New York City area Rare Ancient Coin Dealer, Expert and AuthorSpecializing in Numismatic Ancient Greek, Roman, Biblical,Byzantine & World Coins in Gold, Silver and BronzeTypes Of Numismatic Coins in StockGold CoinsSilver CoinsGold Greek CoinsGold Roman CoinsGold Byzantine CoinsSilver Greek CoinsSilver Roman CoinsSilver Byzantine CoinsSilver World CoinsNGC Certified CoinsCertified CoinsTypes of Ancient CoinsThere can be books and volumes written about the types of ancientcoins possible. For the sake of a quick introduction, here is abrief overview.GreekAncient coinage was invented in Lydia circa 600's B.C. Yes that isover 2600 years ago. That is how far ancient Greek coins date backto. The earlier coins before 480 B.C. are considered archaic. Theseare often valued more highly by collectors, as they are oftenscarcer. Next you have the various different kingdoms and citystates develop. From more famous names such as Alexander the Great,Pyrrhos (for Pyrrhic victory expression) to the more democraticancient Athens, Greek coins pack a lot of historical value in asmall package.RomanThe Romans were concurrent with the Greeks at a certain historicaltime period, however they wound up being a better, more organizedand ultimately stronger force that dominated history until the 5thcentury A.D. at least. It is also believed by well-educatedscholars that the Byzantine empire was actually a continuation ofthe old Roman empire, with a new capital built by Constantine theGreat called Constantinople. Historical ancient Roman coins rangefrom the more famous names such as Julius Caesar, Augustus,Caligula, Tiberius and Nero to the more obscure (almost lost tohistory) emperors. Some routes that can be pursued in coincollecting would be to Collect the Women on the coins, Coins of theRoman Republic, All the Emperors, Gods and Goddesses, ArchitecturalTypes, Military Themed and so many more.BiblicalBiblical coins can be considered the types used or mentioned in theBible. A poor widow gives all the * she has in the world in areligious gathering donation, the famous coin is known as thewidow's mite. A silver Roman coin was brought to Jesus which isnow known as the famous 'Tribute Penny' "Render unto Caesar allthat is Caesar's". The infamous '30 Pieces of Silver' used aspayment to Judas for the betrayal of Jesus Christ. Then there werethe coins that circulated in biblical Jerusalem. The infamous Romanprocurator Pontius Pilate also had a coin issued in the name ofTiberius whom presided over the crucifixion of Jesus. Overall theancient coins dealing with the Christian theme as it evolved from apersecuted religion to it's rise during the later Roman empirethrough the Byzantine era.ByzantineThe Byzantine empire coins are considered to have started duringthe late 400's A.D. It's capital was Constantinople, built byConstantine the Great circa 330 A.D. By that time the Roman empirehad two capital cities, one in the east just mentioned and thelater being Rome the 'eternal city'. The Byzantine empire was ahighly Christian empire and issued many coins with Jesus Christ.There was also a very interesting series of Jesus Christ Anonymouscoins featuring Jesus Christ, crosses and Virgin Mary 'Orans' onthem.WorldA lot can be said about world coins. There are many differenttopics to explore, such as the famous character rising up after theFrench Revolution, Napoleon. Also if you consider Europe's peoplesmigrated all over the world including the United States. Thecultural heritage world coins represent are an amazing topic all ontheir own to explore.Precious Metal Coins in Gold and SilverThere are certain collectors that prefer to only collecting goldand/or silver coins. Gold has attracted people to it for thousandsof years with it's beauty and monetary properties. See the guideto ancient Gold coins here or watch the guide to silver Greekcoins.
