Ancient Greek Coins

PeterD · Post by **PeterD** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 12:52 am

I recently bought on ebay an authentic, Ancient Greek silver drachma coin (c. 340 BC) on ebay. On one side you have the head of the goddess Hera with her hair rolled up, and on the other side an eagle holding a serpent in its talons. I have to admit, it wasn't my intention to purchase anything, I was just browsing; but, when I happen to chance on it, I just couldn't resist. I thought it would make a nice gift -- among other gifts -- for my bother and sister-in-law since they are expecting their first child in a couple of months. If I remember my Greek mythology, Hera was the goddess of marriage and birth. Plus, it's just cool to have a coin in your possession that predates the birth of Christ by 300 years.

Does anyone out there in cyberspace have any ancient coins? Love to hear from you.

Take care,

Peter

Post by **klewlis** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:03 am

I don't have any myself, but one of my old profs collects them, and has shown me a few in the past. They are pretty cool, and I'd love to have some of my own. He buys most of his in England, where they can be had for pretty cheap.

On that note, did you guys hear about the guy in England who recently found a whole jar full of thousands of ancient Roman coins? It included one which is so rare that it's only the second like it found! He discovered it with a metal detector.

PeterD · Post by **PeterD** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:37 am

Now there is an idea

On my next visit to Greece I think Im gonna get me one of dem metal detectors

Post by **klewlis** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:45 am

PeterD wrote:Now there is an idea :idea: On my next visit to Greece I think Im gonna get me one of dem metal detectors :wink:

lol. don't get too excited. this guy searched for 15 years before he found this!

the most amazing thing of all, to me, is that instead of dumping it out and investigating the contents, he immediately took it to a museum so that they could protect it and examine it properly... that takes a lot more will power than I would ever have! apparently now he's going to make some money selling the coins to other museums and stuff... funky.

PeterD · Post by **PeterD** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 2:02 am

klewlis wrote:lol. don't get too excited. this guy searched for 15 years before he found this!

You didn't mention that before. Oh well...it's back to the lottery for me.

Episcopus · Post by **Episcopus** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 8:04 pm

How much did you pay for this coin? I tend to buy platinum bullion instead with the money that I receive for attending school.

Yhevhe · Post by **Yhevhe** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 10:13 pm

I have seen those auctions of eBay, but I couldn't believe you could buy ancient coins like those for so small a price. Of course, they seem to come all dirty, so you have a nice time cleaning and polishing them up!

Timotheus · Post by **Timotheus** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:38 am

PeterD wrote:
klewlis wrote:lol. don't get too excited. this guy searched for 15 years before he found this!
You didn't mention that before. Oh well...it's back to the lottery for me.

Metal detecting isn't for the purpose of getting rich, it's to have fun.

My father was an amature geologist and treasure seeker. hours we spent looking for treasure coins, rings, bus tokens... but mostly we found aluminum wrappers, bottle caps, nails (round and square) wire...

when we did find something of value it just went into a jar or was sold to a jewler to pay for the gas to continue our adventures. If the laws of your city, state , and park will allow it I would highly recommend it (just remember to close up your holes and not vandalize the lawns.

as for the coins, i have collected many but the oldest I have ever found is a penny with a native american head on it dated 1883. I think my luck of finding a Roman or Greek coin in Washington state USA is going to be difficult. in this case the odds are in my favor of the lottery as well.

chad · Post by **chad** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 6:38 am

i only like ancient things which you can use the same way now. one day i'll get an ancient greek cup, i just won't put it in the dishwasher. i'd have to check with someone though that it's not toxic... it's not actually paint i understand, but a clay slip which turns black when fired.

i also came close to buying this as a present for someone, from an antiquities dealer in sydney i've bought some stuff from before. it feels v heavy in your hand and the rams are cool

http://www.xanthos.com.au/order/itemDet ... 48&vOrder=

Democritus · Post by **Democritus** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 4:23 pm

Local coin shops around here tend to have a small set of Roman and Greek coins on hand. Most of them are in bad shape, either corroded or scratched or both. Nicer looking ones are more expensive, but they sell these too. Most of them are silver, and sell at a price a lot higher than the price of silver bullion.

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Ancient Greek Coins

Ancient Greek Coins

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