as Roman emperor from November 3, 361 CE until his death on June 26, 363. On the list of emperors, […]
The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Julian the Apostate appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. In this article, I want to cover some of the ancient Greek helmets that can be found on ancient coins. This may be a rehash of previous articles, but the subject interested me and also pointed out my ignorance of what were the various types of helmets worn by […]
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The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is pleased to announce that the 2021 Archer Milton Huntington Medal Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in numismatic scholarship, will be awarded to Dr. Sophia D. Kremydi at a ceremony in Athens, Greece on June 15, 2022. ANS President Dr. Ute Wartenberg will present the Huntington Medal on behalf of […]
The post ANS Honors Dr. Sophia D. Kremydi With Prestigious Huntington Award appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. It is said that when Greece was building grand temples of white marble, the Romans were living in mud huts. While this is a sweeping generalization, there is some truth behind it as is demonstrated by the Republic’s earliest documented coinage, the Aes Rude or “Rough Bronze”. These proto-coins, […]
The post The Aes Grave Bronze Coin During the Roman Republic appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Alice Sharpless and Lucia Carbone for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… The purpose of control marks in Roman Republican coinage is not well understood. Beginning as early as 112 BCE, the Roman mint began experimenting with control marks. Sometimes these control marks were unique to the die and sometimes they were not. Control mark […]
The post Die Marks and the Organization of the Roman Mint: An RRDP Case Study appeared first on CoinWeek.
The CoinWeek Podcast is brought to you by PCGS. Check out PCGS’ new grading specials and take advantage of an exclusive offer to get a PCGS limited-edition 35th Anniversary Silver PCGS Box. You can also save money on Canadian banknote submissions and coin variety attributions. Visit pcgs.com/ccspecial to learn more. CoinWeek Podcast #166: Mike Markowitz […]
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By David Yoon for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… It has long been said that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. This is an essential principle in archaeology, where the formation of evidence is usually very complex and poorly understood. Various alternative possible explanations are always conceivable for the patterns observed. Nevertheless, […]
The post The Coins That Aren’t There appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Situated on an important trade route between the Greek mainland and Ionian colonies in Turkey, the island of Rhodes slowly became one of the most powerful maritime powers in the ancient Mediterranean. Most of the islands’ inhabitants lived in three cities: Ialysos, Kamiros, and Lindos. All three polities started […]
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Dear bidders and coin enthusiasts, The Künker eLive Auction 71 is online. More than 3,200 lots with coins and medals from the ancient world to modern times as well as orders and decorations from all over the world await you from May 9-13, 2022. The kick-off will be exactly 399 coins from the ancient world. […]
The post Künker eLive Auction 71 of Ancient and World Coins is Online appeared first on CoinWeek.
Central States auction also features magnificent trove of British coins The Regent Collection, one of the finest selections of early Australian gold ever assembled, will bring collectors from around the globe to Heritage Auctions May 5-7 for its Central States World Coins & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature Auction. “The Regent Collection represents […]
The post Regent Collection of Australian Gold at Heritage Auctions World & Ancient Coin Event appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Nathan Elkins for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Although fundamental to our discipline, one of the most difficult skills to teach aspiring Roman numismatists is how to identify coins. At archaeological field schools and in the classroom, numismatists provide some guidance and host practicums. But, at the end of the day, there is no […]
The post Identifying Ancient Roman Coins: An OCRE Tool appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. The mythology of ancient Greece and Rome is vast, and many volumes have been written on it over the centuries. In the United States, several books have popularized the subject, with Bulfinch’s Mythology (1855) being the gold standard. Using it as a guide, the following is a brief exploration […]
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Overview Thebes Thebes was one of the major cities of ancient Greece, and for a brief time it was the preeminent power in the Greek world. It first rose to prominence during the late Bronze Age (approx. 1600 – 1100 BCE) as part of the Mycenaean civilization that birthed many of the great cities of […]
The post Ancient Coin Profiles: Greece – Theban Silver Stater appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. Constantine’s family was large and complex. Both he and his father had sired children with two different women, thus creating three branches [of] the Constantinian family. Most remote to Constantine was the step-family created by his father and most immediate were the two branches of direct descendants he had […]
The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: The Family of Constantine the Great appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. The Kingdom of Sophene is another one of those ancient countries that has not received very much attention from ancient coin collectors. Usually, it is just lumped in with Armenia because it was absorbed into the Armenian Empire by Tigranes II the Great (140–55 BCE) after 95 BCE. But […]
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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Mithridates VI Eupator (b.120 – d.63 BCE) was born into Pontic royalty under an auspicious sign. Justinus relays, in his recounting of Pompeius Trogus’s Historiae Philippicae, the story of how two comets lit the night sky for 70 consecutive days. This event was memorialized in a series of […]
The post The Ancient Coins of Mithridates appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. I, Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus This-that-and-the-other (for I shall not trouble you yet with all my titles,) who was once, and not so long ago either, known to my friends and relatives and associates as “Claudius the Idiot,” or “That Claudius,” or “Claudius the Stammerer,” or “Clau-Clau-Claudius,” or […]
The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: The Coinage of Claudius appeared first on CoinWeek.
