Coin Encyclopedia
Search and identify coins from around the world — with country, denomination, metal, mint, history, and how to tell them apart.
Denarius of C. Antius Restio
Silver Roman Republican denarius struck at Rome in 47 BC by the moneyer C. Antius Restio, pairing an ancestor's portrait with a striding figure and trophy.
Ancient
Tealby Penny
Silver penny of Henry II, the Tealby or Cross-and-Crosslets type, with a crowned royal bust and a voided cross bearing small crosslets in its angles.
Medieval Coins
Antoninianus of Caracalla
The antoninianus introduced by Caracalla around AD 215, a radiate-crowned double denarius in debased silver that reshaped Roman coinage.
Ancient
Copper Fals of as-Salih Salih
A hand-struck medieval Islamic copper fals attributed to as-Salih Salih, covered on both faces in Arabic calligraphy with no portrait or figural imagery.
Islamic (Medieval)
Mark Antony Legionary Denarius
Silver denarius struck by Mark Antony in 32-31 BC to pay his army and fleet; reverse aquila between two standards, this example countermarked IMP VES.
Ancient
Solidus of Galla Placidia
A late Roman gold solidus struck in the name of Galla Placidia, empress and regent, showing her diademed bust and a Victory holding a long cross.
Ancient
Maundy Money Threepence
A tiny sterling-silver British threepence; the 1687 James II example shows a crowned bust and a crowned Roman numeral III on the reverse.
Maundy
Denarius of Octavian and Caesar
A Roman Imperatorial silver denarius pairing the young Octavian with his adoptive father Julius Caesar, struck around 43–42 BC.
Ancient
Nummus of Magnentius
A late Roman bronze struck for the usurper Magnentius (AD 350-353), noted for its bold bare-headed portrait and large Chi-Rho reverses.
Ancient
Calpurnia Denarius
Silver Roman Republican denarius of the Calpurnia gens: a right-facing male head on the obverse and a galloping horseman with inscription on the reverse.
Ancient
10 Roubles (Elizabeth)
An Imperial Russian gold 10 Roubles of Empress Elizabeth, showing her crowned portrait and the double-headed eagle with orb and scepter, dated 1756.
Early Modern
Frankfurt am Main Taler
A 1772 silver Taler of the Free Imperial City of Frankfurt am Main, famed for its detailed city-view reverse with walls, towers and radiant sun.
German States
Maundy Money Twopence
A tiny sterling-silver British twopence with a crowned Roman numeral II reverse; this example bears the profile of King James II, dated 1687.
Maundy
Barakah Copper Fals
A medieval Islamic copper fals carrying purely Arabic calligraphy, including the pious word barakah (“blessing”), with no portrait or figural image.
Islamic (Medieval)
12 Skilling
An early-modern Danish 12 skilling dated 1721, showing a crowned shield with a lion on one face and ornamental legend and value on the other.
Early Modern
Denier of Charles the Bald
A small hammered silver denier of the Carolingian king Charles the Bald (r. 840–877), pairing a cross or monogram design with a ruler's profile.
Medieval
Poltina (½ Rouble)
Silver half-rouble of Imperial Russia dated 1857, marked ПОЛТИНА on one side and bearing the crowned double-headed eagle of the Romanov empire.
Modern
Counterfeit Guinea
A base-metal (copper or brass) imitation of a George III gold guinea, struck or cast to deceive, showing a right-facing bust and a heraldic shield reverse.
Counterfeit
Spade Guinea Token
A base-metal imitation of the George III spade guinea, made as a gaming counter or advertising token, with a male profile obverse and a spade-shaped shield reverse.
Token
Silver Dirham (LACMA M.2002.1.437)
A thin, broad 8th-century Islamic silver dirham covered in Kufic Arabic inscriptions, with no portrait or image — only religious legends and decorative flourishes.
Islamic (Medieval)
Shah Jahan Rupee
Hand-struck silver rupee of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, all-Persian calligraphy in ornate cartouches, dated AH 1064 (AD 1653-1654).
Mughal India
Shah Jahan Half Rupee
Silver half rupee of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, dated AH 1055, carrying Persian-script inscriptions and ornamental borders instead of any portrait.
Mughal India
Mughal Rupee (Akbar)
A hand-struck Mughal silver rupee of Emperor Akbar dated AH 1003 (AD 1594), covered on both faces with flowing Persian calligraphy and ornamental borders.
Historic
Akçe
The akçe was the tiny silver coin at the heart of the early Ottoman economy, struck with Arabic-script inscriptions and no portrait or figural imagery.
Medieval