Coins and Paper Money -> Coins: Ancient -> Roman: Republic
When it comes to collecting coins or paper money, many prefer to go straight to roman coins. These are highly historic collectibles that may actually be worth a good deal of money and many are quite rare. When you consider the fact that the coin had to survive for thousands of years, it’s easy to see why they are so popular, and why many can fetch such a high price at auction.
Roman coins were originally made in either silver, bronze or gold. Golden coins are considered to be the most rare, and are very hard to find today. However, a few collectors have managed to create quite a private collection of these rare coins. Silver was the most commonly used metal for coins in the period and during 200 B.C., the majority of coins produced were made of this material.
Interestingly enough, many Roman coins are actually made in the Greek style. This has been attributed to the fact that many Romans were doing business with Greeks, especially in certain parts of Italy, and they needed to have coins that would be acceptable to those that they were doing business with. Whatever the real reason might have been, it is obvious when you look at Roman coins that Greek designs did have a big influence on the finished products.
There are many different denominations of Roman coins, but drachmae are the most common. These were used by even the every day people in the city and for many workers, this was their daily wage. Many thousands of these coins were produced, and if you do find a Roman coin today, it will most likely be a drachmae since they were the ones that were the most mass produced. They were usually made of silver.
Bronze Roman coins are quite popular among collectors and while they are rarer than silver coins, they are not worth quite as much as their golden counterparts. Bronze coins were typically used for smaller denominations and were very common during the height of the Roman empire.
If you are looking to collect Roman coins, it is important to make sure that you are dealing with authentic pieces. The coins should not be perfect, in fact, they will have some oddities with their shape. This is due to the fact that the coins were all made by hand during this time period and it was natural that they would not be perfectly round. Most Roman coins will have the relief of an emperor, and this is a great way to tell just how old the coin may be.
Once again, the relief will not be perfect, and you should be able to tell that the coin was handmade. Roman coins that have survived throughout the years may be a bit dull in appearance, which is a good indicator of their authenticity. If you come across a coin that is simply too shiny, you may be dealing with a counterfeit.
To protect yourself when collecting Roman coins, it is always best to get an appraisal before you buy to ensure that they are authentic.
Originally posted 2008-09-05 05:00:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Enjoying a World Coin Collection Most people who begin to collect coins actually do so by collecting regional coins from their own mother country. So for example, if you are from the United States, then you may want to collect United States coins first and foremost. This is because you are already familiar with the...... -
1925 Coin Penny Coins & Paper Money -> Coins: World -> Australia The 1925 coin penny is the 3rd rarest copper coin from Australia. According to records from their Royal Mint, this coin was struck late in the year to make sure that Australian merchants had plenty of pennies during the Christmas season....... -
1896 Silver Dollar Coins & Paper Money -> Coins: US -> Dollars An 1896 silver dollar is one of the Morgan dollars that were minted from 1868 to 1904, and then later again in 1921. The image on these coins was designed by George T. Morgan, and while his dollar is a collector...... -
Federal Reserve Notes Coins and Paper Money -> Paper Money: US -> Large Size Notes -> Federal Reserve Notes One of the most interesting collectibles in the field of coins and paper money are federal reserve notes. However, there is quite a bit of confusion out there about what these notes really are....... -
Buffalo Nickels Coins and Paper Money -> Coins - US -> Nickels -> Buffalo (1913-1938): 1913-19, 1920-29, 1930-38, Mixed Lots The popular US coin called the Buffalo Nickel was only minted from 1913 to 1938, but it quickly became one of the most popular coins and certainly one of the most collectible.......
Related Websites -
Perth Mint Suspends Orders For Gold Bullion As a follow-up to my previous 2 posts on gold, here's a news article about the Australian Perth Mint suspending orders for gold bullion until January. Apparently having it's workers slog 7 days a week isn't enough to meet demand! FEARS of the unknown long-term effects from the global financial...... -
Bobbleheads Sports Memorabilia -> Vintage Sports Memorabilia -> Bobbleheads Bobblehead dolls may be considered silly by some, but there is definitely a national craze to collect them. Whether it is of a famous personality, sports hero, or even a cartoon character, these fun collectibles can be found just about anywhere. While...... -
Franklin Mint Collectibles Collectibles -> Decorative Collectibles -> Franklin Mint One of the most popular brands of collectibles are Franklin Mint Collectibles. This company is well known throughout the world for providing collectible editions at reasonable prices and they even offer payment plans for their more expensive items. This has allowed thousands, if...... -
Activities necessary for a successful home based business Live the American dream of having a business, but avoiding the high overhead and start-up costs of a brick and mortar location. If the thought of working from home is attractive, but you do not know where to start, here is a procedural article. Activity 1 Choose what portion...... -
Why Should Get Started With Video Marketing Online Having experimented with Video Marketing for the past few months, I can say unequivocally and without reservation that online videos are, in short, really cool..:) I could truly kick myself for not pursuing video marketing years ealier when Youtude launched. It still positively astonishes me how quickly many of the......
If you are looking for an intriguing coin collection, consider adding 





![[Perth Mint Lunar Series Gold Dragon 1 Ounce coin] [Perth Mint Lunar Series Gold Dragon 1 Ounce coin]](http://www.livingoffdividends.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/perth_mint_lunar_series_gold_dragon.jpg)