Künker Auctions 365-367 by Künker GmbH …… The second part of Künker’s Spring Auction Sales is completely dedicated to antiquity. In addition to many collections of Greek, Roman Republican, Roman imperial, and late Roman coinage, a collection with world-class Celtic coins will be on offer: the Flesche Collection. * * * The material on offer […]
The post Künker Offers Ancient Greek, Roman and Celtic Coins in Spring Auctions appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. I consider myself well-read in ancient Greek history, but I have to admit that I wasn’t very familiar with Paeonia. I actually own a very nice Patraus tetradrachm, which probably triggered my interest in looking deeper into their history. The Paeonians were said to have derived their name from […]
The post The Ancient Greek Coins of Paeonia appeared first on CoinWeek.
Classical Numismatic Group LLC (CNG) is offering the British and Ancient collections of legendary numismatist Kenneth Bressett in a series of Keystone Auctions set to close Friday, March 11, 2022, during the American Numismatic Association (ANA) National Money Show. Born in 1928, Bressett’s long and storied numismatic career has included editing the Red Book and […]
The post CNG Brings Bressett Collection to Auction at ANA Money Show appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Susan Subak ….. While coins and the hobby itself are often passed down through the generations, few people can claim almost a century of collecting. Carl Subak, who passed away on February 6 at the age of 103, dated his first Roman coin to his fifth birthday and continued collecting into his 10th decade […]
The post Carl Subak – A Century of Roman Coin Collecting appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. After the denarius, the sestertius is the second most commonly recognized coin of the Roman Empire (27 BCE – 476 CE). Yet little is known of the coin during the Roman Republic (509 – 27 BCE). Parts of this discussion overlap with my previous article, “Ancient Roman Coinage From […]
The post The Rise and Fall of the Roman Sestertius appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Nathan Elkins for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… One way to study numismatic objects is through the lens of the anthropological/archaeological concept of object biography. A helpful guide from Stanford University (PDF here) defines it as follows: “Object biography is a methodology that goes beyond provenance research to create close, contextual consideration of the […]
The post Ancient Coins and (Modern) Object Biographies appeared first on CoinWeek.
Fresco of dolphins, c. 1600 BC, from Knossos, Crete By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. The dolphin straddled the Greek worlds of mythology, religion, and the mundane. In Homer’s epic poem The Iliad, it plays the role of a hunter who stalked fish and man alike. Similar to the lion, or any other large land-based hunter, it […]
The post Dolphin Imagery and Olbian Cast Dolphin Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. ANCIENT ROME ISSUED coins for almost eight centuries. Among the bewildering variety of denominations that circulated during this long span of time, the quinarius stands out as one of the most obscure. Struck in both gold and silver, the type is so scarce that many experienced collectors […]
The post The Quinarius: An Ancient Roman Coin You’ve Never Heard of appeared first on CoinWeek.
This Tuesday, as part of the digital World Money Fair, Künker eLive Auction 70 begins. You can expect over 1,900 lot numbers from the ancient world to modern times on three evenings from February 22-24, 2022, starting at 5 p.m. (Central European Time) each evening. The online auction starts on Tuesday with coins from the […]
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The Werner Collection of Ancient Roman and Byzantine Coins ranges over more than 1,600 years of Roman and Byzantine history, from the Republican period through the 15th century CE. Heritage Auctions is pleased to offer this collection in its Showcase Auction, with bidding open now through the live session on Sunday, February 20 at 8 […]
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By Oliver Hoover for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Everyone loves to find coins in unexpected places. There’s a certain thrill that comes from discovering dropped coins on a city sidewalk or loose change behind the couch cushions. The thrill is even greater when the find is more unusual or esoteric, like a bronze follis […]
The post Antiochus IV in Illinois appeared first on CoinWeek.
Künker Auctions 361-367 by Künker GmbH …… Dear bidders and coin enthusiasts, The catalogues of our Spring Auction Sales 361-367 are online. In the Spring of 2022, you can choose from seven extensive auction catalogues. Part 1 of the Spring Auction Sales will be held from 21 to 25 March 2022. It contains a special […]
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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. —Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part II (1597) ROMAN EMPERORS RARELY wore an actual crown. They are more commonly shown wearing a laurel wreath or a diadem, the jeweled headband that was an ancient emblem of royalty. But the mortality statistics […]
The post Short Timers on Ancient Coins: The Briefest Reigns of Roman Emperors appeared first on CoinWeek.
