The Most Expensive Ancient Coin Ever Sold

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

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[@kitrichardson5573]

I tried using Apple Pay on it and it wouldn’t take it for whatever reason. I’ll figure out something. I love that Athena reverse from the Tetradrachm!

[@nathanielscreativecollecti6392]

Aaron Berk talked about the purchase on his podcast. His client he represented was the runner up bidder. He thinks that the price was far too high. The most insightful thing he said was,"the price of a coin is set by the second highest bidder." It was a perfect storm of two incredibly wealthy people who both wanted that coin at the same time. Take them away and it's probably a 1-2 million dollar coin again.

[@ironrye4317]

I saw this coin being sold for 50 or 100k about a decade ago

[@alanCalhoun2]

You never know for sure but sometimes they can shill coins anywhere. Maybe the original owner bought it back for the sellers commission?

[@WilkinsonX]

The chocolate probably won’t even taste good anymore.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Well... gold is a pretty good protective material, it might still be tasty eh!

[@johnlee4897]

Outstanding and glorious ancient coinage. Absolutely staggered at the incredible detail achieved 2,350 years ago, high relief and all. Beautiful pieces of history that should be preserved for all humanity.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

It’s pretty, sure, but not a patch on what was achieved in, say, Sicily at about the same time.

[@caracallaavg]

The stater is totally worth it! Northern Black Sea coast coinage is a great topic for a video. Olbian dolphins are my personal favorite

[@jl696]

I learn so much for your channel. Greek coinage was the finest in the ancient world. I have two coins from Antiquity, a Macedonian Tetradrachm from the time shortly after Alexander's death (Seated Zeus on the reverse) and a Drachm of Trajan minted in Arabia. Both are common coins but I love them both. My next purchase will be one from the early Roman Republic and eventually, I'd like to get one of Emperor Julian's later coins (with a beard).

[@castlecoins5528]

This coin was stored for a long time in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. But in 1934 it was sold to the West by the Bolsheviks. In total, only 6 staters with a satyr in 3/4 are known. Fortunately, the Hermitage still has two coins of this type - one of them is an absolute masterpiece! She is the best in style and has an exceptional grade! The second one is more similar to the one sold at auction.

[@bertbrecht7540]

You are such a great teacher of coins and history. Thank you!

[@haltersweb]

Loved this video. And how wonderful that you were able to personally handle this particular coin and show it to us in all its glory. You have a knack for both videography and description of coins. Your ability to pick out artistic and historical aspects that others might miss is appreciated. I also learned a lot about coin value in this video. Thanks for sharing. Well done!

[@vacciniumaugustifolium1420]

The video is from the auctioneer page Im fairly sure.

[@HeronPoint2021]

I hope that's a replica he's fondling. you don't handle coins with your hands: you were cotton gloves.

[@vacciniumaugustifolium1420]

@@HeronPoint2021 it wasnt a replica, it was the real deal, ancient coins arent like a modern proof coins, handling them bare handed wont hurt them at all, most of them sat in the ground for 1-2 millenias ! That being said, high purity gold is very fragile so handling it like that can potentialy leave friction marks or small hairlines so id avoid to handle it at all....

[@haltersweb]

@@HeronPoint2021 I was at a well known auction house recently looking at lots that were coming up for auction. Both the dealer and I were handling the ancient coins without gloves. I also notice that in the Harlan Berk videos he handles ancient coins with his bare hands too.

[@creounity]

PAN was located close to the eastmost point of the Crimean peninsula. These days near it is the (modern day) city of Kerch.

[@Sub-vl5mz]

I love your videos! Just a heads up that your "ess" sounds are a bit sharp on the ear, consider just pulling down your highs on your equalizer or adding a de-esser.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thanks for the tip! It seems like just the loudness equalizer feature on Audacity isnt enough. I'll look into it.

[@obscurehistory1]

I remember the discussions that were had surrounding this coin on the Ancient Coin podcast with Aaron Berk. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to know more info about it. Especially seeing as his client was the underbidder on this!

