Coin Encyclopedia
Search and identify coins from around the world — with country, denomination, metal, mint, history, and how to tell them apart.
Denarius of Faustina the Younger
Roman Imperial silver denarius of Faustina the Younger, showing her draped bust with an elaborate curled hairstyle and a standing deity or personification on the reverse.
Ancient
8 Reales (Portrait/Bust Type)
Large silver Spanish Empire dollar showing the bust of King Carlos III and a crowned coat of arms with lions and castles.
World Coins
5 Francs Semeuse
France's silver 5 francs of the New Franc era: Roty's striding Semeuse (Sower) on the obverse, the value in an olive spray on the reverse.
Circulation
Straits Settlements Dollar
A 1904 silver dollar of the British Straits Settlements, one face showing an emblem and ONE DOLLAR, the other a right-facing portrait of King Edward VII.
Southeast Asia
50 Centimes Semeuse
A small silver French 50 centimes with Roty's striding Semeuse (sower) on the obverse and the value within the national motto on the reverse.
Circulation
Dirham of Hasan ibn Zayd
A 9th-century Islamic silver dirham struck for Hasan ibn Zayd, the Alid ruler of Tabaristan, bearing concentric Arabic religious and authority legends.
Islamic (Medieval)
Mughal Quarter-Rupee
A small hammered Mughal silver quarter-rupee inscribed in Persian, struck at the Lahore mint and dated Ilahi 47 (AD 1602-1603).
Historic
Denarius of Antoninus Pius
Silver denarius of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161 AD), with his laureate portrait facing right and a legend-and-figure reverse.
Ancient
Corinthian Drachm
A silver drachm of ancient Corinth pairing a helmeted head of Athena with the city's emblem, the winged horse Pegasus, struck in the mid-4th century BC.
Ancient
Swiss 1 Franc
A silver Swiss 1 Franc dated 1861, with the figure of Helvetia and the national coat of arms on one side and the value '1 Fr' in wreaths on the other.
Circulation
Ecu of Louis XVI
A large French silver ecu of Louis XVI dated 1784: left-facing royal bust obverse, crowned arms of France and Navarre framed by laurel on the reverse.
Royal
Penny of Alfred the Great
Hand-struck silver penny of Alfred the Great of Wessex, showing a right-facing royal bust and a cross-based reverse with a moneyer's inscription.
Medieval Coins
Henry VII Groat
Hammered silver fourpence of Henry VII, first Tudor king, showing a crowned royal portrait on one side and a shield of the English arms on the other.
Medieval Coins
Edward I Penny
Hammered silver penny of Edward I, showing a crowned facing bust on the obverse and a long voided cross with pellets in the quadrants on the reverse.
Medieval Coins
French Indochina Piastre
A 1928 silver piastre of French Indochina, its obverse showing seated Liberty with torch and laurel, its reverse reading UNION INDOCHINE FRANÇAISE in a floral wreath.
Southeast Asia
Standing Liberty Quarter
U.S. 90% silver quarter struck 1916–1930, showing a standing Liberty with shield on the obverse and an eagle in flight on the reverse.
Quarter
Grosz Koronny
A silver Crown grosz of the Kingdom of Poland, dated 1527, with a royal crown above a shield on one side and the Polish Eagle on the other.
Early Modern
Connecticut Tercentennial Half Dollar
A 1935 U.S. silver half dollar marking 300 years of Connecticut, with a standing eagle on the obverse and the storied Charter Oak on the reverse.
Classic Commemorative
Bridgeport Centennial Half Dollar
A 1936 U.S. silver commemorative half dollar for Bridgeport, Connecticut's centennial, with a P.T. Barnum portrait and a bold Art Deco eagle.
Classic Commemorative
German East Africa 1 Rupie
A silver colonial rupee of German East Africa bearing the imperial eagle shield and the legend DEUTSCH OSTAFRIKA, struck for the German protectorate.
World
Seleucus I Nicator Tetradrachm
Large silver tetradrachm of Seleucus I Nicator, founder of the Seleucid Empire, showing a horned Alexander-type head and a mounted figure with a spear.
Ancient
Denarius of Julia Maesa
Roman silver denarius struck for Julia Maesa (c. 218–222 CE), showing her draped bust with wavy hair and a standing deity on the reverse.
Ancient
Denarius of Domitian
Silver denarius of the emperor Domitian (81-96 AD), with his laureate portrait on the obverse and, typically, the goddess Minerva on the reverse.
Ancient
1 Riksdaler Specie
Large silver Riksdaler Specie of Sweden under King Oscar I, dated 1845, bearing his right-facing portrait, royal motto, and the Swedish coat of arms.
Modern