Unlike other ancient civilizations, little remains of Carthage. There are few works of art, literature, or architecture to tell the story of the Carthaginians. Thankfully, many of its coins still exist today. Military Legacy of Carthage Located on the north coast of Africa, in what
Under Alexander the Great, the silver tetradrachm was the most widely-circulated coin. As Alexander built his empire, it was used to pay tribute, as well as mercenaries. After Alexander’s death, the kingdoms that had been under his rule continued to mint the coins bearing his
During the second half of the fifth century, the abundant silver mines of nearby Laurium allowed Athens to produce millions of tetradrachms. The silver coins helped fund the Golden Age of Athens, during which the military, politics, and culture of the ancient Greek civilization flourished. Golden
Philip II ruled the Kingdom of Macedon from 359-336 B.C. Though far less well-known than his son, Alexander the Great, King Phillip started the expansion of the Macedonian Kingdom into an empire. He is also remembered for his gold Staters, although most are thought to
A silver or gold coin that might have circulated to pay for troops and supplies during the first Persian invasion of Greece between 492 BC and 490BC represents this important period of the history of western civilization. The invasion ended in failure for the Persians
The gold Stater of Croesus was the world’s first gold coin. It features a bull and a lion facing one another. Art was now used to adorn the surface of coins to identify the coin with the coin producer. Lydia’s King Croesus King Croesus reigned
The Lydian striated Stater is the first attempt in western civilization at assigning value to small pieces of metal in order to facilitate trade. These small electrum (a mixture of gold and silver) coins are the first “coins” made around 660 BC. Within 60 years,
Mauritania’s tri-metallic 20 Ouguiya coin (KM-15) was named the “Best Circulating Coin” at the 2019 Krause Coin of the Year Awards (COTY). The coin, dated 2017, gave Mauritania’s its first COTY award to date. Struck by the Monnaie de Paris (French Mint), the standard
The Republic of Palau’s Great Micromosaic Passion – Birth of Venus coin was named the “Most Innovative” at the 2019 Krause Coin of the Year Awards (COTY) in Berlin. The coin, dated 2017, is the first in the groundbreaking “Great Micromosaic Passion” series. The $20
The Cook Islands won the “Best Crown Coin” Category at the 2019 Krause Coin of the Year Awards (COTY) ceremony in Berlin. The silver 5 Dollar Red Dawn coin, dated 2017, is part of the Scarab Collection, which celebrates the scarab of ancient Egypt. Millions of
