r/AncientCoins • • May 07 '24

We've been getting a lot of new posters and commenters here lately. Welcome! (Everyone please read the full text inside)

147 Upvotes

Unfortunately, a lot of the new people here aren't familiar with the culture of this subreddit or the ancient coin collecting world in general.

A lot of the ideas that you are bringing to this subreddit -- especially if you're North American and also especially if you've been collecting modern coins for years, don't always carry over directly to the world of ancient coin collecting.

Our subreddit is configured so that people using low-age or low-karma accounts will not see their posts and comments appear here immediately after you make them. They are being set aside until a human moderator is able to review them manually. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

The same is true of people who don't have much karma on this subreddit, even if you have an older account and have accumulated lots of karma on other subreddits. Part of this is because spammers, scammers, and trolls use newer, low-karma accounts, and part of it is to give you a chance to familiarize yourself with the culture of this subreddit.

We have also configured our subreddit to hold back posts and comments from accounts with a low Contributor Quality Score ("CQS") as determined by the admins of reddit. This takes into account your behavior on all of reddit. If you would like to find out what your own CQS score is please make a post on this subreddit -- /r/CQS. The result will be sent to you within seconds via private messaging, and no one else will be able to see what it is.

As you continue to participate here in good faith most of these limitations will eventually no longer apply to you, and you will be able to post and comment normally.



Thank you for your good faith participation here, and while I have your attention please allow me to remind you of this subreddit's few simple rules:

1) Civility is the price of participation here. Please act like adults and keep things pleasant.

We appreciate kindness and helpfulness here. We won't tolerate people bickering in the comments, swearing at or insulting others, etc.

We have a lot of people coming to r/AncientCoins from the world of modern ones. Please help them understand the differences and find answers to their questions without being a jerk. If you can't manage that we don't want you here, and you will be banned.

2) Unwelcome participants get banned.

Pursuant to Rule #1, the owner/founder/head moderator of this subreddit reserves the right to ban anyone at anytime for any reason he sees fit.

We very rarely ban real people - and we ban no one who is acting in good faith. We mostly only ban annoying bots, karma whores, griefers who post using numerous alt accounts, people who post coins that they don't own but act as if they did, people who swear at or are rude/insulting to others, and persistent trolls who disrupt our discussions.

3) Memes, joke posts & other shitposts may only be posted here on the last day of each month.

Fun is fun, but there's such a thing as too much of an execrable thing. Memes, joke posts, and other shitposts may only be posted on this subreddit on the last day of each Gregorian calendar month in your time zone.

Please don't try to sneak those kinds of posts in by flairing them as "educational" or anything else. If you just can't wait, please submit them over on our companion subreddit /r/AncientCoinMemes instead.

Ultimately, the mods of this subreddit may remove anything posted here at their discretion.


We ask that you please be patient with the process, as we check our queues several times a day. If you make a post or comment and it isn't immediately approved, PLEASE just leave it up and one of us will get to it as soon as we can. We are unpaid volunteers doing this on our own time.

Thank you.


r/AncientCoins • • Jun 12 '25

New rule regarding the use of ChatGPT, other LLMs, and the deceptive use of AI imagery on this subreddit

90 Upvotes

It has actually been a policy here for years that we don't permit ChatGPT-type posts. In the past they were usually just quietly removed, as were AI-generated images that were used deceptively.

It feels like we already have too many rules on this subreddit, but it looks like it's time to join other subreddits by implementing this one.

One issue is that these LLM generated texts aren't automatically vetted for accuracy, and some weird and unreliable stuff can creep in. Another is that they are based on plagiarism.

They often give results that feel like a bad student trying to pad out the word count of a writing assignment, and don't actually contribute much to this subreddit.

It seems like some people here, when they are bored, entertain themselves by feeding prompts into ChatGPT and then posting the results here. Sometimes they do this as conversation starters, but sometimes it feels like they are just trying to show off or something.

Speaking of plagiarism -- which is bad, it is fine to post a paragraph or two of relevant information here that you have found online, if you give appropriate credit and a link.

It's also fine to quote text from a relevant book or journal with appropriate credit. Many reddit users are more likely to give a brief glance at something that you have copied and pasted here than they would be to follow a link and read extensively off-site.

What's not great is if you post massive walls of text, unless the information is presented well and is relevant to our discussions, and not padded out.

If you feel that you simply MUST use an LLM for grammar and spelling purposes, do it well. Make it undetectable. Consider quoting Wikipedia or another reliable and curated online reference instead.

If you are using an LLM as a translator, that is fine. Just make it a translation of your own, unpadded words. Consider using DeepL or Google Translate instead.

Speaking of walls of text, I'll end here.

Thank you.


r/AncientCoins • • 3h ago

A Great storage option for Ancient coins!

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37 Upvotes

I wanted to share my coin case, because I have never seen it before and am very satisfied with it. Perhaps it might give someone else an idea!

For the longest time, I have searched for a way to store my coins in a way that will satisfy all of my criteria:

- It has to be archival safe
- It needs to look great on display
- The coins must be easily accessible to handle when needed

I would love to hear some other solutions if anyone came up with something!

