History written,
not just minted

Should you buy ancient coin group lots? Group lots can be excellent for learning attribution and handling many real coins, but low cost per coin can hide dup...

Should you buy ancient coins on eBay? You can find genuine ancient coins and reputable specialist dealers there, but beginners should evaluate the seller as ...

Should you buy certified or raw ancient coins? Certified coins add third-party attribution, grading, encapsulation and an expert opinion on genuineness; raw ...

How does ancient coin authentication work? Learn how specialists build an evidence-based opinion using die studies, style, weight, metal, manufacturing techn...

Bronze disease is active chloride-driven corrosion that can damage ancient copper-alloy coins if moisture keeps the reaction going. Learn how to distinguish ...

Learn how ancient-coin auctions work before you bid: hammer prices, buyer’s premiums, shipping, taxes, estimates, bidding limits and auction fever. This begi...

A genuinely rare ancient coin is not automatically valuable. Learn how supply, collector demand, historical importance, artistry, condition and market depth ...

Starting an ancient coin collection is rewarding, but the learning curve is real. These eleven beginner lessons cover authentication, affordable starting poi...

Heraclius’s silver hexagram was born during the empire’s desperate war with Sasanian Persia. Church wealth was mobilized to support the Roman war effort, and...

When Heraclius took the throne in AD 610, the Eastern Roman Empire was in crisis. He eventually drove Sasanian Persia into peace, recovered the relic believe...

Anastasius I ruled the Eastern Roman Empire from AD 491–518 and transformed its bronze currency with the major reform of AD 498. Learn how his folles, half f...

Justinian I ruled the Eastern Roman Empire from AD 527–565 and pursued an ambitious restoration of Roman rule in North Africa, Italy and part of southern Spa...

Which ancient coinages had the greatest historical impact? Explore 25 monetary systems and landmark issues—from early electrum and the Athenian Owl to Roman ...

Ancient coins did far more than facilitate trade. They financed armies, projected political authority, connected distant economies, carried religious and civ...

Which ancient coins make the best first collection for a history lover? Explore ten approachable starting points across Biblical history, Greece, Rome and By...

Discover 10 important Roman Republican coinages in historical order, from early anonymous denarii and chariot types through serrate denarii, Social War coina...

Discover 10 essential Imperatorial coinages in historical order, from Sulla and Pompey through Julius Caesar, Brutus, Sextus Pompey, Mark Antony and Octavian...

Imperatorial coins were struck amid the civil wars that ended the Roman Republic. Explore the coinage of Sulla, Pompey, Julius Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Sextu...

Explore Gaius Cassius Longinus, a leading conspirator in Julius Caesar's assassination, and the rare denarii and aurei struck under his authority in 43–42 BC...

How did Athenian coinage change after Athens lost its empire? Follow the city from the Classical Owl and Peloponnesian War emergency money through Macedonian...

Explore the remarkable Artuqid coins of Mardin, medieval Islamic bronzes with figural imagery inspired by Byzantine, Hellenistic and other regional tradition...

Learn about Mattathias Antigonus, the last Hasmonean king and high priest of Judaea, his war with Herod and Rome, and the bronze coins struck during his brie...

Learn ancient Greek coin denominations and weight systems, from the obol and drachm to tetradrachms, dekadrachms and staters. Explore Athenian owls, Alexande...

Learn Byzantine coin denominations from Anastasius I to the fall of Constantinople. Understand the follis and its Greek value marks, solidus, tremissis, hexa...