Emperor Coins

Roman emperor coins are an endless fascination, with their many faces and symbols. It was common practice for a new Emperor to commission coins with his own likeness, thus there is a great variety of bronze and silver Roman coins representing the Emperor of the time.

Bronze coins

Bronze – that foundation of precious metals – was the coin of the realm in ancient times. The earliest cast and minted coins were the bronzes of ancient Greece and Rome. They were the coins that changed hands in the marketplaces of Athens, Sparta, Rome and Byzantium.

In nearly every culture that used metal coins, the bronzes were those of lower denominations. The smallest known ancient coin, the Biblical widow's mite, was bronze. It's estimated that the widow's mite was enough to purchase grain to make daily bread.

While bronze coins were the most common coins used in the ancient world, it can be difficult to come by examples of bronze coins in excellent condition. Because they were in use, most bronze coins that come down to us are coins that were “lost”, literally, dropped and ground into the dirt and have been subject to the ravages of time. However, for our jewelry, we select from a small percentage of ancient bronze coins surviving in good condition.

Silver coins

Silver coins were among the first coins ever minted, and ancient silver coins are among the most valued by collectors of ancient coins. These shiny bits of precious metal are more than currency – they are pieces of history and incredible works of art. The finest artisans in the ancient empires created the dies with which the coins were struck. The images on the heads of the coins are those of some of the most powerful leaders of the ancient worlds.

A Roman soldier's salary ranged from 3 silver denarii a day to 25 silver denarii a month. A single denarii would buy enough grain to make bread for nearly a month. Silver coins and gold coins were used for larger purchases, and saw far less distribution than bronze coins. Silver coins were buried in jars or leather pouches that protected them from the elements and the ravages of the earth and air. Because of this, the silver coins found are far more likely to be in better condition than bronze coins although there are fewer of them still in existence. Between their relative rarity and their better quality, ancient silver coins tend to have considerably more value to collectors than bronze coins.