Soldiers Marius, Sulla, Pompey, and Julius Caesar, as well as politicians such as Cato and Cicero, were labeled by historians as the ‘Founders of Rome’. The history books written today discuss many great Romans, who placed as close seconds to these famous men, get little attention and receive only puny honors in the  footnotes of the texts. One exceptional Roman, sadly overlooked, was Lucius Licinius Lucullus, a  consul of Rome in the 1st century BC and an accomplished soldier and statesman.

Where hoard evidence is slight, uneven or absent for individual emissions, the broad framework it provides for a whole series remains essential. Here we will combine this with some neglected evidence to tackle the problematic dating of two rare denarius types from the late 2nd century and then proceed to a still rarer 1st century gold issue, dragging it out of Syria and the 50s BC into a novel context as the first gold struck in Rome since the Second Punic War.

What makes a collection important? Some might subscribe to the philosophy “collect whatever you enjoy, because the joy of collecting is what is important”. In fact, an important collection is not one that can be measured solely in the mind of the collector. Importance requires more than self-satisfaction. Usually, importance implies the earning of respect for having accomplished something of purpose and value. So, how does one build an important collection that earns respect and is of value to the numismatic fraternity?

A discussion of a rare coin type which was only known based on a description by Mionnet. A fascinating glimpse into numismatic scholarship and research.

Why did the Jews during the Jewish War against Rome (A.D. 66-70) use the image of the amphora on their bronze coins and why is the amphora is used on at least two bronze procurator coins of Valerius Gratus.  What were these vessels used for and what was their significance?

This article provides an update on the work being done to bring unity to numismatic scholarship globally and in particular, discusses the efforts to inventory and publish the collections in several former Soviet Bloc nations. Some interesting information and includes a brief summary of a hoard of Koson gold staters found in Central Romania.

A review of three EXCELLENT numismatic websites:
-The Facing Head Coins of Larissa - A website
-The Handbook of Biblical Numismatics
-Parthia.com - A website Dedicated to Parthian History and Numismatics

-Ancient Coin Collectors Guild to Have Another Benefit Auction in August
-Dave Surber of Wildwinds Passed Away
-Sylvia Hurter Passed Away
-Large Hoard of Byzantine Gold Coins Found in Israel
-Important Roman Coin Hoard Found in UK - Reported via PAS
- Admiral Balchin’s HMS Victory Discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration