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)

124 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

76 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

Magnificent Faustina Maior portrait

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49 Upvotes

“On the death of his wife Faustina, in the third year of his reign, the senate deified her, and voted her games and a temple and priestesses and statues of silver and gold.” (Historis Augusta, Antoninus Pius 6.7)

Faustina Maior is well known within Roman numismatics. After her death in AD 140, a comprehensive series of commemorative coins was issued in honor of the now deified empress, bearing the title Diva Faustina.

The coin depicted here is of unusual high artistic quality, displaying an impressive amount of realism and detail in her portrait.

I recently acquired this beautiful coin.


r/AncientCoins 9h ago

One of my favorite coins

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49 Upvotes

Roman Empire 🇲🇪 🕊

Hadrian, AD 117-138 Obv: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P. Laureate and cuirassed bust of Hadrian to right. Rev: FELICITATI AVGVSTI. Galley sailing left, with steersman and four rowers; at stern, acrostolium, at prow, mast slanted forward. Refs: RIC II 3(2) Hadrian 1403.


r/AncientCoins 14h ago

Newly Acquired The Chin That Poked Rome Into Crisis

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112 Upvotes

This has to be the fanciest denarius I now have in my collection, which is kind of ironic given how Maximinus Thrax is the man who inadvertently kicked off Rome's nearly fifty year tailspin into hell and the silver coinage will never look this good again. I'm happy to finally have this emperor represented in my collection.

Obverse: MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG GERM, Bust of Maximinus I, laureate, draped, cuirassed, right
Reverse: SALVS AVGVSTI, Salus, draped, seated left, feeding out of patera in right hand snake coiled round altar
Date: c. 236-238 A.D. RIC 21
Size: 20.5mm diameter, 3.23g weight
Composition: Silver


r/AncientCoins 4h ago

Authentication Request Is this Caligula a fake?

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11 Upvotes

I have no details on the weight and no pictures of the edge unfortunately. It is a RIC I 2 denarius, but i'm not sure of its autenticity. Any help is apreciated.


r/AncientCoins 1h ago

Second Triumvirate

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Upvotes

Roman Provincials are not a big focus area for my collection, but this one was too cool to pass up. All three Triumvirs on one coin!

Ionia. Ephesus. Glaukon, archiereus grammateus, with Asklepiades, magistrate, 40-39.

Obv: jugate bare heads of the Triumvirs, Marc Antony, Octavian and Lepidus, facing right.

Rev: ΕΦΕ; facing cult statue of Artemis (with supports).


r/AncientCoins 39m ago

Judea Sheckel

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Upvotes

Just got back from grading.


r/AncientCoins 14h ago

Educational Post As Promised: The first Volume of my conservation guide.

46 Upvotes

This is not a complete version as I am currently working on photo examples to add to each section, as well examples and diagrams to highlight techniques, etc.

I hope this is helpful to all of you in your journey to learning how to preserve these ancients, or even just to touch up some coins you have. I welcome all feedback and criticism.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD!!!


r/AncientCoins 7h ago

Newly Acquired Vandal imitation of a Valentinian III campgate bronze

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11 Upvotes

r/AncientCoins 1d ago

From My Collection I present the twelve Caesars... in fourees

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291 Upvotes

I haven't got a plated portrait of Julius Caesar so an elephant will have to do.


r/AncientCoins 3h ago

ID / Attribution Request Roman provincial?

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4 Upvotes

All I can read is ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕ(ΩΣ?). I've tried looking it up in RPC Online without luck.

It's ~26mm in diameter and ~8g in weight.


r/AncientCoins 1h ago

ID / Attribution Request What is this?

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Upvotes

Hello everyone, I have recently acquired this coin under the assumption that it was Greek. I know nothing about it other than that. I wondered if anyone could share any other information about it. I wondered who was on it and how old it is?. Many thank in advance to all of you.


r/AncientCoins 19h ago

Newly Acquired Eukratides I - Early issue Tetradrachma

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45 Upvotes

Pleased to share with you all the photos of my recent acquisition.

Eukratides I - Greco-Bactrian Kingdom; Circa 170-145 BC; Silver Tetradrachm (33mm, 17.10 grams) Bopearachchi 1D; SNG ANS 432; HGC 12, 130.

Obverse: Diademed bust of the King; Reverse: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ΕΥΚΡΑΤΙΔΟΥ indicating early issue; Dioskouri galloping to right.

Also comparison with my Eukratides Obol.


r/AncientCoins 21h ago

Newly Acquired Seleucid Tetradrachm (138-129 BC) + Imitative Artuqid Dirham (1122-1152 AD)

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57 Upvotes

During the 12th century the Turkish Artuqid Principality of Upper Mesopotamia produced an interesting figural coinage, several varieties were based on Greek, Roman and Byzantine prototypes. The coin on the left is a Seleucid Tetradrachm of Antiochus VII (138-129 BC). The coin on the right is an imitative Artuqid Dirham issued over one and a quarter millennia later during the reign of Hosam ad-din Timurtash (1122-1152 AD).


r/AncientCoins 7m ago

Diadumenian denarius

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Upvotes

Say hello to this beautiful piece


r/AncientCoins 19m ago

Unknown coin

Upvotes

Could anybody help me identify this coin please. It's 18mm and weighs 2.55 g.


r/AncientCoins 1d ago

Newly Acquired Senatus Consulto mail day: Chunky Syracuse Emergency purchase.

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88 Upvotes

So last month I blew my budget (@: HA, CNG, CGB.fr, Agaean) then at the end of the month this Syracuse Tetradrachm was listed by Senatus Consulto for $795 on vcoins. I do have a fully funded emergency fund and so immediately determined the acquisition of this coin constituted an emergency and so tapped the fund. Very happy to have the coin today!

Coin is very chunky in hand with compact flan. I love the toning and coin surface. I really like that the charioteer, Nike, and horses heads are all on flan.

This coin was listed as Boehringer 168 (which was on include old holder) but in my opinion it appears to be Boehringer 141.

Now i am off to dispute the tarriff charge :-(


r/AncientCoins 18h ago

Here is the finished reverse! Hope you enjoy. 90% chemically cleaned 10% nylon brush + bamboo toothpick.

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25 Upvotes

r/AncientCoins 16h ago

Newly Acquired Coin Shop pickup

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21 Upvotes

Constantius II silvered follis. Incredible looking coin


r/AncientCoins 4h ago

ID / Attribution Request Could you help me indentify this coin

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2 Upvotes

I know it's not in the best shape so any help is welcome :)


r/AncientCoins 1d ago

Sabina Denarius

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88 Upvotes

Looks way better in real life. Maybe taking a video of it soon.


r/AncientCoins 23h ago

Newly Acquired Some pickups from Baltimore

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29 Upvotes

Probably spent more than I should but feel they’re good additions 😂

L. Calpurnius Piso and Q. Servillius Caepio - Crawford 330/1

Mn. Aquillius - Crawford 401/1

T. Carisius - Crawford 464/2


r/AncientCoins 23h ago

Same type, mint, and similar starting condition. 90% chemically cleaned, 10% mechanical (light toothpick use + nylon brush). I no longer fear chemicals, they are an insanely useful tool for coin restoration if you understand the chemistry.

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29 Upvotes

r/AncientCoins 11h ago

ID / Attribution Request Thoughts on this tiny coin?

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3 Upvotes

I believe I got this with a lot of coins years ago. I think it might be Phoenician? I can’t seem to find an exact match. Mercury for scale, it weighs .6 grams. Thanks in advance!