The newly endowed Chair of Roman Numismatics is named in honor of renowned numismatist, scholar, and ANS Board of Trustees Vice President Andrew M. Burnett and is funded by an anonymous donor. The endowment for the chair will allow the ANS to strengthen its long-term commitment to the study and digitization of one of the […]
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By Michael T. Shutterly for CoinWeek ….. The coins of Athens are among the most popular and best known of all ancient coins – virtually every collector of ancient coins has at least one “owl” (Athenian tetradrachm) in her or his collection. But the most spectacular Athenian coin is the dekadrachm, most likely struck in […]
The post The Dekadrachm – Athens’ Greatest Coin appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. Kephallenia is the sixth-largest island of Greece and the largest in the Ionian Sea. It is located opposite the Gulf of Corinth (Figure 1). The island was associated with the city of Elis on the mainland but functioned independently. Kephallenia is about 31 miles long and 20 to three […]
The post The Ancient Coins of Kephallenia appeared first on CoinWeek.
The CoinWeek Podcast is brought to you by PCGS. Check out PCGS’ new grading specials and take advantage of an exclusive offer to get a PCGS limited-edition 35th Anniversary Silver PCGS Box. You can also save money on Canadian banknote submissions and coin variety attributions. Visit pcgs.com/ccspecial to learn more. CoinWeek Podcast #165: Mike Markowitz […]
The post CoinWeek Podcast #165: Mike Markowitz on Byzantine Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
NYINC’s Highest Grossing Auction and Highest Priced Individual Lot Following a record-breaking year in 2021, the World and Ancient Coin Department at Stack’s Bowers Galleries saw continued strong prices as over $20 million in numismatic items crossed the block in their annual official auction of the New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC). All prices […]
The post Stack’s Bowers Sells Over $20 Million in World and Ancient Coins at New York International Auction appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Nathan Elkins for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… I spend a lot of time thinking about the significance and intent behind certain images on ancient coins. I am also very much interested in what people really saw and whether visual messages were successfully communicated to people who used coins. There are several ways we […]
The post Coins and Their Target Audiences in the Roman Empire appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Russell A. Augustin, AU Capital Management, LLC …… The Secular Games at the Circus Maximus were some of the largest and most memorable celebrations in antiquity. They were held on two different cycles, first on the “saeculum”, thought to be the longest possible length of a human life (between 100 and 110 years) and […]
The post The Grandeur That Was Rome – The Secular Games of the Circus Maximus appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Michael T. Shutterly for CoinWeek ….. The Persians did not have a coinage system of their own until about 546 BCE when Cyrus the Great conquered Lydia and adopted elements of the previous Kroiseid coinage system (developed by Kroisos, the last king of Lydia). When the Persians began minting coins, they not only used […]
The post Coins of the Persian Kings of Kings appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Dr. Steve M. Benner for CoinWeek… Introduction I have seen several articles on ancient coins discussing animals, such as mammals and birds, but it’s time the more numerous members of the animal kingdom get some attention, insects. Insects refer only to the six-legged variety though I would have also liked to cover arachnids (8 […]
The post Hey! There’s a Bug on my Ancient Coin appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. Don’t buy damaged coins. They will be impossible to sell. This was some of the best advice I ever got from an experienced collector of ancients. But like most things in classical numismatics, there are exceptions. Ancient coins were sometimes pierced with a hole, to be worn […]
The post The Hole Truth: Ancient Coins That Were Pierced appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Nicholas Fritz – Numismatist, World and Ancient Coins, Stack’s Bowers Galleries …… No ancient Greek city-state captures the modern imagination quite like Athens. Though the whole of the ancient Greek world is known as “the Cradle of Western Civilization”, it is Athens that has come to symbolize the fullest fruition of reason and democracy […]
The post Stack’s Bowers Offers Large Assemblage of Athenian Owls at NYINC Sale appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. History is a continuum and time moves linearly. Generally, as time progresses, artistic and cultural trends evolve and build upon each other. One perfect example is the Hellenistic influence seen in Buddhist artwork from the Gandharan province in the first century BCE. The Bactrian and other Greek kings who […]
The post The Influence of Historic and Ancient Coin Designs appeared first on CoinWeek.
Coins of the Greek city of Larissa are among the most beautiful of the ancient world By Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) …… Located in central Greece, the site of Larissa has been inhabited for thousands of years. Through much of this time, it has been one of the most important cities in the region […]
The post NGC Ancients – Coinage of Larissa appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. FOR ANCIENT GREEKS and Romans, Britain was a mysterious land at the northern edge of the world. As early as 2000 BCE, the Phoenicians traded with the Celtic tribes of Cornwall (the southwestern tip of England) for the valuable tin essential to making bronze. By the third […]
The post The Ancient Celtic Coinage of Britain appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Nicholas Fritz – Numismatist, World and Ancient Coins, Stack’s Bowers Galleries …… The January 2022 New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) will once again showcase Stack’s Bowers Galleries as official auctioneer of this prestigious event. This sale will feature countless highlights across many areas, including a vast array of valuable and important issues […]
The post Impressive Roman Gold Aureus Headlines New York International Numismatic Convention Auction appeared first on CoinWeek.
