Ancient Coins for Beginners

Ancient coins are often neglected by coin collectors because they believe that they must be very rare, too expensive to collect, and too difficult to understand. While some ancient coins are rare, many are very common. The most famous cities and rulers of the ancient world struck coins in great quantities. Coins of Athens, Corinth and Rome, and of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Marc Antony and Hadrian, for example, are quite common. Many are less expensive than collectible modern coins. Some late Roman bronze coins can be purchased for as little as a few dollars each. Anyone can appreciate ancient coins and quickly learn the basics of collecting them. Ancient coins are historically interesting, artistic and obtainable at reasonable prices.

If you've made it here, you probably have some interest in the collection of ancient coins, and this is provided as a general guide to getting started.  The collection of ancient coins, like many areas, involves its own terminology which is very specialized.  It may take the new collector some time to become familiar with the language of ancient coins.

Many people may not realize that authentic ancient coins can be collected on a modest budget.  In fact, many nice ancient coins are cheaper than common collectible modern coins.  For the collector of ancient coins, there is nothing more amazing that holding a piece of ancient history in your hand.  

A Brief History of Coinage
Precious metals have long been valued, treasured and used as a medium of exchange.  But coins first appeared in the 7th century B.C.  There is some scholarly debate, but it appears the first coins appeared in Lydia in Asia Minor.  The first pieces were ingots of precious metal stamped by merchants indicating a certain purity and/or weight.  Rulers in Lydia adopted this practice, and by the end of the 7th century B.C., coins were being produced for trade.  These first coins were electrum, a naturally occurring alloy of silver and gold that could be found in deposits in the area.  Later, processes were developed to separate the gold from the silver, and coins were issued as bimetallic currency (silver and gold).  The practice quickly spread among the cities of coastal Asia Minor and the islands in the area. During the 6th century B.C., the practice spread throughout the Mediterranean with cities developing their own unique devices on their coins as a badge of civic pride.  The devices on these coins quickly came to identify their source cities or kingdoms.  Thus, the coins served not only as a medium of exchange, but also as a means of promotion or propaganda, a purpose that coins continue to serve today.

How Ancient Coins Were Made
Today, the United States Mint can produce between 14 to 28 million coins a day in a high speed, highly efficient, process.  This is strikingly different from the manufacture of coins in ancient times.  Each ancient coin was produced by hand.  Metal, be it bronze, silver, or gold, was poured into molds to produce a flan, or blank piece for the coin.  Once the flans cooled, they were reheated below the melting point and placed on one die.  The die was metal, and had the image to be placed on the coin engraved in it. A second die was hammered on top of the flan producing the image we see today on each side.  The dies were carved by hand by celators, those who carved ancient coin dies, of varying skill, and any number of dies may have been produced for a given issue of coins.  Thus, the same type of coin may have stylistic differences from another coin of the exact same type because a different celator engraved a different die.  Although process varied in different cultures at different times, generally this is the process by which ancient coins were made.

The Source of Ancient Coins
Many ancient coins are found in controlled archaeological sites, but most of these end up in museum collections.  Most ancient coins on the market today were found in groups of coins (called "hoards") that were buried in antiquity and were found by amateurs with metal detectors far from archaeological sites.  In ancient times, there were no banks at which to store your wealth.  If you needed a safe place to store your wealth, or an invader's army was coming your way, the logical thing to do would be to bury your coins and dig them up later when you needed them or the danger had passed.  Unfortunately for the owners (but fortunately for modern collectors), not everyone was around to dig their hoard of coins back up, and today they are found and distributed into the ancient coin market.  Some countries prohibit metal detecting and digging for ancient coins.  Other countries have laws which allow the finders of such hoards to keep or sell some or all of what they find, and this is the source of the ancient coins on the market today.

Ancient coins have been collected for centuries and last longer than the collectors that own them.  Many ancient coins on the market are older finds sold by collectors with changing interests or by their heirs who are less interested.  Coins with provenance, a history of who owned them before, may be worth more if they came from a famous collector or collection. 

Buying Ancient Coins
There are a number of ways to buy ancient coins. There are fixed price listings, auctions, catalogs, and hybrids of these.

Online Fixed Price Shops and Listings
The best way for the beginner to buy coins is through a fixed price listing as presented here at Rare Ancient Coins. Browse the listings, find what interests you within your price range, put it in your cart, check out, and soon you will have your ancient coin in hand to start your collection. Through a fixed price catalog, you will find a coin for every budget, and a diversity of coins for any interest.  At any reputable dealer, you can count on the coin being attributed correctly and authentic.  All reputable dealers guarantee authenticity without time limit.

