Category Archives: Roman Bronze Coins

Civic Coins and Colonies in the Roman Provinces: Long Table 152 With Robyn Le Blanc

  In this Long Table from the American Numismatic Society (ANS), Assistant Professor Robyn Le Blanc from the Department of Classical Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro explores how Roman colonies from the first century BCE to the third century CE celebrated their colonial status on bronze coins produced at local mints. […]

The post Civic Coins and Colonies in the Roman Provinces: Long Table 152 With Robyn Le Blanc appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Money in Mid-Republican Rome

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) […]

The post Money in Mid-Republican Rome appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Aaron Berk: Ancient Coin Podcast – Episode 25

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

What Makes the Most Expensive Ancient Coins So Valuable

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Heritage to Offer Ancient Coin Historical Scholar Collection, Part 2

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Money Before Coinage

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Artifacts of Apostasy: Ancient Coins of Julian

By Austin Andrews for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… Historians and poets alike have all had their say about the quirks of the personality, reign, and life of the Roman emperor Julian (331–363 CE). To the late 18-century historian Edward Gibbon, in his much-cited Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Julian was a doomed […]

The post Artifacts of Apostasy: Ancient Coins of Julian appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Harlan J. Berk’s 221st Buy or Bid Sale is Now Live

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Eroticism on Ancient Coins (Adults Only)

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Octavia Minor, a Wonder of a Woman

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Snakes on Ancient Coins

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 […]

The post Snakes on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Julian the Apostate

  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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

The Aes Grave Bronze Coin During the Roman Republic

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

The Coins That Aren’t There

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Mythology and Ancient Coins

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 […]

The post Mythology and Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: The Family of Constantine the Great

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: The Coinage of Claudius

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

NGC Ancient Coins: Roman Silver Type Set

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 […]

The post NGC Ancient Coins: Roman Silver Type Set appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

The Rise and Fall of the Roman Sestertius

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Short Timers on Ancient Coins: The Briefest Reigns of Roman Emperors

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Coins and Their Target Audiences in the Roman Empire

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Music on Ancient Coins

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: The Last Ancient Coin

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 […]

The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: The Last Ancient Coin appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Representations of Justice on Coins and Medals

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Coinage in the Roman Provinces: ANS Conference Highlights, Part 3

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Continuity and Legitimacy: The Ancient Coins of Septimius Severus

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Coinage in the Roman Provinces: ANS Conference Highlights, Part 2

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Temples on Ancient Coins

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 […]

The post Temples on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Ancient Roman Coinage From Republic to Empire

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, […]

The post Ancient Roman Coinage From Republic to Empire appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Ancient Roman Coins: The Coins of Crassus

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, […]

The post Ancient Roman Coins: The Coins of Crassus appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Michael T. Shutterly: Ten Coins I’d Love to Own

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 […]

The post Michael T. Shutterly: Ten Coins I’d Love to Own appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Changes in Portraiture on Ancient Roman Coinage

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 […]

The post Changes in Portraiture on Ancient Roman Coinage appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Prices and Coins in the Ancient World

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, […]

The post Prices and Coins in the Ancient World appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Images and Symbols of Egyptian Gods on Ancient Coins

By Austin Andrews for American Numismatic Society (ANS) …… With its range of hawk-headed and half-mummified deities, the Egyptian pantheon has inspired devotion and intrigue for millennia. Egyptians were drawing, painting, and carving images of their gods well before the first pharaohs, over five thousand years ago. While coined money was not a regular part […]

The post Images and Symbols of Egyptian Gods on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Images and Symbols of Egyptian Gods on Ancient Coins

By Austin Andrews for American Numismatic Society (ANS) ……   With its range of hawk-headed and half-mummified deities, the Egyptian pantheon has inspired devotion and intrigue for millennia. Egyptians were drawing, painting, and carving images of their gods well before the first pharaohs, over five thousand years ago. While coined money was not a regular […]

The post Images and Symbols of Egyptian Gods on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Judaea Capta: Subjugation and Defeat on Ancient Roman Coins

