The coins that are the subject of these Notes are often thousands of years old, so it is perhaps not surprising that much is unchanged in the world of ancient coin collecting over the last 120 years. For example - ancient coins that can be collected are vast and cover many peoples and time periods. In a book published by Spink in 1903, Francesco Gnecchi writes to those new to ancient coin collecting: "Among a hundred individuals who begin to collect one can count on ninety at

The two sons left by Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, both received the surname Antoninus, one from the army, the other from...

Detail from a 19th Century water color on paper depicting the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq. Accession Number XXIII-239 Salar Jung...

by Authority of the good People of these Colonies....these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States...

The curious type of the Hydria is taken from the παράσημον (insignia) of the City of Crannon. It was customary in the time of drought ...

Nerva was named by the Senate as emperor on the same day that Domitian which certainly opens suspicion that there was no shortage of plan...

"Now, as they talked on, a dog that lay there lifted up his muzzle, pricked his ears. . . It was Argos, long-enduring Odysseus’ dog he...

Ulpia Severina Augusta, wife of Emperor Aurelian is not named in ancient literature, however the Historia Augusta mentions her: Clothing...

"Better one sparrow in thy hand than a thousand on the wing" - Proverbs of Ahikar the Wise, 6th Century Assyria, #51

"It so happened that the two men were not in complete accord: so great is the desire for sole rule and so contrary to the usual practice is it for the sovereignty to be shared that each undertook to secure the imperial power for himself alone." - Herodian 8.8.4 Balbinus and Pupienus Maximus were co-emperors in the year 238 for about 3 months. Herodian, a historian who lived during this time, relates that their end at the hands of the Praetorian guard, might have been prevent

Humans have been making images of cattle for many millennia - this painting from Lascaux caves depicts aurochs (wild ancestors of domesticated cattle), horses and deer. The Magdalénien people of the Upper Paleolithic in western Europe that produced these paintings are estimated to have lived 12,000-17,000 years ago. Image from Prof. Saxx of a Lascaux cave painting, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons My latest ancient coin has a beautiful image of a bull facing on the obver

The Vikrama Samvat is a Hindu luni-solar calendar, which means it is based on both the phases of the moon and the solar year. It has...

My coin of interest today is a Roman Republican denarius from 103BC. The first one shown here was little used and well preserved from...

Buying ancient coins can be particularly challenging for those just starting out. EBay is especially full of forgeries, copies,...

Mustafa II was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1695 to 1703. He ascended to the throne late in the The Great Turkish War (1683-1699)...

Where did the people of ancient Rome originate? How do we connect the varied myths of Rome's founding from Virgil's Aeneid to the...

This first coin was issued during the turbulent times of the Gracchi brothers, with unrest between the social reformers and the...

Henri de Longpérier, in his book about "money containers", detailed two excellently preserved chests discovered in Pompeii in 1868. "The...

Emperor Claudius: When the moon gets in a direct line with the sun over our heads and passes under its blazing orb, it obscures the rays...

Phorcys and Ceto were the father and mother of the Gorgons (Phorycides), three sisters, Sthenno, Euryale, and Medusa. When Perseus killed...