Auctions
Auctions are another popular way to buy coins.  You can get good buys at auctions if you know what you are doing, but lack of experience complicates this for the beginner. Before you have a certain level of experience, you do not have a good idea of what is a good buy, what is a really desirable ancient coin, and what it is worth. Additionally, coins offered at auctions by dealers that do not have an established reputation can be fraught with dangers (as described below).

The Dangers of eBay
For the beginner, bidding on items at a large auction site, like eBay, is very dangerous unless it's from a known seller with a guarantee of authenticity.  Unfortunately, there are many sellers on eBay who do not know what they have, mislabel coins, over grade coins, and outright defraud unwitting buyers. This is further discussed below in the section on fake coins, but know that there are outright fake coins on eBay (and other places for that matter). In addition to outright fakes, there are coins that have been modified or altered in one way or another to make them more appealing than they really are, and there are sellers who through ignorance or outright greed over grade coins. The way in which coins are photographed can also be used to hide or diminish defects and create a false impression of the overall look of a coin. Until you are experienced enough to spot fake coins, spot modified coins, and know what the general market value of any given coin is, you probably want to avoid public auction sites like eBay.  Even experienced collectors can be fooled by fake coins on popular auction sites.

There are some warning signs to watch out for on eBay listings.  These warning signs do not mean that what is being sold is fake, or that the seller is a fraud.  Rather, these signs should give you an indication to use caution.  Watch out for new sellers.  A seller without a track record does not have a number of feedback listings where buyers can comment on the coins being sold.  Everyone starts sometime, so just because a seller does not have a track record does not mean he or she is a fraud.  Conversely, just because a seller has extensive positive feedback does not necessarily mean they are a trustworthy seller.  Some sellers sell a large number of legitimate items, and occasionally place in a fake coin or two.  The buyer of these may not realize they purchased a fake, or they may be too embarrassed to admit it.  Watch for sales where the bidders' identities are private or protected.  Many repeat sellers of fake coins hid the bidders' identities on their auctions, and this is a strong indicator the item being sold is a fake.  Watch out for a rare or valuable coin with a price that is too low - if it's too good to be true, it probably is.  Again, these are just indicators, and just because these signs are present it does not mean the seller is fraudulent. Also, if these signs are not present, that does not mean the coin is genuine.

For authentic items on eBay, there are additional things a buyer should be aware of in addition to possibly over-graded coins or tricky photography.  Many sellers may over hype their coins leading the unwitting buyer to believe the coin is scarcer than it really is.  Don't fall into this trap, but independently research any coin before bidding on it, and because it takes time to learn what is scarce, and what it a good deal, that is another reason for the beginner should stay away from eBay.

Buying on eBay or similar auction sites is not for the beginner, and even experienced collectors can be fooled at times.  When you are starting out, stick with legitimate sellers who offer a guarantee on their coins.  After you gain experience in the field of ancient coins, and experience with spotting fake, altered or tooled coins, then you may go back at take a look at a public auction site like eBay.

Local Coin Shops
If you live in a large city (New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, for example) you might have the option of visiting a large coin dealer with ancient coin expertise.  Most coin shops and most dealers are not ancient coin specialists and know only a little about ancient coins.  Your local shop may have a few ancient coins.  You could get lucky and find one with an old low price.  More likely, however, the selection will be sparse and may be priced high. 

Coin Shows
There are a number of annual coin shows that feature ancient coins.  You can find many coins shows by searching the internet.  However, thanks to the vast resources available online, many people are able to learn about and collect ancient coins without going further than the mailbox.

Buyer Beware - Fakes, Forgeries, and Frauds
This section is not designed to turn off the new collector from the collection of ancient coins.  The vast majority of ancient coins on the market today are authentic, and the vast majority of dealers are legitimate.  As with most things, you do have to be careful not to be taken advantage of, and this is more likely to happen when you are newer and less experienced. As such, this section should not discourage anyone, but only to alert the new collector of dangers to avoid.

Fake or fraudulent coins fall into several categories:
- Modern fakes made to look like ancient coins;
- Tourist fakes sold as authentic originals;
- Tooled coins which are authentic but "improved" by tooling;
- Painted coins to improve patina or add or enhance details;
- Fantasy coins - modern coins made to look ancient, but of a type never made;
- Misattributed coins. This is not a fake coin, but rather a misidentification;
- Over grading. Again, this is not a fake, but rather describing it as nicer than it is.