Ed’s Treasures Ancient Coins Showcase The Ed’s Treasures Collection of Ancient Coins Showcase auction comes from a single collection of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coins. The collector focused on aesthetic quality, and the wonderful examples in this auction are the result. The Ed’s Treasures Collection is currently open for bidding at Coins.HA.com, with a concluding […]
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Sunday Auction #1199 from David Lawrence Rare Coins (DLRC) is now LIVE and features 545 total lots – including 25 Vault Values and 155 No Reserve Lots. Included in the variety of fantastic PCGS-, NGC-, and CAC-approved items in this week’s sale is a scarce Gem 1921-S 1c PCGS MS65 RD; a colorful registry-quality 1892-S […]
The post Twelve Caesars Collection of Roman Coins Offered by David Lawrence Rare Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. For many collectors of classic and modern American coins, the only information resource they need is the old, reliable “Red Book”, which will mark its 75th anniversary in 2022. Collectors of ancient coins, however, face a problem that is considerably more complex. With thousands of types issued […]
The post Online Resources for Researching Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. In early August 2021, Han Zhao and his team of Chinese archaeologists with the State University of Zhengzhou, announced that they had discovered the “world’s oldest coin mint”. Located near the city of Xingyang in the Henan province in central China, the physical archaeological evidence and radiocarbon dating places […]
The post Ancient Chinese Coins and the World’s Oldest Mint appeared first on CoinWeek.
In 2020, Carole Anne Menzi Collier established the Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics at the American Numismatic Society (ANS), a new award offered for the first time in 2021. The Prize is named after her late husband, Professor James M. Collier, to commemorate the life of a remarkable man, an ardent lover of the history […]
The post ANS Announces Winner of Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. Mona Lisa must have had the highway blues, You can tell by the way she smiled… — Bob Dylan, “Visions of Johanna”, Blonde on Blonde (1966) ANCIENT GREEK COINS struck before 500 BCE are called “archaic” by numismatists. Actually, archaic features continue to appear on coins for […]
The post The Archaic Smile on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
By David Hendin ….. Dear Friends: I am proud to announce the Sixth Edition of Guide to Biblical Coins, published this month by the American Numismatic Society (ANS). You can find the complete description here. As a special promotion, the ANS is printing 100 books that I will personally hand-number and sign – and the […]
The post Get a Signed Copy of David Hendin’s Guide to Biblical Coins, 6th Edition appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Phoenician traders first landed in northern Tunis and founded Qart-Ḥadašt or the “New City” in the second half of the ninth century BCE. As part of a trans-Mediterranean trade network, Qart-Ḥadašt–also known as Carthage–quickly grew in importance and after several centuries grew to be one of the most powerful […]
The post The Gold Coins of Ancient Carthage appeared first on CoinWeek.
Auction 96 from Tauler and Fau features 273 lots and closes on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, beginning at 04:00 p.m. (Central European Time), exclusively online. This Tauler and Fau sale features an important selection of rare Ancient, Spanish, and World Coins. You will find, in the Greek Coins section, a very rare Aegina stater with […]
The post Tauler and Fau Auction 96 of Ancient, Spanish, and World Coins Open Through Nov. 3 appeared first on CoinWeek.
Following our most successful ANA World’s Fair of Money auction–as well as an already record-breaking year–Heritage Auctions is proud to present our October 28-29 Platinum Night and Signature Auction of World and Ancient Coins. Filled with vintage and modern rarities from every corner of the globe, you’ll find an impressive variety and high-end quality offered […]
The post World and Ancient Coins Heritage Signature Auction, Platinum Night Open for Bidding appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. MUSIC IS MUCH older than civilization — it may be as old as language itself. The earliest known musical instrument, a flute made from a bear’s shinbone found in 1995 in a cave in Slovenia, dates from 43,000 years ago[1]. In the ancient world, musical instruments played […]
The post Music on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
Auction houses Stack’s Bowers Galleries and Künker have been chosen to sell the illustrious Mark and Lottie Salton Collection, a comprehensive holding of many thousands of chiefly gold and silver coins of Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and Europe from the medieval period to the 20th century. The collections, built over a lifetime starting in […]
The post Stack’s Bowers and Kunker Auctions to Sell Historic Salton Collection of Ancient and World Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Oliver Hoover for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… This last summer, an email message to the ANS Curatorial Department requested that an attempt be made to use the Society’s online resources, like Pocket Change, to offer some education regarding the famous “Tribute Penny” mentioned in the King James Version of Mark 12:13–17 (thought by […]
The post Guises of the Tribute Penny appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. The coinage of Trebizond supplies an instance, not very rare in numismatics, of a currency of great abundance remaining unknown, or practically unknown, to collectors for several centuries (Wroth, lxxiv). “…the coinage of the empire of Trebizond, that Cinderella of the late Byzantine coinage (Bendall, 4).” THE SOUTHERN SHORE […]
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By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. “What was the last ancient coin?” The question is unanswerable. There was no “last” ancient coin, just as there was no “last” ancient person. Classical antiquity didn’t just stop — it morphed gradually into the medieval world, which morphed, in turn, into what we understand as the modern […]
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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Much has been written by eminent numismatists and religious scholars on the biblical significance of the shekels of Tyre. In fact, David Hendin, an expert American numismatist of ancient Jewish and Biblical coins, wrote an article for CoinWeek earlier this year on these fascinating coins. His article, “Graven Images […]
The post Dating the Ancient Shekels of Tyre appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Harlan J. Berk, Ltd ….. Harlan J. Berk Ltd. is pleased to announce the launch of its 217th Buy or Bid Sale. This sale contains a comprehensive collection of 505 ancient coins, 46 world coins, and 83 antiquities. The closing of this sale will be in early November when we sell off anything that […]
The post Harlan J. Berk 217th Buy or Bid Sale of Ancient Coins and Antiquities Preview appeared first on CoinWeek.
