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 […]
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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 […]
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Over its long life, the Mediterranean superpower struck a wide array of silver ancient coins Roman silver coins were produced in astonishing variety over a period of about 800 years. Considering the broad historical themes they represent, it’s no surprise they are among the most popular of all ancient coins. Many collectors specialize in […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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; […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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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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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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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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Born on December 15 in the year 37 CE, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus was not necessarily destined for greatness. He was, however, the son of one of history’s most famous women, Julia Agrippina (the Younger). After her husband, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, died in 40 CE, Julia quickly remarried to the […]
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By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. ANCIENT ROMANS WERE practical-minded people; they didn’t like wasted effort. Every letter on an ancient Roman coin die was painstakingly engraved by hand, so inscriptions on Roman coins are often heavily abbreviated. Generations of classical scholars have toiled to unravel the meaning of these cryptic abbreviations, so we can […]
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By Michael T. Shutterly for CoinWeek ….. The Second Punic War began when the Carthaginian general Hannibal invaded Italy in 218 BCE. Hannibal ravaged Italy with impunity for 14 years, defeating every Roman army sent out to meet him. His greatest victory was at Cannae[1] on August 2, 216 BCE, when, according to the Roman […]
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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. The year: 70 CE. The location: Jerusalem. The future emperor Titus’ legions unleashed their pent-up rage on the Jewish people as fires raged and the Second Temple crumbled. Projected by the spear tips of some 60,000 soldiers, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who believed that Roman Imperium […]
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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. yimakh shemo ve zikhro יִמַּח שְׁמוֹ וְזִכְרוֹ (“Let his name and his memory be erased”) — ancient Hebrew curse ANCIENT COINS OFTEN took a beating in circulation, remaining in use for decades or even centuries. But some surviving coins seem to have been deliberately defaced […]
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Coins of the Ludi Saeculares by Steve Benner for CoinWeek ….. Saeculum, an Etruscan word, referred to the length of a human lifetime (100 or 110 years), or the time necessary to replace an entire generation. You may recognize it from the phrase “Novus Ordo Seclorum” (“A New Order of the Ages”), which appears on […]
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By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….. IN THE ANCIENT WORLD, TRAVEL was hazardous and uncomfortable, even for the elite. Yet remarkably, the Roman emperor Hadrian spent half of his 21-year reign on the road, visiting almost every province of the vast empire. The mint celebrated these grand tours with extensive coinage in gold, silver and […]
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By Ira and Larry Goldberg Auctioneers …… Ancient Judaean coins – ranging from small bronze “Widow’s Mites” to the impressive silver Shekels of the First Revolt (66-70 CE) and the silver Selas (Tetradrachms) of the Second Revolt (132-5 CE) – are often found in hoards. But the coins issued by the Romans that relate to […]
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A popular way to collect ancient Roman coins is by emperor By Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) …… Portraits are one of the hallmarks of coins of the Roman Empire. For centuries, collectors have marveled at the images of emperors and members of their families that appear on coins. Not surprisingly, portraits often are the focus […]
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Bridges on Roman Coins By Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) …… A number of Roman coins depict bridges, although not always exact likenesses. As engineers and architects, the Romans had few peers in the ancient world. Many of their buildings and monuments survive to this day, though most have vanished due to catastrophes or the recycling […]
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By Jeremy Bostwick – Senior Numismatist & Cataloger, Stack’s Bowers …… This week’s featured ancient coin highlight from our Official Auction of the ANA World’s Fair of Money offers an opportunity to present not only a rare and important Roman issue but also introduce a few interesting selections coming up in the August sale. […]
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By Everett Millman – Gainesville Coins …… One of the many fascinating aspects of coins from Ancient Rome is that they are found over a very large geographical area. You’ll find them scattered across Europe, Britain, and North Africa in addition to Rome proper. This is evidence of the great territorial expanse of the Roman Empire […]
