Greek coin gift recommendation

john_nyc1 · September 1, 2026 9:38AM

Many decades ago a friend invited me to take a one month “winter session” college course in Greek history. We had a blast traversing the country, from dig sites to the night life! I’d like to give him a genuine, slabbed Greek coin from the height of the empire. Seeking to spend not more than a few hundred dollars. Any suggestions?

Sapyx · September 1, 2026 3:29PM

Unfortunately, most of the "iconic" ancient Greek coins - such as an Athenian "owl" tetradrachm, a Corinthian "colt" stater, or a Zeus tetradrachm of Alexander the Great, are probably going to cost you more than a few hundred dollars, especially if you want it slabbed. The slabbing of ancient coins is still relatively uncommon, as most ancients collectors don't like slabs. And the prices for ancient coins went crazy during COVID and haven't come back down yet.

Of the three I just listed, the Corinth staters are probably cheapest, and are also rather pleasing in design, with their portrait of Athena on the obverse and flying Pegasus on the reverse. Here's an unslabbed Corinth stater being auctioned on NumisBids, for a $150-$200 estimate: https://www.numisbids.com/sale/11042/lot/1547

Another thing to keep in mind, when searching for "ancient Greek coins" to buy, is that the term "ancient Greek" covers a geographic area much bigger than modern-day Greece. I'm assuming, in order to keep the sentimentality and shared history with your friend, you'd prefer a coin from somewhere within Greece itself. So if you find a nice "Greek coin" for sale, double-check that it comes from somewhere in Greece (like Athens, Corinth, or Macedonia). There are lots of cheap, nice-looking "Greek coins" that come from what is today Italy, or Turkey, or even further afield.

Finally, a reminder: owning ancient Greek coins is illegal in Greece. So if you ever decide to go back to Greece, please don't take your coin with you, as it'll likely get confiscated by Greek customs agents.

john_nyc1 · September 1, 2026 4:25PM

Thank you @Sapyx !

Göttinger · September 2, 2026 5:44AM

Please keep in mind that owning ancient coins aswell as importing or exporting them into / from Greece is often seen as a illegal act.
There are a lot of grey areas in Greek law, but privately owning something manufactured before 1830 or crossing the border with a coin minted before 1830 usually causes some legal problems.

1984worldcoins · September 2, 2026 10:12AM

@Sapyx said:
Unfortunately, most of the "iconic" ancient Greek coins - such as an Athenian "owl" tetradrachm, a Corinthian "colt" stater, or a Zeus tetradrachm of Alexander the Great, are probably going to cost you more than a few hundred dollars, especially if you want it slabbed. The slabbing of ancient coins is still relatively uncommon, as most ancients collectors don't like slabs. And the prices for ancient coins went crazy during COVID and haven't come back down yet.

Of the three I just listed, the Corinth staters are probably cheapest, and are also rather pleasing in design, with their portrait of Athena on the obverse and flying Pegasus on the reverse. Here's an unslabbed Corinth stater being auctioned on NumisBids, for a $150-$200 estimate: https://www.numisbids.com/sale/11042/lot/1547

Another thing to keep in mind, when searching for "ancient Greek coins" to buy, is that the term "ancient Greek" covers a geographic area much bigger than modern-day Greece. I'm assuming, in order to keep the sentimentality and shared history with your friend, you'd prefer a coin from somewhere within Greece itself. So if you find a nice "Greek coin" for sale, double-check that it comes from somewhere in Greece (like Athens, Corinth, or Macedonia). There are lots of cheap, nice-looking "Greek coins" that come from what is today Italy, or Turkey, or even further afield.

Finally, a reminder: owning ancient Greek coins is illegal in Greece. So if you ever decide to go back to Greece, please don't take your coin with you, as it'll likely get confiscated by Greek customs agents.

That example is a nice one, and cheap also!

Greek coin gift recommendation

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