Coin Encyclopedia
Search and identify coins from around the world — with country, denomination, metal, mint, history, and how to tell them apart.
Lincoln Memorial Cent
U.S. one-cent piece struck 1959–2008 with Lincoln's profile and a Memorial reverse; 1982 is the split year between bronze and copper-plated zinc.
Small Cent
Follis of Diocletian
A large silver-washed bronze coin of the Tetrarchy, introduced by Diocletian's currency reform around AD 294 with a stern laureate portrait.
Ancient
Antoninianus of Trebonianus Gallus
A radiate-crowned billon antoninianus of the emperor Trebonianus Gallus, struck AD 251-253 with a standing deity or personification on the reverse.
Ancient
Half Sovereign
A small British 22-carat gold coin worth ten shillings; this example shows Queen Victoria's veiled, crowned Jubilee Head portrait and is dated 1887.
World Coins
Denarius of Macrinus
Silver denarius of Macrinus (r. 217–218 AD), a bearded emperor portrait paired with a standing deity or personification on the reverse.
Ancient
Antoninianus of Carinus
Bronze radiate coin of the emperor Carinus (283-285 AD), recognizable by his spiked crown and a standing or seated deity on the reverse.
Ancient
Antoninianus of Gordian III
Silver double-denarius of the young emperor Gordian III (238-244 AD), marked by his radiate crown and a standing deity on the reverse.
Ancient
Antoninianus of Valerian II
Roman radiate coin of Valerian II, the young Caesar (c. 253-260 AD), showing his spiked crown and a standing figure on the reverse.
Ancient
Roman Republic Semuncia
Smallest Roman Republican bronze denomination, worth half an uncia, struck around 217-215 BC with a Mercury head and a galley prow.
Ancient
China Panda Gold Coin
A modern Chinese gold bullion coin with the Temple of Heaven on one side and a giant panda on the other; this 2016 issue is a 30-gram gold piece.
Bullion
Tetradrachm of Ptolemy IV
Silver tetradrachm of Ptolemy IV Philopator, 221-204 BC, with the jugate busts of Sarapis and Isis on the obverse and an eagle on a thunderbolt on the reverse.
Ancient
Syracuse Bronze Coin of Hiero II
Ancient Greek bronze of Syracuse struck under King Hieron II, c. 275-215 BC, bearing a Hellenistic profile head; a very common Sicilian city bronze.
Ancient
Follis of Maximian
A large silvered-bronze follis of the emperor Maximian, introduced with Diocletian's coin reform of the Tetrarchy around AD 294.
Ancient
Lysimachos Tetradrachm
Silver tetradrachm of Lysimachos of Thrace, c. 297-282 BC, showing the deified head of Alexander the Great and Athena seated with a shield and spear.
Ancient
Antoninianus of Carus
Late-Roman bronze radiate of the emperor Carus (282-283 AD), showing his bearded, spiky-crowned head and a standing personification on the reverse.
Ancient
Antoninianus of Caracalla
The antoninianus introduced by Caracalla around AD 215, a radiate-crowned double denarius in debased silver that reshaped Roman coinage.
Ancient
Swedish Gold Commemorative
An early-20th-century Swedish gold coin showing a right-facing royal profile with the legend SVERIGES KONUNG and the fatherland motto.
Commemorative
Sestertius of Alexander Severus
Large Roman bronze sestertius of emperor Alexander Severus (222-235 AD), showing his youthful head and a standing figure of Providentia.
Ancient Coins
Antoninianus of Tetricus I
A billon antoninianus of the Gallic emperor Tetricus I (270–273 AD), showing his radiate portrait and a standing figure of Pax on the reverse.
Ancient
Lincoln Shield Cent
The current U.S. one-cent coin, struck since 2010, pairing Lincoln's profile with a Union Shield reverse on a copper-plated zinc planchet.
Small Cent
Antiochos Hierax Tetradrachm
Silver tetradrachm of the Seleucid prince Antiochos Hierax, c. 242-227 BC, with a diademed royal head and a reverse figure bearing shield and spear.
Ancient
Abbasid Copper Fals
A hand-struck Abbasid copper fals dated AH 219 (834–835 CE), covered entirely in linear Arabic inscriptions with no portrait or figural imagery.
Islamic (Medieval)
Macao 5 Patacas
A distinctive octagonal Macao 5 Patacas circulation coin dated 2007, showing a denomination-marked face and a sailing ship over a harbor scene.
Circulation