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By Joël van Dam – Owner, Joëlnumismatics, for MA-Shops.com …… Jupiter, the Roman Zeus Last month I spoke a little about mythology on ancient coins. This month, I want to begin to discuss the gods and goddesses, and heroes and monsters of myth–beginning with the Roman god Jupiter. I came to the conclusion when I […]
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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz …. FEW TOPICS IN CLASSICAL NUMISMATICS provoke more ferocious argument than the grading of ancient coins. Among collectors of classic American coins the 70-point “Sheldon Scale”[1] is universally accepted as a standard. Machine-made modern coins in the highest grades have literally, never been touched by human hands. Ancient […]
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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz…. Oderint, dum metuant (Let them hate, so long as they fear). — Caligula THE ANNALS OF THE ROMAN HISTORIAN TACITUS (56 – 117 CE) survived in one damaged medieval manuscript at the Monte Cassino monastery[1]. The section covering the reign of Emperor Caligula is missing, and we […]
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By Joe Jaroch – Posted with Permission from AU Capital Management ………. Amassing a collection of ancient coins can seem like a daunting task: the U.S. Mint has existed for little more than two hundred years, but the Classical world spans a colossal twenty-one centuries. Where would a collection begin, let alone end? That’s where […]
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By Joël van Dam – Owner of Joëlnumismatics, for MA-Shops.com …… For some years, there was an empire inside the Roman Empire. It had his own Praetorian Guard, two annually elected consuls and possibly its own senate. This empire is known as the Gallic-Empire or in Latin as the Imperium Galliarum. The Empire came to […]
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By CoinWeek …. Earlier this year, Charles teamed up with CoinWeek’s resident Ancient Coin expert Mike Markowitz to check out the New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC). Among the many dealers and collectors we spoke to, Mike caught up with NGC Ancients director and grading finalizer David Vagi, for whom Mike offers effulgent praise indeed. […]
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Portraits on Roman provincial coins range from crude to skillfully engraved Roman provincial coins–those struck outside of Italy, in the provinces of Rome–are among the most fascinating of all ancient coins. They often have intriguing designs and bear portraits of great interest. The die engraving on provincial coins varies incredibly, from cartoonish efforts to artistic […]
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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz …. And if any man will sue thee at law and take away thy coat [Greek: chiton; Latin: tunica], let him have thy cloak [Greek: himation; Latin: pallium] also. —Matthew, 5:40[1] LIVING IN A WORLD OF CHEAP, machine-made textiles, it is easy for us to forget that every […]
The post Does This Toga Make Me Look Fat? Clothing on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz …. He hath brought many captives home to Rome Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: — Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2 ROME LIVED BY CONQUEST. THE SPOILS of conquered territories and peoples helped to pay the expenses of the state. Mark Antony’s funeral oration […]
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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz …. He hath brought many captives home to Rome Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: — Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2 ROME LIVED BY CONQUEST. THE SPOILS of conquered territories and peoples helped to pay the expenses of the state. Mark Antony’s funeral oration for […]
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Over its long life, the Mediterranean superpower struck a wide array of silver coins Roman silver coins were produced in astonishing variety over a period of about 800 years. Considering the broad historical themes they represent, it’s no surprise they are among the most popular of all ancient coins. Many collectors specialize in the silver […]
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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz …. FOR MUCH OF HUMAN HISTORY, WARFARE has absorbed our resources, energy and creativity. War is much older than coinage. One of the earliest images of war in Western art is the “Battlefield Palette”, a carved slate from pre-Dynastic Egypt dated c. 3100 BCE[1]. It depicts the aftermath […]
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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz …. I have endured what no one on earth has endured before. I kissed the hands of the man who killed my son. I loved my boy from the moment he opened his eyes until the moment you closed them. Let me wash his body. Let me say […]
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By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …. The other practices of the Jews are sinister and revolting, and have entrenched themselves by their very wickedness. Wretches of the most abandoned kind who had no use for the religion of their fathers took to contributing dues and free-will offerings to swell the Jewish exchequer; and other reasons […]
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The early Romans’ appreciation for copper money remained strong through the collapse of the Roman Empire In the ancient Greek world there was a strong preference for precious metal coinage. Base metal coins were added to the mix only long after gold, silver and electrum coins had come into regular use – and even then, […]
