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Ancient Greek Coins

The first Ancient Greek Coins appeared in Aegina around 600 B.C. and were amongst the first coins ever minted by a western civilization. Their design tells the story of a fascinating civilisation. A society that minted coins to celebrate outstanding individuals, gods, and religious practices, as well as ancient international relations. Examples are the Alexander the Great coins the Athenian Owl, and the Obol, just to name a few.

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Alexander the Great (336-323 BC), Silver Drachm Very Fine

Silver drachm coin minted by Alexander the Great (336-323 BC). Obverse: Alexander as Herakles wearing lion-skin head-dress. Reverse: Zeus enthroned holding eagle and sceptre. Very Fine Condition

£195.00

Alexander the Great Silver Tetradrachm 3rd Century B.C.

Everyone has heard of Alexander the Great! We have about 10 silver tetradrachms that were struck in his name by the Ptolemaic dynasty in the 3rd Century B.C. On one side the head of Herakles and on the other side Zeus with Alexander’s name ‘AΛEΞANΔPOY’ in Greek.

£132.50

Alexander the Great. 336-323 B.C., Struck by Ptolemies in 3rd Century B.C. AR Tetradrachm.

Alexander the Great. 336-323 B.C., Struck by Ptolemies in 3rd Century B.C. AR Tetradrachm. Head of Herakles in lionskin headdress right / Zeus Aetophorus seated left holding eagle & sceptre; Head of Helios Countemark. Fine and Scarce Countermark!

£160.00

Attica_Athens_Ca_431-393 B.C. AR_Tetradrachm_AOE_obv

Attica, Athens. Ca. 431-393 B.C. AR Tetradrachm. AOE. Extremely Fine + Floating Frame Display

These beautiful silver Tetradrachms of Athens are one of the most important and iconic coins ever struck. They were made from the silver mined at Laurion near Athens in the 5th century BC, making them around 2500 years, old and were known for their fineness of silver and standard weight so were accepted all over the known world at the time. The wonderful high-relief design has the helmeted head of the goddess Athena on one side and on the reverse, the eponymous owl of Athens with a sprig of olive above to signify Athens's trade in olive oil, with ‘AΘE’ beside meaning ‘of the Athenians’. The coins on offer are in Extremely Fine condition, a very high grade for an ancient coin, and each coin comes in a ‘floating frame’ to showcase these magnificent coins together with a certificate of authenticity. True ancient works of art in superb condition. Only a very limited number are available. Photograph is representative of coin supplied but all coins available are at least the grade illustrated (Extremely Fine).

£995.00

Gorgon of Parion Silver Drachm 5th Century B.C.

Founded in 709 B.C., the ancient city of Parion is the present-day town of Kemer in Canakkale province of Turkey. It was a major coastal city and trading port with two harbours. Parion enjoyed strong relations with Thrace and Anatolia throughout history and it was the main customs station through which all goods bound for Constantinople (Istanbul) from Greece and the Aegean had to pass. After being conquered by the Persian Empire in the 6th Century B.C. it passed to Lysimachus in the 4th Century B.C. and then the Attalids in the 3rd. From one tyrant to another! A local city-coinage system was introduced by the ancient Greeks and continued through to Roman times with later coins being issued in the name of the emperor. The image of the Gorgoneion was used to ward off evil and for that reason was put on door frames, shields, and of course, on coins! We have recently bought a small collection of archaic Silver Drachm made in this city in the 5th Century B.C.. The obverse shows the facing head of a Gorgoneion with a protruding tongue and the reverse depicts a disorganized linear pattern within an incuse square. The coins are all in a Fine condition as they were used at the time and have survived from 2400 years ago! But they are a fascinating charm to ward off evil, then and now. Add this ancient coin to your collection. Priced to please!

£55.00

Illyrian Silver Drachm

In about 600 B.C. the Greek city of Corinth sent colonists up the coast to Illyria (which roughly corresponds to the modern Balkans) to create a city for trade. These Greek colonists prospered and spread but by the 3rd Century B.C. they needed the Romans to stop the Ardiaei pirates from plundering their cities & trade routes. This lead to three Illyrian Wars between 229-168 B.C. and after this the area came under Roman protection. From about 200 B.C. two cities in the area, Apollonia & Dyrrachium (Epidamnos) started to mint these Greek silver drachm coins for use in trade. On the obverse they a fertility symbol of a cow suckling a calf. On the reverse a double geometric pattern which scholars think is a schematic representation of the two stars of the Dioscuri. They grade Very Fine and continued to be struck until the arrival of Julius Caesar in 48 B.C. stopped the production. These will make great additions to any collection or an exciting present!

£95.00

Ionia, Ephesos. 82-81 B.C. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm.

Ionia, Ephesos. 82-81 B.C. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within ivy wreath / Two serpents entwined around bow & bowcase, torch right field. Very Fine. Struck as part of a closed monetary system, they weighed three Drachma but were valued at four.

£190.00

Kings of Cappadocia. Ariobarzanes III. 52-42 B.C., AR Drachm.

Kings of Cappadocia. Ariobarzanes III. 52-42 B.C., AR Drachm. Diademed head of Ariobarzanes III right / Athena standing to left holding Nike, spear & resting on a shield. About Very Fine.

£49.50

Seleukid Kingdom. Demetrios I. 162-150 B.C., AR Drachm.

Seleukid Kingdom. Demetrios I. 162-150 B.C., AR Drachm. Diademed head right / Cornucopiae; monograms & legends around. Good Very Fine with toning.

£365.00

Silver Drachm of Parion 6th Century B.C. Very Fine

Founded in 709 B.C., the ancient city of Parion is the present day town of Kemer in Turkey. The image of the Gorgoneion was used to ward off evil and so was put on this silver Drachm made in Parion in the 6th Century B.C. We have two grades, Fine & Very Fine, a fascinating charm, 2500 years ago and now.

£75.00

What were Ancient Greek Coins Called?

The coins of Ancient Greece, as well as modern-day Greece pre-euro, were called Drachma. The denominations used in the old city-states of Greece, differ from city-state to city-state (polis) and derive from the weights for gold and silver merchants used to trade goods. To make matters worse, the weights used also differed from era to era. And as you may know, their coinage went through 4 different periods: the Archaic, the Classical, the Hellenistic, and the Roman. So here too, there are substantial differences coin collectors need to be aware of.

So in the name of keeping things simple for newbie coin collectors, we are going to use the Attic standard to answer this question. As it was the most popular weight standard in the Greek world, due to the power and influence of Athens across the ancient world. In this standard, the Drachm is the base, divided by obols with a sixth of the value.

Starting from largest to smallest, the denominations of Greek coins were as follows:

Dekadrachm – ratio of 10
Tetradrachm – ratio of 4
the Drachm – ratio 1
Tetrobol – ratio of 2/3
Triobol/Hemidrachm – ratio of 1/2
Diobol – ratio of 1/3
Trihemiobol – ratio of 1/4
Obol – ratio of 1/6
Tritartemorion – ratio of 1/8
Hemiobol – ratio of 1/12
Trihemitartemorion – ratio of 1/16
Tetartemorion – ratio of 1/24

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