ANCIENT Coins
Quadrans: The Smallest Fractional Coin of Ancient Rome
Illustrated Specimen Details: Bronze Quadrans Example Specimen: Quadrans, ND (41-54 AD) (Roman Empire) Authority & Heraldry: This bronze coin was struck under Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus — the fourth Roman …
Olbia Dolphin Coins: Ancient Bronze Proto-Money
Illustrated Specimen Details: Olbia Cast AE Dolphin Example Specimen: Olbia Cast AE Dolphin, 500-400 BC (Greek city-state Olbia) Iconography & Origin: This remarkable proto-coin is cast in bronze in the shape of a stylized …
Republican Denarius: History of the Roman Silver Coin
Illustrated Specimen Details: Republican Denarius Example Specimen: Republican Denarius (Serratus), 80 BC (Roman Republic) Iconography & Origin: This silver Denarius Serratus was struck in Rome around 80 BC. The obverse fe…
Denarius: Silver Coin of Ancient Rome and its Legacy
Illustrated Specimen Details: Denarius (Roman Empire) Example Specimen: Denarius, from 145 to 147 AD — Roman Empire (Marcus Aurelius as Caesar) Ruler & Portraiture: This specimen features the young Marcus Aurelius , struck …
Limes Denarius: Ancient Roman Frontier Imitations
Illustrated Specimen Details: Limes Denarius (Roman Frontier) Example Specimen: Limes Denarius, early 3rd century (Roman Frontier Imitation of Julia Domna) Design & Symbolism: This coin is a contemporary imitation — a front…
Chalkon Coin: Ancient Copper Currency of Greece
Illustrated Specimen Details: Copper Chalkon (Ancient Olbia) Example Specimen: Chalkon (χαλκον), 380 — 360 BC — City-state Olbia (Northern Black Sea Coast) Design & Symbols: The obverse of this ancient coin depicts the head…
Antoninianus: Roman "Double Denarius" Silver Coin
Illustrated Specimen Details: Silver Antoninianus (Gordian III) Example Specimen: Antoninianus, 238-244 AD Design & Inscriptions: The obverse features the bust of the Emperor wearing a radiate crown — the defining character…
Wheel Money of Histria: Ancient Bronze Coin of Istros
Illustrated Specimen Details: Bronze Wheel Money Example Specimen: Wheel coin, 500-400 BC Design Details: This archaic specimen features the Greek letters ΙΣΤ (abbreviation for IST ROS) on the obverse. The reverse displays a d…
Quinarius: coin of Roman Republic; 1/2 denarius
Illustrated Specimen Details: Quinarius Example Specimen: Roman Republic, Moneyer M. CATO (89 BC) Although the quinarius denomination itself can be somewhat rare, this specific type from 89 BC is relatively common. It was massiv…
Drachm: coin from Kingdom of Cappadocia
Illustrated Specimen Details: Drachm Example Specimen: Ariobarzanes I Philoromaios (95-63 BC) The coin featured here is a silver drachm from the Kingdom of Cappadocia, minted during the long and turbulent reign of Ariobarzanes …
Follis: The Evolution of Roman and Byzantine Bronze Coin
Illustrated Specimen Details: Follis Example Specimen: Constantine I, 314-315 AD (Roman Empire) The coin shown above is a bronze follis minted between 314 and 315 AD during the reign of Constantine I (Constantine the Great). …
Celtic Tetradrachm: Ancient Silver Coins and Abstraction
Illustrated Specimen Details: Celtic Tetradrachm Example Specimen: Celtic Tetradrachm, Carpathian Region (200-100 BC) The coin shown above is an ancient silver tetradrachm issued by Celtic tribes in Central and Eastern Europe, p…
Dichalkon: Ancient Greek Bronze Coin of Olbia
Illustrated Specimen Details: Dichalkon Example Specimen: City-state Olbia, 360-350 BC The coin shown above is a bronze dichalkon issued by the ancient Greek city-state of Olbia (located near the modern village of Parutyne, Uk…
Hemidrachm: Silver coin of Lycia and Ancient Greece
Illustrated Specimen Details: Hemidrachm Example Specimen: Hemidrachm, 30-27 BC — City of Cragus (Lycian League, Ancient Greece) This silver hemidrachm was struck by the Lycian League , a powerful federation of city-states in Ly…
Obol Coin: Ancient Greek Specimen, History & Charon
Illustrated Specimen Details: Ancient Greek Obol Example Specimen: Obol, 324-323 BC — City of Laranda (Lycaonia, Ancient Greece) This silver obol was struck in Laranda (modern-day Karaman, Turkey), a strategic city in Lycaonia. …
Huo quan: coin of Chinese Empire (Xin dynasty)
HUO QUAN: COIN OF ANCIENT CHINA Huo quan, 14-23 AD: Chinese Empire (Xin dynasty) Xin dynasty — a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty (from 9 to 23 AD), established by the Wang Mang, who usurped the throne. This dynasty ruled for a little over a …
Siliqua: coin of Later Roman Empire; 4th-7th centuries
SILIQUA: COIN OF ROMAN EMPIRE Siliqua, 347-355: Later Roman Empire Ruler: Constantius II (Latin "Flavius Julius Constantius") — Roman emperor from 337 to 361, the son of Constantine the Great. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders…
Borysthenes: coin of ancient Greek city-state Olbia
BORYSTHENES: COIN OF OLBIA (MODERN UKRAINE) Borysthenes, 3nd century BC: Greek city-state Olbia Pontic Olbia or Olbia (Ancient Greek "Ὀλβία Ποντική"; Ukrainian "Ольвія") — an ancient Greek city-state, founded by natives of Milet…