Surging demand for quality Ancient and World coins pushed Classical Numismatic Group’s (CNG) Feature Auction 118, held September 13-14 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to over $4.2 million USD – more than double the pre-sale estimate. Highlights included a rare gold stater of the Egyptian King Ptolemy I Soter (305-281 BCE), lot 614, won at $52,000; a […]
The post CNG Auction 118 of World and Ancient Coins Tops $4 Million, Doubles Estimate appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. MOST ANCIENT PEOPLE lived close to nature. Long before they built temples of stone, they worshipped their gods in sacred groves[1]. Greeks myths describe trees inhabited by supernatural spirits called dryads[2], who could take the form of beautiful young women. The ancient Mediterranean world was a much […]
The post Trees on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Geoffrey Cope – Petitioncrown.com …….. “It was, in my eyes, the perfect coin” The Love of a remarkable ageless Sestertius of Agrippina Senior. Now given a new provenance Nov 2015 This Sestertius coin was a lone piece amongst 200 of the world’s finest Greek & Roman in an Auction at Sotheby’s in the 1995; […]
The post Roman Coin Profile – Sestertius of Agrippina Senior appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. As of Friday, August 6, 2021, Classical Numismatic Group’s (CNG) Feature Auction 118 has been open for online bidding. It will continue to be open until each lot hammers on September 13 and 14 during the live auction, which starts at 9 am EDT on Monday, the 13th. In-person […]
The post Strong Lineup of Ancient and World Coins Feature at September CNG Sale – Happening Now appeared first on CoinWeek.
By David Hendin for CoinWeek ….. A scientist need not be chastised for every error. Neither should every archaeologist, numismatist, or historian. But when the error leads to lots of publicity and an internationally noticed erroneous report, it at least needs to be corrected. This is the case regarding a Judahite First Temple Period limestone […]
The post Tempest Over a “Cheater’s Weight” appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Elena Stolyarik for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Since ancient times, justice has been one of the fundamental concepts of civilized society. Through the centuries its allegorical personification has often been represented in art, including in the iconography of coins and medals. The Roman legal system is historically renowned. Even before the Roman Republic […]
The post Representations of Justice on Coins and Medals appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. In 2016, archeologists discovered a small golden bead (3.175 mm, 0.148 g) while digging in the ancient village of Pazardzhik in central Bulgaria. Between 6,500 and 6,600 years old, this bead is the oldest processed gold artifact produced by human beings and is approximately four thousand years older than […]
The post Ancient Electrum Coins: The Case for Manufactured Alloys appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. ANCIENT GREEK ARMIES fought mainly with the spear. Roman legions fought mostly with the sword. Persians fought largely with the bow and arrow[1]. The mythical warrior Herakles (or Hercules) wielded a knobby wooden club. All these weapons, and many others, feature prominently on ancient coins. War was […]
The post Weapons on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Lucia Carbone for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Part 1 | Part 2 The third and final day of the conference, chaired by Joel Allen and Liv Yarrow, was dedicated to Roman Republican coinage and its imitations in the Roman World. In the first paper of the day, given by A. McCabe, building […]
The post Coinage in the Roman Provinces: ANS Conference Highlights, Part 3 appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. While Pride month is over, I feel it would be interesting to dive into the history of LGBTQ+ representations on ancient coinage. This representation can take several forms. Firstly, as everyone should be aware by now, the LGBTQ+ community is not an invention of modern society. Queer individuals are […]
The post LGBTQ+ Representation on Ancient Coins and Tokens appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. STRONG, INTELLIGENT AND long-lived – yet surprisingly gentle – elephants have long exerted a powerful hold over the human imagination. Prehistoric cave paintings depict elephants and their extinct cousins, the wooly mammoth and mastodon. Ivory from elephant tusks was a precious raw material in the ancient […]
The post Ancient Coins – Elephants on Ancient Coinage appeared first on CoinWeek.
Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) congratulates David Vagi, NGC Ancients Director and Finalizer, on being selected the 2021 Numismatist of the Year by the American Numismatic Association (ANA). Vagi is the third member of the expert NGC grading team to receive the highly regarded Numismatist of the Year award, joining Mark Salzberg, Senior Grading Finalizer, and […]
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By Jeremy Bostwick – Senior Numismatist & Cataloger, Stack’s Bowers …… In addition to an exemplary live session of ancient coins, the upcoming Stack’s Bowers Galleries Official Auction of the ANA World’s Fair of Money will feature the magnificent “Collection of a Gentleman“, an advanced cabinet of Greco-Roman denominational rarities. Assembled over the course of […]
The post Fantastic Ancient Sicilian Gold Coin With 18th Century Pedigree in Stack’s Bowers ANA Auction appeared first on CoinWeek.
The EID MAR denarius, undoubtedly the most historically important of all ancient coins, is the only Roman coin to mention a specific date, the only Roman coin to openly celebrate an act of murder, and one of the very few specific coins mentioned by a classical author. In his account of the Roman civil wars […]
The post EID MAR Denarius Offered by Heritage Auctions at ANA World’s Fair of Money appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Peter van Alfen for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Over the course of 40 years of serious collecting, our friend and colleague Jay Martin Galst amassed an important collection of ancient and medieval coins, many from the Holy Land, as well as modern coins, medals, and tokens, particularly those related to his profession […]
The post Ancient Coins From the Jay M. Galst Collection: ANS appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Lucia Carbone and Liv M. Yarrow for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Nearly three decades ago, Richard Schaefer began collecting images of Roman Republican coins and organizing these images by one die, either obverse or reverse based on which was most distinctive for each type (Figs. 1 and 2). In Summer 2020, the American […]
The post Developments and Preliminary Release for the Roman Republican Die Project appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Septimius Severus ascended to the throne in absentia as he marched from the “sleepy” Danubian province of Pannonia Superior towards the heart of imperial power in Rome. This provincial governor who ended the bloody civil war of 193 would go on to reign until his death in 211 CE […]
The post Continuity and Legitimacy: The Ancient Coins of Septimius Severus appeared first on CoinWeek.
The Roman Republican Die Project (RRDP) of the American Numismatic Society (ANS) has completed its first significant data upload. This platform, which launched as a functional integrated database system in December 2020, is searchable at numismatics.org/rrdp/ and focuses on Roman coinage from the period of the Roman Republic (509 – 27 BCE). The project relies […]
The post The Roman Republican Die Project Progresses: Ancient Coins at the ANS appeared first on CoinWeek.
By David Yoon for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Many–probably most–coins do not have any inherent directionality in the images or legends on their two sides. There may be some difference in the perceived importance or generality of their information, but each side may convey its information independently of the other. Thus, arbitrary conventions exist […]
The post Ancient and Medieval Coins With Two-Sided Legends appeared first on CoinWeek.
By David Yoon for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Many–probably most–coins do not have any inherent directionality in the images or legends on their two sides. There may be some difference in the perceived importance or generality of their information, but each side may convey its information independently of the other. Thus, arbitrary conventions exist […]
The post Ancient and Medieval Coins With Two-Sided Legends appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Michael T. Shutterly for CoinWeek ….. Kroisos, King of Lydia Kroisos, the last king of the Ionian kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor, launched a revolution in coinage when he minted the world’s first gold coins and first silver coins. With his “kroiseids” he also created the world’s first bi-metallic coinage system. The ancient […]
The post The Ancient Coins of Kroisos appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. One of the most basic tasks of a numismatist is the identification of coins. While correctly attributing the denomination, issuing authority, and date are important, determining the mint at which a coin was struck can reveal lots of contextual information. Outside of private issues and small city-states that operate […]
The post On Ancient Mintmarks and Determining an Ancient Coin’s Origin appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jeremy Bostwick – Senior Numismatist & Cataloger, Stack’s Bowers …… The upcoming Official Auction of the ANA World’s Fair of Money from Stack’s Bowers Galleries will present a tremendous array of stunning ancient coins emanating from various well-cultivated collections. A standout among them is a dazzling and lustrous gold aureus of Roman emperor […]
The post Stunning Gold Aureus of Macrinus – A Connoisseur’s Dream appeared first on CoinWeek.
The CoinWeek Podcast is brought to you by PCGS. Check out PCGS’ new grading specials and take advantage of an exclusive offer to get a PCGS limited-edition 35th Anniversary Silver PCGS Box. You can also save money on Canadian banknote submissions and coin variety attributions. Visit pcgs.com/ccspecial to learn more. This Week, CoinWeek Ancients writer […]
The post CoinWeek Podcast #161: Let’s Get Medieval: Mike Markowitz on Coins of the Middle Ages appeared first on CoinWeek.
By David Hendin for CoinWeek ….. Some years ago, on a visit to Rome, my wife and I searched out the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. My guidebook said it was “One of the seven pilgrim churches of Rome, it is said to have been built to house the precious relics of the True […]
The post Helena, the First Christian Pilgrim appeared first on CoinWeek.