[@nathanielscreativecollecti6392]

Amazingly, bronze coins of Pantikapaion with a similar design can be had for between 50 and 200 dollars through auctions! I might consider getting one.

[@kitrichardson5573]

Leaving the gold aside for a minute, that coin looks better than coinage printed by modern mints 2000 years later. The artistry, the detail the extra high Relief -it’s a superior coin technically, to what we produce today

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thats one of the saddest things of FIAT money. Physical money becomes secondary, and as a result we have the horrible artistry we see on coins today, as well as the cheap alloys used.

[@kitrichardson5573]

And it’s a combination of both the metal and the artistry period You notice how cheap and flimsy are nickel penny and quarter look and they all have had their metal debased such as happened in the Roman Empire towards their decline. They’ve also tried re-engraving things like the hairlines on Jefferson in Washington, and they somehow managed to make the coins look even worse. Just like the Roman coins became little bits of nondescript metal right as their empire collapsed Draw what conclusions you will

[@NAPNYC4938]

Your knowledge never ceases to amaze. I believe if someone was willing to pay that price then it's worth it.

[@zachrobberts3977]

Great video as always!

[@christopherevans2445]

This was very interesting indeed. One question, are you still going to do a video on the god Sol on coin's? I have some that are some what important to me and I'm looking forward to the video

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

I Will! :) I have recently acquired a Rhodes didrachm that fits the theme perfectly.

[@christopherevans2445]

@@ClassicalNumismatics that will be a fun video and very interesting considering the wide variety it offers. Sol/Helios was the diety that was almost universal. It's no wonder that many Emperor's and kings tried to unite there people with this God. Anyway thanks for the answer sounds great

[@johngolden891]

One of the most outstanding coins of any era, ancient, medieval or modern

[@rbir2653]

I did my MA on these coins from the Black sea.. The russian scholars tried to argue that is was PAN not a satyr. Pan for Panticapeum. That way they could try and say it was an earlier date. It is obviously a satyr

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thats true, the Pan argument is pretty old, but its quite clear that its a Satyr

[@natlmidnightstar]

Thanks for another great video!

[@helios3217]

Love your videos man! My dad has been collecting modern coins since he was a kid, and I recently started collecting ancient Roman coins! Your videos help me so much!

[@PaddyMcMe]

I'm not very familiar with coins but my question is if they were able to strike the coin with such immense detail why are the edges of these coins so sloppy and uneven?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thats an interesting question a lot of people ask. It has to do with the way they made coins back then, without modern machinery. I'll make a video explaining it :)

[@PaddyMcMe]

@@ClassicalNumismatics Oh, Goodo, I look forward to that. It just seems so unintuitive to me that they could make such deep and exquisitely detailed designs and strike the coin so well only for the edges to be so uneven and shoddy that they look like a 5 year old's attempt at shaping a lump of clay into a circle.

[@chochootrain]

It's actually a result of how good the designs are! Or sort of. In order to make these engravings imprinted on a piece of metal as relief, you have to literally strike the metal with that. The shape becomes naturally uneven as a result, and are often not even centered.

[@meikala2114]

They struck lumps of metal, not milled sheets cut into planchet blanks

[@stephenparker4083]

I recently purchased a version of this coin in bronze with a left profile portrait for just a couple hundred dollars in very nice condition.

[@italianwaterice9594]

U poor fool

[@chumleyk]

Expect more ancient coins of this artistic level and rarity and significance to sell for incredible prices.

[@ickster23]

I'd prefer the eid mar over the other coin. I place more value on the historical aspect than the absolute beauty.

[@siisjwj7647]

Very good last point the good consistency with the value is most likely why it sold for so much

[@gordongrant408]

Amazing thanks Leo👍

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Thanks Gordon! Glad you enjoyed it

[@kimanthoni6377]

Extremely beautiful!! Far more than eids of march. Still, eids of march coins historical signifigance is unmatched.

