Guido Brück’s book, Die Spätrömische Kupferprägung. It can sometimes feel like a Rorschach test. Particularly with worn and often poorly struck late Roman coins, identifying the reverse type can also be difficult, as one turns the coin in the light in an attempt to discern what is there. Of course, if Constantine himself can be identified on the obverse, the coins date to 335–337 CE, and if one of his sons appears as Augustus on the obverse, then they date to 337–340 CE. For many recurrent late Roman types at a site, where much of the coin or the mintmark is illegible, one quickly develops the ability to recognize reverse types immediately and to attribute the coin to the date range for when the reverse type was in use.įor example, if all that can be clearly discerned on a coin is the two-soldiers-flanking-one-standard reverse, which was struck toward the end of Constantine’s reign and the beginning of that of his sons, then it can be attributed to at least 335–340 CE (Fig. The task became somewhat easier with PDF scans of relevant reference works and online databases that can aid in coin identification, such as CoinArchives. Twenty years ago, identifying coins on a site meant packing up relevant Roman Imperial Coins (RIC) volumes for the Roman coins most likely to be encountered and taking good photographs of any other coins that could not be identified on-site. In excavations, it is important to attribute coins correctly, as a single coin find can be pivotal in understanding the history of a place. For example, in my fieldwork in Israel, we have unearthed Roman, Seleucid, Ptolemaic, Nabatean, Hasmonean, Herodian, Byzantine, Crusader, Islamic, and modern coins. The task can be even more difficult for aspiring field numismatists, as excavation coins are not always well-preserved and there is sometimes a variety of material from different cultures or periods. But, at the end of the day, there is no substitute for looking at different coins, becoming intimately familiar with the reference works and online resources, and building up hundreds or even thousands of hours of experience to become adept at coin identification.

At archaeological field schools and in the classroom, numismatists provide some guidance and host practicums. Recording standing figure holding branch?', or the inscription PXV may help others identify your coin at a later date.By Nathan Elkins for American Numismatic Society (ANS) ……Īlthough fundamental to our discipline, one of the most difficult skills to teach aspiring Roman numismatists is how to identify coins. you could not work out who/what was depicted on the reverse) record as much information as possible. If you could not fully identify the coin (i.e. These are often difficult to read, but use the information under mints and mintmarks to help you. These normally appear around the margins of the design and at the bottom (the exergue). Some 3rd century radiates and almost all 4th century nummi have mintmarks that indicate where they were produced. Once you have identified the reverse of a 4th century nummus, try to identify the emperor from possibilities listed with it. The inscription may help you work this out. Once you have established the emperor shown on the early denomination or radiate, use the information and pictures under reverses/understanding reverse designs to try and determine who/what is shown on the reverse. This will give you the date of your coin, and a list of the possibilities of the emperor shown on the obverse. If your coin is a 4th century nummus, search the common types shown under reverses/common 4th Century reverse types. Use the information and pictures under inscriptions and obverses. If your coin is one of the early denominations or a radiate the next step is to work out the emperor from the inscription and the portrait. This will cut down the number of possible emperors that might appear on the obverse. Once you have established this you can roughly date the coin within the Roman period (i.e. Work out the denomination of the coin using the information and pictures under denominations. The suggested approach for identification or Roman coins.

An introductory guide to identifying Roman coins

Identifying roman coins