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How to Identify Old Greek Coins

When the famous sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens designed a run of coins for the U.S. Mint in the 1930s, he looked back to the ancient Greeks for inspiration. The Greeks were among the earliest civilizations to introduce a widely recognized coinage, producing in their vlassical age what many consider to be some of the finest examples of numismatic art. Also, however, Greece went through periods under Roman, Byzantine and Turkish rule where it minted very little of its own coinage at all. Here at some steps toward making sense of this rich but confusing heritage.

Instructions

- 1
  Identify Greek coins from 550 to 360 B.C. by looking first of all for silver pieces, as this was the predominant metal thanks to rich deposits in Northern Greece. The coins from the three main production centers -- Aegina, Athens and Corinth -- can be distinguished by the designs that give them their names. Athenian "owls" carry a portrait of that bird on their reverse, while the head of the Aeginan "turtles" has a turtle design and the Corinthian "colt" bears an image of the mythical horse Pegasus.
- 2
  Spot currency from the reigns of Philip II (359 to 336 B.C.) and Alexander the Great (336 to 323 B.C.) by looking for gold coinage, which both leaders produced in quantities. To identify coins from Alexander's reign, check for a head of Athena backed by a figure of Victory. Ironically, the coinage Alexander introduced was so universally popular it continued to be minted even after his empire crumbled following his untimely death.
- 3
  Scrutinize Greek coins for a series bearing a phoenix, the first currency to be issued after independence from Turkey in 1827 by President John Capodistras. It was a full run of decimal coinage, with 100 lepta equaling one silver phoenix (the symbolic bird gives its name to that coin but is featured on all of the denominations).
- 4
  Identify coins from after 1832, when King Otho assumed the throne, by looking for denominations in drachmas -- the largest initially being a 20-drachma piece. The head and tail of these coins show the king and his royal coat of arms, respectively.

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