By American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… The UK’s Royal Numismatic Society has awarded its Gilljam Prize for Third-Century Numismatics to George Watson’s book Connections, Communities, and Coinage: The System of Coin Production in Southern Asia Minor, AD 218–276 (Numismatic Studies 39). The prize, awarded every two years, recognizes the book or article that represents […]
The post Royal Numismatic Society Awards Gilljam Prize to ANS Author George Watson appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. This article deals with three men that, while seemingly destined to become the emperor of ancient Rome–indeed, they held the title of Caesar, or second-in-command–ultimately failed, for one reason or another, to ascend the throne. During the early Julio-Claudian dynasty, the emperor would designate his successor; the title […]
The post Almost Emperors: Three Caesars Who Didn’t Quite Make It and Their Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. Majestic, powerful, swift, and intelligent, the eagle has held a strong grip on human imagination since the earliest times. The bald eagle, native to North America, features prominently on the Great Seal of the United States, and on many classic and modern American coins. The U.S. $10 […]
The post Eagles on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. One of the most common questions I receive as a numismatist and a numismatic writer is: How much did you pay for this ancient coin? Usually followed by: How much will you sell it for? What most people want to know is will I lose money or make money […]
The post Four Reasons the Ancient Coin Market is Complicated appeared first on CoinWeek.
By David Hendin for CoinWeek ….. If a hoard of 264 Byzantine gold solidi suddenly appeared and careful examination showed that every coin in the hoard was struck from the SAME dies–a die set never before identified–experts would be quick to suggest the possibility of forgery. (Photo 1) Real life, however, can be stranger than […]
The post Ancient Gold Coin Hoard Pinpoints Persian Destruction of Jerusalem appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jeremy Bostwick – Senior Numismatist & Cataloger, Stack’s Bowers …… With over 200 lots of ancient coins in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries June 2021 Ancient and World Collectors Choice Online (CCO) Auction, there are numerous exciting highlights. One particular standout is a silver tetradrachm of the Thracian king Lysimachos, who had served as one […]
The post Stack’s Bowers Featuring Exceptional Fine Style Lysimachos Tetradrachm in June CCO Auction appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Lucia Carbone for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Link to Part 1 The second day of the ANS conference, March 24, 2021, chaired by Pere Pau Ripollès, focused on “new” coinages in the Roman provinces, namely coinages that featured the names of Roman magistrates. H. Güney focused on the bronze coinages issued in the […]
The post Coinage in the Roman Provinces: ANS Conference Highlights, Part 2 appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. Temples were designed to house a statue of the deity and store votive offerings, and were not intended to provide accommodation for a congregation of worshippers (Adkins, 218). Two of the most common circulating American coins depict buildings modeled on Greco-Roman temples: the Lincoln Memorial on the […]
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Auction 87 from Tauler & Fau features 374 lots and closes on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, beginning at 04:00 p.m. (CEST), exclusively online. The catalogue is already available at www.tauleryfau.com. This sale features an important selection of numismatic rarities of Ancient, Spanish, and World coins. You will find among the Greek coins a rare and […]
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Seleucus I Nicator, the founder of the Seleucid Empire, never put his own portrait on the empire’s coinage. Why? By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Since coins were one of the most effective tools for mass propaganda in the pre-modern world, it quickly became standard practice for a ruler to put their likeness […]
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By Lucia Carbone for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… The American Numismatic Society (ANS) and the PhD Program in History at the Graduate Center, CUNY, had the pleasure of hosting a three-day conference (March 23–25, 2021) focusing on the coinage produced in the Roman Provinces in the second and first centuries BCE (i.e., before the […]
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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz ….. THE LOMBARDS, A tribe that traced their origin to Scandinavia, migrated into Eastern Europe in the fifth century CE, earning a reputation for ferocity in that war-torn land. Under their king Alboin (reigned c. 560-572), they invaded northern Italy around 568, where their name endures today in […]
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May 15 Classic Commemoratives Auction Open for Bidding Among the current auction offerings from Heritage Auctions is a special month-long auction dedicated to classic US commemorative coinage minted during the period 1892-1954. This auction, with material intended for collectors of all budgets, is available exclusively through Coins.HA.com. Bidding is open now, with the concluding live […]
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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Istros, also known as Histria, was an ancient Greek colony located on the western Dobrudja coast of the Black Sea. Situated approximately 300 miles north of Byzantium, this small city was founded by Miletian traders around 657 or 656 BCE. As the oldest Greek colony on the Black Sea, […]
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CoinWeek Podcast #157: The History of Numismatics Mobile phone users. Stream this podcast for free by downloading the podomatic app or subscribe to the CoinWeek Podcast on iTunes. The study of coins and non-coin objects–numismatics–traces its roots back to the ancient world and began with a study of non-current coins and medals, many pulled from the […]
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By David Hendin for CoinWeek ….. This year the Jewish Holiday of Shavout, also called Weeks or Pentecost, begins the evening of Sunday, May 16. In ancient times Shavout was one of the three pilgrimage festivals, in Hebrew called “shalosh regalim” (three [using one’s] legs [days]). These were the principal occasions when Jewish people from […]
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By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. The coinage of the ancient Romans underwent considerable changes as the government transitioned from a republic to an empire. Some coins like the denarius would continue through the imperatorial period into the Empire only slightly reduced in weight. Some would disappear, like the victoriatus. And some, like the sestertius, […]
