You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to have a rare ancient Roman coin in your collection. If true authenticity is less important to you than holding and admiring a coin in your very own hands, buying modern replica Roman coins is an entirely acceptable and easy way to go.
Buying a replica Roman coin can be a great way to have an interesting piece of history for a fraction of the cost of a real coin. Many real ancient Roman coins may in fact be surprisingly affordable, but the rarer ones can often be priced way beyond the budget of many collectors. That’s where modern reproductions come in, and there are different types for different tastes.
More: Ancient Roman coins: History you can hold in your hand
Types of Replica Roman Coins Available
The replica Roman coin pieces you should be looking at are known and clearly labeled as fakes. Be careful when buying replicas – some modern copies are not marked as such on the coin itself. You don’t want to be responsible down the line for trying to pass off a fake as a real one. And of course sellers aren’t legally allowed to offer a fake coin as a real one, which is why replica coins will be marked as such somewhere. (Usually, and hopefully, somewhere subtle and nonintrusive.)
There are two basic types of replica Roman coins. First there are fakes that are shiny and new, meant to represent what the piece would have looked like when brand new in ancient Rome. The other type have been designed to resemble – and have even been artificially aged in some cases – to look just like a real coin might nowadays, with centuries of wear.
More: Sestertius rare Roman coins and numismatic collectibles
Barbarous Radiate Copies
A popular subset of ancient coin reproductions are the second-century antoninianus coins that were minted privately. These copied the designs of official coinage but were smaller, and thus not generally considered true forgeries or copies. They are very collectible in and of themselves though, and can often be found for very cheap.
Buying Replica Roman Coins
You can get a nice replica Roman coin as a placeholder in your collection until an affordable real one comes along, or as an end unto itself. Ancient Roman coin copies can be purchased one at a time or in multiple-coin bulk lots with many varieties. They are much cheaper than real ones and can be every bit a window into the past as real coins. Check the selection that sellers are currently offering. Enjoy learning about the endless variety of ancient Roman coins for a fraction of the cost!
