Owning an Ancient Coin Isn’t Just for Museums
At first glance, the idea of owning a genuine Roman or Greek coin can seem unrealistic. For most people, ancient artifacts are something seen behind glass — in museums, not in private collections. So when they come across a coin dated to the time of Caesar or the early Byzantine Empire being offered for sale, skepticism is understandable.
But that judgment, while reasonable, is based more on unfamiliarity than fact. The reality is that the ancient coin market has been active and well-established for decades — it simply exists under the radar for most people.
The reason these coins survive, and remain accessible today, is due in large part to a very human historical phenomenon: hoarding. In the ancient world, it was common for people to bury savings in the ground — either for safekeeping during times of instability or as a long-term store of value. Many of these hoards were never recovered. Over centuries, they remained buried until unearthed by archaeologists, farmers, and metal detectorists across Europe, North Africa, and the Near East.
These buried caches preserved large quantities of coins — particularly bronze and silver denominations — in remarkable numbers. And because coins were mass-produced and widely circulated across the Roman and Hellenistic worlds, many survive in conditions good enough for study and collection.
Today, millions of authentic ancient Greek and Roman coins are legally held in private collections around the world. Many are made available through established dealers who specialize in sourcing and identifying genuine pieces from reputable sources.
We offer a curated selection of these coins — each one real, and each one representing a tangible connection to the ancient world.
If you'd like to explore what’s available, you can view our current collection below!
Ancient Artifacts is a proud member of the American Numismatic Society, as well as the Paleontological Society. With over 23,000 artifacts sold, we are proud to be one of the fastest growing online antiquities shop in the market.
