Gold and silver coins at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art
Romankow
Posts: 114 ✭✭✭
I visited The Met last week, and was surprised how many ancient coins they had on display. Thought I'd share some with you.
5
Comments
Wow
Octradrachms
I've never seen one. A gold coin that size must be a handful.
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
They're great - more than 27 grams and exceptionally hefty in-hand. In antiquity, one would have purchased around 100 sheep (an odd exchange rate but I'd prefer the coin). Here's my pair:
I'd much prefer the 12 Caesar's bracelet coins to be freed from their confines. It is a shame to have such coins used in jewelry.
I'd settle for a stater or an aureus.
Slim pickins out there nowadays.
I visited the Met years ago and never knew they had coins. I absolutely love that museum though.
I did not know there were coins at Metropolitan... maybe the Guggenheim has some mid century designs from Poland, Israel and Germany among others
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
I have not been there in a long time, since 2006. There was )and maybe still is) a display right outside the cafeteria with 19th century British gold. It included a pattern Three Graces crown. Heritage has sold a few of the silver but I have never seen this coin anywhere else.
While some are part of the Met's collection as gift, most are instead a loan from the ANS. The coins are interspersed with the ancient galleries and are worth hunting for!