An unfortunate part of the ancient coin market is the existence of fake coins.  First, we need to learn a little terminology to discuss this topic.  Generally, when referring to fake coins, we are talking about a modern forgery made to fool the buyer.  There are also "tourist fakes," which are sold to tourists in and around historically important areas.  These reproductions are sometimes resold as authentic to the unwitting buyer. There are also ancient counterfeits.  These coins are ancient coins made by someone trying to mimic an actual ancient coin style.  These are collectible in their own right, so long as they are labeled as such, and an ancient counterfeit can bring a higher price than the piece it was imitating in some circumstances.

Other coins are modified in one way or another to improve their value, but when not properly labeled are a fraud and should be avoided.  Modifications may include the application of a false patina after over cleaning, painting to add or highlight details that are not on the original coin, or tooling to make the details more sharp than they actually are.  Some sellers can also use tricky photography to hide unwanted features or make a coin look nicer than it really is.  Many of these are seen on popular auction sites like eBay, and that is why we recommended newcomers avoid these sites, except for known and reputable dealers.

Buyers must be aware of these fake and modified coins. The best way to avoid any of these coins is to buy from a reputable dealer, like Rare Ancient Coins, that offers a guarantee on their coins.  Reputable dealers are unlikely to buy fake coins for resale given their experience.  Additionally, on the off chance a reputable dealer does get a fake or altered coin in hand, their experience allows them to identify it and avoid offering it for resale.  Finally, if all else fails, a reputable dealer should stand behind his or her coins, and offer a full refund for any fake or altered coin that is mistakenly sold to a customer.  Here, at Rare Ancient Coins, all coins are "guaranteed for life."

As you become more experienced over time, you can learn to spot potentially fake or altered coins.  But until then, only buy coins from a reputable dealer who offers a guarantee on their coins, like Rare Ancient Coins.

Attribution - Identifying Ancient Coins
If you shop through Rare Ancient Coins' catalog, you will find most individual coins fully attributed.  Attribution is merely describing what coin you have.  If you purchase coins from Rare Ancient Coins, you will find that each coin comes with a tag giving the description you found with the coin's catalog listing and possibly some interesting historical information.

If you get to the point of purchasing a lot of mixed coins, or uncleaned coins, you will find that you have to attribute coins yourself.  To identify coins, you will need to have some familiarity with the language on the coin, which may include Latin, Greek and other languages.  Because Latin is more closely related to English, many of those with English as a native language find Roman coins with Latin inscriptions an easier place to start, but with some perseverance, any of the ancient languages can be mastered to a level to identify inscriptions on coins.  There are many excellent resources for attributing coins that can be found online.

Grading Ancient Coins
For ancient coins, it is NOT all about the grade.  Modern coins come from the mint looking more or less identical, and the primary difference between one and another of the same exact type is grade.  This is not true for ancient coins.  Each ancient coin left the mint unique from the start.  Grade describes only the wear the coin suffered after it left the mint.  The artistry of the hand engraved dies, the boldness of the strike, centering, die wear, die breaks, other die damage, flan shape, flan size, flan defects and many other characteristics of hand struck unique ancient coins are not included in the grade.  The one factor that matters much more than grade for ancient coins is eye appeal.  An ancient coin with no wear can be unattractive if poorly struck.  A somewhat worn ancient coin can be stunningly beautiful if struck with fine dies engraved by a master.

The beginner should also know that grading standards for ancient coins are very different than you may be used to for modern coins.  The grading of ancient coins is not as precise as the grading of modern coins due to the age of ancient coins and the number of factors that affect their appearance. Also, ancient coins may be one grade on one side, and a different grade on another. At the basic level, ancient coins are graded into the following general categories:

- Fleur de Coin (FDC). Mint State (with the exception of attractive patina or toning) plus all characteristics are superb - well centered, exceptional strike, and so forth. This grade is very rare for ancient coins.
- Mint State.  As struck with no wear.  Not a traditional grade for ancient coins.  Rarely but occasionally applicable and used.
- Extremely Fine (EF). Very little wear except at the highest points of the coin.
- Very Fine (VF). Legends and major features are complete and legible if struck.
- Fine (F). Legends visible and readable for the most part.
- Very Good (VG). Outlines of major objects visible, but almost no detail left. 
- Good (G). Very worn with object outlines, like portraits, mostly showing. 
- Fair. Probably no inscription left, and objects on the coin barely recognizable.
- Poor. A smooth coin with almost no detail. Also called "slugs."