[@siisjwj7647]

Amazing style on it

[@corystreat7605]

Great video!

[@yomommaahotoo264]

How was this so well preserved?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Gold is very chemically stable, meaning very few things actually corrode it. If you bury a gold coin, it will come out of the ground the same way you put it, even centuries later. Also, gold coins were mostly used as stores of value, meaning they didnt circulate a whole lot. This particular coin must have been hoarded very shortly after it was minted.

[@Sarnarath]

@@ClassicalNumismatics Do you know where it was found?

[@AriadnesClew82]

I wonder if there is a connection between this coin (the Panticapaeum stater) and the "Colchian Dragon"? Panticapaeum from one source i read was a Colchian colony. Panticapaeum is in the vicinity of Jason's mythological journey and local coins many times feature god's/other things that are connected to the local area from which a coin originated. Although dragons in ancient times are snakes most of the time, they are not always.... Laocoön threw his spear at the Trojan Horse to try to warn the Trojans not to trust the gift (the Trojan Horse). Minerva then sent sea serpents to strangle Laocoön. Griffins, hydras, dragons can be connected to one another and may not be easy to tell apart. I would be really interested to hear if anyone has more insight into whether this is a connection between the Colchian Dragon and the beast on this coin? I'm not sure if there is a connection and would love to hear what others have to say!!!

[@znmto]

I remember reading somewhere that they had discovered dinosaur bones in the vicinity and this was what they imagined the creature would look like.

[@AriadnesClew82]

@@znmto , your comment triggered something remember a professor from an online course i purchased saying that the Emperor Augustus collected some dinosaur bones. And, when he explained, to those who knew what the bones were from, he said they were from monsters. It's possible the Latin word for monster does not translate over into English in a way which modern day people who speak English, like ourselves, would expect.

[@volt9903]

ATHENA NOT MINERVA

[@reneebarguen5850]

When it comes to collecting art, or anything that has beautiful, artistic, and the best craftsmanship that man has ever made, price is all subjective and whoever has, or should I say the deepest pockets can afford to own whatever he, or she is most capricious of the right to own that object.

[@harrybond1485]

I suppose that whatever someone is willing to pay for a coin, denotes its value.I know of no other way of determining a coins price.There is no right or wrong.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Definitely. There are so many subjective aspects when pricing an ancient coin that giving an absolute variable for determining its price is impossible, especially for rare and desirable coins such as this one.

[@QuantumHistorian]

The satyr doesn't look surprised to me, so much as shell shocked. There's very much a rabbit-in-the-headlights look of shock and fear there, as if he's about to decide whether to fight or flee. That's intriguing because it's both very different from the cocky attitude they normally have in myth, and fearfulness is not how you'd expect a city to portray itself on a medium that's largely about self advertisement (or, to put it bluntly, propaganda). I feel like there must be something more to the symbolism that we don't quite get. Maybe the coin was struck shortly after the city narrowly survived an invasion by the Scythians? Or perhaps the city had recently put constitutional constraints on the rules of the Satyros dynasty and making the emblem of the tyrant look afraid was a piece of republican self expression? Or something else that 2300 years of history has forgotten... Still, for 4.4 million CHF, I can't help but that there's a money laundering / tax evasion scheme going on here that's been pushing up the price of elite art through the roof for over a decade.

[@arturocevallossoto5203]

Perhaps the "wild-looking" face means their city is strong because they are located in a "wild" place.

[@CertifiedPre33]

Gorgeous 🪙

[@neilreynolds3858]

That is a beauty! No idea who the artist was? Pity. I love high relief coinage but they must have been made for collectors even in the fourth century BC.

[@Mike_Optimo_Principi]

Amazing!

[@crbielert]

I really do like the expression in his eyes.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

👁👄👁

[@ancientcoincollector]

If you just consider how many beautiful ancient greek silver coins you could have bought with th 4 Million CHF for just 1 Gold coin....i`d choose to have a much larger collection instead of only one gold coin. Anyway a beautiful coin of course.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Absolutely! Thats why I think whoever purchased this coin must consider this a financial asset first and foremost.

