Even Roman nobles were fascinated by Greek culture and collected Greek coins. It is easy to be drawn to the artistic merit and beauty of ancient Greek Coin designs, and they continue to fascinate collectors world wide. Ancient Greek coins were mainly issued in gold, silver and Bronze and we always have a selection of these coins available. Please choose from the Links below to review our selection of Greek coins.

Featured Greek Coins:

Silver, 2.29 grams; 16.27 mm. 145-125 B.C. Greek legend around bust of King Antialkidas wearing causia. Reverse: Karosthi legend around Zeus enthroned left, holding Nike and sceptre, forepart of elephant to left. Some parts of obverse legend not struck, otherwise Extremely Fine.

Gold, 8.56 grams, 17.42 mm. Amphipolis mint, Circa 330 - 320 B.C. Obverse: Head of Athena right, in crested Corinthian helmet ornamented with serpent. Reverse: Nike standing left, holding wreath and ship's mast, kantharos in field to left, not listed in Greek Coins and Their Values, Greek legend in field to right. GCV 6702 variant; GCN 1265P164. Good Very Fine. Ex. Axis Mundi, Santa Fe; Ex. Mr Willis collection.

Axis Mundi stated: "Extremely Desirable Genuine 2300+ Year Old Greek Gold Stater of Alexander the Great / Featuring a Beautiful Portrait of Athena, Greek Goddess of War, Wisdom and the Arts / Also Featuring a Mythological Scene of Nike, the Goddess of Victory / Attractive Coin with a Gorgeous Luster / Important Example Minted in Alexander's Homeland of Macedonia in the City of Amphipolis 330-320 BC."

Born in Pella, capitol of Macedon in northern Ancient Greece, Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedon and of his fourth wife Olympias, an Epirote princess. On his mother's side, he was a second cousin of Pyrrhus of Epirus; thus, there are notable examples of military genius on both sides of his family. According to Plutarch, his father descended from Heracles through Caranus and his mother descended from Aeacus through Neoptolemus and Achilles. Plutarch relates that both Philip and Olympias dreamt of their son's future birth. In Philip's dream, he sealed her womb with the seal of the lion. Alarmed by this, he consulted the seer Aristander of Telmessus, who determined that his wife was pregnant and that the child would have the character of a lion. Another odd coincidence is that the temple of Artemis in Ephesus was set afire on the night of his birth. Plutarch's explanation is that the Gods were too busy watching over Alexander to care for the temple.

After his visit to the Oracle of Ammon at Siwa, according to five historians of antiquity (Arrian, Curtius, Diodorus, Justin, and Plutarch), rumors spread that the Oracle had revealed Alexander's father to be Zeus, rather than Philip. In support of this, Plutarch claims that Philip avoided Olympias' bed because of her affinity for sleeping in the company of snakes.

In his early years, Alexander was raised by his nurse Lanike, who was Cleitus' older sister. Following this, Alexander was educated by a strict teacher: Leonidas, a relative of his mother Olympias. Leonidas thought Alexander narcissistic and silly, and was equally disliked by Alexander. Reportedly, when Alexander threw a large amount of sacrificial incense into a fire, Leonidas harshly reprimanded him, telling him that when he had conquered the spice bearing regions, he could waste as much as he wanted. Years later, when Alexander had conquered Gaza, a city directly on the Persian spice trade route, he sent back over 15 tons of myrrh to Leonidas as a sort of ultimate comeback. Aristotle, however, was Alexander's most famous and important tutor since he gave Alexander a thorough training in rhetoric and literature and stimulated his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy. Aristotle gave him a copy of the Iliad which he always kept with him and read frequently.

When Alexander was ten years old, a Thessalian brought a black horse to sell to Philip. The horse turned out to be wild and no man could mount him. The young Alexander went to the horse, and turned him towards the sun, for he had noticed that the horse was just afraid of his own shadow. He was then able to mount and ride it. His father and other people who saw this were very impressed, and when the young Alexander returned and dismounted the horse Philip kissed him with tears of joy and said "My son, seek thee out a kingdom equal to thyself; Macedonia has not room for thee." This line probably had as much paranoid fear in it as pride. Philip II knew perfectly well what happened to Macedonian kings with ambitious sons. The horse was named Bucephalus (which means ox-head). Bucephalus would be his companion and one of his best friends for the next two decades until the horse died (according to Plutarch due to old age, for he was already 30; other sources claim that Bucephalus died of wounds sustained in a battle in India). Alexander then named a city after him called Bucephalia or Bucephala.

Silver, 10.86 grams; 22.75 mm. 370 - 333 B.C. Obverse: Two naked athletes, wrestling, grasping each other by the arms, A O between. Reverse: Slinger advancing right, about to discharge his sling, triskelis before, all in dotted square. SNG Von Aulock 4555; GCV 5397 variant. Very Fine/Extremely Fine, 'as struck'.

Silver, 5.98 grams, 20.55 mm, Circa 320 B.C. Obverse: Head of nymph Larissa three quarters to left, wearing necklace, hair confined by fillet and floating loosely with amphyx in front. Reverse: AAPIEAION, Horse crouching right. GCV 2124 variant. Almost Extremely Fine, a beautiful coin.

The value of an ox was universal in antiquity and became the basis on which all currency was evaluated. A 25.5 gram copper ingot or 8.5 g grams of gold were of equal value to a whole ox. Coins eventually replaced bars and ingots as currency because they were easier to transport. The Greek historian Herodotus informs us that the Lydians first invented coinage. Familial coats of arms were the first patterns imprinted on Greek coins. Later, when rulers of the city-states had taken control of minting, the arms of monarchs became the symbol of the city-state itself. Very often a coat of arms was determined by a particular deity for which the city-state had an affinity. For example, periodically, throughout its history the city-state of Athens minted owl coins which was decorated on the obverse of the coin with the head of Athena, the patron goddess of Athens, and on the reverse of the coin with the owl, associated with her worship. Other Greek symbols on coins were animals or plants which typified a certain region. Until the Hellenistic period the images of monarchs and great men were never depicted on Greek coins. We are regularly adding to our collection coin so please re-visit soon.