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 […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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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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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 […]
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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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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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CoinWeek Podcast #145: Ancient Coin Weight Standards Mobile phone users. Stream this podcast for free by downloading the podomatic app or subscribe to the CoinWeek Podcast on iTunes. This week on the CoinWeek Podcast, ancient coin writer Mike Markowitz gives an informative talk about ancient weight standards and how this important knowledge helps modern collectors ascertain […]
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By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek ….. Seemingly in accordance with human nature, people began producing counterfeits immediately after the first coins in the world were struck. The drive to create forgeries is perhaps older than recorded history and unfortunately finds a ready home within coinage and numismatics. As collectors, we are naturally wary of modern […]
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By Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) …… The evolution of silver continued during the last two centuries of the Roman Empire In the previous column (Part I), we saw how the quality of silver coinage of the Roman Empire declined steadily from the reign of Augustus (27 BCE to 14 CE) to that of Gallienus (253 […]
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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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By Atlas Numismatics …… New Inventory These six coins are just a sample of the 398 recent additions to our inventory. We have added new material in Ancient (29), World (362) and US (6). Pedigreed Cnidus (Knidos) Drachm http://atlasnumismatics.com/1041010 This and the following images courtesy of Atlas Numismatics 1041010 | GREEK. CARIA. Cnidus (Knidos). […]
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Something very exciting is happening at Spink this September. As the dust begins to settle after the mammoth celebrations commemorating Spink’s 350th year, Spink’s auction room will be graced with the privilege of selling the famous Harptree Hoard of fourth-century silver coins. This will form part of the auction of Ancient, British and Foreign Coins […]
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By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …. The Franks had little idea of the state as a public institution, and the regnum Francorum (kingdom of the Franks), while remaining a family inheritance, was inherited according to the rules of private law, divided on each occasion between the sons or nearest male relatives of the deceased (Grierson […]
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By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …. The Franks had little idea of the state as a public institution, and the regnum Francorum (kingdom of the Franks), while remaining a family inheritance, was inherited according to the rules of private law, divided on each occasion between the sons or nearest male relatives of the deceased […]
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