As mentioned above, in addition to the grade which describes the general wear on a coin, there are any number of other adjectives one may see in describing ancient coins.

- Superb, Choice, Nice, etc.  These superlatives are used to described coins with better eye appeal.
- Patina.  Bronze coins may have an attractive colorful patina. Green is the most common color, but red, brown, blue and black are not unusual.  An attractive patina adds value.  A coin that has been stripped of its patina leaving a rough surface is considered damaged and value is decreased.
- Toning.  Silver coins tone.  Toning is usually considered more attractive than a freshly cleaned bright white silver.  Iridescent rainbow toning can be very attractive and increase value.  Very dark, jet black toning, is not as popular as light toning but can be very attractive on some coins.  Again, it is really about eye appeal.
- Centering.  Most ancient coins are not perfectly centered.  Better centering increases value.
- Weak strike, uneven strike, flat areas.  On many ancient coins not all the details that were engraved in the dies are fully struck on the coin.  The better the strike, usually the better the eye appeal will be.
- Flan defects.  The flan, or piece of metal on which the coin was produced, may have defects before the coin was made.
- Small or tight flan.  The flan may be smaller than the die used to strike the coin, leaving much of the legend or features off flan even if it is well centered.  For some coin types this is typical.
- Die breaks.  Ancient coin dies were valuable and sometimes were used even after they were damaged or broken.  Minor die breaks may not impact the value of a coin very much.  Major defects that diminish eye appeal will have a larger impact on value.

There are many other conditions from the manufacturing of a coin or conditions from the way in which the coin was preserved that the enthusiast will encounter, but for the beginner, these are probably the basics. An honest ancient coin dealer will disclose obvious defects in the coin's description before selling it.  Wear and other conditions of manufacture and preservation that affect ancient coins combine to produce some level of overall eye appeal or lack thereof for each individual coin.

Cleaning Ancient Coins
For many collectors, there is nothing more exciting that getting a large batch of uncleaned coins and going to work to see what's underneath the crust and dirt in the batch.  To be done correctly, cleaning ancient coins takes time, patience and dedication.  Many ancient coins have been ruined by hasty cleaning by someone eager to discover the coin under the crust.  The methods to clean ancient coins are beyond the scope of this beginner's guide.

Some people, when getting started, purchase lots of uncleaned and partially cleaned coins, and go to work to see what they have.  This is a good learning experience for many, as they discover that cleaning ancient coins is not for them - after the work of cleaning the coins, ruining a few, and being not very excited by the others left.  Other people have the exact opposite experience, and love cleaning ancient coins.  Uncleaned lots can be an affordable way to build your collection so long as you have the patients to do it right.  It can also be an excellent way to learn to identify and attribute ancient coins.  However, don't get the idea you are going to strike it rich cleaning uncleaned lots, but rather do it for the fun and education.  There are stories of people finding amazing gems hidden in batches of uncleaned coins, but that is the exception rather than the rule.  Most uncleaned lots have been picked over for silver coins, and any valuable bronze types. What is left are usually common late Roman bronze coins.

Storing Ancient Coins
Like many areas of ancient coin collection, ask three collectors how to store coins, and you will likely get four answers.  Ancient coins are stored in everything from custom build wooden trays to 2x2 paper holders.  The key issue is to not store your coins in anything that will damage them physically or chemically.  Some coins are sold in plastic flips with one pocket for the coin, and a second pocket for the label.  Many people continue to store their coins in these plastic flips, but this is generally not a good idea because plastic is meant for short term storage and may affect the coin long term.  Archival paper holders are better for long term storage.

If you want to stir up a controversy among coin collectors, just mention slabs in connection with ancient coins.  If you have collected modern coins, you are probably familiar with slabs - protective plastic boxes in which coins are encased after they are graded.  The majority of valuable American coins now seem to be encased in slabs.

Ancient coins are not the same, but more and more people now slab ancient coins.  Due to their age and condition, there is not the same need to slab ancient coins as there is in the modern coin market.  Part of the fun in collecting ancient coins is the ability to get them out and actually handle them, which is frowned upon by modern coin collectors.  You certainly want to protect your ancient coins and not cause them any damage, but there is little reason to slab them like modern coins.

