Ancient Coins: The Drachma

[@justinchurch4292]

Really enjoying your content, it has reignited my enthusiasm for ancient coins. Your uploads are a real education!

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thats great to hear Justin! There´s a lot more to come, hope you like it :)

[@amauldin71]

Thanks for furthering my numismatic education. I sort of knew what a drachma was, but you definitely taught me a few things I knew nothing about. The only problem with your videos is I keep feeling the need to buy more coins after watching them. You're doing a great job promoting this hobby.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

I suffer from the same problem, Im fixated on purchasing a couple of coins featured here haha! :)

[@siisjwj7647]

Rhodes has probably the most elegant coins, they are all so fancy looking, they give me a feeling that no other coin does, hard to explain

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Rhodes is indeed amazing! Even the simplest of their silver drachmae with the side-facing bust of Helios are so elegant

[@markp44288]

That last one is the coolest, I love the legend on it.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Its really cool isn't it? Even cooler is that its one of the most affordable drachmae available

[@gregoryhoefer3660]

I like the images and history of this channel. Thanks

[@Glorious_God]

Thanks for the great content

[@alexavers]

It's a very good one. I had a fun and interesting look.

[@GammingDay]

Man, I had to CRANK all my sound settings so that I could barely hear you in my noisy house lol! VERY interesting though.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Sorry, these videos have indeed very bad audio. Hopefully the new videos are alright

[@jeffersonp402]

A video on which drachma are most commonly faked would be really helpful. With so many options on the market, tips on how to spot specific commonly faked coins would be great. I honestly don't know which styles to avoid, or if any are more commonly faked at all. Thanks for the info

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Have you checked my channel page or maybe my beginners playlist? I have a basic introductory video on how to avoid fakes :)

[@TheRojo387]

Greek is the language of art and invention.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

It certainly is!

[@skuul666]

Great video and channel! I think the Alexander III coin is actually a posthumous issue, as these later coins of Alexander feature Zeus with crossed legs. I think this one is described in literature as Price 2319, which was struck 290-275 BC on Chios.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thank-you! It might actually be, since no final consensus has been achieved on the crossed-uncrossed legs thing. Glad you liked the video! :)

[@dexagalapagos]

I love your channel but it's always so hard to hear even with the volume all the way up, any chance you could up the gain on your mic?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

The pains of learning on the go how to edit videos. Hopefully the new videos have good volume, as for the old ones, I might release some of them Re-Rendered. But until the day youtube gives us an option to boost the volume, I just ask kindly that you crank the volume up. Hope you understand.

[@beachmetaldetectingcrete]

Bravo I find hundreds of modern day Drachmas got buckets full of them nice video 🇬🇷💙💪🏖

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Its really cool to see such an old denomination, eh? Thousands of years!

[@beachmetaldetectingcrete]

@@ClassicalNumismatics I am blessed to have a permit to Metal Detect here in Crete but only beach’s 🏖

[@siisjwj7647]

@@beachmetaldetectingcrete I thought it was illegal in eastern europe

[@beachmetaldetectingcrete]

@@siisjwj7647 you need a permit to hunt in Greece obtainable from the Ministry of Culture in Athens once you go through the whole process your good to go 💙🏖🇬🇷👍

[@siisjwj7647]

@@beachmetaldetectingcrete That is AWESOME, I thought only government officials could get such permits. You should make videos of them and post it on youtube I would certainly watch them! I wish my area had such a long history as yours, but I have a metal detector friend who found a shilling from 1657 from English settlers in the Massachusetts bay colony USA, he sold it for over $3,000 at the time!!

[@limaechonumismatics]

Why might some coins be “in the name of” Alexander III, minted long after his reign? Are these coins less desirable than coins minted directly under him?

[@bobtimster62]

I have a couple of bronze Alexander lifetime drachma. What were they worth in the ancient world? (For example, you said in the video that a silver drachma was typically worth a day's pay.)

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

There isnt a "bronze" drachma. That was probably a bronze fraction used on local commerce. Bronze coins were always used for the common everyday use in the cities, so your bronze coins would have enough purchasing power to buy a loaf of bread, maybe some wine or olives! One silver drachma would get you a handful of these bronze pieces.

[@bobtimster62]

@@ClassicalNumismatics Thanks. That was my guess.

[@smashstuff86]

I just bought my first drachm recently at a coin show. It's a Medusa.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Lovely! When and where was is struck?

[@smashstuff86]

@@ClassicalNumismatics According to the coin holder, Thrace, 450 - 350 BC. However, it claimed a lion was on the reverse but matches what I've seen described as "bull looking back." I also have a Justinian I Follis, ANNO XX, KYZ. After I watched some of your videos I wondered it The ANNO XII was the first coin to start marking the year. I have not noticed years on earlier coins of any sort yet. I am pretty new to ancient coins.

[@aloneinthedark99]

I recently started stacking silver, don't think I'll start collecting ancient coins any time soon but I find your insight into the history of precious metals to be invaluable

[@redw0lf848]

just picked up a raw Alexander , Price 1356, lifetime. Has some horn silver, but it looks real nice with it.

[@mrremoveyoureyes1924]

"epic" new video.

[@leonardodtc4847]

Ariobarzanes iii looks like shaggy in this example 😂

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

It sure does hahaha

[@davidknight6842]

Jewelry dealer in the town I live in has coins from B.C. and A.D. starting price 150 USD

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Drachmae in good condition can start as low as 50USD, so they go for even cheaper!

[@davidknight6842]

@@ClassicalNumismatics nice. I will have to go there again write down the names of them. He has some from the time Jesus was alive.

[@shredthysoul1049]

Is Vcoin a trustable website

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

On my personal experience, it is!

[@shredthysoul1049]

Thank you

[@bobtimster62]

Was a coin that was struck "off-center" worth less in the ancient world than a coin that wasn't?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

No it wasnt! It loses collector value nowadays, but back in the day, they were worth the same

[@bobtimster62]

@@ClassicalNumismatics Thanks. For some reason I missed your response here. You'll have to excuse me. I'm a newbie at this.

[@leonardodtc4847]

Top notch nails

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Lol I think you can figure out these arent mine

[@bobtimster62]

I have just bought two coins, a silver drahm and a small bronze coin, from two different sellers. I weighed both on a calibrated scale. The seller listed the bronze coin as having a weight of 5.63 g. I checked it on the scale and got the same value. The silver drahm was listed as having a weight of 4.20 g. The reading on the scale was 4.22 g. Is that 0.02 g difference acceptable, or does that mean the coin is likely to be a fake? I bought the coins from two respected (based on what I read on the cointalk forum) sellers on Vcoins.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Both are on the acceptable range for their type, and the discrepancies are normal, I´d say they are good!

[@bobtimster62]

@@ClassicalNumismatics Thanks!

[@lukeymcmillan7855]

The difference is acceptable for the type I would not worry

[@bobtimster62]

@@lukeymcmillan7855 Thanks!

[@waywardrhythm]

did you have someone carve out details in your alexander iii coin?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Absolutely not. This would be considered tooling, and its detrimental to the coin

[@Mufasata]

are the bronze coins were more popular

[@lukeymcmillan7855]

I like the Drachma I have a few different types Alexander parion seleucid kingdom

[@joshrobertson8189]

Are those your hands holding the coins in the video?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

No they are not.