[@emperorfancypants2512]

Whats a couple million if you have billions

[@MrRedsjack]

But than you can't play a 6 million dollars game of heads or tails 😂

[@ringhiusu]

Wow! I want to touch this fantastic coin with my hands as well! You are luck :)

[@wecx2375]

Ngl, tons of detail in that coin.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

It was the work of a very talented die engraver. The coin isnt even that big, so yeah, the level of detail is impressive, and makes us wonder how did they achieve it without modern techniques.

[@wecx2375]

@@ClassicalNumismatics yeah, I was shocked. I have all sorts of gold coins like roosters, double eagle, etc. But that's really amazing.

[@Oneeyedoyster]

i'd rather have the millions.....to buy other coins :)

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Im gonna have to agree with you there :)

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

If I had back all the money that I spent on drink… I’d spend it all on drink.

[@FandersonUfo]

amazing portrait - and hair especially

[@castlecoins5528]

Is this a joke about beautiful hair? The hair is tangled and stiff, cut on the stamp with a stick... This is not the hair of the nymph Aretruza. But the image is truly a masterpiece. This is the image of an unbridled element, a little sad, but strong and ancient!

[@FandersonUfo]

@@castlecoins5528 - the Crimean coin - the beard and full head of hair is amazing - very vivid portrait

[@barrymoore4470]

It's a nitpicking point, but this image is not a portrait in the strict sense of the word. That is to say, it is not a likeness of an actual person, but rather a stylized representation of a mythological figure. It is indeed an impressive image.

[@angusamongus7566]

Wow….. it’s gorgeous but still don’t understand how this broke the record

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Ukrainian and Russian interest. Nothing more complicated than that.

[@bunymustard2584]

Is that the actual coin, or just a very fine example?

[@vacciniumaugustifolium1420]

This is the actual coin shown. The video presented is from the auctioneer page, they made more than a thousand video like this one, its a gorgeous ressource if you want to see super rare ancient coins

[@HeronPoint2021]

@@vacciniumaugustifolium1420 you're handling this genuine coin with your bare hands? you are fired.

[@charlievaldo5508]

​@@vacciniumaugustifolium1420Hold on, PLEASE just tell me HOW IN THE FREAKING WORLD someone is handling a super ancient gold coin priced at 6 Mil with their bare hands leaving their ABSOLUTELY UNDESIRABLE fingerprints in it???!! Even if they just touch the edge, bro you are talking about something worth way more than an average house anywhere in the world, numismats want thing *as pristine as possible* like if you are selling an "insanely high premium stuff" why aren't you wearing gloves to handle it??? Is like that guy grabbing it had 2 brain cells or some sh*t, This is not making any freaking sense AT ALL!

[@Incorruptus1]

Yuppp awesome coin!

[@YoutubeFEEN]

how did you get your hands on it???

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

I did not.

[@slipchuck1]

How did you get your hands on such an expensive coin 😮

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

I did not, this footage was kindly provided to me by the auction house that sold it :)

[@busterbiloxi3833]

Good hand to eye coordination.

[@AdamBechtol]

:p

[@ΒασιλικηΚαζαντζη-θ8φ]

The reverse is the emblem of the Greek depository Bank...

[@JayG87]

Magnificent coin! I’d still rather have the gold ides of march coin.

[@jairosantoscerqueira365]

Valeu

[@JacquesTreehorn]

Amazing die. Hair is awesome. Whoever was striking was a champion.

[@aaronstanley6914]

just made a replica of the coin thanks for sharing.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Stonks

[@muratbalta732]

Hallo, its a real Nice Coin . But for 6 million its to much i think. The price for 6 million is payed by a multi milionair and likes the coin. Sombody with less money pays max 10.000 dollar max. The price is for Every body different. Thats what i think. Thankx for the Nice video.

