Ancient, Rare, and Valuable Coins – From Roman to Greek Coins

Italian collectors and numismatic professionals prefer to collect three types of ancient coins:

• the ancient Roman coins
• ancient Greek coins
• the rare Italian coins

We will analyze each of these groups and see what value the rare coins in your collection may have.

Whether you are collecting rare coins for historical reasons or for collecting purposes, you need to know and understand the factors that determine a coin's value and, above all, which coins are the most sought after (or the rarest) and therefore have the highest prices.

If you don't frequent a real environment of Numismatists or collectors, the easiest way to find ancient coins is undoubtedly online. A first step can be joining opinion groups on the various social media and then finding an online site that helps you in your search.

This auction site is reliable and well-known, and it is a safe place for collectors of ancient coins to trade.

So whether you want to start a new coin collection (who knows, maybe your first?) or expand your old collection, you can find what you're looking for on that site as well.

You can register for free from this page and you will receive email alerts notifying you that the piece you are looking for has been put up for auction. This way, you can watch the auction and place your bid if you're interested.

• In the times when coins were manually minted, their value depended solely on the value of the metal from which they were made. Therefore, unlike today, a coin of equal weight but made of different materials (gold, silver, copper) had a distinctly different value. We can say that the more precious the material and the higher the weight, the more valuable the coin was.
• Today, however, the value of these rare coins depends on many more factors beyond the material and weight. The historical period, the particularities of the coin, any minting errors, the number of coins available on the market, and the condition become fundamental factors in determining the rarity and value of the coin.

For a novice collector looking to purchase some valuable ancient coins, we recommend referring to an updated catalog.

With the right tips, it won't be too difficult to gather a decent collection of coins in a short time.

The Roman coins were minted with three metals: silver, gold, and copper. Besides being a means of trade, they were often used, and increasingly so over the years, for propaganda purposes. The effigies and engravings on the faces of ancient coins depicted emperors. The deeds of the emperor were praised in the inscription on the coin.

The Roman coins are classified based on the periods that distinguish them:

• Empire
• Republic
• Byzantine

Let’s briefly look at some of the most interesting ones.

Ancient Roman Coins: The Imperial Coins

The imperial coins of Rome are the ancient coins of value that offer many profit prospects for collectors and are therefore highly sought after.

They are all essentially rare and of great collectible and historical interest. These ancient coins of value can be priced from a minimum of 100 euros up to several thousand euros. The challenge is finding coins in excellent condition.

• For example, a valuable coin a Denarius of Augustus from 2 BC was one of the first silver coins minted by Ancient Rome and has a current value of over 600 € with a weight of 4.5 grams.

Ancient Roman Coins: The Roman Sestertius

The Roman sestertius is a very rare ancient coin and therefore highly sought after, minted in silver and with variable weight. (We discussed it in a specific article that you can find here: Sestertii).

• The Roman sestertius today has a value starting from 400 € and can reach several thousand euros.

Let’s now take a look at some of the most sought-after rare Italian coins. We will explore which ancient coins are the most interesting from a numismatic and collecting perspective.

Ancient Italian Coins: The Gold Marengo

How can we not start with the Gold Marengo, which is one of the ancient coins of value that we can find most easily in our country? It is also called “Napoleon” because one version depicts the French Emperor and also because it was minted to celebrate Napoleon's victory over the Austrians in 1800. The battle in question was called “The Battle of Marengo.”

This rare coin was minted by the Subalpine Republic in the distant year of 1801 and had a value of 20 francs. The coin contained just over 6 grams of gold. The Gold Marengo was subsequently adopted as currency in Italy and many other countries until the early 1900s.

The valuation of this ancient coin depends on the year of minting and its state of preservation. Furthermore, the coins of greater value are those from the years 1870 to 1873. These are the 20 gold lire minted by Vittorio Emanuele II.

• The rare coins from the mentioned years have a value ranging from €250 to over €400.
• The Gold Marengos minted by Umberto I from 1884 to 1897 have a value of about €350.
• All other coins have a value that depends on the current price of gold and hovers around €200 each.

Ancient Italian Coins: The Gold Fiorino

Among the valuable Italian coins, the Gold Fiorino undoubtedly deserves mention.

This ancient coin holds great value because it was one of the first coins made of gold minted in Italian territory after the fall of the Roman Empire (it was minted in 1252). In the 13th century, this rare Florentine coin spread to all European countries and became the main currency for trade in these countries. The name of the coin derives from the design of a lily on the obverse of the coin. Its weight is 3.54 grams and it contains 24-carat gold.

• The value of a gold fiorino today ranges from €600 to over €4000.

Ancient Italian Coins: The Rare Lire

In this detailed article, we have described which rare lire have the highest value and are easier to find in the circles of enthusiasts. Other noteworthy valuable coins among the rare lire are the Lire of 1848, minted during the war with the Austrians. These rare Italian coins of value are the lire of the provisional government of Lombardy.

For example, these 20 Lire with Italy Turrita with rarity R2 minted in 1848

• On May 19, 2012, an R2 specimen in FDC of this beautiful coin was auctioned for €4,830
• Another FDC coin also from 1848 and R2 was sold at auction on April 24, 2010, for €4,600
• €3,220 was the amount spent to acquire one of these coins in qFDC condition on April 13, 2013
• Meanwhile, a spl+ reached the amount of €3,036 on June 1, 2012, before being purchased at an auction

I could provide more examples of auctions at these levels, which shows that the coin has become rare and of great value over time for various reasons!

Other examples of valued coins from the provisional government of Lombardy are:

• The 5 Lire which have a value starting from a minimum of €200
• The 40 lire (in gold) which are valued at over €3,000.

These Italian coins are very rare, so if you find the inscription “Italy free, God wills it” on the reverse, you might possess a small treasure of significant historical value.

After ancient Roman coins and rare Italian coins, collectors' attention is primarily directed towards the valuable coins of Ancient Greece. These are coins rich in charm and historical value.

The coins of ancient Greece that hold greater economic value are those from the Kingdom of Macedonia. These pieces date back to the first half of the 300 BC.

• Currently, ancient coins from that period have a value in euros of over 2,000 euros.

Athenian Tetradrachm

Another coin worthy of particular attention is the Athenian Tetradrachm. It dates back to 393 – 300 BC and features the head of Athena on the obverse, with a helmet facing right. On the reverse of the ancient coin is engraved an owl.

• This coin currently has a value starting from 400 euros and up, depending on its state of preservation.

If we talk about foreign coins, for example American ones, one notable example is the Dollar minted in 1794: Flowing Hair

The 1 dollar coin is defined as legendary because it is the first coin minted by the United States. THE “LORD ST. OSWALD”.

• Pcgs specimen (the finest known specimen) sold at auction in January 2013 for the modest sum of €8,506,000

Didn't find what you were looking for? Check out these topics:

• We talked about Roman Coins on this page and Greek coins.
• To learn all about the Gold Pound, click here.
• If you are looking for Rare Euro Coins then click here.
• If you want info on Ancient Coins and their value, you can find it here.
• Rare Lire and their great value have been discussed here.
• We talked about the Value of Phone Tokens on this page.
• To Sell or Buy Rare Coins online, read these tips.
• All information about 500 silver lire can be found here.