The Romance of Ancient Coins
Romance of Ancient Coins: In the beginning of human history, man
was a wanderer and gatherer. He could not carry much on his travels
other than his tools, weapons and the clothes on his back. But
wandering was a hard life and meant living off the land. Many small
tribes simply did not survive. Eventually success came with the
establishment of a fenced community in which survival was dependent upon
the beginnings of agriculture and animal domestication.
The community was initially self-enclosed and self-sufficient, manufacturing by itself all that was required. But as travellers came into contact with static communities, attractive goods, the product of other cultures and skills, soon came into demand. It was neither realistic nor safe to kill and steal to get what you wanted. Instead the concept of trade was established. Pure trade has great limitations. How do you conveniently buy a necklace or an axe with a goat and a half? How do you trade when there is something you want, but none of your valuables is acceptable to the man you're bargaining with? And how can you go a distance to trade, if your only treasures are living animals and heavy goods? There had to be a better way. It was the ancient Greeks who came up with one of the most successful inventions in man's history: the use of money in the form of coins. They were first struck in the regions of Lydia and Ionia (modern western Turkey) in the late 7th Century B.C., more than 2,600 years ago, and thereafter spread throughout the Greek world. The designs show the badges of city-states, the portraits of rulers, as well as ancient Greek gods, mythical beings and images, and even ordinary objects of daily life. The designs were carved by Greek craftsmen and appeared as miniature works of sculptured art. These highly portable commercial tokens were used for trade, as gifts and dedications, payment for military service, and burial offerings. Coins that survive, many found in long lost hoards, link our world with the culture and lifestyle of the ancient Greeks. 15hqqr. 
The metal used in the first coins was "electrum", a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver. The coin blanks were cast to a predetermined weight. They were then heated to produce a malleable metal which was placed between two engraved dies that were struck by a hammer. They are considered to be the world's first coins because they were composed of a scarce and valuable metal of a consistent weight and were guaranteed by the government of the time. But problems developed with the electrum coins. They were never smelted in order to control the ratio of gold to silver, with the result that eventually those coins that were higher in gold content were pulled from circulation for melting. The result was a reduction in the value of the coinage, with the ultimate fate being the abandonment of electrum coins within 200 years of its initial introduction. After the idea of coinage became a useful and successful practice as a method of stimulating commerce, King Croesus of Lydia (560 B.C.) introduced coins of pure silver and gold. Coinage thereafter spread to Western Greece, then to Rome and beyond. It was Alexander the Great (336 B.C.) who spread the concept of coinage throughout the ancient world as he conquered region after region. His successors founded the Hellenistic empires, introducing realistic portraits as a regular feature of their coinage. The intention was to demonstrate how a ruling government would support the coinage in order to build confidence in a currency. This gave us true likenesses of world rulers at the time, recording their appearance for posterity. But they were equally valuable as finds in archeological sites, establishing accurate dates for associated artifacts. Roman coinage followed the Greek tradition of realistic images of rulers. In some cases a long-lasting rule would show the progression of the emperor's image from boy to man. Without a daily news circulating in the country, the coins served as an important means of reconfirming who was in power at the time. Often the reverse designs depicted the emperor's virtues or victories. Coins also depicted public works and architectural achievements, thereby ensuring a national identity and patriotism. The next great civilization to display its culture through coinage was the Byzantine Empire. It started with Constantine the Great (307 A.D.). The Christian Church was a major political force, with the result that God, rather than the emperor, became the center of the universe. Many Christian images were introduced, replacing the pagan world of the Roman Empire. Representations of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and saints increased the association of authority with the church and the magic of the coinage. A standard Byzantine gold coin, called the "solidus" was issued for almost 1000 years, and maintained a consistent weight and fineness of gold. You can still acquire excellent examples of the solidus and other ancient Greek and Roman coins from dealers and coin auctions. Today, coin collectors for the most part concentrate on collecting in three main areas: ancient coins, mostly Greek and Roman, Medieval hammered coinage (about 476 A.D to 1453 A.D.), and the Modern era. Other numismatists participate in collecting coins from Asia, mainly China. Coins and the Dead
When you acquire an ancient coin, originating from
ancient Greece or Rome, up to 2600 years old, how many men and women,
long since dead have at one time possessed that coin? This would
depend on who held the coin last and at what stage in history it
became buried, before its more recent rediscovery. You can be
almost certain, that the coin has probably passed through a
few hundred or a few thousand owners, possibly tens of thousands of
owners. Today, ancient coins are bought and sold on the romantic
promise that they existed contemporaneously with historic figures such
as Alexander and Jesus.
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