[@xa9590]

Why were ancient coins never perfectly round? Certainly they had the means to do so?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

I have an entire video on ancient coin manufacture you should like :) Basically, no, its not that easy to cast perfectly round coin blanks in a consistent way, in near-industrial numbers with pre-industrial technology. The flan itself, as in the metal disk, could be made near perfectly round, but generally the striking to imprint the design on the coin deformed it.

[@xa9590]

@@ClassicalNumismatics thank you I’ve always wondered why this was when there is perfect architecture marble sculptures, mosaics, brickwork….etc, but they couldn’t make a round coin? I appreciate you explaining it, I am going to look for that video.

[@alexanderwhite8320]

They did not care. Initially coins were just pieces of metal with proof mark, the weight and metal was important, not using them as toy wheels

[@tonybost4707]

Why on the reverse side does it look like the letter "A" on the left side and the letter "N" on the right side?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

There are 3 letters, Phi, Alpha, and Nu. The three first letters of "PANtikapaion", the place where this coin was made

[@marianmoses9604]

It’s a SATYR coin. The “A” and the “N” stand for “Always Naughty!” 🎉😂😂😂😂😂

[@williamdore5844]

It is worth every penny! To consume ancient coins is to consume culture and history. So many mindless idiots (but rich) who spend much more on futile things just for ostentation.

[@paulmcgreevy3011]

Much of life is futile. The price of the coin will fund the sellers life which results in employment at whichever enterprises receive his money or wherever his children spend it when he bequeaths it to them. There is more to life than donating your money to homeless or sick or poor people. Your money should be spent whichever way your mind directs you to spend it. Once spent it is quickly respent and then again. Some of it may eventually get spent in a way that you deem acceptable.

[@gregmiller9710]

...i think Ancient Joe's got one or two like this...are you holding this coin????..man you need to show this on Ancient Coin Chat Bro... great show! :)

[@Numischannel]

😄👍

[@Traster_Bean]

-"So the world is on fire and about to end have any plans Dave?" -"Yeah I have this doomsday bunker full of framed pictures of myself and mirrors and this really cool six million dollar coin I can stare at. It's going to be awesome!" -"What about the other 8 billion people?" -"Who?"

[@milanstepanovic8038]

What is the value of Alexander the Great ?

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Bronze? 50 euros Silver? 100 Gold? 4000 Your question is very vague, varies on condition, type, etc.

[@barrymoore4470]

Excellent presentation, as always, of such beautiful and interesting ancient artifacts. I won't offer an opinion on what anyone should or should not pay for an object desirable for their collection or investment, but I can say as a non-collecting observer, aesthetic quality is the element that I most appreciate. Historical relevance is also of course always an asset for interest. One nitpicking point: The mythological figures depicted in the Hellenistic coins are not portraits in the strict sense of the word. That is, they are not likenesses of actual people, but are rather stylized representations of imaginary beings.

[@ernestgutierrez9118]

How much you think a gold coin of Julius Caesar and has an ad on it coin is worth that I have

[@SolidShot]

About tree fiddy

[@madgroundhog8020]

Melt

[@janiskar7892]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@HighPlainsDrifter_2024]

😮

[@User-M.D_Legend]

👍👍

[@tylsimys67]

I'm quite happy with my Augustus/Tiberius AD 14 bronze coin. Pretty sure young Jesus used it to buy some pastry at one time.

[@Fred-rg5vw]

How are you holding a $6 million coin , how did you get access to it ?

[@DirectImpingement]

in ukraine a lot of this coins

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Very likely, as this coin was struck around the territory of modern Ukraine :)

[@AdamBechtol]

:p

[@molodoy..]

I guess in russia now =P

[@volkerkalhoefer3973]

@@molodoy.. bad boy 😅

[@ประพันธ์รอดชุม-ป2ฌ]

คือทองคำไหมครับ

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

Yes

[@muratbalta732]

More people think like me i see:)

[@sixfigureskibum]

The two sater faces on the coins sold at same auction were engraved by the same hand eye mind body

[@tomreed-oe7hi]

Best coins come from southern italy greater greece

[@alanCalhoun2]

And this coin is From Russia?