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 […]

The post Judaea Capta: Subjugation and Defeat on Ancient Roman Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Money People Hated: Damnatio Memoriae on Ancient Roman Coins

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 […]

The post Money People Hated: Damnatio Memoriae on Ancient Roman Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Coins of the Ludi Saeculares and Rome’s Millennial Games

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 […]

The post Coins of the Ludi Saeculares and Rome’s Millennial Games appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Travels With Hadrian

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 […]

The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Travels With Hadrian appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Janus and New Year Coins in Ancient Rome: MA-Shops

JANUS By Joël van Dam – Owner, Joëlnumismatics, for MA-Shops.com …… As we reflect on the past year, we have much to be thankful for. Our wonderful customers (both new and returning) continue to inspire us with their passion for history and collecting coins, banknotes and more. We are grateful for our trusted dealers, and […]

The post Janus and New Year Coins in Ancient Rome: MA-Shops appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

NGC Ancients – Bridges on Roman Coins

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 […]

The post NGC Ancients – Bridges on Roman Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

NGC Ancients – Collecting Roman Coins on a Budget

Roman coins are readily available and can be acquired for reasonable prices By Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) …… Like so many areas of numismatics, ancient coins offer opportunities for collectors of most every budget – ranging from less than $10 per coin to astonishing masterpieces that fetch seven figures. This time, we’ll take a look […]

The post NGC Ancients – Collecting Roman Coins on a Budget appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Watch: Talking Ancient Coins with Mike Beall and Mike Markowitz, Part I

  In Part I of Talking Ancient Coins, collector Mike Beall sits down with CoinWeek Ancients writer Mike Markowitz to take a numismatic tour of the ancient world. Discussed in this 45-minute episode are examples of the earliest known ancient coins, archaic coins from ancient Greece, the signed dekadrachms of Sicily, large-sized Aes Gracia As […]

The post Watch: Talking Ancient Coins with Mike Beall and Mike Markowitz, Part I appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Metal Detecting Brothers Unearth Ancient Roman Coins in Belgium

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 […]

The post Metal Detecting Brothers Unearth Ancient Roman Coins in Belgium appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

MA-Shops: Jupiter on Ancient Coins

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 […]

The post MA-Shops: Jupiter on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Grading Ancient Coins

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 […]

The post Grading Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Monster: The Coinage of Caligula

  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 […]

The post Monster: The Coinage of Caligula appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Imperial Wannabes: The Ancient Coinage of Roman Usurpers

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz …. IMPERIAL ROME NEVER REALLY solved the problem of orderly succession to power. The “normal” pattern of inheritance in a monarchy is an elderly ruler replaced after his natural death by a well-qualified adult son. For Rome, this was an exception, not a rule. Officially, an emperor had […]

The post Imperial Wannabes: The Ancient Coinage of Roman Usurpers appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

NGC Ancient Coins: The Second Punic War

Coins are the most abundant relics of the Second Punic War One of the most interesting and most challenging themes in the world of ancient coins is the Second Punic War, a monumental conflict in which Romans and Carthaginians battled each other for nearly two decades. At stake was supremacy over the Western Mediterranean. After […]

The post NGC Ancient Coins: The Second Punic War appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

A Guide to Ancient Coin Collecting

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 […]

The post A Guide to Ancient Coin Collecting appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Building Museums One Coin at a Time: Mike Markowitz Interviews David Vagi of NGC Ancients

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. […]

The post Building Museums One Coin at a Time: Mike Markowitz Interviews David Vagi of NGC Ancients appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

NGC Ancients – Roman Provincial Coin Portraits

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 […]

The post NGC Ancients – Roman Provincial Coin Portraits appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Does This Toga Make Me Look Fat? Clothing on Ancient Coins

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

The Star and Crescent on Ancient Coins

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz …. OUR MOON IS SOLID, not transparent. So it is impossible for a star to appear between the points of a crescent moon. But ancient artists did not care about this, even if they understood it. Because the orbits of the Earth, the Moon and the planets all […]