Choosing a Specialty or Collecting Theme
There really is no type set of ancient coins or Whitman coin folder for ancient coins like modern coin collectors may be familiar with.  Collection areas are as diverse as are the collectors in the ancient coin community.  Some people only collect Greek coins, while others only collect Roman coins.  Some collectors have a very narrow interest, such as only one Roman emperor, while others collect a few coins from a number of categories.  Always keep in mind that it is virtually impossible to have a complete collection of ancient coins of any type given the number of civilizations, number of mints, and numbers of individual dies used to mint ancient coins.  Even extensive museum collections are not compete, and new coin types are being found as more coin hoards are uncovered over the years.

Ultimately, what you collect is up to you depending on your interest.  You may like the Greek artistry over that of Romans.  You may have a historic interest in one period of Roman history over another.  You may be primarily interested in Biblical coin types, and pursue that area.  Some people collect certain mythological figures - Pegasus or Medusa to name two, while others prefer collecting outstanding portraits of historic figures.  Some people prefer to collect coins in areas that are well documented and cataloged, while others prefer new, developing or areas that have been neglected by mainstream scholarship.  If you don't have a particular area in mind, search through other collections to determine what you like.  Buy a few affordable coins in a number of areas, read as much as you can, and you may develop an interest and area to focus your collection on.  You should take your time deciding what interests you.

Some of the broad categories used to classify ancient coins are discussed below.

Greek Coins
Greek coins are generally divided into three periods:  Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic.  There are not clear boundaries between the Archaic and Classical periods, but the Hellenistic period begins after the conquests of Alexander the Great which spread Greek practices and culture far and wide in the ancient world.  While the Archaic period saw the introduction and spread of the use of coins, the Classical period saw the height of Greek artistry in coins.  During the Hellenistic period, Hellenistic kingdoms left in the wake of Alexander's conquests and untimely death, issued a number of diverse coins, but all influenced by Greek culture.  At the same time, a new power was rising in the western Mediterranean, and soon Rome was to become the dominate culture of the ancient world.  Rare Ancient Coins carries a wide variety of Greek coins from all of these periods and from many geographic locations.

Roman Coins
While Greek coins are fascinating, earlier than Roman coins, and arguably artistically superior, many new collectors gravitate to Roman coins for several reasons.  Probably most influential is the language.  Roman coins primarily use Latin inscriptions.  As the letters used in Latin are familiar to many Western collectors, it is less intimidating and perhaps easier to learn than Greek or other languages.  Additionally, the sheer scale of the Roman empire, in duration and geographic scope, means there are many more coins, and the coins can be more affordable, than other cultures. Finally, many are enthralled by the well known culture and history of Rome. 

Roman coinage can be broadly divided into three primary periods: Roman Republic, Imperators (time of the civil wars before the first Emperor), and the Roman Empire.

Roman Republic
Prior to the use of coins, Romans traded with cast bronze ingots called Aes. After experimenting with heavy cast coins, the need for portable trade currency led to the introduction of struck coinage in Rome.  During the Republican period of Rome, the silver denarius was introduced along with bronze coinage, and the denarius was to remain the standard Roman silver denomination for centuries.  Roman Republican coinage was struck by independent moneyers, and remained that way until the end of the civil war following Caesar's assassination.  Coins of the Roman Republic often depict interesting mythological or historical events.

Imperators
The Imperatorial Period was a transition from the Roman Republic to the Empire.  Strong leaders, Imperators, took control of the government.  Some of the most famous men in history issued coins in this period, including Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar, Brutus (Caesar's most famous assassin), Mark Antony, and Octavian (Augustus).  If you share your collection with your non-collector friends, don't be surprised if they start yawning, that is unless you are showing them coins with names they know.  Portrait coins of imperators can be very expensive but non-portrait types are more affordable.

Roman Empire (Roman Imperial)
Octavian's assumption of the title "Augustus" is typically considered to begin the period of the Roman Empire.  During this period most coins had the emperor's bust on the obverse.  The Roman Empire was to last many centuries.  Some numismatists end the period when Constantine the Great transferred the capital of Rome to Constantinople.  Most numismatist identify coins as "Roman" until the monetary reforms of Anastasius.  The Roman Empire may be subdivided into a number of periods, often by ruling dynasty.  The coinage changed a number of times over this long period, discussion of which is beyond the scope of this introduction to Roman coinage.

Roman Provincial (Greek Imperial)
Many Roman coins were minted at the capital of the empire, Rome.  Because the empire was so large, many Roman coins were also minted in the conquered provinces.  These coins, minted by Roman authorities, but outside of Rome, make up a large collecting area generally described as Roman provincial coins.  There were hundreds of mints that struck coins at various times in the provinces controlled by Rome.  Roman provincial coins are also described in some catalogs as Greek Imperial coins.  As you run across them, keep in mind that the terms "Roman provincial" and "Greek Imperial" are generally the same thing.  Whatever you call these coins, this is a fascinating area for the collector.  If you are interested in a particular Roman emperor, not only were there coins minted in Rome, but any number of varieties minted in the provinces, and collecting Roman provincial coins is an exciting and rewarding area of its own.