[@tomreed-oe7hi]

@@alanCalhoun2 you tell me. Im telling you the best and rarest coins are from southern italy

[@alanCalhoun2]

@@tomreed-oe7hi Hi, and I am telling you this Pan Coin is Not from Southern Italy it is from Russia Black Sea Region. Have a good day.

[@tomreed-oe7hi]

@@alanCalhoun2 i knew it didn't come from magna greece but i was just saying the rarest coins came from magna greece

[@alanCalhoun2]

@@tomreed-oe7hi Why you making it up you were suggesting this coin was from Sicily and I said It was from Black Sea Russia. Dude, Get Your Story Straight.

[@jashall3804]

With how Modern and collector coins are being fraudulently reproduced, As If I, had a Eye for Fraudulently Coin Reproduction. The Early Technology of production, I think those are the Easiest and best to reproduce, As the modern Forger says, I know I am reproducing Modern and Ancient Fraudulent Coins, " The Profits are just so great", No Mater the survival Of the work that feeds me now, I have the future as a forger,

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

I'd argue the opposite. Ancient coins were made in a very particular way, without the help of precise modern machinery, and this has been studied extensively for centuries by collectors. Its probably much easier to fake a modern coin compared to an ancient.

[@felixmussik7203]

How did you get a hold of it? Or are you the one who spend the 6mil? In that case you would certainly know best why its worth that amount 😂

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

I am absolutely NOT the owner of this coin ;) Nor did I have the honor of holding it, like my buddy from Toldinstone had

[@felixmussik7203]

@@ClassicalNumismatics Well, maybe the next one with all that KZbin money 💰 😄

[@irenepongarrang7386]

i think it was Eid mar Aureus only at first😅

[@Mark-xv5lb]

Do you think the Russian occupation of Crimea has led to significant looting of ancient sites there?

[@bratrcunik4571]

The first to loot ancient museum collections in Crimea were British troops during the siege of Sevastopol in 1855/1856.

[@Mark-xv5lb]

@@bratrcunik4571 Not surprising, given Beijing and Ethiopia and Benin. But I know Ukraine has said museums in occupied areas were plundered & am curious if illegal digging was also taking place.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Why would the local Russians in Crimea loot their own culture? Makes no sense. That, of course, doesn’t take into account rampaging soldiery, who will take anything that’s not locked down, and will have a go at objects that are locked down.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

@@Mark-xv5lb - if the Brits hadn’t taken the Benin bronzes, chance are they’d have been melted down anyway by the locals, like all the rest of West African cultural artefacts. In any case they were taken as reparations for vicious acts conducted against British administrators in the region.

[@Mark-xv5lb]

@@sirrathersplendid4825 Often in times/regions in conflict the rule of law breaks down & there are many instances where criminal organizations have branched out into smuggling antiquities.

[@xanderbailey9106]

Why not wear latex gloves when handling that coin? Seems worth it for expensive gold coins.

[@SuperFruitbat1]

Gold is inert and he's not exactly abusing it.

[@ClassicalNumismatics]

If the people from the auction house that just sold a 6 million dollar coin think its ok to touch a coin with their bare fingers, I'll trust their expertise.

[@caracallaavg]

It's alright, some guy already fondled it raw 2300 years ago

[@angusamongus7566]

@@caracallaavg 😂😂😂 well played 👏 👏 👏

[@xanderbailey9106]

@@ClassicalNumismatics fair enough. Just thought in this case (being the most expensive Ancient coin) would warrant it if any situation did. But in the end it's not really going to make a difference.

[@RoccoMonete]

Complimenti! Ottimo video. Bellissima Moneta. Un saluto dal mio canale KZbin Rocco Monete 🎉🎉🎉