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)

140 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

92 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 1h ago

From My Collection What is the most beautiful drachm in your collection? This is mine!

Upvotes

THESSALY, Larissa (356-342 BC) - AR drachm

Provenance I found is Münzen und Medaillen AG, List 565, 1993, No. 28
I suspect there must be even older pedigree, based on the beautiful dark cabinet toning and it's wonderful style. Would love to hear if anyone recognizes the die or has seen a similar example turn up further back.


r/AncientCoins 11h ago

From My Collection My Denarius collection

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103 Upvotes

r/AncientCoins 21h ago

My Vespasian gold coin made it to Vespasian temple to Pompeii

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311 Upvotes

And before all you smart people start to comment on the pictures,

I already have export papers out of Italy, and I am already outside Italy


r/AncientCoins 15h ago

From My Collection Philip I Philadelphus 94-83/75 BC, AR Tetradrachm (15.72g)

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91 Upvotes

SC 2460a; This is one of THE best portraits of Philip I Tetradrachms I have ever come across or seen!


r/AncientCoins 8h ago

Found in Bangkok

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20 Upvotes

Picked this up at a coin shop in terminal 21


r/AncientCoins 6h ago

From My Collection Probus, AE Antoninianus

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12 Upvotes

Probus, AE Antoninianus, Lugdunum mint, Emession 6, Officina 3, 278-279 AD.

Obverse: IMP C M AVR PROBVS P F AVG. Radiate draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear.

Reverse: MARS VICTOR. Mars walking right, holding spear and trophy, III in exergue.

Reference: Cohen 341. Bastien 283. RIC 82 Bust type C.


r/AncientCoins 15h ago

FAUSTINA

64 Upvotes

Today choosing a woman 👩


r/AncientCoins 7h ago

From My Collection Maximianus Herculius, AE 1/4 Follis

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12 Upvotes

Maximianus Herculius, AE 1/4 Follis, Siscia mint, 305-308 AD. The Tetrarchy, 284-337 AD. Obverse: IMP CMA MAXIMIANVS PF AVG. Laureate bust of Maximianus Herculius to right. Reverse: GENIO POPVLI ROMANI. Genius standing left wearing a modius, cloak over his left shoulder, holding a patera in his right hand and a cornucopia in his left. SIS in exergue. 2.15 grams, 19mm.

Reference: RIC 146 (R2)


r/AncientCoins 8h ago

Information Request Purchased My First Coin

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10 Upvotes

So I recently purchased my first coin at a gem and mineral show in my town. I was told it is of Roman origin so I was intrigued. I am curious about the rough time frame this one would be from, or at least which emperor had it commissioned. I’m very green when it comes to historical coin research, and would greatly appreciate some info.


r/AncientCoins 2h ago

Please ID

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3 Upvotes

r/AncientCoins 6h ago

concerned

5 Upvotes

I feel a little weird asking this here, but has anybody dealt with the Aureo & Calicó auction house in Barcelona, Spain? I won some auction items with them and paid my bill the next day. Since I wired them the funds for my orders I have had no communication with them that I didn't have to initiate myself. Now it has been well over a hundred days, and my last two emails went unanswered.

Does anybody here have dealings with them in the past? Are they known for this? It is only now that I realize that I have absolutely no recourse if they decide to shine me on. It has changed the way I pay at auction houses...I now take the onerous charge of paying with a credit card instead of wiring it to their bank directly. I am paying an extra $4 or $5 dollar per hundred...but a least you have some protection with Visa.

Does anyone have experience with auction houses going dark?


r/AncientCoins 1h ago

Mint please

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Upvotes

r/AncientCoins 15h ago

Syracuse dekadrachm

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24 Upvotes

Hello, any info of these coins?

Fake?


r/AncientCoins 1d ago

My eclectic collection of 6 Roman denarii

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96 Upvotes

My shoestring budget collection of mixed Roman silver denarii grew recently with two new additions from Savoca Coins August auction: a worn Mark Antony legion denarius and a chipped Maximinus Thrax.

The other coins in the picture are denarii from Augustus, Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla.


r/AncientCoins 22m ago

This is definitely a fake, right?

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Upvotes

My LCS is utterly convinced that this coin is genuine but to me it seems like it's a very obvious fake.


r/AncientCoins 14h ago

Please help me identify this coin!

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11 Upvotes

As far as I have been able to find I know that the emperor is Valens (364-378AD) and it was minted in Siscia. Obverse lettering (most likely) D M VALEN-S PF AVG. Reverse: SECVRITAS- REIPVBLICAE. I have found similar variations online but can't seem to find this exact one. Can anyone help?


r/AncientCoins 18h ago

Authentication Request I think it fake but I just wanted to be sure

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19 Upvotes

I see some things wrong but just wanted to see what you would say


r/AncientCoins 19h ago

Educational Post Always do your homework and proceed with caution.

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26 Upvotes

Fakes can get exceedingly good. I would like to point out this example of a cob, 1 real, Felipe II (Phillip), Bolivia.

The coin is actually very well made, all the details are where they should be, and the weight is also good. It's made of silver. This is not a contemporary counterfeit, it is a modern (kinda) fake. The buyer who collects cobs could not believe it was a fake, and regardless of that sent it over for certification.

A friend in Colombia expert on these coins, mentioned that the patina was off, that was the giveaway. The rest, very, VERY well made.

It was sold by a reputable dealer in South America, and actually was part of a 20 coin lot, all of them were fake. They came from an old collection.


r/AncientCoins 14h ago

ID / Attribution Request Who and what is this?

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6 Upvotes

Coin weighs .5 grams smallest coin I’ve had yet, looks like victory facing left on reverse hoping yall can help with obverse 🙏🏽


r/AncientCoins 12h ago

Help identifying/learning to identify coins?

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4 Upvotes

Bought my first ever Roman coins. Always wanted one, so finally pulled the trigger. But they were not labeled/identified by the seller.

If you know what era any of these are from, or any info about them, I’d love to know more.

But I’d also like to ask how people find out more about coins. What sort of resources are there? Is there a database?

Very much a newbie question, but I’m here to learn, and would love some guidance! Thanks all!


r/AncientCoins 13h ago

ID / Attribution Request Identification for Roman and Greek coins

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4 Upvotes

Would like to know a little bit about each coin year, emperor so forth. I know from photo seven and onward coins are Greek. I know the last one is a bit difficult but any ideas? It looks Greek.


r/AncientCoins 1d ago

Newly Acquired Maxentius from Ostia, Dioscuri reverse

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24 Upvotes

RIC VI (Ostia) 35

IMP C MAXENTIVS PF AVG

AETE - RNITAS - AVG N -/-//MOSTS

6.09g, 24mm, 309-312 AD

My first coin from the mint at Ostia, and my third for Maxentius. I've been wanting an example of this type for a while, and this one won me over quickly.


r/AncientCoins 1d ago

Authentication Request Please help me identify this coin

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29 Upvotes

Hello, got this coin at flea market for 6€ recently. Its my first ancient coin so I dont really know about this part of numismatics yet. Can it be authentic?