This case was the only solution I found. The glass lid gently squeezes the coins into the soft foam and keeps them in place if you ever want to transport or shake it around. It also allows you to change the composition of your display when you get tired of it, or even add things like arrowheads, coin flips, or other relics alongside. The case can even be hang up on a wall!

That can’t be said about the classic velvet coin trays I always see. They are safe great for handling accessibility but, even with a glass lid, are not ideal for transport or movement, as the coins bounce around against the glass. And their display composition is very limited.

Coin capsules are also great for storage but they don’t allow you to handle all your coins at once, and require you to open and close each individual capsule, which I found greatly dissuades me from handling as often as I’d like. I only included them in my case for aesthetic appeal, and without the top lid, but they are not necessary if you cover the foam with a chemically-inert cloth and put the coins directly on them.


r/AncientCoins • • 15h ago

Newly Acquired Constantius II Solidus

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101 Upvotes

My first ever Solidus finally arrived today and I’m completely blown away by it, Constantius II minted in Antioch


r/AncientCoins • • 17h ago

Dream Acquisition - Lysimachos Tetradrachm

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126 Upvotes

Feeling very lucky right now as I managed to bag a milestone piece for the collection through the Naville auction just gone. Lot 85 auction 104.

I could count on my fingers the types I was really interested in and I’m so happy I went for and won this one from Lampsakos. I’ve always considered the dies from that mint to rank amongst the best, especially for the obverses.

Yeah it has a few marks, and the flan is very slightly irregular, but feel this more than meets the overall great looks whilst not breaking the bank balance.

Will be sure to post a video along with my Ptolemy I Alexander Tet for a side by side comparison.

What do you think? Did I do well?

Kingdom of Thrace, Lysimachus, 305-281 Lampsacus Tetradrachm circa 297-281, AR 30.00 mm., 16.79 g.
Diademed head of the deified Alexander r., with horn of Ammon. Rev. Athena Nikephoros seated l., arm resting on shield, transverse spear in background; monogram to inner l.; in exergue, crescent l. Thompson 49.

Very fine.


r/AncientCoins • • 13h ago

Two newest members to the collection

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47 Upvotes

Coin 1- Alexander the great obol-Tyre mint, 9mm,0.64g

Coin 2 -Alexander the great tetradrachma-Civic issue:Lesbos, Mytilene 36mm,16.73g, 188-170BC! Price 1708


r/AncientCoins • • 1h ago

Question about Byzantine electrum

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• Upvotes

Hi, so I'm thinking of buying my first ever Electrum coin (a Byzantine trachy) but I had a few questions about it.

Firstly, did the gold content of Electrum decrease over time? Is it kind of similar to Billon antoninianus where over time the content of the silver deceased, but in this case the gold content decreases? The coin I'm looking at is very silver looking (at first I thought it was silver). Did they decrease the gold content over time so that some Electrum coins are mostly silver with just a little bit of gold?

Secondly, how much do these tend to go for? I'm assuming that they'll be more expensive than silver but cheaper than gold, however I'm wondering just how much cheaper than gold they should be? For example should they be halfway in between? Closer to silver price? Or closer to gold price?

The attached image is the one I'm considering buying, its current price is £218 (GBP) - is this a fair price for the coin I am looking at?

Thanks.


r/AncientCoins • • 12h ago

New Seleukid Focus

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23 Upvotes

I've recently become really interested in Seleukid history - so much so that I've been devouring Grainger's Seleukid trilogy (starting weirdly with the "Fall of The Seleukid Empire"). To go along with this, I've decided to focus my near term collecting on Seleukid coinage and am excited to show off my first two acquisitions:

Demetrios I (Antioch mint, not sure of the reference) drachm. Father.

Antiochus VII (Antioch on the Orontes mint, SC 2062.2g) drachm. Son.

The shenanigans of this dynasty really puts Game of Thrones to shame. War, rebellion, betrayal, love, and elephants!

Keeping my eye out tets, but boy are the prices on reasonable pieces hard to afford...


r/AncientCoins • • 3h ago

what am I looking at? is there anything good here?

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4 Upvotes

I’m fairly new to the hobby, but it’s looking like I might win this auction. I know a barbarous is basically an ancient dupe, and I see quite a few labeled as such. will these just be fun coins to practice cleaning and see what I get? or will this be a complete wash lol thank you!


r/AncientCoins • • 17h ago

My precious

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53 Upvotes

I might have shared this before, don't take it against me... But now in better quality. My first BC coin. It's from Bythinia, Prusias II. Having not known anything about Bythinia, the coin made me delve into history. The story behind it is amazing. But what I like the most about it is the beautiful Chiron, the king of Centaurs. I was always amazed by Greek mythology and all the creatures, especially Centaurs. Pls enjoy it as much as I am.


r/AncientCoins • • 8h ago

I Inherited Greek and Roman Ancient Coins

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8 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I inherited my grandfather’s entire coin collection when he passed almost four years ago. I have gone through it a handful of times trying to pick out any silver or gold that I could find. A lot of the gold I found was, unfortunately and most likely unbeknownst to him, counterfeit. I recently went through the collection again out of curiosity and found these gems. I looked up every one of these coins, and I know it is hard to tell if these are real or fake with just pictures, but what I really want to know is if it is worth getting these authenticated. With my grandfather’s track record, I am understandably cautious.
The weights are as follows:
Lydia: 2.71g
Greek (Heracles (?)): 8.69g
Greek (Athena; Horse Head): 2.41g
Greek (Alexander the Great): 2.28g
Roman (Marc Antony): 2.94g

Thank you all in advance!


r/AncientCoins • • 13h ago

Advice Needed New Byzantine Gold, worth it?

