Israeli hiker finds rare, 2,000-year-old gold coin

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's Antiquities Authority says a hiker has found a rare, nearly 2,000-year-old gold coin.

The authority said Monday that the ancient coin appears to be only the second of its kind to have been found. It said London's British Museum possesses the other coin.

The coin, from the year A.D. 107, bears the image of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. It was minted as part of a series of coins honoring Roman rulers.

Antiquities Authority official Donald T. Ariel said the coin may have paid part of the salary of a Roman soldier.



sraeli Antiquities Authority official Donald T. Ariel holds a rare, nearly 2,000-year-old gold coin, at the Antiquities Authority office inside the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Monday, March 14, 2016. Israel's Antiquities Authority says a hiker has found a rare, nearly 2,000-year-old gold coin. The authority said Monday that the ancient coin appears to be only the second of its kind to have been found. It said London's British Museum possesses the other coin. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/571aa25cb12c4db9ab5f3bdf8180789b/israeli-hiker-finds-rare-2000-year-old-gold-coin

[shawn703]

1. Wow that's in pretty great shape too for a 2000 year old coin

I have pennies from only a few years back that don't look this good.

[DetlefK]

3. Yeah, it looks really odd.

Gold is a soft metal. And the coin spent two millenia in a sandy environment...

[R Merm]

4. Sandy environment, depends where it was found

[Art_from_Ark]

12. A sandy environment wouldn't do anything to gold

Lots of ancient copper and silver coins have been found in well-preserved condition in sandy Mediterranean environments . It's one reason why a lot of Roman copper coins sell for $10-15.

[Zira]

10. Yep. I don't trust it. I would need to know more.

I collect coins and I still don't trust the Roman coin I bought or any on the market.

That coin in the picture looks like it has never changed hands before now. I wouldn't call that very or ultra fine. It looks uncirculated.

[Art_from_Ark]

17. It's probably the British system of grading

It's much stricter than the American system. For example, an "MS-61" American coin is often called "Good EF" in the British system.

[bobGandolf]

11. Was thinking the same thing....

considering it was in the sand too, it looks new.

[Art_from_Ark]

13. Gold doesn't oxidize or tarnish

[Gregorian]

2. I would love to know who used it, and what they bought.

I love stuff like this. I used to get excited finding buffalo nickels.

[left-of-center2012]

6. "who used it, and what they bought"

Maybe nothing ~ they lost it.

[Gregorian]

7. That would be true if it had never been used before.

Maybe I don't want to know what they bought, now that I think of it.

[left-of-center2012]

5. "she will receive a certificate of appreciation for handing over the coin"

WOW - a certificate of appreciation

[tabasco]

8. AND a hearty pat on the back!

[Old Vet]

15. If it was me who found this the story would be a little different...........

I would be auctioning this coin to the highest bidder period.

[left-of-center2012]

16. Sell it on eBay ! nt

[Art_from_Ark]

18. Find a coin worth hundreds of thousands of dollars,

get a certificate of appreciation.

Wow! What a deal!

[left-of-center2012]

19. "a certificate of appreciation"

You could frame it and hang it on your wall.

[Old Vet]

21. As a coin collector for many years.....

Being only the second of only two known would put this coin in the category of almost priceless, I suspect it would garner well over a million dollars at a professional auction. This is a absolute historic find, The person who found this probably had no idea what he found.

[Art_from_Ark]

23. My estimate was in all likelihood low

It was based on what I remember as being the most valuable foreign coin before this find-- an Ides of March Roman gold coin depicting Brutus and daggers. It last sold for $650,000, according to my memory. I'm not sure if it has changed hands since then.

[Sunlei]

9. wow that's quite a find! I wish they would allow archaeology digs, under and around Jerusalem.

A good scientific study of Jerusalem would fill in a lot of the historic holes in old religious books.

[pfitz59]

14. If it was in a cave or sheltered environment

it could look like new. I don't think it was just sitting in the open...

[GummyBearz]

20. As another poster noted,

Gold is very robust to the elements. It does not rust or corrode like many other metals. High end electronics today gold plate their metals for this reason.

[roamer65]

22. A high XF to AU gold aureus.

$$$$$. Worth 25 silver denarii in its day.