Ancient Coins (2024)

FAQs

What is the oldest coin in the world? ›

Created over 2,700 years ago, but now located in the British Museum, is the Lydian Lion, the oldest coin in the world. It is a one-sided design featuring a roaring lion, the emblem of the Lydian Kings who created it around 610-600 BC.

Aureus: The aureus was the coin that drove the Roman Empire. Issued from the 1st Century BC, until the 4th Century AD, the aureus was made of very high purity, 24 carat gold. Denarius: The denarius was the sister coin to the aureus, and was made of pure silver.

Ancient coins' value and rarity can be overwhelming with a wide range as these coins were hand struck for over 1,000 years. Some rare types commemorate major historical moments in the history of western civilization, while others represent the highest levels of artistic and technical achievement in numismatics.

With just one coin currently in existence, the gold 1849 Double Eagle is considered the rarest and most valuable coin in US history.

They may have been tetradrachms of Tyre, usually referred to as Tyrian shekels (about 1.38 troy ounces), or they may have been staters from Antioch, which bore the head of Augustus. Alternatively, they may have been Ptolemaic tetradrachms.

Ancient Greek Coin Names

Drachm(a) = standard silver coin equivalent to six obols. Hemidrachm = worth half of a drachma (from ancient Greek ἡμι- meaning 'half' ie. hemisphere) Tetradrachm = silver coin worth four drachma. Stater = a denomination of coinage, minted in both gold and silver.

The Vikings only had one type of coin – the silver penningar (or penny). Even then, most people valued coins by their weight still. Coins were just an easy way to carry your silver around. Because the coins were valued by their weight you could cut a coin to make smaller amounts.

What is the rarest £1 coin? According to coin database Change Checker, the 2011 Scotland: Edinburgh City £1 coin is the rarest to have been released, with a mintage of under a million. It depicts the circular coat of arms of Edinburgh and sells for about £10 on eBay.

What is the most worthless coin in the world? ›

Many collectors won't buy a coin that has been stripped of its patina and a coin with an attractive patina is usually worth much more than a similar coin without a patina. You do want to clean off the dirt. Unfortunately the dirt is very often as hard as cement and very difficult to remove.

And lastly, ancient coins can be imported to the US if the importer can provide a significant provenance that proves that the item had left the country of origin (i.e., the country of manufacture) before the MoU was signed or at least 10 years prior to its importation into the US.

Local coin dealers and auction houses

If you prefer a more personalized approach, you can consider selling your old coins through local coin dealers or auction houses. These establishments often have experienced numismatic experts who can assess the value of your coins and offer you a fair price.

Numismatic historians agree that the Lydian stater was the very first coin officially issued by a government and it served as the model for virtually all subsequent coinage everywhere. Unlike other tokens, or items used in barter, coins are issued by a central authority or government.

The British pound is the world's oldest currency still in use at around 1,200 years old. Dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, the pound has gone through many changes before evolving into the currency we recognise today. The British pound is both the oldest and one of the most traded currencies​ in the world.

Mint first made the dollar in 1794. It was made of silver and showed a woman who represented liberty on the obverse with an eagle on the reverse. For more than 170 years, different Liberty and eagle designs were used on the dollar. Fun Fact!

The Ionian hemiobol was a small silver coin that was minted by the city of Cyme, which was located in the region of Ionia, in modern-day Turkey. The coin had a weight of about 0.4 grams and a value of half an obol, which was a basic unit of currency in ancient Greece.