You've seen "brushed" on a certified ancient coin and wondered what it means. Was it damaged? Cleaned? It's one of the most debated surface descriptions in t...

You've seen "smoothed" in an auction catalog and wondered what it means. Like tooling, it can sound intimidating, but the two aren't the same: tooling change...

You've seen the word "tooled" in a coin description and wondered: what does it mean? Is the coin fake? Tooling is one of the most misunderstood subjects in a...

Ask ten ancient coin collectors what makes a coin great, and you'll hear ten different answers. Some chase rarity, others want a beautiful portrait, others c...

The first time you hold an ancient coin, you might notice what seems wrong. It's off-center. It has a crack. The lettering runs off the edge. To a modern eye...

Most collectors start with emperors. But centuries before Augustus, the Roman Republic struck some of the most varied and artistic coins of the ancient world...

Few things are more exciting than opening a box full of ancient coins. Group lots are irresistible: dozens of coins, an affordable price, the thrill of disco...

If you're new to ancient coins, you've probably searched eBay. Hundreds of coins, some exceptional, some best avoided. The good news: eBay itself isn't the p...

Certified or raw? It's one of the first decisions every new ancient coin collector faces, and ask ten collectors and you'll get ten opinions. Certified coins...

It's one of the first questions every new collector asks: how do we know ancient coins are real? The answer surprises people. Authentication isn't based on t...

Every ancient bronze collector eventually hears the words bronze disease, and for beginners they can sound terrifying. Does it spread? Can it ruin a coin? Th...

Auction houses offer some of the finest ancient coins in the world, and beginners absolutely can buy there. But auctions work very differently from buying fr...

New collectors quickly learn that ancient coins can be incredibly rare, sometimes unique. So it is natural to assume rare means valuable. But that is one of ...

Starting an ancient coin collection is one of the most rewarding hobbies in the world, but it comes with a learning curve. After watching countless new colle...

Most Byzantine coins were born in prosperity. The silver hexagram of Heraclius was born in catastrophe, struck from melted church silver to fund a desperate ...

When Heraclius seized the throne in AD 610, Persian armies stood within sight of Constantinople and many believed Rome's days were numbered. Within a generat...

Before Justinian could rebuild Rome, Anastasius I saved the empire that made it possible. A sixty-year-old administrator when he took the throne, he filled t...

For most people the Roman Empire ends in AD 476, but Justinian I proved otherwise. From Constantinople he reconquered North Africa, Italy, and Spain, built t...

Most people assume a genuine coin from the Roman Empire or Biblical Judaea must cost thousands. The surprising truth is that many cost less than a dinner for...

Some ancient coins are rare, some beautiful, some valuable, but only a handful truly changed history. From the world's first coin struck in Lydia, through th...

Ancient coins were never just money. They were the social media, political advertisements, and public monuments of the ancient world. For thousands of years,...

Arranged in historical order, these ten coinages trace the entire Roman Republic in silver. From the birth of the denarius in the war against Hannibal, throu...

Arranged in historical order, these ten coinages trace the entire Roman Republic in silver. From the birth of the denarius in the war against Hannibal, throu...

Arranged in historical order rather than by rank, these ten coinages let collectors trace the entire fall of the Roman Republic. From Sulla's march on Rome t...