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19 Upvotes

Recent newp from the LCS, bought for 450 and though was a great deal, I think? I’m new to ancient coins and was just looking for more info and if the price was good? Thanks for any help!


r/AncientCoins • • 4h ago

Authentication Request Strange reverse

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3 Upvotes

Can someone please identify the reverse of my Trajan coin? It looks like Fortuna but I cant find the exact reverse anywhere...


r/AncientCoins • • 8h ago

ID / Attribution Request Byzantine Silver ? or Higher Silver Content Billon, 22 mm, 7.49 g, Unknown Coin

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4 Upvotes

r/AncientCoins • • 1h ago

What is this roman coin and how much is it worth

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• Upvotes

What is this roman coin and how much is it worth


r/AncientCoins • • 1d ago

Non-Coin Antiquity Greek Apulian vase

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51 Upvotes

I would like to have a Greek vase in my collection of mostly Greek coins, but I don't have that much knowledge about vases. What do you think about the authenticity of this Greek Apulian with a woman's face? The seller asks $1000, is this reasonable? And the Roman greyware pottery jug? What would be a good price for that? There is also a Hellenistic megarian bowl that looks interesting. I hope someone with more expertise can help me. 


r/AncientCoins • • 13h ago

Advice Needed Byzantine - Unidentified Reverse Type

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3 Upvotes

I can’t for the life of me identify this coin type.

Overstruck Byzantine coin presumably. Reverse I have never seen before! Any ideas?


r/AncientCoins • • 12h ago

ID / Attribution Request ID request

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2 Upvotes

Two Large bronzes, heavily worn and effected by environment - 1 counterstamped

Gordian III? And Augusutus? Caligula?


r/AncientCoins • • 13h ago

ID / Attribution Request Help with incorrect attribution

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2 Upvotes

This has an old tag saying Julia Mameae with the wrong Sear number and other bad info. I think it's actually a Faustina (Elder?) with a Pietas reverse (standing left by altar, raising right hand) but can't seem to find the exact match. Am I on the right track? Any thoughts? 20.41g; 30.63mm


r/AncientCoins • • 13h ago

ID / Attribution Request Ancient coin I got

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2 Upvotes

I bought a small bulk package of random coins a while ago. This coin was in here. It's quite damaged and hard to determine what it is. I tried to search it using these pictures but I couldn't find anything (nor could an image search). I suspect it's a Roman coin. Zoomed in it's hard to see but zoomed out, one side has a face that is typical of Roman coins. The other side also has something but I cannot identify what (I have used coin alignment, the other side is upside down in the picture compared to the head).

Diameter is 15 mm. Weight is 1.9 grams. It's very unlikely to be made of silver or gold, I don't expect old valuable coins to appear in a bulk purchase with mostly modern coins. I bought this package in the Netherlands if that's of any use.

Anybody has any idea which coin this might be or perhaps a time period estimate? Or is it too far gone to be recognized? Anything helps, thanks in advance.


r/AncientCoins • • 14h ago

ID / Attribution Request ID?

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2 Upvotes

Been looking for a little bit but can't figure out the emperor


r/AncientCoins • • 20h ago

ID / Attribution Request Sulcus primigenius? or something else?

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6 Upvotes

This is one of my dad's earliest acquisitions. I have no clue of its provenance, its only identifiable features are (what seems to me) two oxen side by side and possibly a right-facing bust on the obverse(?).

All I could think of is of coins depicting the 'Sulcus primigenius', (roman foundational ritual of a settlement) which typically depicts two yoked oxen ploughing guided by some priest.

What I can make out as what could (I know it's hard to discern) be the outline of the emperor's bust seems rather 'archaic' to me, similar to some provincial issues I've seen (i.e. Caesaraugusta, Calagurris, etc).

I know it's all a big stretch because of how worn the coin is but I figured I'd might as well ask and see if anyone can provide any insight.


r/AncientCoins • • 1d ago

Help with possible authentic x forgery?

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10 Upvotes

Hello friends, I was offered these for a cheap price, but some really bothers me for the black patina/porous surface. Its a big lot with 30, I wonder if someone can give me their opinion...

No provence, found in a river, most look fine, these are the most oddly looking.


r/AncientCoins • • 1d ago

ID / Attribution Request Help ID

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9 Upvotes

Weight is 4.09g, unknown drachm. Anyone seen this type before, real or fake, and can provide me with a link/reference? Thanks


r/AncientCoins • • 1d ago

Authentication Request Does this coin looks authentic?

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8 Upvotes