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Silver Content Of Classical Greek Coins

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DVCollector's Avatar
United States
10045 Posts
 Posted 02/01/2012  2:22 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add DVCollector to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
I've read a lot about silver debasement during the later Roman empire, so I was surprised to read this detailed analysis of classical Greek silver, specifically Alexander the Great tetradrachms. It's in-depth reading of x-ray fluorescence used to determine composition and attribute to various minting sites. If you like minute details like I do, click the pdf link. In a nutshell, here is what I found interesting:

  • The silver content of these tetradrachms is between 95-98%--and no doubt generated a lot of public trust in Greek currency
  • These coins often contained more gold than copper--up to 2%!
  • The high lead content--up to 1.6%--possibly because it was part of the original ore
  • The researchers were able to correlate composition to specific mints--and probable mining sites
Edited by DVCollector
02/01/2012 3:14 pm
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wquinn's Avatar
United States
2295 Posts
 Posted 02/01/2012  2:28 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add wquinn to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Very interesting article. Thanks for posting it. it is a pretty big range of things they have found in the coins listed in table 3.
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DVCollector's Avatar
United States
10045 Posts
 Posted 02/01/2012  2:36 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add DVCollector to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
It's hard to wrap my brain around all that data, but table 3 was interesting.
I also didn't expect to read the coins often had more titanium than copper.
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tokenmast's Avatar
United States
648 Posts
 Posted 02/01/2012  3:27 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add tokenmast to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
DVCollector
I also Thank You! A thought provoking article
that is heavy on the science end of collecting.
Nice find that has major importance for Counterfeit Detection also.

NICE
New Member
United States
1 Posts
 Posted 02/01/2012  4:01 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add muttnotjeff to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Hello. Recovering from surgery in 1969 I found an interest in error coins...literally. Walking in a mall, I picked up a penny and noticed by some stroke of fate that only the motto read only "-- -- --- WE TRUST"! The point? I've always, since then, paid attention to anything even coin like. The result is the coins pictured below. I found these in a pair of 800 silver cuff links about 10 years ago. Although the obverse looks like the same King, I'm not certain this is so. For, on the reverse you can see there are distinct differences. Anyone knowledgable care to speculate? I'm thinking they may help me, at least a little bit, purchase a $600.00 digital grand piano I've got my eye on. However, I wouldn't want to under represent or over represent either of them. Each weighs exactly 4.2 grams on a digital scale. Apologies for my camera work. If necessary, I can try again.
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jessvc1's Avatar
United States
2596 Posts
 Posted 02/01/2012  5:44 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jessvc1 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Nice article DVCollector.
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Sap's Avatar
Australia
16869 Posts
 Posted 02/01/2012  8:16 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Sap to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
The researchers were able to correlate composition to specific mints--and probable mining sites

It only works well for first-generation coins, struck directly from freshly refined silver - which can only be assumed to be the case for mint-cities that were located in a silver mining region. For mints such as Babylon, with no silver mines nearby, coins would be struck from a mixed source of silver, often second-hand and third hand recycled coins from all over the ancient world tossed into the melting pot together. Which no doubt explains why the "Babylon" coins were all over the graph.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
Bedrock of the Community
DVCollector's Avatar
United States
10045 Posts
 Posted 02/01/2012  9:29 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add DVCollector to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Very interesting observation Sap!
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