The post The Star and Crescent on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CAPTA: The Coinage of Roman Imperial Conquest

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 […]

The post CAPTA: The Coinage of Roman Imperial Conquest appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CAPTA: The Coinage of Roman Imperial Conquest

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 […]

The post CAPTA: The Coinage of Roman Imperial Conquest appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

NGC Ancient Coins: Roman Silver Type Set

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 […]

The post NGC Ancient Coins: Roman Silver Type Set appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coins Series: How Ancient Coins Were Made

By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …. BRICKS WERE PROBABLY the first mass-produced industrial product. Cast bronze arrowheads, produced by the millions, might well have been the second. But ancients coins were the most challenging mass-produced industrial product in antiquity. The successful mass production of ancient coins required many advances in metallurgy and a complex division […]

The post CoinWeek Ancient Coins Series: How Ancient Coins Were Made appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancients Series: War as Depicted on Ancient Coins

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 […]

The post CoinWeek Ancients Series: War as Depicted on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

NGC Ancients: Roman Bronzes Appeal to Specialist Collectors

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, […]

The post NGC Ancients: Roman Bronzes Appeal to Specialist Collectors appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Ancient Coin with Early Depiction of Colosseum Fetches Record Price at Dix Noonan Webb

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 […]

The post Ancient Coin with Early Depiction of Colosseum Fetches Record Price at Dix Noonan Webb appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Stack’s Bowers NYINC Auction of World & Ancient Coins Realizes $4.86 Million

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.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Sphinxes on Ancient Coins

The business of a sphinx is to be mysterious By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….   …somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and the head of a man A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs…[1] — W. B. Yeats, “The Second Coming” (1920) IN […]

The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Sphinxes on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Janus, God of January

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 […]

The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Janus, God of January appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Janus, God of January

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 […]

The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Janus, God of January appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Ancient & World Coins – New from Atlas Numismatics

By Atlas Numismatics ……   We will be attending the FUN Convention and the New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) in January. Please note that we will only be able to carry a portion of the inventory available on our website; if you would like us to include any specific items for your examination at […]

The post Ancient & World Coins – New from Atlas Numismatics appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Bridges on Ancient Coins

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 […]

The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Bridges on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Ancient Coin News – 2,000-Year-Old Roman Bronze Coins Found in Switzerland

Credit: Aargau canton archeology department   By Everett Millman – Gainesville Coins ……. A team of archaeologists in Switzerland are trying to make sense of a discovery that traces its origins back nearly two millennia. Somewhat strangely, a ceramic cooking pot filled with oil lamps and bronze coins was found during an effort to clear […]

The post Ancient Coin News – 2,000-Year-Old Roman Bronze Coins Found in Switzerland appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

A Guide to Ancient Coin Collecting

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 […]

The post A Guide to Ancient Coin Collecting appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Philosopher King: The Coinage of Marcus Aurelius

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 […]

The post Philosopher King: The Coinage of Marcus Aurelius appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Two Heads Are Better Than One

By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …. THE RICH VOCABULARY OF NUMISMATICS has many terms to describe the things we see on coins. When a coin depicts two heads side by side, the usual description is “jugate busts”. The word derives from the Latin iuga, meaning “yoke”. Think of a pair of oxen yoked together. Jugate […]

The post CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Two Heads Are Better Than One appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Turtles and Tortoises on Ancient Coins

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz …. A hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise, who replied, laughing: “Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat you in a race.” … On the day appointed for the race the two started together. The Tortoise never for […]

The post Turtles and Tortoises on Ancient Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek

Naville Numismatics Live Auction 24 Online Now

By Naville Numismatics Ltd …..   Dear Collector, It is our pleasure to present Naville Numismatics (NN) Live Auction 24. The auction will close on Sunday, 17 July 2016, 2:00 pm UK time, at which time the live session will begin. Absentee bidders can bid electronically through the Naville Numismatics website from the day the […]

The post Naville Numismatics Live Auction 24 Online Now appeared first on CoinWeek.

Continue Reading on CoinWeek