Most new collectors of Roman ancient coins often find it interesting and sometimes difficult interpreting the words or letters on their coins. The reason for this is that the celators that carved dies used to create the coins were forced to used abbreviations in order to fit the entire legend on the flan of the coin. By using abbreviations, they were able to fit an amazing amount of information in a relatively small space.
It is believed that coins played an important part in spreading news and information to a mostly illiterate population. The citizens of Rome and its provinces may not have been able to read, but a coin in hand could send a message almost as well as the written word. By placing representative visual messages on it's coins, the Roman rulers could convey almost subliminal ideas to the people. Such messages could serve as a warning or a way of establishing imperial authority.
For many years roman citizens used the barter system to exchange goods. This system worked well enough in a fairly simple society that dealt mainly at the local level, with villages in a relatively small area trading back and forth with each other. However, as society grew more complex, and trading over a larger area became more common, a standardized system for trading became more desirable.
How the coins were made
The Production of a coin started with the metal from which the coin was to be struck. The metal would either be rolled into a sheet, and then stamped into round blanks, or poured into molds. The dies used to produce the coin were most likely created by first engraving a crude image into iron, which was then annealed, or heated and then allowed to slowly cool. This rough image was then stamped onto a working die, and was then finished by the celator, or die-carver, who would have used hand tools to add the fine details that would complete the die. This final carving must have been the most time-consuming task in the process, and probably required the most skilled workers. Once both dies were completed, one would be mounted on an anvil, and the other on a hand-held punch.
The fact that the coins were all struck by hand, each coin is different from all others. No two coins are exactly alike. Some are more round than others, some have cracks or splits, and many are slightly off-center. This is what makes Roman antique coins so unique and valuable.
The first thing you need to do is clean the coin enough so that the letters are legible and the pictures are clear. This is not always possible, but the idea is to get it as clean as you can. The good thing about Roman coins is that they use the same basic letters that we do so you can start by reading those off and writing them down. Be careful because you'll often run into a "P" that looks like a "D" or even an "O." Be aware of that fact and keep it in mind when making your final determinations.
You should also take note of the pictures on the coin, the main one typically being the face of the ruler at the time of minting. It may sound far-fetched, but you can occasionally recognize the person on the coin just by their face, saving you a good amount of time. This should not however be used as the final determination, mainly because of similar art styles for different rulers.
On a similar note, you should start to learn the styles of different types of coins. Things change over time and you can clearly see a progression by analyzing the dates of different Roman coins. Recognizing these styles on sight will give you a valuable tool as you'll already have a good idea of where to begin your search.
When you are ready to start the identification process, the easiest place to go is an online database. Wildwinds.com is probably the most versitile one on the web and is very highly recommended. Using their partial inscription search, you should take any of the letters and words that you found and enter them in. This will give you a list of possible matches to your coin. Hopefully you have a small list so that you can quickly look through them and find your match. Often though, many coins have the same inscription so you'll have to dig through them to find the correct one. A good way to do this is to keep in mind the details of the pictures so that you can quickly browse the list.
When you finally identify your coin it is a rewarding experience. You are no longer holding a random piece of metal, but a coin that represents a period in time and a the reign of an individual. This makes the hobby and the coins themselves infinitely more interesting and significant.
Both Victor Epand & Jacob Weasley are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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