Byzantine Coins
Byzantine coins are another huge collection area.  After the transfer of the capital of Rome to Constantinople, the empire continued to flourish in the east for around a millennium.  Generally dated from 498 A.D. to 1453 A.D., the Byzantine Empire is an extensive collecting area in its own right with distinctive styles from the western Roman coins.  Additionally, with the spread of Christianity, and the adoption of Christianity as the Empire's religion, Byzantine coins see the first use of Christ and Christian devices on coins, an area of particular interest for coin collectors and biblical enthusiasts alike.
 

Judaean and Biblical Coins
Judaean and Biblical coins are of special interest to believers but are also popular with most ancient coin collectors. The first of these coins were minted in the Holy Land while under Persian control.  According to the Bible and other historical evidence, the Persians defeated the Babylonian Empire, thus freeing the Jews from their Babylonian captivity.  Many Jews returned to their homeland.  While Solomon's Temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians, the Jews rebuilt their Temple.  This Temple became known as the Second Temple, and the Second Temple would be the Temple at which Jesus taught during his ministry.  Jews were required to pay an annual Temple tax, and coins with a high silver content were required to pay that tax.  Shekels and half shekels minted at Tyre became the preferred way to pay the Temple tax, and are thus known as the "Temple Tax Coins" in the ancient coin trade.  

After the conquest of Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.), Greek style coins were minted there.  After Alexander's death in 323 B.C., the Holy Land sat at the hotly contested border between the Seleucid kingdom based in Syria, and the Ptolemaic kingdom based in Egypt.  The land changed hands a number of times and ultimately ended up under Seleucid control.

In 168 B.C., Antiochus IV ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods.  The Temple in Jerusalem was seized and dedicated to Zeus.  The Jews revolted and after three years of fighting, Judah Maccabee defeated the Seleukid army.  Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, commemorates the rededication of the Temple in 165 B.C.  According to the Talmud, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day.  Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, enough time to prepare and consecrate fresh oil. 

As described in I and II Maccabees, Judaea gained a degree of independence and gave rise to the first independent Jewish coins which form a popular area of collection.  Under the ruling Jewish dynasty, the Hasmoneans, many types of coins, including the popular "widow's mites" were minted in large numbers in Jerusalem, and these are an affordable way to own a piece of biblical history.  With ever increasing Roman involvement, the biblical villain, Herod the Great, responsible for the so called "massacre of the innocents" (Matthew 2:13) took control of Judaea.  Herod and his descendants issued their own series of coins which are also extremely popular with ancient coin collectors and biblical enthusiasts alike.  

A number of ancient coin types are discussed in the new testament, among them are widow's mites, the tribute penny and the 30 pieces of silver.  Another popular collecting area for the biblical enthusiast is to trace the missionary journeys of Paul.  Paul traveled from approximately 35 A.D. until around 67 A.D., and covered a number of cities in Syria and Asia Minor working to spread the budding Christian religion.  Many, if not most, cities visited by Paul on his missionary journeys issued coins.  Additionally, many of the historical figures encountered by Paul, and described in Acts issues coins including Aretas IV, king of Nabataea, Roman Emperor Nero, Antonius Felix, Porcius Festus, Agrippa I, and Agrippa II.  The travels of Paul form a broad collecting area.

In 66 A.D., the Jews revolted against their Roman overlords, and again struck truly Jewish coins during the revolt.  The Roman General Vespasian, along with his son, Titus, put down the revolt and crushed all Jewish resistance by 70 A.D.  The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and the so called Second Temple period came to an end as the result of the unsuccessful First Jewish Revolt.  Some scholars postulate that the upheaval during this time is what prompted the early Christians to commit the oral traditions surrounding Jesus to written documents resulting in today's New Testament. For years after the victory, Vespasian, and later his son Titus who became emperor after him, issued coins commemorating their triumph over the Jews during this revolt. In 133 A.D., there was a second Jewish revolt, called the Bar Kochbah Rebellion after Simon Bar Kochba, its leader.  The Jews again struck coins, but were defeated by Rome again.

Here is another article from CNG about the basics of ancient Greek coinage.