Well, as everyone who reads this post will probably know, as tho is the first I have EVER been in the Ancients category, I do not collect ancients, and therefore have absolutely NO knowledge at all. So, I came here to ask what a 4 Drachma from before about 30 A.D. would cost. As longe as the coin is recognizable, it will be good enough. Thanks!
It is referred to as a tetradrachm and the prices go from a couple of hundred on up to many thousands of dollars.
A better question would be 'where.' Tetradrachms were the primary large unit of currency for hundreds of years.
Ooohh, I was hoping to possibly get one for a few bucks. Looks like I'm going to forget about that one. What about some Roman coin from the same era?
Tetradrachms struck under Roman rule in the east are also expensive for this time period. If you would settle for bronze, there should be a few coins that are closer to your price range. Don't expect to find anything legible for "a few bucks." Poke around here and see if anything catches your eye: http://bargainbinancients.com/zen/
I think I have settled on a coin minted during Pontious Pilate's reign. Now I just need to find one...
Keep in mind that there are quite a few coins that could have been the "Widow's Mite" of the Gospels. The particular type that goes by that name is really just the most common coin that could possibly qualify, and it's called that for marketing reasons. It was struck a century before Jesus of Nazareth preached anything, and I don't know enough about Judaic hords of the period to know if this would be a particularly likely candidate for whatever the widow had (though it is a possible one).
My theory is, even if it was minted 100 years prior, roll searchers still find 1912 coins today, and collecting was no where near as popular then. Also, I just like anything connected to Israel.