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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. What does it take for an ancient historian to claim that you died by having molten gold poured down your throat? Easy – you just need to be the richest Roman to have ever lived. It also helps if you earned your vast fortune through slavery, dubious business dealings, […]
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By Michael T. Shutterly for CoinWeek ….. I enjoy coins for their artistry and for the history behind them. Because there are so many coins with an interesting history behind them, and because there are so many coins that demonstrate great artistry, I can think of far more than just Ten Coins I’d Love to […]
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By David Hendin for CoinWeek ….. The cross has been the most recognizable symbol of Christianity for more than 1,600 years. But this was not the case in the first few hundred years after Jesus died. When Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem between around 30 and 33 CE (the exact year is not known), he […]
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By David Hendin for CoinWeek ….. Books and articles have been written about the Roman numismatic commentary on the Flavian victory over the Jews at Jerusalem in 70 CE and Masada in 73 CE. The earlier relationship between Judea, its neighbors, and Rome is memorialized by two Roman Republican denarii. I wrote about them in […]
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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. As a collector, you have many different options when deciding on your collecting strategy. And while everyone starts in a different place, most run into the two main questions of quality or price. But it is important to realize that there are no correct answers to these questions, and […]
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CoinWeek Podcast #154: Beware the Ides of March Mobile phone users. Stream this podcast for free by downloading the podomatic app or subscribe to the CoinWeek Podcast on iTunes. While the particulars of the Roman calendar, with its demarcation of Nones, Ides, and Kalends, are now largely forgotten by those not ensconced in academia, one date, […]
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David Jacobson, Associate of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford, has won the Shekel Prize Medal, awarded by the American Israel Numismatic Association (AINA) for “Agrippa II, the Last of the Herods” as the best 2020 publication on Judaic/Israel numismatics. “It is a great honor to be the recipient of this prestigious award […]
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By Peter van Alfen for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… On the bills and coins that we use today, we recognize the link between the words and images that appear on the objects and the powers that issued them. Images of dead presidents and inscriptions like “United States of America” point to the authority of […]
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By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. Like most coin collectors, I have a list of coins I want to own. The list I plan to cover in this article will be personal and not just a list of the most famous ancient coins, so I won’t be listing decadrachms, octadrachms, or even pentadrachms. It’s not […]
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By Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. Like most coin collectors, I have a list of coins I want to own. The list I plan to cover in this article will be personal and not just a list of the most famous ancient coins, so I won’t be listing decadrachms, octadrachms, or even pentadrachms. It’s […]
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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Over the roughly one thousand years that followed the overthrew of the last king in 509 BCE, Rome underwent many cultural revolutions. Some of the most notable changes include the rise of the Triumvirates and the overthrow of the Republic, the increasingly autocratic nature of the subsequent Empire, and […]
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The American Numismatic Society (ANS) announces a three-day conference, co-sponsored by the ANS and the Department of History of CUNY, on the Coinage of the Roman Provinces before Provincial Coinage, as represented by the coins in the R. B. Witschonke Collection. Dates: March 23-25, 2021 Organizers: Lucia F. Carbone (ANS) Oliver D. Hoover (ANS) Liv […]
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By David Hendin for CoinWeek ….. Silver shekels and half-shekels of Tyre were used by Jews in ancient Jerusalem to pay the annual Temple tribute of half a shekel per year per male adult. When the First and Second Temples stood in Jerusalem, local Jews, as well as Jews from around the ancient world, made […]
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By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. I collect Late Roman (c. 300-491 CE) and Byzantine (c. 491-1350 CE) gold coins. The tangled histories of these long-dead empires, and the often tragic stories of their rulers, are deeply meaningful to me because I was fortunate to have an inspirational Latin teacher in high school, and some […]
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The Heritage Month-Long auction closing on February 28 features Part I of A Special Collection of Ancient Coins. This offering concentrates on Roman Imperial coinage, with 204 such pieces out of 238 total coins in the auction. Bidding is open now and continues through the Live Session, scheduled to begin at 8 PM CT on […]
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The American Numismatic Society (ANS) announces the ANS Lyceum, a new online educational program. Over the course of several weeks, participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive lectures and discussion sessions with ANS curators who will introduce the coinages, economic history, and cultures of people from around the world and from different periods […]
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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. When I was a kid, I walked to school both ways! When I was younger, movie tickets were only 50 cents! While these are a few of the stereotypical laments of many “older” folks, they speak to a series of deeper trends in our markets. Change is inevitable, […]
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by Classical Numismatic Group… Classical Numismatic Group (CNG) is canceling our feature auction Keystone 3, which was to take place this Wednesday, February 17. During the past week we have been in conversations with Yale University about select coins in this sale. It appears that six coins in Keystone 3 came from an excavation […]
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