All Ancient Coins

Every coin on this page was held by a Roman hand before it ever reached yours. RIC-catalogued, seven-marker authenticated, signed off by an independent numismatist, and shipped with a written lifetime authenticity guarantee. From Nero through Severus Alexander, with a small group of later silvered antoniniani.

This is not a metaphor about history. This is the coin itself.

Aurora Antiqua sells authenticated ancient Roman silver coins from the early Imperial period to the late third century. The current catalogue runs from Nero (AD 66) through Severus Alexander (AD 235), with a small group of later silvered antoniniani under Philip I, Gordian III, and Probus. Every coin has been verified before listing using the seven antiquarian markers we apply to every piece: flan shape, surface patina, manufacturing technique, legend epigraphy, portrait die style, weight tolerance, and magnetism.

Every coin is then cross-referenced to its entry in Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) and, where applicable, to the Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE) database from the American Numismatic Society. An independent numismatist reviews and signs off before any coin appears in the catalogue. Every order ships with a written lifetime authenticity guarantee. If a piece you buy from Aurora is ever shown to be inauthentic, we refund it. Forever.

What you are actually buying

A Roman denarius weighs roughly 3.0 to 3.5 grams of silver, struck by hand between two iron dies on a slightly irregular flan. The portrait wears the radiate or laureate crown of the reigning emperor. The reverse usually carries a personification (Aequitas, Fides, Pax, Securitas) or a commemorative type. The legend is in Latin abbreviation, which you can learn to read on the obverse with about ten minutes of practice.

Each coin in this collection has been struck, not cast. Cast forgeries are the single most common fake on the market, and they fail the manufacturing technique check before they reach our table. The genuine coins on this page show rolled edges, three-dimensional patina that follows the relief, and the die alignment characteristic of Imperial Roman mint output.

Eras represented in this catalogue

The first group, struck under Nero, Vespasian, Trajan, and Antoninus Pius, is the high silver standard of the first and second centuries. These are the coins that financed the Empire at its physical maximum, from Britain to the Euphrates. The portraits are crisp, the legends sharp, the silver content above 90 percent.

The second group is Severan. Septimius Severus, Julia Maesa, Julia Mamaea, and Severus Alexander, struck between AD 193 and 235. The Severan women dominate this collection by volume, and that is not accidental. The dynasty's coinage runs heavy with female imperial portraiture, and surviving examples in collectible condition are scarcer than the male equivalents from the same years.

The third group is the third-century antoniniani, the post-denarius coinage that signalled the slow debasement of the Roman silver standard. Philip I, Gordian III, Probus, Philip II. Lower silver content, larger flans, distinctive radiate crown.

Why this catalogue, not Etsy or an as-is auction lot

The two main alternatives to buying an authenticated Roman coin from Aurora are an Etsy listing at one fifth of the price and an as-is auction lot from a general estate sale. Both are real options. Both are also, statistically, where most modern cast forgeries and over-cleaned site finds enter the retail market. Etsy does not require provenance documentation. An as-is auction lot, by definition, is sold without warranty. A coin from an estate sale may be perfectly genuine, but you will not know until you commission a numismatist to look at it.

Aurora's price reflects that work already being done. Seven authentication markers per coin. RIC reference confirmed. Independent numismatist sign-off on file. Provenance line published where we have it, stated honestly where we do not. Lifetime authenticity guarantee in writing. Insured worldwide shipping included in the price. The coins on this page are legal to own and ship under EU and most international law, with provenance documentation supplied at delivery.

Twenty-four coins are currently in this collection. When a piece sells, it stays visible with a Sold marker, because the catalogue is also a record. Browse below.