Identifying Greek coins

City badges, gods, and fabric — reading coins struck before Rome ruled.

Greek coins are typically thicker and more sculptural than Roman, struck in high relief on smaller, dumpier flans. Cities used recognisable badges: Athens an owl, Corinth a Pegasus, Aegina a turtle, Syracuse a quadriga. Silver dominates; gold is rare and bronze becomes common only from the 4th century BC.

Look for Greek lettering (ΑΘΕ for Athens), the ethnic naming the issuing people, and magistrates' names or symbols. An incuse punch mark on the reverse suggests the archaic period; fully designed reverses arrive later. Weight standards differ by city, so a precise weight genuinely narrows the options.

High-value Greek types are among the most faked coins in existence. Be suspicious of sharp coins with soft details, casting pimples, or identical twins in online listings. Record weight, diameter, die axis if you can, and every visible letter — then let the board weigh in.

From the guide library inside Collectors Catalogues, a free app for cataloguing antiques and finds with honest, museum-grade records.

More on coins

Identifying coins — Portrait, legend, and strike.

Identifying tokens and jettons — Not quite coins.

Identifying Roman silver coins — Denarii, antoniniani, and siliquae — and how to tell them apart.

Identifying Roman bronze coins — From heavy sestertii to tiny late-Roman nummi.

Identifying Celtic coins — Abstract horses, wreaths, and heads — coinage reimagined by Iron Age artists.

Identifying Byzantine coins — Crosses, Christ portraits, and big value marks — the empire after Rome.

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