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By Dix Noonan Webb …… An important collection of Roman bronze coins formed by a connoisseur before and during the Second World War and back on the market for the first time in 75 years attracted furious bidding at Dix Noonan Webb in London. Every single one of the 194 lots sold in an auction […]
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By Coinweek …. CoinWeek News Wire for February 17, 2017 Brain Food 1.) A walk through the coinage of ancient India “The first known coins of India, the silver bent bars of the Gandhara Janapada region (Afghanistan, which was part of India), were punch marked coins with symbols of flowers on each side dated 2500 […]
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Stack’s Bowers Galleries rang in the New Year with tremendous results at the January New York International Auction. An excellent array of coins was anchored by several superb collections, including Selections from the Estate of Richard Doty, Selections from the Michael Druck Collection, The Mezo Toth Kalman Collection, The Dr. Michael Popoff Collection and Selections […]
The post Stack’s Bowers NYINC Auction of World & Ancient Coins Realizes $4.86 Million appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …. ANCIENT ROMANS KNEW even less about the prehistoric origins of their religion than we do, since we have knowledge from centuries of archaeology. Latin writers of the Classical era tried to connect their own native Italian gods to the prestigious gods of ancient Greece, with their complex genealogies […]
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By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …. ANCIENT ROMANS KNEW even less about the prehistoric origins of their religion than we do, since we have knowledge from centuries of archaeology. Latin writers of the Classical era tried to connect their own native Italian gods to the prestigious gods of ancient Greece, with their complex genealogies and […]
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By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …. ROMANS WERE PROUD of their bridges, some of the most spectacular feats of ancient engineering. The high priest of the Roman state religion was called the Pontifex Maximus–literally the “supreme bridge-builder”–a title later adopted by the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church. A number of Roman coins depict […]
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By Joe Jaroch - Posted with Permission from AU Capital Management ………. Amassing a collection of ancient coins can seem like a daunting task: the U.S. Mint has existed for little more than two hundred years, but the Classical world spans a colossal twenty-one centuries. Where would a collection begin, let alone end? That’s where […]
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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz …. Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busy-body, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil. –The Meditations, 2:1 OF ALL THE ROMAN EMPERORS, Marcus Aurelius comes […]
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By Paul-Francis Jacquier Auctions …. An unbelievable number of 450 lots featuring coins of the Gallic Empire are on offer at Paul-Francis Jacquier’s auction on September 16, 2016 with a focus on antoniniani and denarii, including all rarities imaginable Postumus, Laelianus, Marius, Victorinus, Tetricus I and his son Tetricus II – these were the […]
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Perhaps no epoch in history has been so admired as the Roman Empire of the 2nd Century CE – Rome’s ‘Golden Age’ – during which the Romans achieved a balance of political stability and economic and intellectual success that had never before existed Rome’s Golden Age is famously described by the historian Edward Gibbon. In […]
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Perhaps no epoch in history has been so admired as the Roman Empire of the 2nd Century CE. The Emperors are depicted on these ancient Roman coins. During this time, Romans achieved a balance of political stability and economic and intellectual success that had never before existed Ancient Roman Coins Rome’s Golden Age is famously […]
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By Gorny & Mosch…. As part of Auction 231 comprising “Ancient Art”, Gorny & Mosch presents an object that is a splendid illustration of the history of Roman law. A Terra Sigillata bowl from the 2nd to the 3rd centuries CE depicts a damnatio ad bestias. This type of execution was likewise applied to Roman […]
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By Gorny & Mosch…. As part of Auction 231 comprising “Ancient Art”, Gorny & Mosch presents an object that is a splendid illustration of the history of Roman law. A Terra Sigillata bowl from the 2nd to the 3rd centuries CE depicts a damnatio ad bestias. This type of execution was likewise applied to Roman […]
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By David Vagi, Director of NGC Ancients…. NGC offers premium access to an incomparable online resource that allows you to search through ancient coin auction prices realized and upcoming auctions from more than 80 auction firms. Ancient coins have come a long way in the last 20 years. A large number of scholarly books have […]
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Interviewer: David Lisot, CoinWeek.com with Harlan J. Berk, Harlan J. Berk Ltd and Sam Spiegel, Heritage Auctions……. Here are some of the most valuable and interesting coins of the ancient world. Find out what Cleopatra really looked liked and a coin celebrating one of the first great sport stadiums. These ancient coins include a silver […]
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