Roman coins

Roman coins for sale, from the Republic to the late Empire

This category holds Roman coins for sale from the Republic to the fall of the Western Empire, sorted into four periods: the Roman Republic, the early Empire from 27 BC to AD 220, the crisis years and the tetrarchy AD 221–313, and the late Empire AD 314–476. You will find denarii, sestertii, asses, antoniniani and late bronzes, as well as provincial coins struck for the Greek-speaking east.

The denarius and the Republic

Before Rome struck silver, it cast heavy bronze money, aes grave, such as this uncia of about 225–217 BC. The denarius was introduced a few years before 211 BC as a nearly pure silver coin of about 4.5 grams. It remained Rome’s main silver coin for centuries and gave Denarius its name. In the Gospels it is the coin Jesus asks to see in the question of tribute to Caesar, and a denarius of Tiberius is traditionally called the tribute penny.

Republican coins were signed by the moneyers responsible for the mint, young officials at the start of a political career. Their designs often recalled the deeds of their own ancestors, which makes Republican denarii a small history book of Roman families.

Coins of the emperors

Under Augustus the coinage became a tool of imperial power. The obverse showed the emperor or a member of his family, the reverse gods, virtues, victories and buildings. The abbreviated legends give titles and often the number of years the emperor had held tribunician power, which helps date a coin to a single year. The large brass sestertius gave engravers room for detailed portraits, as on this sestertius of Trajan.

In 215 Caracalla introduced the antoninianus, nominally a double denarius but never with twice the silver. During the crises of the 3rd century its silver content fell to only a few percent. Diocletian’s reforms at the end of the century brought new denominations, among them a large bronze follis, and Constantine the Great introduced the gold solidus, which lived on in the Byzantine Empire. Late Roman bronzes such as the nummus and the double maiorina of Julian II close the series.

What affects the price of a Roman coin?

Many collectors build their collection around a theme: one coin of each emperor, a single denomination, or reverse types showing a particular god or building. Whatever the theme, the same factors decide the price.

• Portrait: a sharp, well-centred portrait is the first thing most collectors look for.
• Legends: complete, legible legends make a coin easier to attribute and more attractive.
• Patina and surface: bronzes are judged on their patina. An even green or brown patina is preferred, and harsh cleaning lowers the value.
• Ruler and type: coins of short-lived emperors and usurpers, and rare reverse types, cost more than common issues of long reigns.
• Grade: ancient coins are graded with terms such as Fine, Very Fine and Extremely Fine, and the grade is given in each description.

Read more in What is a denarius worth?, How to clean Roman coins (and when not to) and The widow’s mite, about the coins of the Gospels. The eastern empire continues in Byzantine coins.